Class _t_G^2LlL_ Book 3,-'S 5 H Q , o O o < CJ CQ W t- pe; o ti-. ►J SI § • 1842 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. WITH Illustrations and Biographical Sketches. WILLIAMS BROS., PUBLISHERS, 1881. m ^m FROM PRINTING HOUSE OF W. W^. WILLIAMS, CLEVELAND, OHIO. -62-7 ii Prefatory Note, The following history is the result of the joint labor of its two editors, for about ten months; together with that of several assistants in certain departments of the work. W'ith two exceptions, the editors hold themselves responsible for every thing herein contained, for which no other author- ity is expressly given. The first exception is that of Township Histories. All of these but two were prepared by a gentleman of indefatigable industry and undoubted truthfulness, who spent several weeks in visitinj the different townships, and col- lecting from all accessible sources, but mostly from the lips of old settlers, the material for his sketches. That these are as reliable as anything based upon human memory can be, we have no doubt. The gentleman referred to has had considerable literary experience; but in these Township Histories he has aimed rather at brevity and clearness of state- ment, than at anything like literary ornamentation. The other exception is that of the Township Bio- graphical Sketches. These were prepared by the subscription canvassers, and were of course written under great inconveniences and difficulties. They came into our hands for revision. A few redundan- cies were pruned away; some grammatical erroi^s, incident to hasty composition, were corrected ; and that was all the revision which, under the circum- stances, was found practicable. We trust, however, that few, if an)-, important errors have gone into print, and that those specially interested in these sketches will find them, on the whole, satisfactory. The sources from which our information has been derived for the preparation of this work have been perhaps sufficiently acknowledged in those portions j of the worl: in which the various items of information I are embodied. But we desire here to make more especial acknowledgment to the publishers of the Consei~i'ative and the Bulletin for their kindness in granting us free access to the files of their papers ; to the clerg\-men who so cheerfully furnished us with historical sketches of their several churches; to all the county officers, not only for the unob- structed use of their records, but frequentl}- for their valuable assistance in examining them ; to Mr" Charles H. Little for the use of the entire file of the Buchanan Guardian of which he is the fortunate owner; and to the Hon. Stephen W. V. Tabor for admission, at all times cordially granted, to his magnificent private library. If through inadvertence, we have failed to mention, either here or in the body of the work, an>- kind helpers to whom we are specially indebted, let them be as- sured that the omission is not due to any lack of a grateful appreciation of their kindness. Of the fidelity (or the want of itj with which we have performed our work, our readers must be the judges. Of one thing only are we at all inclined to boast: we think we may safely say that no count}', whose history- has as yet been written, can point to so full and complete a record of the doino-s and sayings of its heroes in the war for the sup- pression of the Rebellion, as that contained in the present volume. That no other county could fur- nish the materials for such a record, we would not presume to sa\- ; but certainlj- we know of no county among \\hose soldiers there were so man}- Xenophons, equally capable of wielding the pen and sword, as among the .soldiers of "Old Bu- chanan." C. S. Perciv.a.1., It-,. \ Edi Eliz.\beth Pekcival, j iitors. CONTENTS HISTORICAL. GENERAL HISTORY. PAGE. CHAPTER. I. — The Aboriginal Iiidabitants . PAGE. 12 XIX.— The Buchanan Press . XX. — General Biography 218 219 II. — Physical Features ..... 23 TOWNSHIPS AND VILLAGES. III. — Historical Address .... 42 '. Independence .... 230 IV. — Settlement and Population 48 Washington 281 v.— Early Mails and Means of Communication . 50 Liberty ..... 29s VI.— Early Commerce ..... 53 Perry .... 311 VII. — Hunting, Trapping and Fishing 56 ^ Fairbank .... 332 VIII. — Erection and Organization of Buchanan county . 61 Hazleton .... 337 IX.— The County Seat War 63 Buffalo ..... 352 X. — The Court and the Bar of Buchanan County 64 Madison .... 362 XI. — Interesting Cases .... 71 Byron ..... 369 XIa. — County Societies ..... 80 Fremont . .' . . 377 XII.— Railroads ..... 93 Westburgh .... 384 XIII. — Provision for the Poor .... 98 Sumner .... 389 XIV.— The Hospital for the Insane . 59 Jefferson .... 404 XV. — Buchanan County in the War of the Rebellion 103 Homer .... 413 XVI.— Buchanan County Schools 210 Cono ..... 423 XVII.— Civil List of Buchanan County . 213 /Newton .... 430 ILLUSTRATIONS, Insane Asylum Map of Buchanan County Residence of Z. Stout . Portrait of Thomas Scarcliff " Moses Little facinj PAGE. : Title page facing 9 facing 230 facing 271 facing 314 Portrait of Charles Melrose " Prettyman King Portraits of John and .\nn McCny Residence (with portraits) of John B. Potter PAGE. facing 320 facing 341 facing 432 facing 437 BIOGRAPHICAL, Barnharl, .■\. J . . Barton, William H. Bemis, Hon. George W. Blood, Asa, jr. Boggs. Rev. John M. Boon, J. R. . Brown, Mrs. Mary E. . Cates, Valentine Chamberlain, W. H. Clark, O. B. Clark, S. S. Cobb, E. Coy. Captain J. F. Curtis, Simon B. Curtis, Thomas F. Deering, David S. Durham, Charles M. Ensminger Brothers Few, William Forrester, James Frank, A. H. . Herrick, C. F. Hitchcock, M. S. Holloway, Hon. John C. Jones, William A. Jordan, Lieutenant George Kandy, C. B. . King, Prettyman Little, Captain E. C. PAGE. 279 223 224 220 219 278 268 272 270 276 275 271 256 219 275 267 267 271 272 273 279 272 266 269 225 226 280 34 1 226 Little, John A. Little, Moses Luckey, Samuel C. Morse, W. H. H. . McCoristin, P. McCay. John Melrose, Charles Myers, .August Naylor, Samuel . Patrick, C. L. Poor, James A. Potter, John B. Ross, Edward Scarcliff, Thomas Sherwood, Thomas Sherwood, Samuel . Stewart, W. H. & Co. Stout, Z. Tabor. S. J. W. Trask, A. H. Travis, Judson J. Turner, Hon. Thomas E. Wallace C. R. . Walker, Daniel Warren, G. K. Wilcox, Phineas C. Wiley, John Wackerbarth, Jacob Woodruff, Lieutenant E. A 274 3'4 273 276 279 . facing 432 facing 320 277 272 278 268 437 ,266 280 277 270 275 following 272 223 278 269 219 274 277 276 222 274 280 228 INTRODUCTORY. ALL history is local. Even the strictest biography interests itself, more or less, in the birthplace and early home of its subject, and in all the scenes of his later achievements. Every man is closely identified with his surroundings. He becomes a part of them, and they of him ; and it would be as easy for him to exist separate from space as for a historian to write a history of his life entirely disconnected with that of the place in which he lives. As with the history of individuals and peoples, so with that of all popular movements, whether in civil, relig- ious, military or political affairs. The history of a gov- ernnient or a war, of a reformation in religion or a revolution in party politics, can not be written separate from that of the territories in which they occur. All events are local, and so must their history be. But the most of the great histories of the world are local in name, as well as in fact. The history of France, of England, or of America, pertains, if we follow the literal sense, even more to the territory than to the nation. We may say that the chief interest attaches to the peo- ple; but it is only as the soul is more interesting than the body. If the two could be separated, the history of both, together with all human interest in them, as constitu- ting a living entirety, would come to an end. But though all history, strictly speaking, is local, yet the name "local history" is applied exclusively, we believe, to those his- torical collections which have of late become so com- mon, and which are limited to small territories — those of towns corporate, townships, or separate counties. Local histories, therefore, do not differ from others so much in kind as in extent. The history of a county contains, or should contain, all the elements which enter into that of a State, or of a nation. Every history per- taining to a limited territory, whether great or small, should contain a description, more or less minute, of its physical features and natural advantages; an account of its aboriginal inhabitants, of its settlement and subjuga- tion by the people who now occupy it, of its gradual development of its resources, of the growth and extent of its internal improvements, of its advance- ment in art, science, literature, morality and religion ; in short, of the progress which its people have made in all that goes to make up that complex social condition to which we give the name of Christian civilization. As subsidiary to all this, it must contain an account of its civil divisions, and biographical sketches of those who have occupied, within its borders, prominent positions in social, financial, civil or military affairs. And if it isillustrated with portraits of its deserving citizens and. views of its finest edifices and most picturesque scenery, these illustrations will aid the descriptions of the histo- rian in producing their most vivid impression upon the mind of the reader. The history of a State can contain little, if any thing, more than the expansion of the elements thus briefly sketched; and the history of a county should contain nothing less. There are, however, certain characteristic differences between county histories and those which embrace more extensive territories; but they are such as should commend the former to the especial regard of the people at large. All these differences, which it is worth while to mention here, may be comprised in this one statement : County histories can descend to a mi- nuteness in details which is quite impracticable in Nation- al or State histories. And this fact, we repeat, should give to the former an especial value in the estimation of the people. In such histories there is room for descriptions and illustrations of much interesting scenery, which State or National historians, on account of limited space, must necessarily pass unnoticed; for narratives of pioneer life, which are of great interest to the descendants and suc- cessors of those to whom they relate, but which, were it not for the pen of the local historian, must slumber in oblivion ; for biograpical sketches of many who were true heroes in their limited sphere, who nobly wrought for the good of their neighborhood, their town, or their county, but who, nevertheless, would have gone down to the grave and been forgotten, but for the local history which, in preserving the memory of their deeds, has per- petuated the beneficent influence of their example. Local history, therefore, is emphatically the people's his- tory. But, though it is thus seen to be the peculiar province of local history to preserve, in comparatively small local- ities, the memory of events which more pretentious his- tories must necessarily leave unnoticed, it must not thence be inferred that the former is essentially less dig- nified and important than the latter. It is a very com- mon, but, nevertheless, a very great mistake to suppose that only the history of the so-called great is worthy to be written. Even the authors of the great world histories are compelled to recognize this fact by the necessity they are under of giving immortality to many subordinate characters, from the mere accident of their coming in contact with the more prominent actors in the great events which they narrate. But the difference between the great and the small, the important and the unimportant in human history, is, to a INTRODUCTORY. great extent, fectitious. No human life is devoid of in- terest. An eloquent modern writer has truly said: "It is interesting to reconstruct any genuine life drama, to pluck from time and oblivion the most inconspicuous story that has a human soul for its basis." Every human life is important, either as an example or as a warning; and, painted in such colors as the touch of genius could throw around it, every human life would be found replete with incidents of historic, and even of romantic interest. The possibility of everi what the world calls greatness, lies hidden in every soul whose strength is un- fettered, and whose light is unobscured, by some of the various forms or degrees of idiocy. The influence of what we call accident (which is but one of the forms of divine providence), not only in developing human char- acter and fixing human destiny, but also in lifting obscure names into the sudden light of historic prominence, is too often lost sight of. Of the many thousands of men in the United States, who are capable of filling respecta- bly the office of President, it is not unusually the one who has the most prestige before the people, and in whose behalf the most earnest, persistent and direct ef- forts are made, that succeeds in securing the nomination. And the influences which combine at last to secure it for the fortunate candidate, are, for the most part, at least, such as cannot be controlled and concentrated by man- agement and foresight. And the favorite Presidents have been those who have sprung up from among the people, whose early lives were spent in the obscurity of rural homes, and who, in the self-training which fitted them for their high position, have literally been led, "by a way that they knew not." But not only the means of preparing for a high posi- tion and the opportunities of securing it come through the intervention of what we call accident. Almost every page of history reveals the fact that combinations of circumstances, entirely fortuitous, as far as the actors in them are concerned, have often brought into permanent celebrity the names of those who never enjoyed either the necessary training for an exalted station, or the opportunities for obtaining it. Williams, Paulding, and Van Wert, the captors of Andre, were common militia- men, who would never have been heard of in our Revo- lutionary annals, but for the accident which placed them in the path of the returning spy, just as he was on the point of making good his escape within the British lines. But the constancy and fidelity which prompted them to spurn the offered bribes of their captive, and thus made their names immortal among those of their country's saviors, would have given their souls the stamp of genu- ine heroism, even had no opportunity been offered for rendering themselves famous. In the humble sphere which they were called to fill, those noble qualities would have found ample scope for exercise ; and their example would have been just as beneficial to those who witnessed it as it is now to the multiplied number who read it. And herein is seen one of the important offices of local history — and that is, to perpetuate the examples of worthy men and women, in the locality in which those examples were set. It aids the children of worthy parents in obeying that most touching of all the Commandments: "Honor thy father and thy mother," and affords thejn the finest opportunity of securing the promised reward — the prolongation of their days in the land which God has given them, by the perpetuation of their own names along with the memory of their parents' examples. These observations, of course, apply generally to all times and eras in a county's history. There is no genera- tion that does not produce some men in every county whose character and position justly entitle them to his- toric commemoration, and give both to contemporaries and posterity the right to demand that such commemora- tion shall be made. In every generation too, there will be, in every county, many events in all the departments of human activity and interest, well worthy to be placed on record by the pen of the historian. Striking events in social life will occur. Important political crises will be passed through. The march of improvement will be kept up. New commercial thoroughfares will be opened. Financial enterprises "of great pith and moment" will be undertaken and carried on to success, or end in fail- ure. Schools, churches, and charitable institutions will be established. The great battle between right and wrong will be fought and won; or lost and renewed again. Im- migration and emigration will continue, and populations will change. And all this is the stuff' of which history is made. As often, therefore, as once in forty or fifty years at the most, the history of every county should be thor- oughly written. Copies of every such work should be preserved in all the public libraries and offices of the county, and in all private houses whose owners can by any means afford the necessary expense. No sentiment of mock modesty should prevent prominent and wealthy citizens from furnishing, for the illustration of such works, both portraits, views of residences, and materials for biographical sketches. The most generous encour- agement should be extended to those who undertake the labor and incur the risk of such publications, provided ample guaranty is given of ability and fidelity in the ex- ecution of the work. Local histories, thus patronized and executed, to whatever era they may refer in the his- torical development of the locality described, must be regarded as second in importance to none that can be written. But the observations made above, in regard to the im- portance of local, or county histories, refer especially to those which are written first, while some of the early set- tlers or their immediate descendants survive — or, at least, while all the facts worthy of record concerning the first settlement of the locality, are easy to be obtained. The people have an instinctive desire to know as much as possible concerning those who first opened up the region in which they dwell, to the occupancy of civilized men. The pioneers in the settlement of any unculti- vated region, woodland or prairie, are always men of mark. None but brave, hardy and energetic men would undertake such a work. And it is the record of deeds which spring from these qualities, that constitutes the romance of history. It is true that the pioneers may INTRODUCTORY. not have possessed these quahties in a higher degree, in- herently, than their successors; but the circumstances surrounding them — the very necessities of their position — were calculated to develope these traits in an extra- ordinary degree, and thus to produce a type of charac- ter not to be looked for in later and more quiet times. But even if pioneers were commonplace men, the ac- cident which made them pioneers would give them a prominence justly entitling them to historic mention — just as "the first white male child" born in a county, though he may never do any thing worthy of fame, never- theless becomes famous by the mere accident of his primogeniture. In speaking of the importance of local histories, we must not omit to mention the fact that they often afford valuable material for those more extensive historical works, which pertain to the State or the nation at large. Characters with only a local reputation, entithng them to biographical sketches in county histories, may afterwards win a national fame; and the subsequent historian, called to write of their life and times, may be able to find in such histories alone the record of their early career. Events also having at first only a local significance, and recorded only in local histories, may subsequently, by their connection with later events, become of national importance. And yet, if they had not been rescued from oblivion by the local historian, no authentic accounts of them would ever have been transmitted to posterity. We will add but one other consideration showing the importance of county histories, and that is the very obvi- ous one that such histories, if written even with a moderate degree of fidelity and ability, will increase more and more in value, the older they become. Of most other histories this is true only to a very limited extent ; and of very many others it is not true at all. The history of Ancient Rome, or of any modern nation, written at the present time, will be no more valuable on account of its age forty or fifty years hence than it is now. Any such book, when it becomes very old, or very scarce, may increase in value as a curiosity; but the history which it contains will probably be no more highly prized a hundred years from now than it is at the present time. But the history of a county, going back to its first set- tlement and organization; containing the names and personal history of its early settlers, and a record of the most interesting events that marked the first half century, or so, of its progress, will be much more highly prized by succeeding generations than by that to which, in part at least, it relates. 'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view. Events which occur at or near our own time, are commonplace as history, with whatever eagerness they may have been devoured as news; and it is not until they have become surrounded by something of the halo of antiquity that we begin to appreciate their full value. The writer of this might not, perhaps have set a very high value upon a history of his native county ("Old Oneida,'' in Central New York) if written thirty-five years ago, while he was still a resident within its borders; but if such a work had been written then, on the plan and in the manner already described, containing sketches of the county pioneers (among whom were his own an- cestors) and embellished with portraits of individuals and views of scenery familiar to his boyhood, he would now consider such a work, if still accessible, cheap at double the price set upon the present volume. A natural desire, therefore, to gratify, instruct and benefit posterity, as well as that (already mentioned) to bestow honor upon ances- try, should induce all the citizens of a county to encour- age, by every means in their power, any timely and trustworthy effort to perpetuate, in a suitable form, the history of the locality in which they live. It cannot be denied, however, that this species of writ- ing is the subject of a very common popular prejudice. This fact is due partly to the lack of a proper apprecia- tion of the importance of such works, and the general repugnance toward all enterprises which are thought to place the people under contribution — and partly, ic must be confessed, to the well-nigh worthless character of many of the works put forth under the name of "County Histories." It is probably too much to expect that either of these causes of the existing prejudice of which we are speaking, will very soon disappear. But an intelligent examination of the subject, in the light of the considera- tions therein set forth, could hardly fail to prove an anti- dote to the first ; and the second could not long survive if every citizen would thoroughly scan both the creden- tials and the antecedents of any parties proposing to is- sue a county history, before giving them his sanction. These remarks, by way of introduction, have seemed to us important, in order to remove from the minds of our readers at the outset, if possible, any indifference or prejudice with which they may have been preoccupied, in regard to the dignity and importance of a local his- tory. Whether or not the present volume has to any ex- tent realized the picture which we have drawn of such a history, we shall leave them to determine. HISTORY OF Buchanan County, Iowa. CHAPTER I. THE ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS. The question, '"What race of men first occupied the territory now embraced within the Hmits of Buchanan county?" is one that can be answered only by conjecture. The immediate predecessors of the present white inhabit- ants were the modern Indians or red men. The predeces- sors of the latter, here as in the whole Mississippi valley, if not throughout the entire central portion of North America, from ocean to ocean, are now supposed, by nearly all archaeologists, to have been a separate race of men; to whom has been given, on account of the works which have survived them, the name of "Mound Builders." But whether they were really a different race from the Indians; or, if they were, whether they were actually the first human beings that ever occupied the soil of our country, can never be certainly known. After having read all the leading arguments in favor of the commonly received hypothesis, we frankly confess that we have never been fully convinced that the Mound Builders were a different race from the modern Indians. It is true that warlike instruments and domestic uten- sils that are not now in use by the Indians, are found in the mounds. But many of the implements found (no- tably the spear and arrow heads, stone axes, hammers, etc.), are the same as those used by the present race of Indians for a hundred years, or more, after the continent was discovered by Europeans ; and perhaps, by certain tribes, even at the present time. And circumstances of which we can know nothing may have caused the race to give up the use of certain implements — just as many articles of household furniture in common use among the whites of this country a hundred years ago, now exist only as curiosities. It has always seemed to us that too great stress has been laid upon alleged anatomical differences — in the matter of stature, cranial peculiarities, etc — between the Mound Builders and the Indians. It is known that the modern tribes have often used the ancient mounds as places of sepulture ; and hence it has often happened ■ that exhumed skeletons which some experts have pro- nounced to be those of Mound Builders, have by others, equally skilful, been declared to be those of modern Indians. This, of course, proves conclusively that there are no anatomical differences between the two alleged races, which can serve as infallible tests of race identity. But even if these differences were so radical and com- prehensive that no expel t could ever be deceived in de- ciding to which people any given skeleton belonged, that would be no absolute proof that the modern Indians are not the lineal descendants of the Mound Builders; since all such differences may have been produced by natural causes — such as changes in personal habits and modes of life — operating through long periods of time. Again, the fact that the present race of Indians have never been known to construct mounds, since the dis- covery of the continent by the whites; and that they have no knowledge, nor even any national tradition as to the origin of such structures, is regarded as a proof that the Indians and the Mound Builders are different races. But whoever constructed these works, ceased to construct them when there was no longer any occasion for their CQUstruction — just as log-cabins and "dug-outs" cease to be built by pioneers, as soon as the pioneer days are over. And it is entirely certain that the Indians would have been quite as likely to know something about the origin of the mounds, if their ancestors had driven out or exterminated the Builders, as they would if the mounds had been built by those ancestors themselves. But where no written records are made, and no poetic narra- tives are transmitted from sire to son, the memory of events soon dies out. Thus we read that "the tribes of the lake region so soon forgot thevisit of the Jesuit Fathers, that their descendants, a few generations later, had no tradition of the event." And a similar fact has been put on record concerning the Indians of the Mississippi valley, who soon lost all recollection of De Soto's expe- dition, which, as Dr. Foster remarks " must have im- pressed their ancestors with dread, at the sight of horses ridden by men, and at the sound of fire-arms, which they must have likened to thunder." It is also stated by Sir John Lubbock that "the New Zealanders, at the time of Captain Cook's landing upon their island, had forgotten altogether Tasman's visit, made less than one hundred and thirty years before.' Whoever the Mound Builders were, therefore, it is not to be wondered at that the present Indians have no knowledge and no coherent traditions concerning them. For these reasons the argument in favor of the theory that the Mound Builders were of a different race from the Indians has never seemed to us conclusive. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. «3 But there are positive objections, which shift the bur- den of proof, and put that theory upon the defensive. The weightiest of these objections clusters about the question, "What became of the Mound Builders?" This is a fair question, and one to which the theory is bound to give a reasonable answer. But we confess we do not see where any such answer can be found. Did they re- tire of their own accord, and leave their beautiful and fertile country (the fairest and richest country that the sun ever shone upon) to be taken possession of peace- ably by another race of men? Such a migration from such a region would find no parallel in history; and we cannot conceive of its taking place in prehistoric times. Were they driven out by the ancestors of the present In- dians? All the relics of the Mound Builders go to show that they were much more civilized and powerful than the red men who now occupy their places. And, unless the latter are themselves the Mound Builders, degener- ated during the lapse of ages, there is no reason to sup- pose that they were ever any more powerful than they are to-day. It is, therefore, contrary to all that we know of the results of the collisions between opposing races to suppose that the Mound Builders were conquered and driven out of their territory by the Indians. But if, con- trary to all that history teaches in regard to ethnic move- ments, they were expelled by the Indians, or emigrated of their own accord, the question still remains; Where did they go? They have left no traces of their peculiar civilization in any other region; nor has there ever dwelt upon this continent any other known people to whom they bore a closer resemblance than to the present race of Indians. We are aware that an effort has been made (notably by Mr. John T. Short, of Columbus, Ohio, in his ingenious and very readable work, published during the present year, 1880, on "The North Americans of Antiquity") to show that the Aztecs of Mexico were the descendants of our Mound Builders. But this hypothe- sis presupposes that a conquered people, retiring to a re- gion and climate less adapted (as all history shows) than the one they left to the elevation and improvement of the human race, nevertheless made a rapid advance in civilization; building immense cities and establishing a well-ordered government; while their conquerors, occu- pying the more favorable territory upon which they had seized, continued for untold centuries a nomadic and barbarous race, without manifesting any desire or dispo- sition to improve their condition. Of course this is pos- sible; but it requires some degree of boldness to pro- nounce it probable. And beside all this, it is not consonant with the teach- ings of history to suppose that a great and powerful race, such as the Mound Builders are represented to have been, either migrated en masse, or were expelled by a for- ' eign foe. Small tribes migrate, and great nations or races colonize foreign territory; but the latter, even when conquered in war, are never expelled or exterminated. On the contrary, if the conquerors settle in the lands they have subdued, both races ordinarily dwell together, coalesce, and eventually form a new race. Thus, when the barbarians of the north, the Goths and Vandals, over- ran southern Europe, the nations which they conquered, were not driven out, but became virtually the masters of their conquerors; since the latter were forced to adopt the civilization and the religion of the former, and so lost not only their national characteristics, but also, in the end, their identity. This must be the normal result when the conquering race, though superior in physical vigor and prowess, is inferior to the conquered in mental and moral developinent. It is only when a powerful race, highly developed morally and intellectually, takes pos- session of a region occupied by rude savages, that its former occupants disappear before the invaders, either by emigration or extinction. And as this is not the kind of collision that is supposed to have taken place between the Indians and the Mound Builders, it is highly im- probable that the latter disappeared at the approach of the former. It therefore seems much more difficult to guess what became of the Mound Builders, than to ac- count for the differences between them and the Indians, supposing the latter to be th? lineal descendants of the former; since abundant examples might be cited of ex- isting nations that differ as much, both in national cus- toms and physical characteristics, from the races or tribes from which they are known to have descended within historic times, as the Indians differ from the Mound Builders. But there is another question to which, as it seems to us, the advocates of the commonly received theory are in duty bound to give a plausible answer, and which nevertheless, we think will be found quite as difficult to answer as the one just considered; and that is, "Where did the Indians come from?" When it isborne in mind that the Mound Builders are supposed to have occupied nearly, if not quite, all the territory now embraced within the limits of the United States, with the exception of the Pacific slope, it will be found difficult to imagine in what other part of the continent a people could have been found sufticiently numerous and sufficiently vigorous not only to defeat in war but actually to expel from this mag- nificent domain such a race as the Mound Builders are represented to have been. If we can imagine the pres- ent race of Mexicans invading the same territory now, and driving its inhabitants before them beyond the lakes into British America, it will perhaps seem probable that a race existed in the last named region (for, if not there, surely nowhere) capable of driving the Mound Builders out of their lands, across the Rio Grande and beyond the Mexican Gulf We have no theory of our own in regard to the early inhabitants of this country ; but we deem it much more reasonable to suppose that the Indians are the hneal de- scendants of the Mound Builders, with national customs and physical peculiarities changed through the lapse of ages, by the operation of causes which we can never ex- plain — but among which fractional or sectional wars may have played a conspicuous part — than to suppose that such a race as the Mound Builders must have been, were driven out of such a country as they occupied, by any people then living north of the Gulf of Mexico. Theo- ries, against which insuperable objections can be urged. 14 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. are not of much importance, whether in archeology or any other science ; but so long as such theories are ad- vanced, and books are written in their support, the ob- jections can never be out of order. This, we trust, will be a sufficient justification for the space we have given to the theory under discussion. But whoever the Mound Builders may have been, and in whatever age of the world they may have lived, they were, so far as we have any means of knowing, the first occupants of the territory now embraced in Buchanan county. We might properly say this, even though no trace of their works had been found here. Their an- cient works are scattered so generally throughout the Mississippi valley that there can be no reasonable doubt that the people who built them once occupied the entire country drained by the Father of Waters. But we are not left to a mere inference, even though it be a necessary one, to establish the fact that we here tread the soil of the Mound Builders. A good many mounds have been found in the county, which those well qualified to judge of such matters do not hesitate to pronounce the work of that ancient people. A circular mound, several feet high, was leveled in preparing the foundation for the county jail, in Independence. No relics, however, worthy of note were found in it. Two circular mounds, connected together by a straight embankment, were found on the farm now owned by Mr. James Forester, near Independence. Standing in a cultivated field, they are nearly, if not quite, obliterated by constant plough- ing. Several earthworks, mostly of a circular form, have been discovered along the banks of the Wapsipinicon; but none have been found of sufficient interest to attract the notice of archaeologists. Some of the older inhabi- tants have even doubted that these works were really artificial. Not having seen them ourselves, and being unskilled in the science of archaeology, we express no opinion of our own, but give the facts as they have been communicated to us by those whom we regard as com- petent judges. As already stated, however, the question whether the soil of Buchanan county was once occupied by the Mound Builders, does not depend for its solution upon the e.xistence here of unmistakable works of that ancient race; since the contiguity of such works along the Mississippi and elsewhere, and their general distribu- tion throughout the western and northwestern States, must be regarded as settling that question in the affirma- tive. THE INDIANS. These, either as lineal descendants or as conquerors, or as mere chance successors to lands left vacant, came into the place of the Mound Builders. When this hap- pened is as great a mystery as how it happened. It must have been, at the very least, several hundred years before the discovery of America by Columbus. At the time of the discovery, and we know not how many ages before, these people were divided into almost numberless tribes, frequently hostile and always migratory. The ownership of definite territories by the different tribes was a thing unknown. The temporary occupancy of grounds favorable for hunting, or for the cultivation of maize, was often decided by bloody battles; but the per- manent possession of lands, with metes and boundaries, is an idea which none of these tribes have ever put into practice, except at the dictation of their civilized con- querors. The United States government, acknowledg- ing theoretically the right of the Indians to the soil, has at various times made treaties with them, whereby they have ceded certain lands to the Government, and accept- ed others as "reservations," to which they have agreed to confine themselves, and the peaceable possession of which the Government has guaranteed to them. Thus an ownership, more or less permanent, has been estab- lished, and the districts thus reserved have been regard- ed as the special habitat of the tribes to whom they were assigned. But as Buchanan county was never embraced within the limits of any such reservation, it cannot properly be said ever to have been the special home of any particu- lar tribe. Its abundant timber and fine watercourses, however, have always furnished such excellent facilities for hunting and fishing that the most of the tribes dwell- ing in this vicinity must often have made it a place of temporary sojourn. As appropriate to this chapter, therefore, we will give here brief sketches of a few of those tribes which, from the known history of their wanderings, were most un- doubtedly, at some time or other, denizens of this county. And, on account of their historical prominence in giving a name both to the State and its principal river, (although they figured much less prominently in the his- tory of this region than several other tribes) we will be- gin with THE io\v.\s. This tribe is said to belong to the Dakota family, the principal representatives of which have had their meeting- grounds west of the Missouri. Unlike many of the other tribes, therefore, that have inhabited this region, their migrations were from the west instead of the east. They originally called themselves Pahucha, which signifies "Dusty Nose" — though from what peculiarity they were thus called, we are not informed. They were first men- tioned by Father Marquette, who, as early as 1673, speaks of them "as the Pahoutet, back of the Des Moines." Some of the tribes called them Mascoutin which name is said to signify "Prairie," and which is perhaps perpetuated in the name of the county and city of Muscatine. They were divided into eight clans, all named from different animals, of which the eagle, wolf, bear, and buffalo still exist — the other four, which were named the pigeon, elk, beaver, and snake, having become extinct. In 1675 their country was said to be twelve days' journey west of Green Bay. In 1700 they were in what is now Southern Minnesota, and, like the Sioux, were at war with all the western Algonquin tribes. The cele- brated Jesuif historian, Charlevoir, gives an account of them at about this period of their history. He says that the great pipestone quarry was then embraced in their territory, and speaks of their celebrity throughout the west as pedestrians, alleging that they were "able to HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. IS travel twenty-five or thirty leagues a day when alone." It is said that many of their early chiefs had names in- dicative of their remarkable endurance in walking, and of the pride which they took in their acknowledged supe- liority in this respect. And one of their later chiefs, who flourished as recently as 1825, was named Manehans, or Great Walker. The name of their greatest warrior and chief, Mahaska, or White Cloud, who flourished about the same time, has been perpetuated in the name of the county of which Oskaloosa is the county seat. In early times the lowas were powerful and warlike, and often came into collision with those greatest of Indian warriors, the .Siou.N. At the beginning of this century they numbered about fifteen hundred souls; but, what with wars, smallpox and "fire water,'' their numbers have been gradually reduced until 1872, when the last pub- lished enumeration took place, the tribe consisted of only two hundred and twenty-five. In 1803 they defeated the Osages, at that time a powerful tribe, and this seems to have been about the last of their military successes; although their hostility to the Sioux continued as late as 1825, when Generals Clark and Cass made an attempt, only partially successful, to establish peace between the two tribes. Few of the northern Indians have shown greater aptitude for civilization than the lowas, although the evil influences surrounding them have prevented this dis- position from bearing very abundant fruits. The first treaty of peace between them and the United States was made in the year 18 15 — Wyingwatha, or Hardheart, and some of the subordinate chiefs acting on the part of the Indians. August 4, 1824, another treaty was formed; General Clark acting for the United States, and the great chief, Mahaskah, or White Cloud, and Manehana, or Great \\'alker, representing the tribe. By this treaty all the lands of the lowas in what was then known as the Missouri territory, were ceded to the government for five hundred dollars down, and the same sum to be paid an- nually for ten years — the United States agreeing to support a blacksmith at the headquarters of the tribe, and, to assist them with agricultural implements, horses, cattle, etc. They had at this time several villages on the Des Moines and Iowa rivers — a part of the Sacs and Foxes be- ing associated with them. As usual the intrusion of the whites upon their lands led to trouble and complaints ; and the influence of liquors, following that of war and disease, was fast reducing the numbers of this once powerful tribe. By a treaty formed September 17, 1836, the remnant of the tribe, then numbering nine hundred and ninety-two, was removed to a reservation located on the west bank of the Missouri, above Wolf river. But a part of them bec'ame discontented, and, the very next year, abandoned the reservation and took up the life of vagrants, subsist- ing by theft, or hunting upon the grounds of other tribes. Their numbers dwindled year by year, the chiefs taking the lead in intemperance, from the effects of which vice many died, and many others were killed in the fatal quarrels to which it led. About the year 1835 'he Pres- byterians established a mission and manual labor school among these people, and kept it up with commendable zeal for more than twenty years. Though much good was accomplished, the effort failed to arrest the steady decay of the tribe. By 1S46 they had become reduced in numbers to seven hundred and six. At this time their territory was bounded on the east by the Missouri, and on the noith by the Great Nemahaw. On March 6, 1861, a treaty was made by which the tribe, then reduced to three hundred and five in number, ceded to the United States all their lands, except a res- ervation of sixteen thousand acres. In 1869 they informally agreed to sell this and remove south ; but afterwards retracted their agreement, but consented to give part of their lands to the Sacs and Foxes, who had parted with their reservation. About the time the Presbyterian mission was aban- doned, the tribe was placed under the care of the Qua- kers, under whose influerice they have made considerable advance in civilization, and have shown an increasing disposition to become more sober and industrious. In 1872 their school numbered sixty-three pupils — more than one-fourth of the entire tribe — and all clad in the garb of civilized life. They had seven hundred acres of land under cultivation, thirteen framed houses, and twenty built of logs. Their produce was estimated at two thousand six hundred and eighty-five dollars, and their stock at seven thousand nine hundred dollars. The Government of the United States holds fifty-seven thou- sand five hundred dollars in trust for the lowas, the interest upon which is paid annually to the heads of families; and the almost useless ''Indian goods" formerly furnished, are now replaced by articles af intrinsic value. It is a remarkable fact, and one well worthy of record, that in 1864, when they numbered in all only two hun- dred and ninety-three, the lowas had forty-one men in the United States military service — almost one-fourth of their entire population! What white community at the north could show any such ratio of soldiers as that? It is said that these forty-one men were much improved by our military discipline, and that they all adopted civilized dress and customs. We greatly regret our inability to give any personal incidents in the military record of these men, or to trace their history since the war. It is devoutly to be hoped that some of them, at least, re- ceived the appropriate reward of citizenship in the nation which they helped to defend. A grammar of the Iowa language, composed by the Rev. S. M. Irvin and Mr. William Hamilton, was pub- lished at the Iowa mission in 1848. THE WINNEBAGOES. This tribe, like the lowas, belong to the Dakota fam- ily, and, like them, migrated eastward from beyond the Missouri, meeting the Algonquins in the region of the lakes. The name which they have always borne in history was given them by the last named Indians, and signifies men from the fetid or salt water, whence the name Puants, given to them by the French. They were styled by the Sioux, Hotanke or Sturgeon. The Hurons and Iroquois called them .\wentsiwaen, but they called i6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. themselves Hochungara. Of these last two appellations we have never heard any signification given. In the earliest historic times they were numerous and powerful, and usually defeated the Algonquin tribes, with whom they came into frequent collision. Soon after the commencement of the French traffic with the west, in the early part of the seventeenth cen- tury, an alliance of the Algonquins and other tribes was made, and the Winnebagoes were attacked by an over- whelming force. They were besieged in a single town, where they were greatly reduced by want and disease, and, besides the women and children that died, over five hundred warriors perished. Compelled to surrender, and greatly reduced in numbers, they nevertheless con- tinued haughty and turbulent. They recovered a part of their prestige by making an alliance with the French, fighting in their wars, and receiving protection in return. During the Revolution the Winnebagoes were the allies of the EngHsh. They were active in the Miami war, taking part in the attack on Fort Recovery, in 1793. After being defeated by the great Indian fighter, "Mad Anthony Wayne," they made peace with the United States. They, however, adhered to Tecumseh, the Shawnee warrior, and sided with the English during the war of 181 2, aiding in the reduction of Prairie du Chien, in 1 814. Their number was then estimated at four thousand five hundred. In 1820 they had five villages on Winnebago lake, and fourteen on Rock river. After the close of the last war with England, they made a treaty of peace and amity with the United States, June 3, 1816; but, notwithstanding, they levied tribute on all whites passing up Fox river, which, for some time, was included in their territory. Treaties made in 1826 and 1827 fixed their boundaries, from which the whites were by law excluded. But a portion of their lands were rich in minerals, and this fact led to intrusions, and these to murders, for which Red Bird and other members of the tribe were arrested, tried and convicted. This led to ill- feeling, and when a portion of the Sacs, under Black Hawk, began the war for the recovery of their ceded lands, on Rock river, in 1832, the Winnebagoes, or at least a part of them, took the side of the hostile Sacs. This led to an importunate demand for their removal. In 1829 they had ceded to the United States their land from the Wisconsin to the Rock river, for thirty thousand dollars in goods, and an annuity of eighteen thousand for thirty years. Finally, by the treaty of Fort Armstrong, made in September, 1832, they gave up all their lands lying south of the Wisconsin and Fox rivers, amounting to two and a half millions of acres — the United States agreeing to give them a reservation on the west side of the Mississippi, in that part of the Wiscon- sin territory which now forms the State of Iowa; and also to pay them an annuity of ten thousand dollars for twenty-seven years, and maintain schools among them, free of expense. Here they became unsettled and ex- travagant, and contracted a debt (though for what pur- pose and to what party we are not informed) of a hundred and fifty thousand dollars — for the payment of which they were ready to cede more land to the Govern- ment. It can well be imagined that their frequent re- movals had had no tendency to check the nomadic dis- position which they inherited from a remote ancestry. They became restless and roving, and separated into j small bands. In 1842 there were seven hundred and fifty-six on the Turkey river, their new home in Iowa, with as many more in Wisconsin, and smaller bands elsewhere. All had become lawless and wandering. By the treaty of Washington in 1846, they surrendered their former reservation for eight hundred thousand acres north of the St. Peters, and a hundred and ninety-five thousand dollars. The site to which they were removed, it is said, was not that which was promised them; and it proved to be very unhealthy. They lost many by disease and want, but were kept there by force. At length, in 1853, they were again removed to Crow river. Here schools were revived, attempts were renewed for their improvement, but by the treaty of February, 27, 1856, they were once more removed to Blue Earth, Minnesota. The climate here proving healthy and the soil fertile, they began to habituate themselves to agriculture, building houses, and sending their children to school. To foster this disposition the Government formed a new treaty with them in 1859, by which land was to be allotted to them in severalty — eighty acres to a family and forty to a single man. Several had taken up lots in accordance with this plan, when most unfortunately the Sioux war broke out, and the panic-stricken people of Minnesota demanded that the poor Winnebagoes should again be removed.. Though some of the tribe may, per- haps, have sympathized with the Sioux, or even have joined in the revolt, yet there can be no doubt that the great majority were entirely loyal to the Government. Yet such was the prejudice against them, and so pressing was the demand for their removal, that the Government at last felt constrained to yield. They were disarmed in April, 1863, and removed to Crow creek, in the Dakota territory, near the Missouri river, above Fort Randall. The change proved to be very disastrous. The locality was unsuited to their semi-civilized habits. It was im- possible for them to make a comfortable subsistence, and they were constantly exposed to the incursions of wild and hostile neighbors. An attempt was made to keep them here by force; but rendered desperate by famine and disease — more than one third of the nineteen hun- dred and eighty-five who came from Minnesota having died — they left in a body and made their way to the res- ervation of the Omahas, a friendly tribe, half civilized like themselves, who gave them temporary shelter. In May, 1866, they were again removed to lands as- signed to them at Winnebago, Nebraska, where the sur- roundings were favorable to their improvement, but where every thing had to be commenced anew. In 1869 they were assigned, as were the lowas mentioned above, to the care of the Quakers. The next year the agent, finding it impossible to carry out his plans under the old chiefs, forcibly set them aside and appointed twelve new ones of his own selection — making the office thereafter elective by the tribe. Lands were again allotted in sev- eralty to such as wished to take up farms; and, in 1874, HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 17 they numbered in Nebraska fourteen hundred and forty- five cultivating their farms, living in cottages, dressing like the whites, and sending their children to the schools — of which there were three, very well sustained. AVhen the tribe removed from Minnesota, a hundred and sixty of their number, chiefly half breeds, who had taken up lands, were allowed to remain. These received, as their share of the tribal funds, eight hundred dollars each. But many of them spent this, lost their land, and jomed the tribe in Nebraska. Besides these, portions of the tribe had been left in different parts of Juneau, Adams, and Wood counties, Wisconsin, who had become self-supporting and remained unmolested. They num- bered nearly one thousand; and, in the winter of 1873--4, the most of them were removed to Nebraska, where a smaller tract, near the Winnebago reservation, had been purchased for them. In the present condition of tliis tribe, as of the others that have allowed the advancing tide of white emigration and civilization to flow around them, after having for some time receded before it, we may read the final des- tiny of the Indians on this continent. The remnants of the race are doubtless to become civilized; and then to be gradually absorbed as one of the component parts of the new race that will one day dominate the western world. THE POTTAWATOMIES. This tribe, unlike the Winnebagoes, belong to the Al- gonquin, or eastern family of Indians. Though warlike, they are said to have had, at the advent of the whiles, a less stable form of government and a ruder dialect, than the rest of their race. At the beginning of the seven- teenth century they occupied the lower peninsula of Michigan, in scattered and roving bands, apparently in- dependent of each other — there being at no period of their history any trace of a general authority or govern- ment. They lived, like the other tribes, mainly by hunt- ing and fishing, and the occasional cultivation of maize. Notwithstanding their scattered condition and nomadic habits, whenever a common danger threatened them the more influential leaders of the independent bands seemed to find little difficulty in uniting them for the common defence. They thus maintained their position for a long time, often coming out victorious in their war- like collisions with neighboring tribes. At last, however, they were driven west by the united tribes of the Iro- quois family, and settled on the islands and shores of Green Bay. Here they were favored by the Jesuit Fathers, who established a mission among them. Perrot acquired great influence over them, by which they were in- duced to take part with the French against the Iroquois. Onanguice, their most prominent chief, was one of the parties to the treaty made at Montreal, in 1701 ; and the bands united under him, actively aiding the French in their subsequent wars. Tlieir connection with the French greatly increased their power, and they gradually spread over what is now southern Michigan and north- ern Illinois and Indiana — a mission on the St. Joseph river being a sort of a central point. The Pottawatomies joined Puntiac, the Ottawa chief. in his great conspiracy against the English, in 1763. They were prominent in the surprise of Fort St. Joseph, on the twenty-fifth of May in that year, when the garri- son was routed and the commandant, Schlosser, was cap- tured. During the Revolution, and the Indian wars that followed, they were hostile to the Americans; but, after Wayne's victory, they joined in the treaty of Greenville, December 22, 1795. The tribe was at this time com- posed of three bands, each under its own chief, but all united in a strong confederacy. These were called the St. Joseph, the Wabash, and the Huron river bands. There was, besides, a large scattering population, gener- ally called the Pottawatomies of the prairie, who were a mi.xture of many Algonquin tribes. From 1803 to 1S09, the various bands sold to the Government a portion of the lands claimed by them, receiving an equivalent in cash and the promise of annuities. Yet, in the War of 181 2 they again joined the English, influenced by the Shaw- nee ^arrior, Tecumseh. A new treaty of peace was made in 18 15, followed by others in rapid succession, by which nearly all their lands were at length ceded to the Government. A large reservation was assigned to them on the Missouri; and, in 1838, the St. Joseph's band was removed by a military force, on the way losing a hun- dred and fifty persons out of eight hundred, by death and desertion. The whole tribe then numbered about four thousand. The St. Joseph, Wabash, and Huron bands had made considerable progress in civilization, and adhered to the Catholic church, having been con- verted by the Jesuit missionaries; but the Pottawato- mies of the prairie were, for the most part, pagan and roving. A part of the tribe was removed with some Chippewas and Ottawas, but they subsequently joined the rest of their tribe, or disappeared. In Kansas the civilized band with the Jesuit mission founded by DeSmet and Hoecken, made rapid improve- ment, good schools having been established for both sexes. The Baptists more than once undertook to estab- lish a mission and a school among the less tractable Prairie band; but meeting with little success, it was finally abandoned. The political disturbances in Kansas brought trouble to the Indians, as well as to the whites, and made the Prairie band more restless and the civil- ized portion of the tribe more anxious for a quiet and settled abode. A treaty, proclaimed April 19, 1862, gave to individual Indians a title to their several tracts of land, under certain conditions; and, although the execu- tion of this treaty was delayed by the progress of the civil war, yet the policy was subsequently carried out in the treaty of February 27, 1867. Of a population then numbermg twenty-one hundred and eighty, nearly two- thirds elected to become citizens and take lands in sev- eralty. Some of the Prairie band were absent, and not included in this arrangement. The experiment met with varied success. Some did well and improved; others squandered their lands and their portion of the funds, and became paupers. Many of these scattered in small bands, one company even going to Mexico. In 1874, the largest tompany of the Prairie band, number- ing four hundred and sixty seven, occupied a reservation i8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. of seventeen thousand three hundred and fifty-seven acres, in Jackson county, Kansas, held in common. They, like the other tribes above-mentioned, were under the control of the Quakers, who had established schools among them, and reported considerable advancement. There were, at that timid, sixty Pottawatomies of the Huron in Michigan on a small tract of a hundred and sixty acres, with a school and log houses ; a hundred and eighty-one 9f the same tribe in Wisconsin, and eighty in Mexico and the Indian Territory. The history of this tribe affords much encouragement to those who are looking and hoping for the civilization of the remnants of the Indians in this country. So long as any do well, there is ground for hope. That some should turn out badly is no more than might reasonably be expected. Let the Government persist in this plan of conferring lands in severalty upon those who are will- ing to become citizens ; but it might be well for the Government to make these lands inalienable, except to Indians, and to retain a reversionary right to them in case they should be abandoned or sold to whites. This would thwart the cupidity of white settlers, and tend to the permanence of Indian occupation. Although there is no mention in any of the accounts we have seen, of the occupation of Iowa soil by any of the Pottawatomie bands, yet the fact that the writer of this once knew of a company of this tribe who made oc- casional visits to the Iowa river, near Marshalltown — and the further fact, stated above, in regard to their extensive wanderings and their known occupation of lands in Wis- consin on the north and Kansas on the south — these facts, we say, fully justify us in reckoning the Pottawato- mies among the tribes that doubtless, in historic or pre- historic times, made occasional hunting grounds of the woods and prairies now embraced in Buchanan county. THE .SIOUX. There is no western tribe of Indians, except possibly the Shawnees, that have figured so largely in history as the Sioux, and none whose history is more replete with tragic and romantic incidents. They belong to the great Dakota family, and so prominently do they represent that family that they are sometimes called the Dakotas. When first known by the whites they had their hunt- ing grounds about the headwaters of the Mississippi. It was in 1640 that the French were first informed of them by the Algonquins, who called them Nadowessioux, whence the name Sioux, given them by the French. The meaning of the Algonquin name we have never heard. About the year 1660 they became involved in war with the Chippewas and Hurons, which continued, with only occasional and comparatively brief interruptions, into the present century. In 16S0 a French officer, Jean du Luth, (from whom is named the Minnesota town Duluth) set up the French standard at Izatys, near the St. Peter's river; and the next year he rescued Father Hennepin, the celebrated missionary and explorer, whom they had captured during his explorations of the upper Missis- sippi. Nicholas Perrot, in the name of France, took formal possession of their domain in 1689, erecting a fortification near Lake Pepin. About the same time Le Sueur visited this tribe, which he describes as being com- posed of fifteen sub-tribes, seven eastern and nine west- ern. They joined the Foxes against the French; and, in war with the Chippewas, many were forced down the Mississippi and, driving other Indians from the buffalo plains in Iowa, took possession of them. Several bands wandered into the plains of the Missouri, and some re- mained at or near the St. Peter's. The English emissa- ries secured the services of the Sioux in the War of 181 2; but most of the bands soon made peace. The treaties then made were renewed in 1825 by the Tetons, V'ank- tons, Yanktonais, Sioune, Ogallalas, and Oncpapas. At this time the entire nation was estimated at twelve thou- sand seven hundred and fifty, of whom five thousand were located near the St. Peter's, and seven thousand seven hundred and fifty near the Missouri. They were divided into the following bands: the Aldewakantonwans, or Spirit Lake village; the Wahpetonwans, or village in the Leaves; the Sisitowans, or village of the Marsh, also called Isantis; the Yanktonwans, or End villages; and the Tetonwans, or Prairie village, which includes the Ogallala and Oncpapa bands. Their territory extended from the Mississippi on the east to the Black Hills on the west ; and from Devil's lake on the north to the mouth of the Big Sioux on the south. These confeder- ated tribes ceded to the United States, September 29, 1837, all their lands east of the Mississippi for three hundred thousand dollars down, and some minor subse- quent payments. The Indians, however, did not for many years retire from the lands thus ceded. Few tribes have been the subjects of more persistent missionary labors than the Sioux. The American board began missions among the Wahpetonwans, near Fort Snelling, in 1835, and the Methodists in 1836. Schools were established among them, and elementary books were prepared for them in their own language. As great results, however, were not produced by these missions as by some that were established later, and that will be brief- ly mentioned farther on. In 1 85 1 the Sioux nation ceded to the United States all their land east of a line from Otter Tail lake through Lake Traverse to the junction of the Big Sioux and the Missouri, retaining a reservation a hundred and forty miles in length by twenty in width. The Government thus acquired thirty five millions of acres for three mil- lions of dollars. But the neglect of the Government to carry out the provisions of these treaties caused bitter feeling among the Indians; which feeling awaited only an exciting cause to break out into a warlike flame. Such a cause was furnished in 1854, when Lieutenant Grattan, attempting to arrest one of the tribe for some misdemeanor, attacked an Indian village, but was cut off with his whole party. Some of the warriors thereup- on commenced a series of hostilities; but General Harney defeated them on Little Blue Water, September 3, 1855, and a general council, held at Fort Pierce, con- sented to a treaty of peace. But in 1857 the band of Inkpadutas massacred forty-seven whites near Spirit lake, Minnesota, and other murders of a like character HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 19 were committed at other places during the four or five years followina; — five whites being killed at Acton, Min- nesota, August 17, 1S62. Enraged by the failure of annuities and the frauds practiced on them, the Sioux then made a general uprising, and killed nearly a thous- and of the settlers. The people of that district still shudder when they speak of the horrors of that bloody time. New Ulm, a town of fifteen hundred inhabitants, was abandoned and almost destroyed. Fort Ridgley was besieged, and was saved with difficulty. The Sioux of the Missouri and the plains also became hostile, and were reduced to submission by General Sibley, of Min- nesota, and General Sully, of the United States army. After a severe struggle, a number of white women and children, who had been captured, were rescued, and many Indians were captured and sent to Davenport. Of more than a thousand Indians thus taken, many were tried and condemned; but only thirty-nine, convicted of specific crimes, were executed. The others were finally released. Many bands fled into Dakota territory; and the war, together with disease and want, greatly reduced the nation. In 1863 the Minnesota Sioux were removed to Crow creek. .About 1S66 treaties were made with nine bands, promising them certain annuities, to be in- creased as the Indians should give greater attention to agriculture. An act of February it, 1863, had annulled all previous treaties with the Sioux; but to the innocent bands a part of the amount pledged was restored, the Government reset ving compensation for damages. The most guilty bands fled north, and are still in the British territory. A few bands continued longer in hostility, cutting off Lieutenant Fetterman and his party in Decem- ber, i856, and besieging for a lime Fort Phil Kearny. In 1873, the Government liabilities, to the different bands of Sioux Indians, including payments not yet due, were estimated at over ten millions and a-half of dollars, with annual payments for their benefit of twenty-seven thousand, four hundred dollars. A treaty, hastily made by General Sherman, April 29, 1868, did not prove satis- factory to either side ; and as gold had been discovered in the Black Hills, the United States wished to purchase the tract, and induce the Sioux to abandon their hunting grounds south of the Niobrara, or even to emigrate to the Indian territory. The Sioux were very reluctant to treat. Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and Spotted Tail, with other chiefs, visited Washington in May, 1875, but Pres- ident Grant could not induce them to sign a treaty. Commissioners appointed by him met an immense gathering of the Sioux at the Red Cloud agency in September; but as the Indians set an exorbitant price upon their lands, the negotiation failed. Hostile feelings were excited by alleged frauds at the Sioux agencies, which were investigated; but no results, satisfactory to the Indians, were reached. The feeling of discontent increased, and finally broke out into open war. After the expenditure of much blood and treasure, the Indians were at last subdued — their principal warrior. Sitting Bull, being defeated and escaping into the British terri- tory, where he still remains. The Black Hills, which were so long the bone of contention, have become the peaceable possession of the United States Government, which, as usual, proved the strongest dog in the fight. In 1874 the Sioux nation was composed of the follow- ing sub-tribes : The Santee Sioux on the reservation at the mouth of the Niobrara, Nebraska, numbering seven hundred and ninety-one, with five schools, principally under the care of the Episcopalians, conducted by the distinguished missionary, the Rev. S. D. Hinman; the Yankton Sioux on the Missouri, with the same mission- aries; the Sissetons and the Whapetons at Lake Traverse and Devil's lake; the Oncpapas, Blackfeet Sioux, Lower and Upper Yanktonais, Sans Arcs, Upper and Lower Brule's, Two-Kettles, Minneconjous, and Ogallalas in the Crow creek, Grand river, Whetstone, Cheyenne river, and Red Cloud agencies — in all, forty-six thousand, three hundred and forty-two, in Dakota territory: together with the Santee, Yanktonais, Oncpapa, and Cuthead Sioux in Montana, numbering five thousand three hundred and nine. Much attention has been given to the Dakota lan- guage. A very good grammar and dictionary, prepared by Mr. Riggs, have been issued by the Smithsonian in- stitute. The missionaries have also supplied the Epis- copal liturgy; portions of Scripture, hymns, catechisms, and educational works in the language, and newspapers issue lighter reading. The Rev. Mr. Hinman, who is thoroughly familiar with the language, has probably been most successful in his labors for the christianization and civilization of this remarkable people. THE S.^CS AND FOXES. This tribe, which is the last of the Iowa Indians that we shall notice, belongs to the State more distinctly than any other tribe, and is the one of which, more positively than the other, we can assert that some of its members have trodden the soil of Buchanan county; since the writer of this saw some of them treading its soil in the city of Independence, during this very year, 1880. As the name implies, the tribe is a union of what was orig- nally two separate tribes. And the Fox tribe, of which we find the earlier historic mention, was also, in ancient times, the result of a similar union between two bands — one calling themselves Outagamies, which means foxes, and the other, Musquakinks, or men of red clay. It is a notable fact that, although probably more than two hundred years have elapsed since this union was formed, and all lineal traces of the two clans thus united must have been obliterated by intermarriages and by the sub- sequent union with the Sacs, yet the small remnant of the tribe of Sacs and Foxes now living on their own lands in Tama county, about fifty miles from Indepen- dence, call themselves Musquakies, which is evidently a revival of their old ancestral name. But how little reli- ance can safely be placed upon popular stories may be seen in the fact that many intelligent people living in the neighborhood of this band of Indians have been made to believe, though probably not by the Indians them- selves, that the name Musquiakies signifies men that won't fight; and that this name was applied to them as a term of reproach by the rest of the tribe, because they 26 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. refused, on a certain occasion, to take part in a war upon which the majority had resolved. About the close of the seventeenth century, before the union of the Sacs and Fo.xes, the French came into collision with the latter in the region about Lake St. Clair. The Foxes were great fighters and were hostile to the French, who found them the most troublesome of neighbors. It was in the year 17 14 that a war of extermination or expulsion was commenced against them by the French — several other tribes having been induced to make common cause with the French against the Foxes. The command of the allied forces was first given by the governor of Canada to De Louvigney. The Foxes intrenched themselves on an elevated position near the Fox river, which has ever since been called Butte des Morts, or Hill of the dead, on account of the slaughter which occurred there at that time. After a desperate resistance they were forced to surrender; and the victors, more magnanimous than the vanquished had any reason to expect they would be, made a treaty of peace with them. This treaty, however, the restless and untamable Foxes soon violated; and another expedition was organized against them in 1728, under the command of a French officer by the name of De Lignerie. It proved a protracted and bloody struggle, waged with varying fortunes and occasional intermissions of truce, for about eighteen years. At length, however, the French and their allies gained a decisive victory in 1746, and the Foxes were driven out of the beautiful valley to whose river they had given their name, which it still bears as a memento of their long supremacy in the region about Green Bay. When first known in Iowa the Foxes were found per- manently allied with the Sacs, both tribes being united under one government. When and upon what terms the union was effected, is a matter of tribal history, which has never been recorded. The fact that the name of the Sacs stands first in that of the united tribe, may be taken as a proof that they were at least as powerful as the Foxes at the time of the union. Both tribes were a branch of the great .■\lgonquin family, and must have been closely related in language and habits of life, or the union which finally absorbed the two could never have been formed. The Sacs, like the Foxes, came from the far east, where they had many a warlike struggle with the Six Nations. We first hear of them from the French writers, by whom they were called Sauks ; but the meaning of the name has not been transmitted to later times. The union of the Sacs and Foxes made them a powerful tribe, and they had many desperate conflicts with other tribes of the west. Their first great war after the union was established, was with the Illinois. United with the Sacs and Foxes in this war were the Ottawas, a friendly tribe, whose favorite chief, Pontiac, was killed by a drunken Indian of the Illinois tribe, in 1796, at Caho- kia, opposite St. Louis. This murder was the exciting cause of the war, in which the Illinois were almost exter- minated, and their hunting grounds were taken possession of by the tribes that had been leagued against them. The Sac and Fox nation, about this time, occupied a large portion of the territory now embraced within the two States of Illinois and Iowa. Some of their villages were on Rock river, in the former State, and some on the Des Moines, in the latter. Two of them were not far from the present limits of Buchanan county — one being about twelve miles this side of Dubuque, and one on the Turkey river. Of course, Buchanan county was at that time a part of their hunting grounds. The Sacs and Foxes were for some time friendly to the lowas, and occupied the same hunting grounds with them. But after a while disagreements sprang up between the two tribes, which at length led to hostile collisions. The principal village of the lowas was on the Des Moines river, where the town of lowaville is now situated, in Van Buren county. Here was fought the last great battle between the lowas and the Sacs and Foxes. The fol- lowing account of the battle is quoted by W. W. Clayton in his History of Iowa, as contained in the Iowa State Atlas; but we are not informed from what work the de- scription is taken: Contraiy to a long established custom of Indian attack, this battle was brought on in the daytime, the attending circumstances justifying this departure from the well settled usages of Indian warfare. The battlefield is a level river bottom, about four miles in length, and two miles wide, near the middle, narrowing down to a point at either end. The main area of the bottom rises, perhaps, twenty feet above the river, leaving a narrow strip of low bottom along the shore, covered with trees that belted the prairie on the river side with a thick forest, and the immediate bank was fringed witli a dense growth of the willows, and near the lower end of the prairie and near the river bank, was situated the Iowa village, and about two miles above the town, and near the middle of the prairie, is situated a small natural mound, covered at the time with a tuft of small trees and brush growing on its summit. In the rear of this mound lay a belt of wet prairie, which, at the time spoken of, was covered with a dense crop of rank, coarse grass. Bordering this wet prairie on the north, the country rises abruptly into elevated broken river bluffs, covered witi; a heavy forest many miles in extent, and portions thickly clustered with undergrowth, aflfordmg a convenient shelter for the stealthy approach of the foe. Through this forest the Sac and Fox war party made their way in the night, and secreted themselves in the tall grass spoken of above, in- tending to remain in ambush during the day, and make such observa- tions as this near proximity to their intended victims might afford, to aid them in their contemplated attack on the town during the following night. From this situation their spies could take a full survey of the village, and watch every movement of the inhabitants, by which means they were soon convinced that the lowas had no suspicion of their presence. At the foot of the mound above-mentioned the lowas had their race course, where they diverted themselves with various amusements, and schooled their young warriors in cavalry e\olutions. In these exercises mock battles were fought, and the Indian tactics of attack and defence carefully inculcated — by which means a skill in horseman- ship was acquired that had rarely been excelled. Unfortunately for them this day was selected for their equestrian sports; and, wholly un- conscious of the proximity of their foes, the warriors repaired to the race ground, leaving most of their arms in the village, and their old men and women and children unprotected. Pashapaho, who was chief-in-command of the Sacs and Foxes, per- ceived at once the advantage this state of things afforded for a com- plete surprise of his now doomed victims, and ordered Black Hawk (who, though but a youth at that time, was in command of one divis- ion of the attacking forces) to file off with his young warriors, through the tall grass, and gain the cover of the timber along the ri\er bank, and with tlie utmost speed reach the village and commence the battle; while he {the commander-in-chief) remained with his division in the anibush, to make a simultaneous assault on the unarmed men, whose attention was engrossed with the excitement of the races. The plan was skilfully laid, and most dextrously executed. Black Hawk, with his forces, reached the village undiscovered, and made a furious on- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. slaught upon the defenceless inhabitants, by firing one general volley into their midst, and completing the slaughter with the tomahawk and scalping-knife, aided by the devourmg flames with which they envel- oped the village as soon as the fire-brand could be spread from lodge to lodge. On the instant of the report of firearms at the village, the forces under Pashapaho leaped from their couchant position in the grass and sprang, tiger-like, upon the astonished and unarmed lowas in the midst of their racing sports. The first impulse of the latter, naturally, led them to make the utmost speed toward their arms in the viltage to protect, if possible, their wives and children from the attack of a merci- less assailant. The distance from the place of attack on the prairie was two miles; and a great nuniberfell in their flight by the bullets and tom.ihawks of their enemies; and they reached their town only in time to witness the horrors of its destruction. Their whole village vvas in flames, and the dearest objects of their lives lay in slaughtered heaps amidst the devouring elements; and the agonizing groans of the dying, mingled with the exulting shouts of the victorious foe, filled their hearts with a maddening despair. Those of their wives and children who h.ad been spared in the general massacre, were prisoners, and, to- gether with their arms, were in the hands of the victors; and all that could now be done was to draw off their shattered and defenceless forces, and save as many lives as possible by a retreat across the Des Moines river, which they effected in the best possible manner, and took a position among the Soap Creek hills. The date of this battle is not given, but it must have been previous to 1824, since it was in that year, as we have staled above, that the lowas ceded to the United States Government all their lands east of the Missouri, and accepted a reservation on the west side of that river. The lowas and the Sacs and Foxes had, as we have seen, long been friends; and this battle jjroves, what all his- tory verifies, that there is no hostility so fierce and re- lentless as that which springs from alienated friendship. But it is worthy of note that, implacable as the Indian character has the credit of being, the two tribes thus bitterly alienated actually became friends again. The lowas had several other villages which the Sacs and Foxes left unmolested; and it is probable that the pris- oners who had been taken were eventually restored, and that a treaty of peace was renewed. At any rate, nearly fifty years later, we find these same forgiving lowas actu- ally sharing their lands with their ancient enemies, who had been left homeless by parting with their reservation, without securing suitable hunting grounds in its place. Let us hope that even the northern and southern States will, byand by, consent to learn from these untutored savages the sadly needed but hitherto unheeded lesson of reconciliation and forgiveness. The Sacs and Foxes had also a fierce collision with the Winnebagoes, subduing them and taking possession of their lands on Rock river. But their longest and most bloody war was with those terrible fighters — the Sioux. The latter had their hunting grounds, in early times, mostly in Minnesota, while those of the former lay to the south and east. Northern Iowa and southern Minnesota were the scene of many bloody battles ; and as the Sacs and Foxes are known to have had villages on the Turkey river, in the adjoining counties of Fayette and Clayton, north and northeast of this, we may reason- ably suppose that some of these battles occurred in this immediate vicinity — perhaps in this very county. With a view to putting a stop to this devastating war, the United States appointed as commissioners William Clark and Lewis Cass to negotiate a treaty with the con- tending tribes, by which it was stipulated that the Gov- ernment should designate a boundary line between the hunting grounds of the Sioux on the north and the Sacs and Foxes on the south, the Indians agreeing to restrict themselves to the territories thus marked out. The line designated by the Government is described as follows: Commencing at the mouth of the Upper Iowa river, on the west bank of the Mississippi, and ascending said Iowa river to its west fork; thence up the fork to its source; thence crossing the fork of Red Cedar river in a direct line to the second or upper fork of the Des Moines river; thence in a direct line to the lower fork of the Calumet (or Big Siou.x) river, and down that river 10 its junction with the Mis- souri river. This line commences in the northeast corner of what is now the State of Iowa, and extends from the Missis- sippi to the Missouri, on an average (we should judge) of about twenty miles south of the present northern boundary of the State. The treaty establishing this line was made at Prairie du Chien, August 19, 1825. As might have been foreseen, it failed to accomplish, for any great length of time, the end desired. Complaints were made of infractions on both sides, and the Govern- ment again interferred with a well-meant endeavor to keep the peace. This time, by a treaty ratified February 24, 1 83 1, the Government bought of the Sioux a strip of land twenty miles wide, lying on the north side of the line above described, but extending only to the Des Moines river; and, on the south side of the same line, a strip of equal width was purchased of the Sacs and Foxes. The United States thus obtained possession and absolute control of a territory forty miles wide and about two hundred miles long. This tract is known in history as the "Neutral Ground;" and while the United States undertook to prevent the hostile occupation of it by either of the belligerent parties, both were allowed to use it for hunting and fishing so long as they respected and maintained in good I'aith its neutrality. This arrange- ment effectually put an end to the bloody encounters between the Sioux and the Sacs and Foxes. The "Neu- tral Ground" continued the common hunting ground of the tribes for about ten years, when it was made a Win- nebago reservation, and the principal portion of that tribe was removed to it in 1841. They occupied it, how- everj but about five years, when, as we have seen, they were again removed. The borders of the "Neutral Ground" were but a short distance north of Buchanan county; and, doubtless, all the Indians that were allowed the free use or occupancy of the former, were at least occasional visitors to the beautiful woods and streams of the latter. The Sacs and Foxes, however, were here "on their native heath," and the lands of this county were a part of the great tract which they ceded to the United States after the close of the Black Hawk war, and which first opened up the rich prairies of Iowa to the permanent settlement of the whites. The tract here alluded to is known in history as the "Black Hawk Purchase," — not because it was actually purchased of Black Hawk (who was then a prisoner in the hands of the Government), but because it was ceded by the authority of his tribe, and was made a part of the 22 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. conditions of his release. The treaty by which this tract was ceded to the United States was made on the spot where Davenport now stands, September 21, 1832, Gen- eral Scott and Governor Reynolds, of Illinois, acting as commissioners on the part of the Government, and Keo- kuk, Pashapaho and several other chiefs representing the tribe. This treaty was ratified during the next session of Congress, February 13, 1833, and went into effect the first of the following June. The boundaries of the Black Hawk Purchase were as follows: Beginuing on the Mississippi river, at a point where the Sac and Fox boundan- line, as established by the second article of the treaty of Prairie du Chien, July, 1830, strikes said river: thence up said boundary line to a point fifty miles, measured on said line; thence in a right hne 10 the nearest point on the Red Cedar of Iowa, forty miles from the Mississippi; thence in a right line to a point in the northern boundary of the State of Missouri, fifty miles measured on said boundary line from the Mississippi river; thence by the last mentioned boundan- to the Missisippi river, and by the western shore of said river to the place of beginning. By this treaty the United States obtained possession of a tract of land nearly two hundred miles in length, and averaging about fifty miles in width, lying along the west side of the Missisippi river, and now constituting the eastern part of the State of Iowa. For this tract the Government stipulated to pay the Sacs and Fo.xes an annuity of twenty thousand dollars for thirty years, and to cancel the debts of the tribe which had been accum- ulating with certain traders for the previous seventeen years, and which amounted to forty thousand dollars. From the date of this purchase white settlers rapidly poured into the new territory ; and about five years later, that is, in 183S, another treaty was ratified, by which the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the Government another tract bordering this on the west, of the same length, about twenty-five miles in width at the middle portion, and containing a million and a quarter of acres. At the same date they relinquished all their lands lying south of the "neutral ground," the United States pay- ing them for the relinquishment of this territory one hundred and sixty thousand dollars. Since then other treaties have been made with the Sacs and Foxes, and they have several times been re- moved. They are now divided into three or four bands, and are greatly reduced in numbers. In 1872, the principal band, who had ceded their lands in Kansas to the United States, first in 1859 and again in 1868, num- bered only four hundred and sixty-three. They occupy a reservation of nearly five hundred thousand acres in the Indian country, between the North fork of the Canadian river and the Red fork of the Arkansas. The Sacs and Foxes of the Missouri, the band who remained true to the Government during the Black Hawk war, are reduced to eighty-eight, but occupy a large reservation in southeastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas. Both these bands are making considerable improvement in agriculture and the raising of stock. In 1857, a party of nearly four hundred Sacs and Foxes, calling themselves by their ancient name, Mus- quakies, tired ot being moved from reservation to reser- vation, bought a large tract of land in Tama county, un- aided by the Government, which at first refused to assist them in their separate condition. Since then, however, they have received their share of the annuities. They cultivate the best of their lands, and have raised in a single year three thousand dollars' w-orth of produce. They are also employed in the raising of stock, having over ten thousand dollars invested in that business. They frequently hire out to the neighboring white farm- ers as laborers, and are thus becoming industrious and self-sustaining. It is said that the farmers who at first laughed at the idea of employing them now find them good workers. The Government has made several efforts to civilize and improve the Sacs and Foxes by establishing schools among them; and several religious denominations have made overtures for the organization of missions in their behalf. But they have clung to their Indian prejudices with even more than the ordinary Indian tenacity. In 1869, the writer of this was requested by the late Bishop Lee, of the Episcopal diocese of Iowa, to visit the Musquakies and ascertain how they would look upon an effort to establish a mission school among them. He complied with their request, but they firmly withheld their consent to any such effort, alleging that if the Great Spirit had wished them to be like white folks, he would have made them white. There are few, if any, of the Indian tribes whose his- tory is more replete with romantic incidents than that of the Sacs and F'oxes. Their great chief, Black Hawk, was as brave as Tecumseh and as eloquent as Logan. His address to General Street, after his capture in 1S32, is well worthy of being preserved along side of that which was delivered by Logan in very similar circum- stances, and immortalized by Jefferson. The speech of Black Hawk was as follows : Mv warriors fell around me. It began to look dismal. I saw my evil day at hand. The sun rose clear on us in the morning; at night it sank in a dark cloud, and looked Uke a ball of fire. This was the last sun that shone on Black Hawk, He is now a prisoner of the while man. But he can stand the torture. He is not afraid of death. He is no coward. Black Hawk is an Indian. He has done nothing of which an Indian need be ashamed. He has fought the battles of his country against the white man, who came year after year to cheat us and take away our lands. You know the cause of our making war. It is known to all white men. They ought to be ashamed of it. The white men despise the Indians and drive them from their homes. But the Indians are not deceitful. Indians do not steal. Black Hawk is satisfied, he will go to the world of spirits contented. He has done his duty. His father will meet him and reward him. The white men do not scalp the head, but they do worse; they poison the heart. It is not pure w iih them. My countrymen will not be scalped; but they will, in a few years, become like the white man, so that you cannot hurt them; and there will be, as in the white settlements, as manv officers as men, to take care of them and keep them in order. Farewell to my nation! Farewell to Black Hawk! His proud salutation to President Jackson, on being presented to him at Washington, has become famous — - "I am a man and you are another." That he had a ten- der place in his heart, notwithstanding liis many deeds of cruelty, is evinced by his parting words to Colonel Eustis, who was commander at Fortress Monroe during the old chiefs confinement there — "The memory of your friendship will remain till the Great Spirit shall say, 'It is time for Black Hawk to sing his death song.'" After his release, in 1833, he returned to Iowa, and HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 23 .emained with a portion of his tribe on the Iowa river res- ervation until that was sold, in 1836. He then removed to the Des Moines reservation, where he died October 3, 1838, aged seventy-one. He was buried on the bank of the river in a sitting posture, after the manner of his tribe. We. here bring to a close our sketches of the Indian tribes whose contiguity to this county render it pretty certain that, at some period previous to its settlement by the whites, these tribes must at Last temporarily have occupied its soil. We have no accounts of any Indian villages having been located here, or battlefields, or per- manent occupation by any of the tribes. Since the whites began to settle here, companies of Sacs and Foxes, and occasionally of other tribes, have been in the habit of visiting the county, either for hunting and fishing, or in making journeys from one part of the country to another. The old settlers still relate anecdotes and incidents of these visits, some of which may be found farther on in connection with personal sketches. But here our Indian history must terminate. Note. — The most of the facts contained in the foregoing sketches were found in the American Encyclopaedia. In transferring them to our history we have sometimes employed the identical language of that work. But so frequent have been the changes, additions and omissions, that we could not in all cases have indicated this sort of transfer with- out greaUy marring the appearance of the text, and putting the printer to unnecessary trouble. We trust, therefore, that this acknowledgment will be considered all that the equities of the case require. In piepar- ^ni the sketch of the Sacs and Foxes we have also been indebted to W- W. Clayton's history in Andrea's Iowa State Atlas. CHAPTER II. PHYSICAL FEATURES. GEOGRAPHY. The counties of Iowa lie in very regular tiers, running east and west, and in tiers less regular (especially in the southern half of the State) running north and south. Buchanan is in the fourth tier north of the Minnesota line, and in the fifth north of the Missouri line. It is the third county west of the Mississippi River, and the tenth east of the Missouri. Its central point, (which is a few miles east of its capital, the city of Independence,) lies very nearly in latitude forty-two and a half degrees north, and longitude fourteen degrees and fifty minutes west from Washington. It is a little over si.xty miles due west of the city of Dubuque, and in an extension of the line which divides Illinois and Wisconsin. Its latitude is about the same as that of Beloit, Wisconsin; Allegan, in the State of Michigan; Chatham, Canada West; Al- bany, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Leon, in Spain; Perpignan, in France; Porta, in the Island ot Corsica; Civita Vecchia, Italy; Sophia, in European Turkey; Sinope, Turkey in Asia; Derbend, in southern Russia; Khiva, Tartary; Tchontori, (a little north of the latitude of Pekin) China; Chickadado, Japan; and Jack- sonville, Oregon. This "girdle" (which we have beaten Puri- in putting "round about the earth" in something less than "forty minutes," and in which Independence, though one of the least, is by no means the least glittering gem) fairly marks the golden mean between the too freezing north and the too burning south. Of the five million-peopled cities of the world, the two largest, London and Paris, are north of this tine, and the other three, Pekin, Canton and New York, are south of it. And, among the re- maining great cities of the Northern Hemisphere, Vien- na, Berlin, St. Petersburg and Liverpool are on the north and Calcutta, Constantinople, Chicago and San Fran- cisco are on the south of the same line. It would seem, therefore, that the human race, whose in- stinct in such a matter may be regarded as in- fallible, have come to the conclusion that the line passing through Independence and the centre of Buchanan county, is a very good one to cluster about; and that, consequently, they have determined to fight out the great battle of life as near as possible to this for- tunate line. We know of no one that desires to emigrate from this fair and fertile county; but if there is such a one, and he is detennined to gratify that preposterous de- sire, we advise him to steer his course due west or east, if he expects to be in luck. As to its immediate neighbors, Buchanan is surrounded by a beautiful septer of sister counties, as follows: Bre- mer (named for the genial and talented Frederika) on the northwest ; Fayette, on the north; Clayton, on the northeast; Delaware, on the east; Linn and Benton, on the south; and Black Hawk, on the west. Such a county, thus surrounded, may truly, if not quite originally, be called "a beautiful gem in a beautiful setting." A bird's eve view of the territory, now comprising Buchanan county, must have been a rare sight, during the season of vegetation, even before the advent of its civilized inhabitants. Its numerous streams revealed by the silver sheen of their serpentine currents, by the white lines of sand drift, or the beetling bluffs along their margins, and still more by the wide belts of luxuriant timber by which they were for the most part bordered; its limitless prairies, mostly un- dulating, but sometimes stretching away in a broad and level expanse, covered with grass and flowers, gleaming in sunlight or flecked with shadow, and dotted here and there with herds of buffaloes, grazing upon the slopes or, perhaps, stampeding before pursuing wolves or Indian hunters — all this afforded a picture which, if there had been an artist's eye to behold it, would have filled his soul with delight. But civilization came, and a change has passed over the scene, as if produced by the waving of an enchanter's wand, or the utterance of a magical incantation. The main outlines of surface and stream and forest belt con- tinue, though the latter has been broken up in many places to make room for human dwellings or cultivated fields. Much of the original forest, too, has been re- moved for fuel or building material ; but on a large por- tion of the space thus cleared a second growth has been 24 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. allowed to spring up, which has become as beautilul and luxuriant as the first ; and this, together with the almost numberless groves and orchards that have been planted, probably makes the present number of trees in the county more than twice as great as when it first began to be settled. The multiplication of cultivated groves is, indeed, one of the principal characteristics in the settlement of a prairie country ; but, from a bird's eye view, there are dthers which have, perhaps, even a more marked effect upon the landscape. Such are the breaking up of the soil, the enclosing of fields and their cultivation in vari- ous kinds of grain, the multiplication of flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, the erection of dwellings, school- houses, churches, bridges, and other architectural struct- ures, and the grouping of these together in hamlets, villages and towns. All these have so changed the face of the country now composing Buchanan county, that the "century-living crow" which may have flown over it fifty years ago, on one of his migratory flights, would hardly recognize it were he now, for the first time since that not very remote day, to fly over it once more. The historical account of these changes will be given in its appropriate place farther on; but we desire to present here, a little more in detail, a picture of the ]iresent feat- ures of the country, both natural and artificial, as seen from above. Word-painting is not our forte, but if the reader will accompany us in an imaginary balloon ascen- sion, we will see what we can see. Here we are, then, directly over the central point of the county, at an altitude of two or three thousand feet; from which the entire surface of its sixteen townships lies clearly revealed to our vision, which has been sharp- ened up for this special occasion. The point over which our aerial car is suspended, is near the corners of the four townships — Washington, Byron, Liberty and Sum- ner, and would have been exactly the point where those four townships would have touched each other, had it not been for the "correction line " and the recent enlarge- ment of Washington, made for the sake of allowing the ambitious city of Independence to expand without cross- ing a township line. If the reader is as simple-minded as the writer, it has seetned to him that we ought to be able to discern, from our present lookout, those boundary lines and colors which are so striking upon maps, and become so identi- fied with all our notions of geography. The lines do, indeed, exist, and are sufficiently visible to the imagina- tion; but we now perceive, more clearly than ever before, that, like the equator, tropics, parallels and meridians, they are fw/y "imaginary." It is an interesting coincidence that, from our lofty altitude, we are looking directly down upon two objects which stand as the principal symbols of American civiliza- tion, and of the moral improvement and elevation of our people. These two objects are a church and a school- house. The former is the Bethel Presbyterian church, situated on the main road, about three miles east of Independence, in the southwest corner of Byron town- ship; and the latter, located upon adjoining ground, is one of the district school buildings with which, as we can see at a glance, the whole surface of the county is dotted over, there being seven or eight, on an average, in every township. The location of these two structures in such close proximity, at the very centre of the county, is not only symbolical of the general intelligence and virtue of the people; but it also seems to imply that religion and learning are here regarded as the central in- fluences to which all other beneficent influences are sub- sidiary, and upon which the people are chiefly to rely for securing their highest prosperity and happiness. But we came here, not so much to moralize about the people of Buchanan, as to study and enjoy the physical features of their county. In furtherance of this design let us direct our attention for a few minutes to THE PR1NCIP.\L STREAMS, by which, paradoxical as it may sound, the county is both drained and watered. Drainage is here, of course, the principal object of the streams; for imported as are numerous living watercourses in a stock growing region, still, in a territory like this, where the average annual of rain-fall is forty inches, if there were not a sufficient slope, and a sufficient number of stream-valleys to af- ford timely escape for the surplus water, the whole sur- face of the country would be one continuous marsh, breeding pestilence for the destruction of men, rather than furnishing arable fields for their support. As it is, there are very few marshes in the county; and the most, if not all of these can be artificially drained, and doubt- less will be as soon as land becomes sufficiently valuable (as it will some day), to insure a compensation for the neces^arv expense; while on the other hand, there are probably still fewer places which, except in very unusu- al seasons, are ever seriously afflicted by drouth. The general trend of the land in Buchanan county, like that of the State at large, is from the northwest to the southeast. Its principal valley, that of the Wapsipin- icon river, stretches directly through its centre, in the di- rection stated, receiving and carrying off all its waters, with the following exceptions; Those of Jefferson and Westburg, and of a part of Peiry, Sumner and Horner, in the southwest corner of the county, flow into the Ce- dar; while those of a part of Madison and Fremont, in the northeast corner, make their way into the Maquo- keta. The most conspicuous object below us (for we hope the reader will not forget, even if the writer should, that we are "up in a balloon") — is, of course, the "VVapsie" with its magnificent belt of timber, the largest originally unbroken forest of which lies a little southeast of us, in Liberty township. If we let our eye follow up the me- andering course of the river till we come to the little town of Littleton, in the northern part of Perry town- ship, we find at that point the principal fork made by the river in this county. The river a[)proaches the village from the west, having entered the county at the north- west corner of Perry township; while the stream with which it forks (very respectable in size and named the Little Wapsie) flows down from the north, having come HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 25 in from the county of Fayette, about a mile and a half east of the northwest corner of Fairbank, and passes completely through that township in a southerly direc- tion. We are not certain but that the Wapsipinicon might justly lay claim to the title, "Father of waters," since we know of at least two Little Wapsies — there be- ing, besides the one here mentioned, another formed very much in the same way in Howard and Chickasaw counties. Our Little Wapsie receives several small streams after entering the county — the largest, being on its western side and named Buck creek, entering Fair- bank township in section seven, and emptying into the Little Wapsie in thirty-two of the same township. Now let us retrace the course of the river from the fork above described and note the streams that flow into it. The first we come to is scarcely more than a brook, flowing from the south and emptying into the river in section fifteen, in Perry township. It looks like a thread of silver winding through the green carpet of the prairie. We consult the map, which we have not forgotten to bring with us, and find that it has no recorded name. As our eyes glance over the county they will fall upon many such streams — some of them considerably larger than this. And we desire here to say, that when we come to the township histories, if we find any names of streams that have been left hitherto unrecorded, we shall see to it that the nameless ones are duly christened. The next that we come to is a fine, large stream flow- ing from the north through Hazletown and Washington townships, and joining the river in section nineteen of the latter. This is Otter creek, one of the most beautiful streams in the county, and more copiously wooded than any other, except father Wapsie himself. As our eyes wander up through its charming valley, they discover four branches emptying into it, all unnamed on the map. Three of these are quite small, flowing from the east and joining the creek in Hazleton township. The other is larger, rising on the west side of the creek, a little north of the county line, flowing almost due south through the western part of Hazleton (the most of the way parallel with the creek) and emptying into it in section six of Washington. Resuming our survey down the river we come to two small streams which enter it about a mile apart, the first in section twenty-eight, and the second in section thirty- four of \\"ashington township, a little above Inde- pendence. Neither is named on the map, but the one nearest the city is called (so we are informed) Harter creek. They both rise in the northern part of Washing- ton, and flow nearly south. Next passing down the rapids through Independence, we come to the mouth of Malone creek, just below the city, in section three of what was at first Sumner town- ship, but is now a part of Washington. It also rises in Washington (in the northeast corner) and flows in a southwesterly direction. Two little streams, so small that we can hardly discern them even with our sharpened bird's-eye vision, rise almost directly below us — the first in. section thirty-one of Byron, and the second in section one of the addition to Washington. They are each about two miles in length, flow southwest and empty into the Wapsie, in section ten of Sumner. Still passing on down the river, we see no entering stream worthy of note till, about seven or eight miles be- low those last mentioned, we come to the mouth of Pine creek, not more than two miles above Quasqueton, in section twenty-eight, Liberty township. This is a fine stream flowing from the north like nearly all those which empty into the Wapsie. It rises nearly in the centre of Buffalo township, and flows south through Byron and Liberty. It receives many small tributaries, mostly through its left bank, like the Wapsie and all the other streams in the county. It is about fourteen miles in length — its lower half being well timbered, but the upper half flowing through an open prairie region. "Pilot Grove" which we see gleaming through the hazy autumn atmosphere, seven or eight miles away to the north, is about two miles from the source of this stream. Although less than a quarter of a mile in diameter (on an average) this grove is a very striking object, from the fact that there is no timber within about five miles of it in any direction. But a few rods from the mouth of Pine creek is that of Halstead's run, which has for an "occasional contribu- tor" Dry creek; and about a quarter of a mile from the mouth of this run is that of Nash creek, in section twenty-seven in Liberty township. Each of these streams is about five miles in length, rising in the southern part of Byron and running nearly south. From the mouth of Nash creek, which is about half a mile above Quasque- ton, to the point where the Wapsie leaves the county, we can count by close inspection eight tributaries to that river — all but two on its left (that is its eastern bank. None of these creeks are named on any map that we have seen. The larger of the two on the right bank is the largest entering the river on that side in its whole course through the county. Yet it is only about four miles in length, rising in the northwestern part of Cono, and joining the river in section fourteen of that town- ship. The largest and the last of these lower tributaries, on the other side, is about eight miles in length, rising in the southern part of Middlefield, flowing nearly south through the centre of Newton nearly to the county line, then turning abruptly to the west and entering the river in section thirty-one of the last mentioned township. But the largest tributary to the Wapsie (though it does not enter the river within the limits of the county) re- mains yet to be noticed. If the reader (still up in the balloon, remember) will cast his eye toward the east, be- yond Pine creek (as far east of that creek as we are west of it, that is about three miles), he will observe a stream flowing in a very straight course about south southeast, parallel with Pine creek and the Wapsie, and bordered by a very narrow belt of timber. That stream is Buffalo creek, the longest branch of our Father of Waters, and, with the exception of the river, the longest stretch of water in Buchanan county. It rises in the southern part of Fayette county, flows in the direction indicated above, entering our county in section three of Buffalo township, and continuing till, at about twelve miles from its source, 26 HIS1X)RV OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. lOAVA. it reaches the northwest corner of section thirty-one in Madison township. There it turns abruptly to the west, makiug nearly a right angle, and continuing in that course for about two miles, when it receives a branch which has flowed parallel with it almost from its beginning. Then it makes another sudden turn to the south southeast again, taking the line of the branch, which it holds with very little variation till it unites with the Wapsie in Jones county. This apparent turning aside from their own valley to make a sudden debouche into that of one of their branches is a frequent and singular freak of streams, both small and great. There are no less than three other examples of it in this county. The Little Wapsie does it when it receives its Buck creek branch. Otter creek does it when it receives that branch, unnamed on the map, which has flowed parallel with it for six or seven miles. And Father Wapsie himself does it, when he unites with Pine creek. In the case of the first three pairs of streams mentioned above, there is the singular additional coincidence that the parallel streams, in each case, are just about two miles apart. Almost numberless examples of the above mentioned fteak of watercourses might be given if we chose to go out of the county; and we will do so just to mention those of a single river — which we can do without lower- ing our balloon. We refer to the Missouri, which per- forms this freak at least five times: first, when it receives the White river; second, when it receives the Niobrara; third, when it receives the Jaiues ; fourth, when it receives the Big Sioux; and last, but not least, when it receives the Mississippi — for everybody knows that it is the Mis souri that receives the Mississippi, and not the ^Nlissis- sippi that receives the Missouri. To call the united streams the Mississippi was the most stupid of geograph- ical misnomers — was, indeed like setting the tail to wag- ging the dog, instead of letting the dog wag his own tail. In regard to the scientific explanation of these singu- lar fluvial performances, we will state simply that they are attributed by the learned to the action of the ice dur- ing what is termed, in geology, the "glacial period.'' But their explanations, though plausible in certain cases, are beset with difficulties. To return (as the French say) " to our sheep" — that is, to the streams of Buchanan county. If the reader will turn his eye to the northeast, some five or six miles beyond the abrupt bend in Buffalo creek, he will per- ceive a large, isolated grove of native timber, with a stream of considerable size passing through it to the southeast. This stream is the south branch of Maquo- keta river. It rises in the southern part of Fayette county, and the part of it belonging there (being about six miles in length) is called Prairie creek. Why this is thus we are not informed. Sufl^ce it to say that this is the unmistakable Maquoketa, which passes through Manchester, in the adjoining county of Delaware; and there, at the distance of twenty or twenty-five miles from its mouth, proves to be an industrious and serviceable mill stream. Its length in this county is about six miles, passing through the northeast corner of Madison, the northeast township, entering in section five and going out in section twenty-four. It has several small branches. South of the stream last described, and nearly east of us, we perceive another and much smaller one, flowing in the same general direction, through prairies and fields entirely destitute of native timber. It rises in section four of Fremont township, flows some nine miles in a sort of circuitous course, and passes out through section thirty-six of the same township into Delaware county. It is there called Coffin's Grove creek, from the name of an isolated body of timber through which it passes; but whether or not it has that name in this county, the mapmaker has not informed us. If now we turn our eyes to the west and southwest, beyond the watershed of the Wapsipinicon, we shall see several small streams flowing in a southwesterly direction, and also gel a glimpse of the Cedar river, which just touches this county at its southwest corner, the same being the corner of Jefferson township. Of these small streams, the two that we see directly west are a couple of small branches that unite to form Spring creek, which lies wholly beyond our county, in Black Hawk. The farthest of these small branches barely touches Perry township. The other rises m section twenty of Perry, flows south into Westburgh, and out at section seven of the latter. Passing south, the next that we come to is Little Spring creek, a branch of the former, rising in sixteen, Westburgh, flowing southwest and leaving the county at six, Jefierson. Then comes a small stream unnamed, rising in eight, Jefferson, and passing out at thirty-one of the same. Turning east we come to Lime creek, which rises in fourteen, Westburgh, flows south (with a slight circuit to the east and then to the west) and passes through Jefferson, leaving it at section thirty-three. Next and last we come to Bear creek, which rises in seventeen of the adjoining township of Sumner, makes a circuit quite similar to the former, passes through a part of Homer, enters Jefferson at twenty-five, and leaves it at thirty-six. Thus ends our survey of Buchanan waters. The bird's- eye view would be improved with a lake or two, but they are not needed for any other than esthetic purposes. We fear the reader will think we are staying up in the air a long time; but we are not yet quite ready to come down. FLUXIAL NOMEN"CL.\TL"RE. Before we leave the subject of Buchanan streams, however, we desire to say a few words in regard to their names. All names are more or less significant; and it is probable that no one was ever given without there being, in the mind of the giver, a definite reason why that par- ticular one, and not another was assigned to the object named. The reason may never be announced, or, if once made known, may become forgotten ; or it may be thought too trivial to remember. But the fact remains, that every object named must have both a namer and a reason for its name. And the reason may continue to be known long after the namer has been forgotten. Thus it is probably at present unknown who first gave HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 27 the name of Bear creek to the stream last mentioned; but there can be no reasonable doubt as to the reason why that name was given. As it would be bare nonsense to call a stream Bear creek if no bears had ever been found upon its banks, so we may safely take it for granted that the name was given to perpetuate the memory of the fact that bears were once found there. This stream, therefore, and also Buck, Otter, and Buffalo creeks, are standing (or rather running) monuments to a fauna which, in this county, has become extinct. And we cannot help thinking that, if certain other species that once abounded here, but have now disappeared or are fast disappearing) such as the elk, beaver, muskrat, wolf, wild turkey, grouse, etc.), could have been commemor- ated in a similar way, it would have been a very graceful thing to do. What the names of the streams above mentioned have done for the fauna of the county, the name of Pine creek has done for the flora — that stream being so named on account of the white pines which grow along its banks. They are found mostly in Liberty township, with the de- ciduous trees. It is believed that no native pines are found anywhere in the county, except along this stream. The name of Lime creek does not seem specially sig- nificant, since limestone is the principal outcropping rock found in the county. As a name, however, it probably serves its purpose as well as another. The personal names given to several of the streams are those of prominent j individuals now or fortiierly living in their vicinity. These j individuals will be suitably mentioned in the sketches of their several townships. The name of the Mayuoketa is evidently of Indian origin, but we have not as yet been able to ascertain its meaning. As to the Wapsipinicon, the Indian legend, said to be connected with its name, is sufficiently romantic to satisfy the most sentimental of novel readers. Wapsie and Pinicon (so the story goes) were a brave Indian youth and a beautiful girl of the same race, but of a different tribe. We may suppose (for the location favors the sup- position, and there is nothing in the legend to contradict it) that Wapsie was one of the warlike Sioux, and that Pinicon belonged to the equally warlike and hostile tribe of Sacs. Love laughs at tribal prejudices; and so this ill-fated pair, who had thus far resisted all amorous attractions within their individual tribes, having met by chance, the usual way, up somewhere on the neutral ground, fell desperately in love with each other at first sight. Both had the blood of a long line of chieftains in their veins — which circumstance, while it gave a heroic intensity to the ardor of their passion, interposed a mountain of obstacles in the way of its gratification. Love may laugh, as we have hinted, at tribal and family prejudices, but parental authority is very apt to make an inflexible religion out of those unamiable sentiments. Thus it was in the present instance. When Pinicon's father discovered that his daughter had turned a favor- able ear to the addresses of a scion of a hostile house, his rage knew no bounds, and he sternly forbade her to have any further communication with the presumptuous and impudent young warrior, or even to think of him again as a desirable or possible husband. The law of love, however, is stronger than that of a parent's will; and the lovers still found means to continue their corres- pondence — but with a circumspection that entirely eluded the father's vigilant eye. At length, weary of the long frustration of their hopes, and despairing of the paternal consent, they determined upon an elopement. Pinicon, though she could not tell a lie, had not hesitated to let her father believe that she had yielded to his wishes, and given up her ill-starred attachment. By this he was led to relax his accustomed vigilance, and he set out upon a hunt of several days, without leaving anyone specially charged with the duty of watching her movements. The faithful Pinicon con- trived to inform her constant Wapsie of this favorable opportunity, and he hastened to avail himself of it to bear her away to his northern home. But as bad luck would have it, the father returned unexpectedly, just as they were preparing for their flight. Finding the hated Wapsie under his roof, he exclaimed in a towering rage : "Wah beh jobangunk! Kommen sie in diesen ort nicht zuriick, wenn sie auch nicht hangen wollen, wo die vogel ihre hirnschalenhaut picken werden!" Which ' means, freely translated, "Get out of this! And if you ever darken the door of my wigwam again, I'll hang your scalp on a crabapple tree for the birds to pick at!" The brave Wapsie, though taken by surprise, was not at all frightened; but he was too magnanimous to fight her father in the presence of his adorable Pinicon. So he retreated backward, bowing like a courtier as he went, and calmly saying, as he left the door: "Auf wreder- schen! Yach goonic Filippimini weeho!" That is "good bye! We'll meet again at Philippi!" We will not attempt to describe the scene which fol- lowed — the angry rebukes of the father and the speech- less grief of the daughter. Suffice it to say that the former, when the storm had spent itself, apprehending no further trouble, at least for the present, and remembering his daughter's skill in the preparation of venison, bade her in a kinder tone to dry her tears and get him his supper. He was very hungry and very tired, and as night had set in before the repast was over, it had not long been finished when he lay down in his blanket and went to sleep. The dusky Pinicon, with eyes red with weeping, also retired, but not to sleep. She thought of many things; but especially she thought of the trysting place where she and her lover had so often met, and it occurred to her that, led by the sacred associations of the place, and perhaps by an undefined presentiment that she would follow him, he might now be awaiting her in that hallowed spot. At any rate it would not take her long to visit it herself, as it was but little more than a mile, partly through the oak openings and partly across the prairie. If she found him not, it would at least af- ford her a melancholy pleasure to be there alone, as she had so often been ; and she could easily return to the wigwam before her father would awake. So she arose, wrapped her blanket around her and went quietly out. The October moon was shining brightly, and she had no difficulty in making her way to the well known spot. It 28 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. was just on the border of the grove where, in the shad- ow of a spreading oak, lay a huge rock, on which they were accustomed to sit in the deepening twilight, bewail- ing their unhappiness or discussing plans for bringing it to an end. As soon as she came in sight of the tree she beheld a dark object beneath it, which she soon recognized as the form of her lover, the noble Wapsie. Almost at the same instant, he, too, beheld an indistinct figure gliding in and out among the shadows. At first he suspected that it might be a deer, and immediately became convinced that he was not mistaken — that it was his dear deer, Pinicon ! He flew to meet her, and clasped her in his arms, ex- claiming: "Not even death shall ever part us more. Let us fly to my northern home, where parental tyranny can never separate us." And so, looking to the north star for guidance, as many duskier fugitives have since done, they set out upon their flight. But they had not proceeded far when ominous sounds were heard in the distance behind them. They paused and listened, and soon distinguished angry voices. They turned and looked, and at first could discover nothing; ' but a moment after they discovered four tall forms emerg- ing from the grove. " It is my father and the other chiefs," exclaimed the frightened Pinicon. "The river! the river! Let us die rather than be taken!" The stream was about a mile to the west of them, and toward it they turned in eager flight, as if to reach it were life instead of death. Their pursuers perceived them at the same moment, and redoubled their speed. About half the distance was across the open prairie, and the rest through a grove of straggling trees. When the fugitives reached this grove the pursuing chiefs were so near that the trees afforded no concealment; and when the former arrived at the bank of the river, the latter were hardly a rod be- hind them. There was no time for the young hero (who is said to have been the best soloist of his tribe) to sing his death song, nor was any needed. The mui muring river was singing it even then, and, without waiting for encores, it was going to repeat it through all the coming days. With one backward glance of mingled despair and forgiveness at the angry faces glaring upon them in the moonlight, the devoted lovers, clasped in each other's arms, leajjed into the stream. The enraged father reached the bank only to behold them sinking, rising, struggling in the waves. At once his anger was changed to sorrowing love. "Come back! come back! " he cried in grief, "Across the stormy water; And I'll forgive your Highland chief — My daughter! O, my daughter ! " Too late ! too late ! The eloquent Indian words, reproduced centuries later in passable English by a Scotch poet, had scarcely died upon the air, when the two devoted lovers, casting another and more melting glance of forgiving love at the poor old despairing chief, weeping on the shore, sank in the engulfing waters to rise no more. The broken-hearted chief returned to his wigwam, a sadder and a wiser man. But his sadness got the better of his wisdom, and end^-d his days. He never smiled again. A settled melancholy took posses- sion of his mind. The medicine men could do nothing to arrest his malady, and before spring bloomed again upon the prairies he sickened and died. But he left a will (no copy of which, we regret to say, has been pre- served) requiring that a memorial mourd should be erected on the bank of the river, near where the lovers perished; and that the stream itself should forever after bear their united names, Wapsipinicon. The mound, we believe, has been carried away by some of the tre- mendous freshets which characterize the stream; but the name, barbarous as it sounds to some fastidious ears, has come down to the present day, and will probably never wash out. As this legend will suit any river whose name contains the requisite number of syllables, we suggest that it may be applied to the Maquoketa. We have not been able to find any interpretation of the Indian name given to that stream; but we have only to imagine that two Ind- ian lovers, Maquo and Keta, drowned themselves in its waters, and all the reasonable demands, both of ro- mance and of etymology, will be met and satisfied. We hope the reader will not get impatient: we will try and let our balloon down in time for dinner. But as we are speaking of rivers, we cannot think of leaving the subject without saying a few words about THEIR FREQUENT VARIATIONS. What we have to say in regard to this matter will refer principally to the Wapsipinicon river, but will, of course, apply, imiiatis mutandis, to all the other streams. The features of every landscape are always changing more or less rapidly, under the action of its watercourses. Every stream is liable to fluctuations. When rains are heavy, and general and long continued, it rises, overflows its banks or washes them away, changes its direction, makes new bends or cuts off old ones, covers green fields with beds of sand or gravel, washes away dams, bridges and other artificial structures, and scatters their debris along its banks. All of these changes, of course, tell upon the landscape. If we could take an accurate photograph of the scene that lies below us, and return again, in only a year's time and take another, we should find the two very perceptibly diflerent, in consequence of the fluvial chan- ges brought about in that short interval. Changeable as are streams in general, we think the Wapsipinicon is exceptionally so. The soil through which it flows is, for the most part, sandy, and there- fore drifts readily with every overflow. This fact makes it difficult to bridge in many places where bridges are very necessary. The first crossing of the river below In- dependence, is a place of this character. The stream, before reaching this point, makes a sudden deflection toward the east; and since the present bridge was built, the stream has changed its bed to such an extent, and the detrition of the bank has been so great at the south- ern extremity of the bridge, that it has been thought necessary (now that the old structure has become dilapi- dated, and a new and more substantial one is about HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 29 to be built), to cross the river forty rods below — al- though the road will have to turn that distance out of its direct course in order to reach the new crossing. The contrast which the Wapsie presents, between its usual condition in midsummer, with the water shrunk far within its banks; the cattle standing in the shade in the middle of the current; and the entire stream passing through mill-flume on its way — and the condition in which it often finds itself in early spring, in the "June rise," or in the "January thaw," — is about as great a con- trast as can be imagined. The Wapsie "with his back up" is always an imposing, and sometime seven a terrible, sight. If the stream freezes in a time of high water, and breaks up with heavy rains, look out for fearful floods, and much damage from floating ice. The writer of this will neter foiget the spectacle he witnessed at In- dependence, in the spring of 187 1, in precisely such a conjecture as the one above mentioned. It had been a very cold winter, and the ice had formed to the thick- ness of three feet or more; consequently, when the "break up" came, the masses of ice that came crashing' down the stream, were like floating islands. The water was so deep that it made only a ripple as it passed over the mill-dam, which is some ten or twelve feet in height. Three or four ice breaks, placed above the dam, and consisting of large cribs filled with bowlders, were cut away by the immense ice shears that passed over them, as if they had been so many muskrat houses. The huge ice cakes, as they slid over the dam, just showed their thick edges as a token of their power, then dipped themselves gracefully, but majestically beneath the wave, lifted their monster forms again to the surface, and hurled themselves like battering rams against the piers of the bridge below. These, like the ice breaks mentioned above, were cribs built of large timber and filled with bowlders. The principal attack was upon the pier near- est to the eastern abutment. This, like the other (we believe there were but two), was protected by a wooden guard, built of heavy timbers and extending out into the water in the form of an angular inclined plane. Against this the huge masses of ice were hurled with such force that, sliding up the inclined plane to its summit, they fell back into the chaotic mass, sometimes with a dull, leaden thud, and sometimes with an explosive sound, like that of heavy ordnance. The guard was soon worn away, and then the giant rams came butting directly against the pier. The whole bridge trembled with every concussion. A cry goes up from the vast crowd of people gathered on the banks of the river, that the bridge is doomed. A breach is made in the crib. The bowlders begin to tum- ble out. The upper part of the pier settles down, and the floor of the bridge tips in that direction. The whole structure becomes more and more askew till suddenly the rest of the pier gives way, and that part of the bridge comes down with a tremendous crash. As the other pier and the abutments stood their ground, less than half the bridge was washed away; but the authorities wisely decided to remove the rest of the old structure and re- place it with another more substantial, and likely to be permanent. The result is the present iron bridge of two spans, strong and graceful, resting upon two abutments and one immense pier, all of solid masonry, which, it is reasonably believed, no ice rams will ever be able to bat- ter down. Having studied the Wapsie in his varying moods, all of which, from the peaceful to the furious, are both pic. turesque and poetic, we trust we shall be pardoned, even by the prosaic reader (if we have any such) (or embody- ing our impressions and recollections of those moods in a rhyme which shall at least have the merit of appropri- ateness. SONG OF THE WAPSIPINICON. When vernal rains descend no more, And summer skies are luminous; He glides along each verdant shore With murmurs softly fluminous. The children sport upon the brink. While sultry noontide hies away: The thirsty kine go in to drink, ."^nd stand and whip the flies away. The love-boats kiss the water's cheek, When moon-lit nights begin again; And rustic joys play hide and seek Along the Wapsipinicon, The sliding Wapsipinicon — The gliding Wapsipinicon: The rolly-poly, cheek-by-jowly, strolly Wapsipinicon. But when the lowering clouds come back. And o'er the green earth frown again; And all along his winding track The summer rains come down again; The waters, gathering from the hills And upland pr.airies far away, ^ Descend in thousand swollen rills That bear each hindering bar away. The farmers round in terror wake To hear the deluge din again, .■\nd see a spreading, surging lake Where rolled the Wapsipinicon, The welhng Wapsipinicon — The swelling Wapsipmicon: The washy, swashy, splishy-sploshy, sloshy Wapsipinicon. But winter comes with icy chain To bind the north-land fast once more; .•\nd Boreas, in a wild refrain. Breathes forth his bugle blast once more. Then Wapsie dons his cloak of ice. Set round with snowy fur above; And ne'er an ear, however nice, Can hear the water stir above. The skaters, shod with flashing steel. Glide circling out and in again; And joy, as sweet as summer's feel. Broods o'er the Wapsipinicon. The white-bound Wapsipinicon — The tight-bound Wapsipinicon: The snowing, knowing, stealthy-flowing, blowing Wapsipinicon. But when he feels the touch of spring Through all his kindling pores again, .■\nd vernal clouds their treasures fling .^long his loosened shores again; Upspringing from his wintry lair He hurls his frosty chains abroad. Which tierce destruction madly bear Through vale and flooded plains abroad. In aspect wild, in gesture grand, A blustering giant Finnegan, With ice shillelah in his hand. Goes forth the Wapsipinicon, The roaring Wapsipinicon — The pouring Wapsipinicon: The dashing, clashing, wildly smashing, thrashing Wapsipinicon. 30 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. And thus, while seasons come and go. Through all the years voluminous. He marks their ever-changing flow With his own changes fluminous. The red men owned his verdant banks But shortly after time began, Which white men took with little thanks Not long before this rhyme began. But while the tide of time flows on, Still, as old Saturn's minikin, Till earth, sun, moon and stars are gone. Shall flow the Wapsipinicon, The changing Wapsipinicon — The ranging W'apsipinicon; The swopsy, whopsy, flipsy-flopsy, slopsy Wapsipinicon. We fear that the reader may be getting a little weary of being kept so long "up in a balloon;" but, before de- scending to ierra Jirma, we desire to take a cursory glance at the Buchanan RAILROADS, VILLAGES AND TOWNSHIPS. For a county whose chief town contains less than four thousand inhabitants, Buchanan possesses more than ordinary railroad facilities. The Dubuque & Sioux City road, now a division of the Illinois Central, passes through the centre of the county from east to west; and the Milwaukee division of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern passes through north and south, the most of the way a little west of the Central line. These roads furnish a convenient outlet for the surplus products of the county; and a person wishing to make a journey in any direction, has but a short ride by private conveyance to reach one of these great public thoroughfares, which make direct connection with others leading to all parts of the country. In going from Independence, and parts adjacent, to Chicago, the great metropolis of the west, the traveller has choice of two competing routes — the one by way of Dubuque, and the other by Cedar Rapids. There are four ipassenger trains a day, two east and two west, on the Illinois Central, and several freight and mi.xed trains in each direction. On the Northern road there is one passenger and two or three regular freight trains each way. Besides all these regulars, there are frequent "wild trains" on both roads; so that there are not many minutes together, during the entire day, when, from our aerial lookout, we should not be able to see a train of cars, like some huge articulate animal, "dragging its slow length along," in one direction or another. We say "slow length," for, however swiftly a train may move as it dashes past one standing upon the border of the track, yet when the beholder is elevated, as we are, so as to take in many miles of the space over which the train is moving, its motion is retarded in proportion to the distance — just as the motions of the planets, though im- perceptibly rapid, are quite imperceptible across the in- terstellar spaces. While we are speaking a train of about thirty cars, some of them loaded with produce and some with stock, leaves the Independence station, about three miles west and a little to the north of us. The huge engine comes on puffing, wheezing and panting with its Brobdignagian load. We hear the rumbling of the countless wheels, like "the voice of many waters," and the squeals of the poor hogs, crowded into their narrow and uncomfortable encampments. The steam whistle, that agglomeration of unearthly sounds, yells out its alarm as it crosses the road below us; and vast clouds of stifling gas, belched forth from the huge smoke stack, rise through the air and envelop us in their sickening stench. Bah I We wonder if the Lunarians smell it. If they do, they must regard the earth as the very centre of the Stygian do- minions. The Illinois Central road, entering the county from the east, passes through the southern tier of sections in Fremont, Byron, Washington and Perry townships — making a curve to the south, while passing through Byron, so as to run, for about a mile, just below the north line of Liberty. The Burlington road, as you en- ter the county from the north, passes through the centre of Hazleton, Washington and Sumner; deflecting toward the east as it leaves the last-named township, cutting off the northeast corner of Homer and the southeast corner of Cono. ■ All the townships in this county coincide with the national surveys, except that the north part of Sumner (consisting of its upper tier of sections, together with a part of sections twelve and thirteen) is added to Washington — partly to accommodate the town of Independence, which having first been laid out in the latter township, soon extended itself across the line into the former — and partly to accommodate the people living near the county- seat. The naming of the townships in this county presents a singular poetic coincidence, which has no parallel in the state; and probably none in the entire nation. The county, twenty-four miles square, is divided into sixteen townships, each six miles square. Hence there are four tiers, each containing four townships. Every township name consists of either two or three syllables with but one accent ; hence, when arranged as they appear on the map, they form a regular poetic stanza — what would technically be called a dimeter quatrainthns : Fairbank, Hazleton; Buffalo, Madison, Perry, Washington; Byron, Fremont; Westburgh, Sumner; Liberty, Middlefield; Jefferson, Homer; Cono, Newton. Of course, if these names are arranged in any other order of fours, a similiar stanza will be formed ; but, after ringing all the possible changes upon them, we are con- vinced that the order in which they are found on the map is the most musical. Surely, those who had the charge of the township nomenclature in this county were skilful prosodists, or else "they builded wiser than they knew." There are twelve villages in the county, including towns corporate, and cities so called. Five of these rail- road stations: viz.. Independence, the capital in Wash- ington township, where the two roads cross, nestled among the oaks of the Wapsie, just below us; Winthrop, in Byron, toward the east, and Jesup in Perry, toward the west; Hazleton station, in the township of that name, on the north, and Rowley in Homer, on the south. Afar to the northwest in the township of Fairbank, situated on the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 31 Little Wapsie close to the Fayette county line, we see the smart village of Fairbank, which is getting sufficiently ambitious to look for a railroad in the near future. Let- ting the eye turn toward the east, passing over the well- wooded Otter creek, we come to the village, situated in the midst of the timber, growing small by degrees and beautifully less, from its contiguity (only about a mile away) to the railroad station, which has stolen its name, and is fast stealing its life. Passing on still to the east across Buffalo township, we come to the village of Buffalo Grove, situated in a fine belt of timber thus named, extending along Buffalo creek. We reckon the buffaloes must have been pretty thick here in early times. At any rate they are so now; and the present herd, though buffaloes only in name, will effectually prevent their shaggy precedessors from ever being forgotten. Turning again toward the west, and tracing up the Wapsie from Independence for about ten miles, we come to the little village of Littleton, just below the mouth of the Little Wapsie. This is in the township of Perry. Retracing the course of the river, we come to Otterville, in Washington township, situated on Otter creek, about a mile from its mouth. Perry and Washington are the only townships that have two villages apiece, since Ha- zleton and Hazleton Station can hardly be considered two permanent and separate villages. Far down in the southwest comer of the county, in Jefferson township, near Lime creek, we espy the lonely little village of Brandon, which is separated farther from neighboring villages than any other in the county. And finally, sweeping with our vision across the open prairie, past Rowley Station on the Burlington road, in an eastly- northerly direction, we come to the oldest and next to the largest town in the county — the goodly village of Quasqueton, picturesquely located on the Wapsie in the township of Liberty, just within the southern border of the finest body of timber in the county. Thus, in our enumeration and location of the villages of the county, the first is last. There are seven of the townships (lacking but one of being half of the entire number) that have as yet no villages — at least, none with plats duly laid out and re- corded. These are Westburgh, Sumner and Cono, and the whole of the eastern tier, viz: Madison, Fremont, Middlefield and Newton. Probably the time will come when every township will contain one or more of these centres of population and business. That time may be somewhat remote, since at present the population of the county is increasing very little, if at all; owing to the vast quantities of excellent, but unoccupied, land now being opened for settlement in the territories west of the Missouri. When the desirable lands west of us are as fully occupied as those of northern Iowa, the large farms in Buchanan county will begin to be subdivided, and the population will rapidly increase. Then the vil- lages already existing will increase in size and impor- tance, and new ones will_be established as centres of commerce and manufactures, for the accommodation of the rural districts. Additional facilities for the transpor- tation of produce, and for intercommunication with oth er parts of the country, will be needed; and the era of free turnpikes will dawn upon Iowa, as it has already dawned upon Ohio. New railroads will be built, some of them crossing, as do the present ones, in the goodly little city below us, which will have assumed by that time metropolitan dimensions. The surface of the county will be much more thickly dotted over with farm houses and barns, half hid among their sheltering groves. The State hospital for the insane, which now looms up in such striking proportions on that fine eminence, a little southwest of the city, will be no less conspicuous an object then than now; but the trees about it, which are as yet hardly perceptible in the distance, will have grown into a leafy screen, which, though partly conceal- ing, will only enhance, its beauty. The prairies will all have become enclosed fields, and the prairie fires, once so characteristic of Buchanan autumns, and now seen but rarely, will then be only a matter of historj-. Just how long it will be before all these changes will occur, we would not undertake to predict ; but, proba- bly, if we should return to our present serial out-look at the end of fifty years, we should be as much at a loss to recognize the landscape we should then see below us, as an aged Indian would be were he now with us, to recog- nize in the picture upon which we have been so long gazing, the scenery with which he was familiar fifty years ago. The history of the railroad enterprises of the county will constitute a chapter by itself farther on ; and addi- tional notices will be given of the streams, townships and villages when we come to the township histories. But, for the present, we leave them, and relieve the reader, by letting out gas from our balloon and descend- ing once more to terra firma. THE LAND SURVEYS. The division of Buchanan county into townships is, as we have seen, immediately connected with the origi- nal survey of the land. A description, therefore, of the method by which the United States land surveys are made, will not be out of place in this chapter on the physical features of the county. For the description which follows we are indebted, in part, to an article in the American Encyclopaedia, but still more to an arlicle by Mr. C. W. Irish on the Gov- ernment Surveys of Public lands, published as an appen- dix to Dr. C. A. White's Report on the Geological sur- vey of the State of Iowa. We have adopted the lan- guage of each of these articles, whenever it has suited our purpose; but changes and additions are so frequent that we have not thought it worth while to disfigure the page by the constant use of quotation marks. Some of the changes alluded to are rendered absolutely necessary in order to render the description intelligible without the very instructive figures which accompany Mr. Irish's article. And some of the additions are made for the purpose of showing the relation of Buchanan county to the base, meridian and correction lines. But, of course, the most of the present section was only a general refer- ence to the county. 32 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. The practice of the "Mother Country," says Mr. Irish, in the manner of deahng in lands which she saw fit to "sell and convey" to individuals, in the shape of "grants," was initiated by the colonies, and afterwards by the States. These grants had no definite shape, but were of all sizes and bounded in all manner of ways. The boundary lines were made to conform to the windings of any stream that happened to be favorably situated; and in the absence of such convenience, the track of an ancient highway, or any other landmark, natural or arti- ficial, was taken as a boundary. The courses of the boundary lines were magnetic, that is to say, the angles or bearings of the lines were referred to the magnetic meridian for direction. This system of surveying by magnetic bearings had its origin at a time when the belief was general that the direction of the magnetic meridian, or, if you please, the direction of the compass needle, was invariable. This, however, is not the case. The direction of the needle is constantly changing ; and as a consequence the magnetic bearing of to-day from one given point to another, will not be the bearing between the same points ne.xt year. Thus the attempt to fix the boundaries of a tract of land by the use of such variable means as those above described, resulted in assigning variable boundaries, and consequently pro- duced much perple.xity and vexatious litigation. We have been informed that the Government is indebted to General William Henry Harrison, afterward President of the United States, for the convenient ingen- uous, yet very simple method of land surveys which is now in use, and which, for the past fifty years or more, has taken the place of the old and cumbrous method introduced by the English surveyors. Whether this credit is really due to President Harrison or not we cannot say; since neither of the articles above named contains any allusion to the matter; and none of the authorities that we have been able to consult, throws any light upon the question. But, whoever he was, the man that con- ceived the idea, involving the principles of the present system of United States surveys, was indeed a public benefactor, as well as a thorough scholar; for he brought order out of the chaos of perplexities and vexations involved in the plan of surveying just described. In doing this he laid astronomy, mathematics, and mechan- ics under contribution; and, at the same time that he gave to the United States a regular system of surveying, at once accurate and simple, his plan for getting the direction of the lines used in bounding the lands sur- veyed, necessitated the invention of a new surveying instrument, the solar compass, the most accurate kind of a compass used by surveyors. This new plan adopted by the United States Government, has for its basis the invariable direction of the true meridians. All bearings taken from these meridians are called true bearings, to distinguish them from magnetic bearings; and in their direction are invariable as is the meridian from which they are measured. The parallels of latitude are also used in the new system, as a basis from which to measure distances. Consequently the United system of ])ublic surveys, con- sists in the use of the true meridians from which to get directions or bearings, and the parallels of latitude from which to measure distances. It is called a rectan- gular system — that is, all its distances and bearings are measured from two lines which are at right angles to each other; the two lines or bases being always a true meridian, and a true parallel of latitude. The piincipal lines used in government surveys are five in number, and are called, in the order of their establishment, base lines, principal meridians, township lines, section lines, and correction lines. There are several other lines used, but they are of interest only to surveyors, and do not properly come within the limits of this explanation. By the rule, all north and south lines must be run upon true meridians, and all east and west lines upon true parallels of latitude. In locating the base (or east and west) lines, and the meridians (or north and south lines), which is the first step in a government survey, the initial point, or the place from which the lines start, is generally located at or near some natural landmark, merely for the purpose of ready identification. But the position of the starting point does not depend upon the invariability of such landmark for its stability. For in case of the removal of the landmark, the starting point can be readily identified by its latitude and longitude,- and the reference marks made near it. Hence the land- mark, be it the mouth of a river or the top of a moun- tain, is merely a reference point; but, whatever point is chosen, the base line and the meridian start from that point — the base running east and west, and the meridian north and south. The Government has established certain lines whose intersections are to be regarded as starting points in all government surveys. These lines are called principal meridians and principal base Xxnti. There is, of course, no absolute necessi/y of establishing more than one mer- idian and one base, since all surveys could be reckoned from the intersection of two such lines. But, if only one starting point were used in all the United States, the number of ranges — or rows of six miles squares, extend- ing north and south of that point — and of townships or rows east and west, would soon become inconveniently large. Therefore several meridian and base lines have been established by the Government. Of the meridians thus established there were, in 1S75, as stated in the American Encyclopsedia, twenty-four. Six of these, be- ginning with the one furthest toward the east, are num- bered, first, second, etc. The other eighteen have special names, but all are designated by their longitude. The first meridian is the boundary line between Ohio and Indiana, longitude eighty-four degrees fifty-one minutes west from Greenwich ; and the one further to the west passes through Humboldt, Nevada, longitude one hun- dred and twenty-four degrees, eleven minutes. The number of principal base lines which had been established at the date above mentioned, were twenty- one — the northernmost being in latitude forty-five degrees forty-six minutes twenty-seven seconds, which is about the latitude of Minneapolis: and the southernmost, in HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 33 latitude thirty, twenty-five minutes, which is that of Tal- lahassee, Florida. The meridian from which the Iowa surveys are reck- oned, is that which passes through the mouth of the Arkansas river, in the State of Arkansas — being the same as longitude ninety degrees fifty-one minutes. This is the fifth principal meridian, which, being extended north, passes through the eastern part of Iowa, about twelve miles west of Dubuque. The principal base line, from which also our surveys are reckoned, is the parallel which passes through the mouth of the St. Francis river, in Arkansas — about thirty-four degrees, thirty minutes — a little south of the line dividing the States of Mississippi and Tennessee. The mouth of the St. Francis is about thirty miles east of the meridian line passing through the mouth of the Ar- kansas; and the base line drawn west from the former point, crosses that principal meridian forty-eight miles north of its starting point. The point at which these two lines cross each other is the one from which the Iowa surveys are numbered. And as our southernmost tier of townships is numbered sixty-eight, there are sixty- seven townships or four hundred and two miles from the principal base to the line of Iowa's southern boundary. After the establishment of the base line and meridian, they are measured into half-mile, mile and six-mile spaces, which are respectively the sides of quarter- sections, sections and townships. The points at the ends of these divisions are well marked, that they may be identified and distinguished from each other years after, and serve as starting points of other surveys. The next step in the process is to divide the country lying along these lines in spaces six miles square. This is called townshipping the land; and all the townships thus formed begin at the end of the six-mile spaces, on the base and meridian, and are run parallel to these two guides. The law establishing this system, while it required that the north and south lines should be run on true meridi. ans, also required that each of the townships should be six miles square. Exactly to satisfy both these require ments is manifestly impossible. It is well known thaj the meridians of the eanh are not parallel to each other • for they begin at the equator, with a definite width be- tween them — say sixty-nine and a half miles to a degree — and gradually converge until they meet in the poles. Now, these north and south township lines, being run on true meridians, as a matter of course must converge ; and in consequence the north side of a township must be less in width than its south side. This is not the case with the east and west lines, for they being run on true paral- lels of latitude do not converge, but remain at equal distances from each other, however far from the merid- ian they may be traced. Then, for the want of parallel- ism between the east and west sides of the townships, an allowance must be made, as it amounts to about forty- three feet to the township, between the parallels of forty-one degrees and forty-two degrees north latitude. That is to say, the north side of a township, between forty-one degrees and forty-two degrees of latitude, measures forty-three feet less than its south side. This is partly allowed for by the use of "correction lines" which are new basis run for about every tenth township, parallel to the principal base. Upon each of these new basis the half mile, mile and six-mile points are again established, and from these points a new set of north lines are measured. Surveyors have been instructed that each range of township should be made as much over six miles in width, on each base and correction line, as it will fall short of the same width where it closes on to the next correction line north : And it is further provided that, in all cases where the exterior lines of the townships shall exceed or shall not extend, six miles, the excess or de- ficiency shall be specially noted and added to, or deducted from, the western or northern sections or half sections in such township, according as the error may be in running the lines from east to west or from south to north. In order to throw the excesses or deficiencies on the north and on the west sides of the township, it is necessary to survey the section lines from south to north on a true meridian, leaving the result in the north line of the township to be governed by the convexity of the earth and the convergency of the meridians. There are two correction lines in Iowa, the second or upper one passing through the centre of Buchanan county, and constituting the southern boundary of the townships Perry, Washington (as originally constituted) Byron and Fremont. Theoretically the townships are all six miles square, and divided by lines running parallel with their sides into thirty-six equal parts called sections. The dividing lines being one mile apart each way, the sections are, of course, one mile square and contain six hundred and forty acres. The sections are always numbered from one to thirty-six in regular order, beginning with the one in the northeast corner, from thence to the west, thence back to the east and so on — the southeast corner section being always numbered thirty-six. The lines bounding each section are called "section lines," to distinguish them from the other lines used in the survey. They are marked at the corners of each section by what are called "section corners." In subdividing a township, the measurement begins at the northwest corner of section thirty-six, and progresses northward and westward. This proceeding throws all the errors of measurement (as we have seen) into the lines adjoining the north and west sides of the townships, giving what are called "anomalous sections " — they being either greater or less than one mile square, by the amount of the erior of measurement. These anomalous sections, being on the north and west sides of the town- ship, are numbered i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, 30 and 31. The rest of the sections in a township are taken to be one mile square. The government makes no smaller subdivision than forty acres (the fourth of a quarter-section) except where errors of measurement produce such a result, in the anomalous sections. Before concluding this brief, and necessarily imper- 34 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. feet, account of the manner of making government surveys, it may be well to explain the different kinds of corners used in running the various lines. They are the "Initial Monument," "Township Corners," "Section Corners," and "One-fourth Section Corners," each having its own peculiar marks. Township corners, when located in timbered lands, are marked by a post. This post is about five inches square, and set in the ground so as to project above the surface about three feet. The corners of the post are set to the north, south, east and west, each corner having six notches cut in it, that being the number of miles, in each direction, to the next township corner. Two trees are then marked with a blaze facing the post — the bear- ing and distance of each from the post being taken and put in the notes. If the township corner is located in an open field, with no timber near. A post is set as above described, and a mound of earth, three feet high, having a base, five feet square, and the top, two feet square, is raised around it. The earth for this mound is taken from two pits, one to the north, the other to the south of the mound. They are square in shape, and, like the mound, have their four corners directed to the north, south, east and west. Section corners, in a timbered tract, are marked by a post, three inches square, and two feet high. The corners of the post are set to the cardinal points, the same as township posts; but the corners are notched so as to show the number of miles which the post stands from the township lines next north, south, east and west of it. The position of the post is also marked by two trees, as described for a township corner. In open ground, with no timber near, the section corner is marked by a post, as above described, and also by a mound of earth. The pit from which the earth to form a section corner is taken, is situated on the south side of the mound, at a distance somewhat less than that in the case of a township corner. The mound is also less in size than a township corner mound, being at the base four feet square, and two and a half feet high. The post for a quarter section corner is only flattened on two opposite sides, and, in timber, its position is denoted by two bearing trees, and on open ground the corner is marked by a pit and mound of the size used in marking a section corner. The position of the pit differs from that used in marking a section corner, by being placed to the east of the mound. Its distance from the mound, however, is the same as the pit from a section corner mound. Upon the sides of the stakes used in marking a town- ship corner will be found the numbers representing the adjacent townships. Upon the section corner stake will be found the numbers of the adjoining sections; while upon the quarter-section stake is marked simply ")^ S." By the method of surveying thus imperfectly set forth, a piece of land however situated within the bounds of the United States surveys, can be referred lo and de- scribed with the greatest certainty, and its dimensions, or area in square miles or acres, be ascertained with all the precision that the skill of the surveyor will warrant. And further, the manner in which the boundaries are marked and perpetuated, is such as to make the lines es- tablished as immutable as the earth itself. FLORA AND FAUNA. We have neither the space, nor time, nor ability, to give an exhaustive account of the flora and fauna of Buchanan county; but a description of its physical features would be imperfect, without at least some general notices of both. We will therefore give, in a desultory manner, such a description of them as we may be able, relying partly upon our own study and observa- tion, partly upon the accounts of early settlers, and partly upon published scientific reports. One of the most obvious reflections in regard to this subject,, relates to the changes which have been produced, both in the flora and fauna of this county (as of all other newly settled regions), by the advent of civilized man. These changes, which were quite unavoidable, have put a new face upon almost every landscape. Hundreds of vegetable species, and very many (though doubtless a smaller number) of animal species, have become the constant attendants of man in his improved condition, and follow him in all his migrations. The most of these (as the food plants and the domestic animals) he carries with him, by design and of necessity, for the supply of his various wants. A few (as certain song birds and flowering plants) become his voluntary but welcome at- tendants, and are never found remote from his dwellings, which they cheer and gladden by their melody and beauty. But many other (such as noxious weeds and pestiferous vermin) throng about his pathways and homes, and follow him with a sort of impish persistence, in spite of all his efforts to shake them off There is in these facts much that is mysterious, much that is touching, and almost pathetic; and not a little that is very humiliating and vexatious. Along the village streets and country roads, and about dwellings, in gardens or uncultivated places, may be found almost everywhere throughout the county, the following, among other im- migrating plants: The velvet leaf, or abutilon avicen- nm; two or three species of mallow; the Jamestown weed, or datura stramo7)ium ; several species of poly- };onu/n, especially those called lady's thumb, and smart weed; soapwort or bouncing bet; mag weed, or ma- ruta cotula; several species of plaiitago, or common plantain; stellaria, or chickweed; linaria, or toad flax; purslane, or portulaca ohracea (of which Henry Ward Beecher said, in one of his sermons, that he had often ejected it from his garden "with maledictions" — though what right he had to curse an innocent plant, simply because it has a troublesome way of dying hard, he has not yet informed the world); shepherd's purse capsella hursa-pastoris) and other members of the crucifera, or mustard family; burdock, or lappa major, which has a most clinging affection for colts' tails; stickseed and beggar's lice — species of eihinospermum, which the amiable botanist, Professor Gray, calls "a vile weed;" bur-marigold, or bidem frondosa, which the children call pitchforks; and (where there is too much HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 35 sand for decent plants to grow) the sand-bur, burgrass, or cenchrus tn'ludoides, which means, very appropriately, thistle hedgehog, and which is the special tribulation of barefooted boys and lady pedestrians. None of these plants are indigenous in this county. The first settlers found none of them on the prairies or in the groves. They thought they had left them all be- hind; but when they had got their houses built, their gardens made, and their roads laid out, they awoke one. morning to find them all here. How they came nobody knows. The settlers would have been very glad to keep the most of them away — though the chickweed, plan- tain, knotgrass, and other humble and harmless little weeds, so familiar in the olden times, did look natural and friendly about the doorstep. As for the plants themselves, they were all very much at home. They seemed to say: "Thank you for getting things ready for us. We have taken possession, and have come to stay. Get rid of us if you can." Of the animals which accompanied the early settlers in the same unbidden and unceremonious fashion, the birds that chirp or twitter or sing about the houses and barns, and enliven the meadows with their beauty and melody, are always welcome; notwithstanding the depre- dations which a few of them make upon the fruit trees. Among these we may enumerate the robin, the blue-jay, the house-wren, the song-sparrow, the blue-bird, the ori- ole, the swallow, the martin, the meadow-lark and the bobolink, the finest of American songsters. Of these the blue-jay is the only one who braves the severity of Buchanan winters; and this constancy, together with his gay and beautiful plumage, is more than a compensation for his harsh voice — though even he has, occasionally, a sort of soito voce warble which is by no means unmusical. The instinct which leads these and other species to make their abode about human dwellings, is not only interest- ing, but wonderful. Some of them do it, probably, be- cause they can find their food more readily there; others because they are more safe from the attacks of hostile species; while with some (or all) both these reasons may have an influence. But it seems still more wonderful that species which, for the most part, live remote from the abodes of men, and are reckoned the most timid and difficult to tame, occasionally manifest the same sort of confidence in their civilized neighbors. The shy lit- tle quail, regardless of the missies of boys and the guns of older people, are frequently seen around our village streets; and the brown rabbits, certainly the most timid and untamable of our native quadrupeds, sometimes brave not only these enemies, but their still more dan- gerous foes, the dogs and the cats, by making their bur- rows and rearing their young in our very door-yards ; and yet, so secretive are they that they are seldom discov- ered. Of the more unwelcome species that followed the early settlers to their western homes, are the rats and mice and the various insects that prey upon their culti- vated fruits, garden vegetables and grains. That almost every plant necessary or desirable for the use of man, should have its peculiar insect enemy, often becoming a sort of epidemic, bringing poverty and distress upon extensive agricultural districts by the total destruction of some vegetable product largely depended upon for the support of the people, is certainly a very great mystery. The believer in Divine Providence and revelation can hardly fail to see in this a proof of the reality of the primal curse pronounced upon nature, as a penalty for man's apostasy. But what a blow human pride must experience whenever it is brought face to face with the fact that, with all his boasted ingenuity, it is found utter- ly impossible to exterminate one of these pests ! Scien- tific societies and legislative bodies busy themselves anxiously with projects for obviating the plague of grass- hoppers. Prizes are offered, and the money paid for costly inventions, having that object in view. But the plague comes and goes; and when it comes again, it finds them as unprepared as they were before. But if it be thought less surprising that so small a creature, prop- agating itself in such inconceivable numbers, and, for the most part, in places so remote from those in which it commits its worst depredations, and spreading with such rapidity over large districts of country — if, I say, it be thought less surprising that such a creature should escape extermination by any means that man can devise, who can avoid a feeling of surprise, mingled with humil- iation (and perhaps just a trace of indignation), when he contemplates the apparent impossibility of getting rid of rats ? Here is an animal of comparatively large size, propagating itself slowly (when compared with insects) and always in the immediate locality of its depredations, and surrounded by all sorts of destructive agents. Against this animal man wages a ceaseless and relentless warfare, exhausting his inventive genius in the production of all sorts of traps and guns and deadly poisons, and even allying himself with other hostile species, such as cats, ferrets and terriers, whose hatred of race and power of de- struction have been sharpened by ages of careful and inge- nious training; but all to no purpose. Many individuals have been killed — though not all on the side of the com- mon enemy, for thousands of human beings have been de- stroyed by rats — but the species thrives and manifests no symptoms of approaching extermination. It multi- plies quite as fast as man, and follows him, with a sort of sarcastic fidelity, in all his wanderings, both by sea and land ; and seems to repeat, with ironical emphasis, the affectionate words of Ruth to Naomi: "Whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge. Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried." Man may as well give up all idea of success in his efforts to exterminate the rats; and may think himself fortunate if he is able to construct a cellar or a granary which the cunning and persistent rodents are not able to get into. But the new species, both animal and vegetable, which were brought in by the settlers, and which have done most toward changing the physical features of the coun- ty, are, of course, those which they brought by design, for their own sustenance, convenience, or pleasure. They brought grains and grasses, esculent roots and vegetables, and that sweet little conqueror, white clover, which not only displaces most native weeds, but even 36 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. exterminates that odious usurper, May weed; and these are now cultivated on the prairies and are fast usurping the places of the wild species that once flour- ished there. They brought many new species of flowers, and these now decorate the grounds about their dwell- ings, which are also adorned and shaded by ornamental trees and shrubs, the descendants of those which once adorned their ancestral homes in the east. Many of the native groves have disappeared, to furnish fuel or timber: but a still greater number, composed partly of native and partly of foreign trees, have been planted here and there for shade and protection from winds, and these now di- versify and decorate the landscape, which but a few years ago presented only an unbroken and monotonous ex- panse of herbage in summer, and of snow in winter. The settlers also brought with them their domestic fowls — the common hen, the turkey, and (more sparing- ly) the Guinea fowl — and these are taking the place of the wild turkey (once so abundant in the timber, but now seldom found there), and are fast taking the place of the prairie hen, which for many years was the delight of our sportsmen, but is now becoming comparatively rare within the limits of the county, and may soon cease to be considered game any longer. And they also brought with them their domesticated quadrupeds, their horses, mules, cattle, hogs, and sheep — as also their dogs and cats — and these have usurped the places of the buffaloes, elks, deer, and bears, once so numer- ous, quite as completely as the white men have usurped the places of the Indians. If any of the last mentioned quadrupeds are now seen in this county, they have been tamed and brought here as curiosities, just as any of the Indian race that may now chance to stray across these prairies, once the hunting grounds of their sires, are tailie enough in comparison with those wild and warlike progenitors. It is sad to contemplate the extinction of a species, whether animal or vegetable. The death of an individ- ual, except one of our own race to whom we have borne some intimate relation, affects us slightly. We look upon it as a necessity, and have become reconciled to it. But the death of an entire species, when once we grasp the idea of it, seems something almost appalling. And the nearer such an event comes to our own times, the more sensibly we are affected by it. Thus we take a much deeper interest in the remains of the mastodon, whose era must have come very near, if, indeed, it did not over- lap that of man, than we do in those which belong to the earlier geological eras. And that interest measures the regret we feel at the loss of a species. Much greater, therefore, is our regret at the prospective extinction of any species with which we have been familiar, or which has lived during our own times. We suspect that even the total extinction of rats would give us a pang of re- gret, however much we might be glad to get rid of their annoyance. However this may be, there is certainly no man of sensibility who does not experience a genuine sorrow at the almost certain prospect of the ultimate ex- termination of the buffaloes, those shaggy lords of the plains, who, with the Indians, for countless centuries held joint empire in this western world. As they do not seem to possess the qualities that would render them service- able in a state of domestication, and as they cannot (or will not) live in the midst of civilized surroundings, their total e.xtinction seems to be only a question of time. And that other species, both animal and vegetable, that once flourished on the prairies, are doomed to fol- low the buffaloes into a state of annihilation, seems only too probable. The prairie hen is as incapable as the buffalo of being domesticated, and may linger a little longer than he on the borders of civilization. And doubtless many of the prairie flowers and grasses will also disappear before the plow and the cultivator and in- truding species that accompany them. The legislature seeks to protect certain animals, and prolong the duration of their species, by the enactment of game laws. And it seems almost a pity that the law could not accomplish something in the same direction for wild plants — perhaps by setting apart small tracts of land in favorable locali- ties, as a sort of "preserves" or "reservations," in which our aboriginal flora might find an unmolested home, and there perpetuate itself through all coming time. But as this idea would probably be thought "too sentimental for anything," we have often looked with an eye of hope (if not of faith) to the railroads, now so rapidly multiplying, as a possible means for accomplishing this desirable end. As we have been whirled along one of the earlier of these tracks, through some of the cultivated portions of our State, and have looked out upon the well-tilled fields, smiling in the verdure of grains and cultivated grasses which had completely usurped the place of the original flora ; it has been with a feeling of actual delight that we have observed on each side of the track, within the rail- road fences, the strips of ground which have been kept uncultivated and free from the inroads of cattle, still covered with the native grasses and flowers, in all their wild luxuriance and beauty. And it has seemed to us a most interesting thought, that these steam ways, the type and representative of modern progress, and prophecy of still greater achievements in the future, should prove, at the same time, the most efficient conservator of those touching mementoes of a vanishing age. And when we have seen a cabin set up on one of these strips of ground, with its thread of a garden patch extending for rods in each direction ; with all our sympathy for the poor, we have not been able to repress a sort of indignation ; and we have almost been led to think that if a man cannot make a living, in a country like this, without invading such a reservation as that, his continued existence in this sublunary state, is a matter of less importance than that of the aboriginal flowers which he thus lends himself as a tool to exterminate. The two railroads which now pass through this county, contain about two hundred acres of ground in the strips (as above described) along the sides of their tracks. If all this ground could be reserved for the jiurpose we have briefly hinted at, it would be sufficient to preserve from extermination all the herbaceous plants which belong to the original flora of the county. And the native trees and shrubs, growing, as they do, in localities which will HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 37 be brought latest into cultivation (and some of which will never be cultivated at all) require less care for their preservation. Most of them, in fact, will be able to fight their way unaided. CH.\R.\CTERISTIC I-R.AIRIE FLOWERS. To one coming to this State from the east, the first sight of a prairie, with its most characteristic plants in blossom, is a pleasure long to be remembered. Their most attractive season is in early June; but midsummer and autumn have also their peculiar blossoms, so that, from early spring till "pale, concluding winter comes at last and shuts the scene," the prairies are never devoid of interest. If the newcomer is at all scientifically in- clined, the sight of so many new floral faces will be likely to stimulate his botanical curiosity to such an extent, that he will not be able to rest contented till he has learned their names and been formally introduced. This was pre- cisely our case, and the most of the little we know about botany, was learned from the prairies of Iowa — a part of it from the prairies and groves of Buchanan county. As appropriate to this part of our history, we will give here the names of a few of the plants which are most characteristic of the Buchanan prairies, and whose blos- soms, in the different seasons of bloom, do most to di- versify and adorn them. Some of these are found only on the prairies, while others are also found in forest regions. To a professional botanist, the list we give would seem very meagre. But we are not writing for professional botanists. The following are the most conspicuous flowers in May and the first part of June: Lithospcrtnitm caiiesans, with the common name of Hoary Puccoon or Alkanet. A low plant, from six to fifteen inches high, with large flowers of a deep orange color. Astragalus caryocarpus, or ground plum. Flower vio- let purple. Dodecatheon maedia, or shooting star. Bapiisia lencophoea, or false indigo. Flowers cream color and very showy. Ranunculus r/w?nboideus, a species of crawfoot. Delphiniun aziireum, or blue larkspur. Froximon cuspidatuni, a low plant with large yellow flowers. Rosa blanda, the early wild rose — more attractive to the botanist, in its simple beauty, than the finest double rose of the gardens. Mertensia rirginica, or lungwort, a low plant with fine purplish blue flowers, often cultivated. Two or three species of wild phlox, equal in beauty to the cultivated varieties. During the summer months the following characterif- tic plants are in blossom : Cacalia tuberosa, the tuberous Indian plantain, grow- ing from two to six feet in height, and bearing large heads of composite flowers, of a whitish color. Cirsium altissimu/n, a showy thistle, sometimes ten feet high. Hieracium longipilum, or longbearded hawkweed — a tall plant with yellow flowers. Lilium philadelphicum, the wild orange — red lily — a very conspicuous and beautiful flower. Oxybaphus 7iyctagines, the only member of the Nycta- ginaceae, or four-o'clock family, found in the north- ern United States. It is represented in our gardens by the common four-o'clock, or marvel of Peru. Spiraea lobata, the "queen of the prairie." One or two species of tradescantia, or spiderwort Verbena stricta, or wild vervain, and perhaps one or two other species of the same genus. Petalostemon, or prairie clover. Two species, rose — purple and white. Amorpha canescens, or dead plant — the common name having been given to it, from the early notion that it indicated the presence of lead ore. Calystegia, a plant resembling the morning glory. Silphium laciniatum, commonly called rosin weed from its copious resinous juice — also compass plant, from being said to present the edges of its stalk (which is of an eliptical shape) in a north and south direction. Echinacea, or purple coneflower. Two species, tall and showy. Coreopsis palinata, a near relative of the showy species commonly cultivated in gardens. Liatris pychnostachia, commonly called button snake- root, or blazing star. It is a tall plant, crowned with a long spike of purple blossoms. It flowers, for the most part in August, but frequently continues in blossom dur- ing the following month. The autumn prairie flowers are mostly yellow; and though this color is not a favorite with the florists, it seems most in harmony with the glorious sunshine of our western autumns. The following are a few of the more conspicuous flowers that adorn our prairies, just before "the growing year is over:" Rudbeckid, or yellow cone-flower — two or three species belonging to the order of compositae (as do the most of the late summer and autumn flowers) with very graceful long and drooping rays. Solidago, or golden rod, also of several species. A showy, plum-like flower, common at the east; where "we boys" were accustomed to use it in the olden time, in "playing trooper." Vernonia fasciculata, or iron weed. Aster sericeus, which Professor Gray describes as "an elegant silvery species; the large heads with twenty to thirty rays, of a half inch or more in length." The last named flower is blue — the one next previous, purple. Boltonia glasiifolia. The rays white or purplish, and the disk yellow — resembling some of the asters. Heliantlius, or sun flower, several species, tall and conspicuous — near relatives of the mammoth plant of the same name, cultivated in gardens. Nabalus, or rattlesnake root, several species. — Powers, greenish-white or cream-color, often tinged with purple. Gentiana, or gentian — also several species — among which are the celebrated gentiana crinitia, or fringed gentian ; and gentiana andrewsii, or closed gentian. 38 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Moiiarda punctata, or horse mint; "corolla nearly smooth, yellowish, the upper lip spotted with purple — very odorous and pungent. " This plant is also common at the east. As every way appropriate to the subject now under con- sideration, we present here some reflections upon the ORIGIN OF THE PRAIRIES. These reflections are taken from the "Report of the Geological Survey of the State of Iowa," published in 1870, by Charles A. AVhite, M. D., State geologist,— with a very few modifications to adapt them to our use. The question of the origin of the prairies, has become more hackneyed, perhaps, than any other of the specula- tive questions which North America geology affords; and yet it seems to be no nearer a solution, satisfactory to all, than when it first began to be discussed. It is not proposed to discuss this question at length, nor to even to present the different views that have been published by different authors; but only to state a few facts, offer a few suggestions, and perhaps leave the subject as un- settled in the minds of others, as it was before. By the word prairie we mean any considerable surface of land that is free from forest trees and shrubbery, and covered, more or less thickly with grasses and other plants which, if not annual, survive the winter only in their roots. This is also the popular understanding of the term. It is estimated that about seven-eighths of the surface of Iowa is prairie, or was so, when the State was first settled. And that is about the ratio of prairie to timber land in Buchanan county. 'I"he prairies are not confined to the level surface, but are sometimes even quite hilly and broken; and it is well known that they are not confined to any particular variety of soil, for they prevail equally upon alluvial, drift and lacustral soils. Indeed, we sometimes find a single prairie whose surface includes all these varieties, portions of which may be respectively sandy, gravelly, clayey, or loamy. Neither are they confined to the region of any particular geological forma- tions which may underlie them, nor does their character seem at all dependent upon any such formations; for within the State af Iowa they rest upon all formations, from those of the azoic to those of cretaceous age inclusive, which etnbrace almost all kinds of rock — such as quartzite, friable sandstone, magnesian limestone, common limestone, impure chalk, clay, clayey and sandy shales, etc. Southwestern Minnesota is almost one continuous prairie upon the drift, which rests directly upon, not only the hard Sioux quartzite, but also directly upon the granite. Thus, whatever the origin of the prairies may have been, we have the positive assurance that their present existence, in Iowa and its immediate vicinity, is not due to the influence of climate, to the character or composi- tion of the soil, nor to the character of any of the un- derlying formations. It now remains to say, without the least hesitation, that the real cause of the present exist- ence of the ijrairies in Iowa, is the prevalence of the an- nual fires. If these had been prevented sixty years ago, Iowa would now be a timbered instead of a prairie State. Thus far we have stated facts and what are deemed to be legitimate deductions from them. The following statements are offered only as suggestions: We have no evidence to show or intimate that any of the prairies ever had a growth of trees upon them — notwithstanding the fact that those, at least, of the eastern part of the great prairie region, will support an abundance of timber, after it is once introduced, if protected from the fires. There seems to be no good reason why we should regard forests, any nore than prairies, as the natural or normal condition of the surface. Indeed, it seems the more natural inference that the occupation of the surface by the forests has taken place by dispersion from original centres; and that they encroached upon the original sur- face until met and checked by the destructive power of the fires. Then arise questions like the following, which are not easily answered, and for which no answers are at present proposed: When was fire first introduced upon the prair- ies, and how? Could any but human agency have in- troduced annual fires upon them? If they could have been introduced only by the agency of man, why did the forests not occupy the prairies before man came to intro- duce his fires; since we see the great tendency of forests to encroach upon the prairies, as soon as the fires are made to cease? The prairies, doubtless, existed as such almost immediately after the close of the glacial epoch. Did man then exist and possess the use of fire, that he might annually have burnt the prairies of so large a part of the continent, and thus constantly have prevented the encroachment of the forests? As the ice of the glacial epoch extended across the continent, why was the east covered with forests and the west with prairies ? It may be that these questions will never be satisfac- torily answered; but nothing is more evident than that the forests would soon occupy a large proportion of the prairie region of North America, if the prairie fires were made to cease, and no artificial efforts were made to pre- vent the growth and spread of trees. We will bring to a close our chapter on the physical features of the county by inserting here the article on FOREST TREES, taken from the work mentioned above, with still more changes and additions than were found necessary in the previous article, to adapt it to our use. Although the use of coal, both hard and soft, has greatly increased throughout our State, in the past ten years, yet it is doubtless true now, as it always has been, that wood is the principal and preferred fuel of our peo- ple generally; and that, if it were everywhere found in sufficiently large quantities, they would probably never care to change their established habits in the use of fuel, by discarding it for any other. It has been feared by many that the amount of fuel which Iowa could be made to produce would not be sufficient to meet the wants of the prospective inhabitants that her fertile soil is capable of supporting in plenty. But it is believed that the discoveries already made of coal and peat have demonstrated the groundlessness of such fears, even if HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 39 no other sources of supply were considered. In addi- tion to these, however, it is proposed to show in this place that a sufficient amount of fuel, at least for domestic use, for all the present and prospective inhabit- ants of the State, may be produced from the soil alone, by the growth of forest trees. It has been shown that the growth of forest trees can be cultivated as successfully as a crop of corn, upon all the varieties of our soil ; and, this question being settled in the minds of those interested in the subject, it be- comes necessary to consider the time within which the result may be practically accomplished ; because, to meet the wants of the rapidly increasing population, it is necessary that some almost immediate supply be provided in the case of the broad prairie districts. Some such districts are upon, or adjacent to the coal fields. Some are adjacent to considerable bodies of woodland, and others have important deposits of peat; from all of which sources immediate supplies of fuel may be obtained. But besides these, there are other broad and fertile tracts that have none of the advantages just named, and those who occupy them must rely for their supply of fuel upon distant sources or upon its production from the soil. Railroads are being rapidly constructed which will carry coal from distant coal fields to a large part of these prairie regions; but a large proportion of the inhabitants of Iowa must depend mostly for their ordinary fuel upon the growth of trees. As several years must elapse before even those trees which grow most rapidly could become serviceable for fuel, the question arises: "What could be done, in the meantime, by those districts which should essay to de- pend for their fuel upon the products of the soil?" To this it may be answered that, even in as well wooded a county as Buchanan, corn has more than once been found to be cheaper fuel than wood. The writer of this burnt several loads of corn in the city of Independence in the winter of 1872-3, and found it both pleasant and economical. Many conscientious people object to the use of corn for fuel on the alleged ground that it is wrong to burn up anything produced for food. But corn is eaten to maintain the warmth (inseparate from life) of the body; and when it is consumed in a stove, the ob- ject is closely analogous if not identical. When it is so abundant and so cheap that it can be economically used for fuel, there is the best reason to believe that it is not needed for food ; and, in any case, it cannot be so bad to burn it up for the advancement of human comfort as it is to turn it into a "liquid fire" for the destruction of human happiness and virtue and life itself, in this world and the next. And, besides, wood is as much a vege- table product as corn. Sugar is a necessary article of food; and hard maple, one of the most a]jproved trees for fuel, produces an excellent sugar. If, therefore, it is wrong to burn corn because it may be used for food, it must be wrong, for a similar reason, to burn the sugar maple. And so the argument against the use of corn falls to the ground. It is also said that the mammoth sunflower can profit- ably be cultivated for fuel; and we see no reason to doubt the truth of the statement. Of this, however, we cannot speak from observation, and therefore proceed to consider the subject already introduced, namely, the production of fuel by the cultivation of trees. By first planting those trees which have the most rapid growth, to be followed immediately by those of the slower growth and greater detisity of wood, one not acquainted with the subject would be surprised to see how quickly a supply of fuel may be obtained, and how a future supply of the best kinds of wood can be established. The principal kinds of trees indigenous to the State, which are or may be used as fuel, are the following, given in the order of their estimated relative abundance by natural growth at present in the State at large: oaks — several species — cottonwood, elm, white maple, linden, hickory, sugar maple, black walnut. The oaks form the greater part of the firewood now used throughout tlie State. In some parts cottonwood is scarcely used at all for fuel; but in others, better wood being scarce, it constitutes the greater part of the fuel used by the inhabitants. Other trees, such as hackberry, ash, honey-locust, slippery elm, butternut, etc., are occa- sionally used as fuel ; but they are comparatively so few in number that they hardly deserve mention as varieties of fuel. In the new natural growth of these trees the relative abundance is somewhat changed, the black oak, hickory and black walnut increasing. The trees named as follows are those which will probably be most used for cultivation — the names being given in the order of their estimated rapidity of growth: cottonwood, white maple, black walnut, oaks, sugar maple, and hickory. The relative value of these kinds of wood for fuel is estimated to be in the same order, cottonwood being the poorest and hickory the best ; or in other words, the slower the growth of the tree, the more valuable it is for fuel. But taking into account the necessity that exists for immediate supplies of fuel in many parts of Iowa, the cottonwood becomes one of our most valuable trees, because of its rapid growth. As soon as it has performed this valuable pioneer service it should be laid aside to give place to more solid and useful varieties. The most congenial habitat of the cottonwood is upon the sandy alluvial soils of the river valleys; but it grows' with astonishing rapidity upon all varieties of soil in the State, and flourishes as well upon the prairies as in the valleys. Instances are numerous of the growth of this tree from the seed, or from a riding stick stuck into the prairie soil, to the size of from twelve to fifteen inches in diameter, a foot above the ground, within the space of ten or twelve years. So rapid is its growth that those well acquainted with it, estimate that ten acres planted with the seeds or young shoots will, at the end of five years, supply a large family continually with all necessary fuel — the wood being allowed to grow up again as fast as it is cut away. Indeed a large number of persons have practically proved the correctness of these estimates. Cottonwood may be propagated either from the seed, from cuttings, or by transplanting the young trees. The seed, which is very light, and almost microscopic in size, is sometimes scraped up from the sandy surfaces along 4° HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. the streams where it has fallen from the trees, the seed and sand mixed together and sown broadcast upon ground prepared for it, as small grain is sown. Sometimes the slender poles are cut from the dense growth that often springs up near the streams, trimmed of their branches and notched with the a.xe at intervals of a few feet along their entire length, then placed end to end in furrows at proper distances from each other, and covered with soil by the plow. Sprouts quickly start from the sides of the notches and rapidly become thrifty trees. The most congenial habitat of the white maple is also upon the lowlands, but it thrives well upon the prairies. For rapidity of growth it ranks next to the cottonwood, and makes better and more durable fuel. It succeeds well upon all varieties of soil, and may be readily propa- gated from the seed, or by transplanting the young trees from the places of their natural growth. The seeds must be planted soon after ripening, as they will not germinate if allowed to become dry. The black walnut has been found to succeed well upon the prairies by artificial propagation. It is raised from the seed with certainty and little labor. These three kinds of trees are now most commonly used for the production of artificial groves and wood- lands throughout the State since the failure of the black locust, in consequence of its destruction by the borers. It is well known that all the other indigenous trees may be artificially cultivated, but these seem to have been wisely chosen for the rapidity of their growth and the small amount of labor required in their propagation and cultivation. These tests, which the people have made extensively in all parts of the State, prove beyond the possibility of doubt that a sufficient amount of material for fuel and fencing may be produced from the soil alone, in any portion of Iowa. People have hitherto been in the habit of regarding the great proportion of prairie surface in our State as a calamity; but, with a knowledge of the facts just stated, it is evident that views directly opposite should be taken, because the labor and expense of procuring all necessary fuel by the means just explained is but a tithe of what would be necessary to prepare the land for cultivation, if it had originally been covered with forests, such as formerly prevailed over a large part of the States of Ohio and Indiana. In a prairie region like ours, the farmer selects the finest lands for cultivation, every acre of which is ready for the plow, and sets aside the more broken and less tillable portions for his future woodlands. Thus he may not only choose the location of his fields and woodlands, but also the kinds of crops, whether of grains or trees, that shall be grown upon each. I'he following catalogue of the principal indigenous forest trees of Iowa is here inserted as a matter of record, taken from the same Geological Report from which we have just made copious extracts: Acer dasycai-pum. — A\'hite maple. Ace}- saccharinum. — Sugar Maple. Aesculus glabra. — Buckeye. Beliila nigra. — Water birch. Carya alba. — Hickory. Carya amara. — Pig-nut hickory. Carya olivaformis. — Pecan. Celtis occidentalis. — Hackberry. Cerasus serotina. — Black wild cherry. Fraxinus Americana. — White ash. Gleditsihia triacanthus. — Honey locust. Gyinnocladus Canadensis. — Kentucky coffee-tree. Juglans cinerea. — Butternut or white walnut. Juglans nigra. — Black walnut. Negundo aceroides. — Box elder. Platanus occidentalis. — Button-ball or sycamore. Populus monilifera. — Cottonwood. Populus ttemuloides. — Aspen. Querciis alba. — White oak. Quercus imbricaria. — Laurel oak. Quercus macrocarpa. — Bur oak. Qmrcus tinctoria. — Black oak. Tila Americana. — Linden, or basswood. Ulnins Americana. — Common elm.. Ulmiis fulva. — Slippery elm. All but three or four of these species are found in Bu- chanan county. The list, however, does not profess to give a complete view of the arboreous flora of the State, and at least four species might be added that are also found in this county. They are the following — the first being found along Pine creek, the second in scattered localities on the Wapsie, and perhaps one or two other streams, and the second in the thickets or among other trees everywhere: Pinus strobus. — White pine. Juniper us Virginiana. — Red cedar. Pry us coronaria. — American crabapple. Prunus Americana. — ^Vild yellow or red plum. We close this chapter with a thought suggested by the presence of so many species of oak growing together in groves of this county, and of the State at large — a thought which seems to justify a strong statement in the Teachers' Institute address, inserted in another part of this volume, to the effect that "all nature fairly swarms with the most convincing arguments to disprove the truth of Mr. Dar- win's theory of development." One of the fundamental principles of that theory is that species are not original and fixed creations, but that they have been developed from what we now call varieties — in other words, that what we now call genera were once species, and what are now species, grouped together under the names of the several genera, were then only varieties which, in process of time, have become, so to speak, hardened into species. According to this theory the oak genus was originally a species, and all the kinds of oak now existing were only varieties of that one species. But we know that, at present, varieties mingle freely; and that, unless they are propagated separately, their varietal character is soon lost, and they revert to the original form of the species. As the laws of nature are confes- sedly uniform, there is no reason to suppose that this rule with regard to varieties was ever different from what it now is. But the four species of oak above mentioned now propagate themselves in close proximity, and never mingle; or, if hybrides are ever formed, they are sterile. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 41 and never perpetuate themselves at all. That there was ever a time when these four species were not found in the same proximity as now is very improbable, if not in- conceivable. But if they had ever been mere varieties, propagating themselves as now, they must, according to the law above stated, have become mingled, thus losing their character as varieties, and becoming absorbed into the original species. In the nature of thing?, therefore, the different species of oak now growing together in Buchanan county could never have been varieties, and the Darwin theory of de- velopment cannot be true. GEOLOGY. We had made arrangements with a gentleman familiar with the subject, to prepare, for this chapter of our work, a section on the geology of Buchanan county. Circum- stances prevented him from fulfilling his engagement; and now, in the hurry of finishing up the general history, we are thrown largely upon our own resources (which are by no means extensive) for the collection of a few facts upon a subject which, if left untreated, would leave our chapter on the physical features of the county sadly de- ficient. We have, however, been so fortunate as to obtain some valuable suggestions from two gentlemen, who have been long resident in the city of Independence; and who, though not professional scientists, have found time, in the midst of active business pursuits, to make them- selves familiar with the science of geology in general, and with the geology of Buchanan county in particular. We refer to Messrs. E. B. Olden and Dr. S. Deering, to the former of whom we are indebted for information in regard to the general geological features of the county, and to the latter for an account of the principal fossils found here. Mr. Deering has also placed in our hands a pamphlet, of which we have made copious use, con- sisting of an article extracted from the "United States Geological and Geographical Survey," and entitled as follows : "On Some Dark Shale Recently Discovered Below the Devonian Limestones, at Independence, Iowa; With a Notice of its Fossils and Description of New Species. By S. Calvin, Professor of Geology, State University of Iowa." This pamphlet, as will be seen, makes honorable men- tion of Mr. Deering as an original discoverer in the do- main of Paleontology. The principal portion of Buchanan county is underlain (in many places somewhat too near the surface) by the rocks of the Devonian age. About one-fourth of the county, however, on the east and northeast, is underlaid by the Upper Silurian. Both of these groups of rocks are composed largely of different varieties of limestone, intermixed with shales. The different varieties receive different names, from the different localities where they were first observed — as the Hamilton and Chemung shales, in the Devonian; and the Clinton limestone, Niagara Group, and Trenton limestone, in the Upper Silurian. Of the latter, however, there are few, if any, 6 outcrops in the county; while of the former there are many, and some very striking ones, along the Wapsie river and Otter creek. The Devonian rocks, in this county, though easily quarried, afford no valuable building stone — the most of them being too friable, and all of them too irregular in fracture. The stone steps at the court-house in Independence are of this rock, quarried near Littleton ; but after a few years use they are fast going to pieces, and will soon have to be replaced. The Upper Silurian abounds in excellent stone for building purposes — the celebrated Anamora stone (supposed to correspond with the Tren- ton limestone) occurring in that deposit. But if, as is possible, that same stone underlies the eastern part of the county, it is too far beneath the surface to be available. Buchanan is one of the richest counties in the State, in the fossils of the Devonian age — the quarry about half a mile east of Independence having become quite noted for its rare fossil shells, and been visited by many distinguished paleontologists from abroad. D. S. Deering has probably the best collection of Buchanan fossils that has ever been made. The specimens in his cabinet em- brace eighteen genera, and twenty-six species, five of the latter being pronounced by Professor Calvin, "new to science." The following are the names of the genera, with the number of species here represented in each: Spirifer, four species; Orthis, three; Atrypa, Acervu- laria, and Strophodonta, each two: Gypidnea, Produc- tus, Euomphalus, Zaphrentis, Rhynconella, Pleuroto- maria, Cyrtina, Conularia, Gomphoceras, Lituites, Cyrto- ceras, and orthoceras, each one species. The four last named are shells of very large size. As the Devonian and Upper Silurian rocks are all geologically below the coal measures, and even below the sub-carboniferous group, it is as certain as anything in science, that no coal beds can ever be found in Bu- chanan county. But the dark, slaty shales that occur in the Devonian, have often been taken by the unscien- tific, as a sure indication that coal was near; and for- tunes have been spent in a vain search for it, when "a little knowledge" (not in this case "a dangerous thing") would have shown the explorers the futility of their efforts. A similar misapprehension led to an attempt to dis- cover coal under the quarries near Independence, about the year 1877. No coal, except the merest trace, was found; but, as so often happens, the honest elTort of ignorance led to valuable scientific results. We will let Professor Calvin tell the story in an extract from the pamphlet above alluded to : The Devonian deposits of Iowa as now known, may be roughly rep- 3 42 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. resented by the annexed diagram, in which i indicates the position of a member of the group recently discovered at Independence, consist- ing of a dark argillaceous, with some thin beds of impure, concretion- ary limestone. It has been explored to a depth of twenty or twenty- five feet. No. 2 represents all the beds of what have been termed Devonian limestones in Iowa, and is made up largely of limestones, with associated beds of light colored shales; estimated thickness, one hundred and fifty feet. No. 3 is a bed of argillaceous shales exposed at and near Rockford, Iowa, and is referred to in this paper as the Rockford shales. It abounds in fossils, and weathers, on exposure, into a stiff clay, that has been utilized in the manufacture of brick; observed thickness, seventy feet. Until quite recently Nos. 2 and 3 of the above section weie supposed to make up the entire thickness of Devonian rocks in Iowa. No. 2 not only varies, as already indicated, in lithological characters, but the grouping of fossils differs widely in different localities, so much so that competent geologists have referred certain exposures — for example, those at Waterloo — to the Corniferous, and others — as at Inoepend- ence and Waverly — to the Hamilton. Such leferences of the above- named exposures will be found in the Twenty-third Report on the State Cabinet of New York, pages 223-226; and in the same article Professors Hall and Whitfield declare the Rockford shales to be the equivalent of the New York Chemung. On the other hand, Dr. C. A. White — Geology of Iowa, 1870, volume r, page 187 — is of opinion that all the Devonian strata of Iowa belong to a single epoch. Thus matters stood until a year or so ago, when D. S. Deering called attention to the interesting fact-that a dark shale had been exposed in working out the layers in the bottom of one of the limestone quarries near Independence. The quarrymen penetrated the shale to a consid- erable depth in the hope of finding coal. The shale varies somewhat lithologically, but where it presents its most characteristic features it is argillaceous, fine grained, and highly charged with bituminous matter. In some of the beds there are numerous remains of plants — stems of loepidodendron and sigiliaria that made up the forests of the Devonian. The plants, however, are very imperfect; the form only is partially pre- served, and that mamly by iron pyrite that replaced the original stem. The woody tissue of the plants has been converted into coal that occu- pies thin irregular seams among the laminae of pyrite. The little bands of coal vary in thickness, but none of those observed exceed a quarter of an inch. None of the plants are perfect enough to render either generic or specific identification possible. The discovery of shale charged with the carbonized stems of plants below the Devonian limestone of Iowa is a matter of much interest. Frequent reports have gained circulation of the discovery of coal in drilling wells in regions occupied by Devonian rocks. From Jessup, Janesville, Marion, Davenport, and other places, such rumors have gone out. In one or two cases, shafts have been dug at considerable expense, necessarily ending in disappointment and failure. The discovery at Independence accounts for these reports. In drill- ing through the limestones, the lower shales, with their carbonized plants, were reached, and the dark color of the borings, mi.xed with fragments of real coal, naturally enough gave rise to the impression that a veritable coal mine had been found. It is 10 be noticed that all the places from which such reports have come, stand near the eastern outcrop of the Devonian, where its en- tire thickness could be pierced at a very moderate depth. The num- ber and position of such localities would show that the shale in ques- tion IS not a mere local deposit, but is distributed all along the outcrop of Devonian rocks in Iowa. The researches of Mr. Deering and myself have brought to light quite a number of finely preserved Brachiopods, representing fourteen species. Of these two are not determined and five are new to science, but the chief interest attaches to certain species that have hitherto been known only from the shales of bed No. 3, near Rockford. It will be convenient to arrange the specimens in three groups, as follows : I. Species limited in Iowa, so far as is known, to the Independence Shales: Strophodonta variabilis, new species; Gypidula niunda, new species, Othis in/era. nevi s\^iee\e^\ Rhynchon/lla amhigua, new spe- cies ; Spiripera subumbona. Hall ? II. Species ranging throughout the entire group, and so common to beds I, 2, and 3 : Atryparcticularis, Lime. III. Species common to beds i and 3, but not known to occur in the intervening limestones: Strophodonta quadrata. new species; 5t arcuata, Hall; .S. canace. Hall & Whitfield; 5. rcversa. Hall ; Atrvna hystrix, Hall ; Productus {Productella) dissimilUs, Hall. It is an interesting fact th.it of the twelve determinable species six occur only in the shaly deposits at the opening and close of the Devo- nian, notwithstanding these deposits are separated by one hundred and fifty leet of limestone. Only one species is known to pass from the lower shales into the limestones above, and even there it appears under a form so altered that specimens from the two beds may be dis- tinguished as really as if they were distinct species, if we take form and surface markings into account, the Atrypa reiiculacs of No. r, also finds its nearest representative, not in the limestones immediatelv above, but in the shales at Rockford, Obviou.sly, then, the Independence shales are more nearly related to the Rockford beds than to any other formation in Iowa. The species in group i, seem to have disappeared with the ushering in of conditions under which limestones were formed; they maintained themselves in some locality which has not been discovered, or from which the shaly deposits have been entirely swept away, and returned with the condi- tions favorable to their existence during the deposition of the Rock- ford shales. The intimate relation between the two extremes of the group, is certainly a most interesting one, and can but strengthen the conclusion of Dr. White, that all the De\'onian strata of Iowa, belong to a single epoch. Then follows a minute description of the individual fossils mentioned above, for which we have no space, and which would not have much interest for the general reader. VVe will therefore omit it, and call our brief sec- tion on Buchanan geology, finished. CHAPTER III. HISTORICAL ADDRESS.- [As the author of the following address was a promin- ent citizen of Buchanan county, and as the occasion of its delivery forms an important landmark in the history of the county, we have concluded to insert it entire; al- though some of the details, given in other parts of the work, will necessarily contain repetitions of many of the facts herein recorded. That this sketch may be read and heard on such an occasion, without weariness beyond endurance, it is necessary to study brevity rather than rhetorical effect. With scant space for facts, there is still less for fancy, and many interesting incidents and individual experiences must of necessity be omitted. Beginning with the advent of the first permanent settlement in the county, we are carried back aljout one-third of a century; for the pioneer was one William Bennett, who settled where now is the thriv- ing village of Quasqueton in the early spring of r842. Mr. Bennett is said to have been the first settler in the county of Delaware also, and had probably chanced upon the site of Quasqueton in some hunting ex- pedition. The beauty of the locality captivated his fancy, and the rapid stream showed that its power could be utilized. He at once laid claim to the place, and proceeded to make his claim good by erecting a log cabin on the east bank of the river, and occupying it with his family. It is almost as difficult for us to conceive the appearance which the county then presented to its first citizen, as it would have been for him to paint by aid of fancy, that which it now presents to us. .Approach- ing his new home from the east, he had crossed many miles of prairie, stretching away to the north beyond the limits of vision; looking across the stream to the southwest, still the same undulating prairie; and if he passed the river a little to the west he beheld still the same gently swell- ing sea of treeless green extending toward the northwest to all appear- ance boundless. He might have caught some floating canoe drifted from its mooring * By Hon. O. H. P. Roszell. Read at the Centennial Celebration at Independence, July 4, 1876. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 43 far up the stream, and following the timber-skirted liver through the entire extent of the county, no other trace of art or industry would have met his gaze, save perhaps the lodge-poles of some deserted Indian camp. But though he would have found the country a wilderness, it was not a solitude. From every thicket on the river's bank, the dip of his paddles would have startled the deer, and its splash been echoed by the sudden plunge of the beaver and otter, while wild fowls,— ducks, geese and the majestic swan, rose at his approach in countless thou- sands, and mingled their scieams with the cry of innumerable cranes wheeling their flight far up in the blue ether. The whole country was as if just completed— fresh and new and perfect from the hand of the Creator; an unpeopled paradise. Hardly had Bennett taken posses- sion of his cabin before he was joined by one Evans, and by Ezra Allen who settled about one and a half miles north of Quasqueton, and in April the settlement was increased by the arrival of Frederick Kessler and wife, Rufus B. Clark and family, S. G. and H. T. Sanford, a Mr. Daggett and Simmons and Lambert and Edward Brewer; the latter, who was then unmarried, made his home with Kessler. Clark and Kessler each made claims, and built cabins about one and one-half mile west of Quasqueton and near together, and as soon as possible com- menced breaking prairie, so that in June they had ten acres broken which they planted with corn and beans; but though frost did not appear that fall till October loth, there was not sufficient time for the crop to ripen. They all, men and women, went to work the day after the frost, and gathered the crop so as to secure it in the best condition possible, for corn and beans were important articles. For provisions during the summer of 1842 it was necessary to go to the Maquoketa— a distance of sixty miles. One person was sent with an ox team, and brought supplies for the whole community. The land was yet unsurveyed, and, of course, not in market. The government surveyors were engaged that summer in making the subdivisions, and were in camp for some time near Kesslei's. The sight of these and an occasional squad of cavalry galloping across the prairie and fording the river at the rapids, served to remind the settlers that they were not alone in the world. During that summer a man named Stiles settled at Quasqueton ; and to him belongs the honor of keeping the first whiskey shop in the coun- ty. He called his place a "tavern" and "grocery." Some addition was made to the settlers aside from emigration, for in May, 1842, was born Charles Kessler, the first white child born in this county. In the autumn of 1842 there arrived Nathaniel Hatch and family and Henry B. Hatch without family. Nathaniel built himself a house and Henry B. made his home at Kessler's. Mr. Bennett built a log dam across the river and raised the frame of a saw-mill that fall. There were several young men in his employ who never became permanent settlers. This same season also one Johnson made his appearance and located on the east side of the river, about halfway between Quasqueton and Inde- pendence. He asserted that he was the notorious "Canadian Patriot," and that a young woman who accompanied him as his sole companion was his daughter, Kate, and the veritable "Queen of the Thousand Isles." His language and conduct excited the suspicion and hatred of the settlers and a party of them seized Johnson, administered a severe whipping and an admonition to leave the settlement, which he soon did. This episode was long referred to by the settlers as the "Patriot War." The winter of 1842-3 proved a very severe one, and the settlers en- dured many privations. On the seventeenth of November a terrible snow storm commenced, accompanied with wind which caused im- mense drifts. Most of the houses having been hastily erected that spring, of logs, were imperfectly chinked and plastered, and it was impossible to keep out the drifting snow. — Kessler's was in this condi- tion, and his family took refuge at Clark's, which was better protected. On returning after the storm they found their house drifted completely full and buried — even to the chimney, and had to dig out their furniture piece by piece. They dug a regular stairway from the door to the top of the snow ; and the same to reach the water in the spring close by, through snow fourteen feet in depth. The storm ended in sleet, which left a hard crust on the surface, which would bear the weight of a man if not too heavy. It was almost impossible to get about except on foot, and in that way the mail was carried to and from the "Col- ony," near "Edes' Grove," in Delaware county, by Kessler, he being selected for that service on account of being small and light. Deer were abundant and easily overtaken, as their sharp feet broke through the crust ; so venison was plenty. Bee trees also had been found in large numbers in the fall, and there was a plentiful supply of honey. Some families had three or four barrels of that commodity, but honey and venison, though each delicious, were found hardly adequate food for sole and constant use ; and grain there was none, nor other food of any kind to be had short of a journey to the "colony." H. B. Hatch was the first to venture out after corn. He went with two yoke of oxen and on his return was overtaken by a storm of sleet so severe that the freezing rain blinded not only himself, but his oxen. But by walking on the off side of his cattle he managed to shelter him- self somewhat, and after stopping many times to remove the ice from his eyes and those of his oxen, he succeeded in reaching home with his load of corn, much to the joy of the settlers, who had been greatly alarmed for his safety. This corn was immediately distributed, and when exhausted, Mr. Sanford went to the same place and brought an- other load, which he carefully dealt out, sternly refusing any applicant more than one peck at a time ; not from any want of kindness or gen- erosity, but to enforce that severe economy in its use, which was abso- lutely necessary. For several months during that winter, venison, honey, and boiled corn constituted the only food of the settlers. Wolves were numerous and bold, and often came to the springs within a few steps from the doors of the settlers, to drink. On the first of April, 1843. the river was still frozen and teams crossed on the ice. In the spring of 1843, the land in the south part of the county was put in market, and on the thirteenth of March of that year the first entry was made by Edwin R. Fulton, the entry being the west half northeast thirty-four, eighty-eight, eight, and eighty, which Bennett had claimed and settled upon. Fulton was never a citizen of this county, and was probably some friend of Bennett, whom he procured to make the entry for him. lu May, 1843, Malcom McBane and John Cordell— both with their families— settled in the immediate vicinity of Quasqueton, on the east side of the river. They entered their first land May 2, 1843. Sometime in the summer or fall of 1843, came James Biddinger, S. 'V. Thompson, and W. W. Hadden ; the former settled near, and the two latter at, Quasqueton. During the summer of 1843, a flouring-mill was erected at Quasqueton by Mr. Stiles, but was probably not completed until 1844, about which time a Mr. Richards settled there and opened the first store. Up to this time the place has been known only as "The Rapids of the Wapsipinicon," but now it had a saw-inill and grist-mill, a store, tavern and saloon, and had become quite a village, and was named "Trenton, " which name it retained until about 1847, when it was regularly laid out into lots and rechristened Quasqueton, which name is euphonized from Quasquetuck, signifying in the Indian tongue "Swift Waters. " The first settlers had now begun to raise wheat as well as corn, and, with a mill in their immediate vicinity where it could be ground, were in little danger of being again compelled to subsist on boiled corn. Fish were abundant in the river, and it is told, and is undoubtedly true, that they were caught of such size that, tied together by the gills and thrown across a horse, their caudal fins touched the ground on each side. It is surmised, however, that the horse was an Indian pony and of not unusual height. The species of fish which attained to such size was the " muscalonge," and some of the same species weighing twenty- four pounds were caught at Independence as late as 1854. During the year 1844 there seems to have been but little additional emigration to the county; but in 1845 quite a number of families arrived, among them one Abbott, James Rundle, and Benoni and Harvey B. Haskins, and, I think, David Merrill; these families all settled near Quasqueton. During that year, also, was made the first entry of land north of the correction line. It was on section 25, 89, 9, a part of what is now known as the "County Poor Farm," and was entered by John Kimmis, December 4, 1845. Rufus B. Clark, in his hunting excursions, had early visited, observed and admired the site of Independence. He had no means with which to purchase the land, but he laid claim to the place, and in the spring of 1847 built a log house on the east side of the river, at a spot near the present junction of Chatham and Mott streets, and removed his family thereto. After making the claim he had visited Janesville,^Wis- consin, and induced S. P. Stoughton and Nicholas A. McClure to pur- chase the land. Stoughton came to Independence the same spring- April, 1847— entered the land, and during that summer built a dam and saw-mill, and brought also a small stock of goods. With him came Samuel Sherwood, Mervin Dunton, and a Dr. Lovejoy. In July, 1847, S. S. McClure. Eli D. Phelps, A. H. Trask, and Thomas W. Close ar- rived, and all settled at Independence. In June of that year three commissioners, appointed by the State legislature for that purpose, visited the county, and on the fifteenth of June located the county seat on section 34, 89, 9, and called it Independence. In 1846 John Boon and Frank Hathaway had settled on the edge of the prairie two miles northeast of Independence, so that the Fourth of July, 1847, saw at Independence quite a little community of settlers, and if the celebra- tion here on that day was not as largely attended as this, it was fully as ' enthusiastic as this can be. The location being made at a date so near 44 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. t.) the Fouith of July had probably a great influence in the selection of the name of Independence for the future city. The overflow caused by the erection of the dam produced malaria, and most of the settlers suffered from fever and ague. Mrs. R. B. Clark and Dr. Lovejoy died in the fall of 1847. In June, 1848, the colony was increased by the ar- rival of Asa Blood, senior and junior, Elijah and Anthony Beardsley, and a Mr. Babbitt. Dr. Brewer removed to Independence also that year, having been elected clerk of county commissioners the year be- fore, and consequently being required to be at the county seat. John Obenchain had settled m the spring of 1848 two miles north of Inde- pendence, on the farm now occupied by C. Dickson. Isaac Hathaway also settled on section 36, 89, 9, about two miles east of Independence; Thomas Barr, si.v miles north of Independence; Samuel and Orlando Sufiicool, William Bunce, Daniel Greeley, and William Greeley, at Greeley's Grove; John Scott, on what is now known as the Smyser farm; Jacob Minton, William Minton, and Gamaliel Walker, on Pine creek; B. D. Springer, half way between Independence and Quasque- ton, on the place vacated by Johnson; Thomas E. McKinney, on Pine creek; a Mr. Trogden. on the west side of the river, about five miles above Quasqueton; and some fifteen or twenty others, mostly at or in the vicinity of Qtiasqueton, among them D. S. Davis, George I. Cum- mins, James Cummms, Charles Robbins, Benjamin Congdon, and others, not forgetting to mention Hamilton Megonigle, who came from the banks of the Juniata, in Pennsylvania, a regular, careless, jovial free-hearted, open-handed backwoodsman, who was known to every- body, and loved to be called "Old Juny." Theta.ic list for 1847 shows eighty-one names as resident ta.x payers. Among them are Thomas Barr, Samuel and Orlando Sufficool, Wil- liam Bunce, I. F. Hathaway, John Boon, Gamaliel Walker, William Biddinger, N. G. Parker, Samuel Caskey, Ami H. Trask, Thomas W. Close, Samuel Sherwood and Edward Brewer, who are still living and residents of the county. The same tax list shows that there were then si.\ty forty-acre tracts of land entered in the county, being a little less than four sections. The valuation of all property, real and personal, was twenty-one thousand, seven hundred and nine dollars, and total tax one hundred and sixty-seven dollars and forty cents. Of the eighty- one residents seventy-four were voters. The total moneys and credits assessed were three thousand, seven hundred and seventy-five dollars, of which W. W. Hadden had two thousand, six hundred and seventy dollars. There were two hundred and forty-nine head of cattle, four hundred and seventeen hogs, sixty-eight horses, forty-two wagons, six hundred and forty-two sheep, and not one mule. Few of the settlers indulged in the luxury of watches, for there seem to have been but six in the whole county. The mills and machinery at Quasqueton had at this time become the property of D. S. Davis, and were valued at two thousand dollars. The saw-mill at Independence is put down at nine hundred dollars. W. W. Hadden paid the highest tax, the enormous sum of twenty-two dollars and thirty-nine cents. The first election of which I find any record was in August, 1847. The county was then divided into two election precincts, one called "Quasqueton" and the other "Centre" precinct. John Scott, Freder- ick Kessler and B. D. Springer were elected county commissioners, and Edward Brewer clerk ; and it is a conclusive proof of his worth and ability that he continued to hold that office twenty-three years. On the fourth of October, 1847, the county commissioners held their first meeting at the house of Edward Brewer, in Independence. Their first official act was to divide the county into three commissioner's districts^ The first district comprised all the north half of the county. The south half was divided by a line running north and south about one and a half miles west of Quasqueton. Three road petitions were presented, and viewers appointed at that session. One from Independence east to county line. One from Inde- pendence east to intersect the territorial road from Marion to Fort At- kinson, and one from Quasqueton to Independence on the west side of the river. It was ordered also that a surveyor be employed to lay off a town at the county-seat. On November 3, 1847, the commissioners met and caused eight blocks of lots on the southeast quarter of south- east quarter section thirty-four, to belaid off as the village of Inde. pendence, and the county-seat. The land was still Government land and not entered by the county until January, 1849, though it was legal- ly pre-empted, and thus secured to the county in January, 1848. The ots were ten rods in length by five in width, and the price fixed for them was five dollars each. In January, 1848, also the three roads first petitioned for, were declared public highways. Up to that time there had been no regularly laid out roads in the county, except a territorial road from Marion to Fort Atkinson, cross- in" the river at Quasqueton, and running thence nearly north through the county, passing near where is now the village of Winthrop. This was know as the "Mission" road. And another from Marion to the north line of the State laid out in 1846, crossing the river at the same place and passing about two miles east of Independence, at the edge of the timber. The settlers followed such routes as suited their con- venience, from house to house and from neighborhood to neighbor- hood. Indian trails crossed the prairie from stream to stream, leading to fording places, and well worn paths led up and down the river, touching, surely, every bubbling spring. Such trails, which recent settlers suppose to be merely cattle paths, can be pointed out in many places even to this day by the pioneers. Though in the spring of 1848 several families came to Independence the prevalence of fever and ague was so discouraging that not only they, but most of those who came earlier, left the place, either in the fall of 1848 or spring of 1849, so that in the summer of 1849 only four families remained. In July, 1849, the first entry of land was made in Newton township, by Joseph B. Potter. The first settlement in that township was by Joseph Austin, in the spring of 1847, on section thtrty-three. Reuben C. Walton was the next, and built his cabin on the same forty as Austin, in 1848. In 1850 William P. Harris, Aaron M. Long, Henry Holman and a Mr. Ogden settled in the same vicinity on Spring Creek, and James MeCanna on section twelve on Buf- lalo creek. John Cordell entered the first land in Cono township in 1843, and Leander Keyes and T. K. Burgess settled in that township just below Quasqueton in 1848. No land was entered in Homer town- ship till 1851, when John S. Williams entered forty acres on section nineteen. The first actual settler in Jefferson township was J. B. Stainbrook, in June, 1850, and his daughter, Martha, now Mrs. Mas- ters, and residing in Brandon, was the first white child born in the township. Mr. Stainbrook yet occupies the same farm he first settled upon, and the first cabin he built is still standing. John Rouse and .Abel Cox were the next settlers, and arrived in July, 1850, and in September Nicholas Albert, Philip Zinn and Joseph Rouse. The next year came John Rice, Thomas Frink, Mathew Davis and Hamilton Wood. In the fall of 1851 a State road was suiveyed from Quasqueton to the county-seat of Marshall county. Two of the commissioners were D. S. Davis and John Cordell. The party started from Quasqueton to look out the route, and passed near Brandon, or where Brandon now is. Xo one, even at Quasqueton, had ever visited Jefferson township, nor did any one of the party know whether there was a settler there or not. It was known that some persons from that direction had crossed the prairie to the Quasqueton mill, but there was no road, not even a discernible track of any kind. Aided by the compass, the party made its way to Lime creek, and found nestled in the brush near that stream, the cabins of Joseph and John Rouse, and close by them went into camp the first night out. From Rouse it was learned that there were two or three families a little south, and by strict search and Rouse for a guide, they found their houses the next forenoon. No settlement was made in Westburgh township till 1833; nor do I know who was the first settler; but William B. Wilkinson must have been among the first. In 1849 Michael Ginther settled in Sumner township, and, being at a loss to describe the land he desired to enter, he carried the corner stake to the land office at Dubuque, going there on foot for that purpose. This entry was afterward found to be on the wrong section entirely. He had intended to buy the land on which he had settled, and on which is the famous spring known yet as the "Gin- ther Spring," about half way between Independence and Quasqueton, on the west side of the river; and when he found the entry he had really made was one mile west, and out on the prairie, he was completely dis- couraged, being a poor man, and believing that land so far out would never be of any value whatever. The first settler in .Middlefield was P. M. Dunn, who entered his land on section thirty-four, April 24, 1850, followed soon after by Daniel Leatherman and Stillman Berry. Fre- mont township remained unsettled till 1853, when Z. P. and S. W. Rich located on Buffalo creek, near the southeast corner of the town- ship. They were induced to venture so far out from the timber from the fact that at that time the road direct from Independence to Coffin's Grove, Delhi and Dubuque, had begun to be considerably travelled, though almost up to that year the only travelled route had been via Quasqueton; but in 1832 the few citizens of Independence and vicinity had turned out voluntarily and built a bridge of split logs across Buf- falo creek, near the correction line, making the route practicable. — Robert Sutton settled in Byron, on section thirty-two, as early as 1850, if not in 1B49; and Thomas Ozias in 1831. The first settlers in Perry township were James Minton, Charles Melrose and Gamaliel Walker, in r849. Martin Depoy and Jacob Slaughter entered land in that HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 45 township the same year, but did not become settlers till 1850; and in that same year Alexander Stevenson, and [ohn and Thomas Cameron settled in the same township, all in the northeast corner, near Littleton. Melrose had made an error in his entry, entering in the north part of | town eightv-eight, ten, instead of eighty- nine, ten, being near the pres- ent village of J essup, and not supposing land in that locality would ever be valuable, by much effort and the aid of the then United States Senator, G. W. Jones, a special act of Congress was passed vacatmg his entry and placing it on the section intended, where Mr. Melrose now lives. Of the first settlement in Hazelton township I have already spoken. William Jewell settled and made the first entry of land in Buffalo township, in 1849, where now hves C. H. Jakeway. .Abiathar Richardson and Silas K. Messenger came ne.vt, in 1850; and Thomas and Rockwell )ewell and .A.. J. Eddy, in 1851. In Madison township, Silas Ross, L. R. Ward, and Seymour Whitney settled at nearly the same time, in 1853, and were the first comers. They located in the east part of the township, near the place now known as Ward's Cor- ners.' In Fairbank township, William S. Clark was the first to locate, settling in the south part, just above Littleton, in 1R48 or 1849, and was the very first settler in that region. He went to California about 1856, but the house he built is yet standing.— Thomas Wilson must have found his way into the timber west of the little Wapsie very soon fter, for I remember finding him and one McKinstry settled there in 1850. Robert Wroten located near Clark, in 1850. In 1849, S. P. Stoughton and S. S. McClure returned to Independ- ence, and with them came the writer of this sketch. There were then in Independence only Dr. Brewer, Thomas W. Close and E. Beards- ley and a Mr. Horton, each with their families. Samuel Sherwood, though still reckoned a citizen of Independence, was absent that winter building a mill at Cedar Rapids. There was an unenclosed saw-mill, and no other building on the west bank of the river. On the east side, besides the buildings occupied by the families named, a vacant black- smith shop and three vacant dwellings, among them the house built by Rufus B. Clark, who, after the death of his wife, had sold his interest in the place to Stoughton & McCIure, and removed to the Cedar river, in Chickasaw county. The families in the north half of the county could almost be counted on one's fingers. W. S. Clark, James Newton Charles Melrose and Gamaliel Walker were up the river near where Littleton now is. Jacob Minion, Thomas Barr, Joseph Ross and Isaac Hathaway, on the creek five miles north of Independence; the Greeleys, William Bunce, John Kint, and Samuel Sutficool, still further north in Hazleton township; William Jewell, A. Richardson, and Silas K. Messenger, at Buffalo Grove; and John Obenchain, Carmi Hicko-i, Frank Hathaway, John Boon, Isaac Sufficool (who had bought the Isaac Hathaway farm), and H. Megonigle, located around the edge of the timber north and east of Independence, and that completes the list. Quasqueton had become quite a village. It had a flouring-mill, to which came settlers from the west and southwest with their grain, for sixty or seventy miles; also a saw-mill, a store, grocery, hotel, and blacksmith shop, and really was a growing, prosperous town. But In- dependence was a forlorn looking place, indeed. Four families only, and they anxious to leave, but too poor to get away; an idle saw-mill, and not a store or shop of any kind and little prospect of either. The county had laid out forty acres into lots, and Stoughton and McCIure a few blocks on each side of Main street. There was nothing to dis- tinguish streets from lots; even Main street was only a crooked wagon path through the brush. There was a wagon road cut through the timber to the Hickox farm (now known as the Smyser farm), and one more crooked still, out to the prairie east, which crossed the first little creek near the Brewer place, and the next at the old Sufficool place (now occupied by Elzy Wilson), and from it followed the edge of the timber down to Quasqueton, about wheie the travelled road now runs. There was also a track north, z-Za of the Obenchain farm and thence across the prairie toward Thomas Barr's and up Otter creek, but so faint as to be haidly discernible. Neither road nor track up the river, except an Indian trail, and not even that west across the prairie, nor east beyond the timber, nor to, or toward Brandon or Buffalo Grove To venture two miles west on the prairie was about as dangerous as to venture to sea out of sight of land without a compass. Thomas Close carried the mail once each week to Cedar Falls, on an Indian pony. There were no marks of any kind to guide him, and if by care- ful observation he kept within a mile of the direct course, it was quite a feat of prairie craft. Wolves prowled about the houses, and bands of them made night vocal with their howling. The east bank of the river was where is now the middle of the bridge, and large trees were growing where now stands the centre pier. The assessment roll for 1849 shows ninety-seven resident taxpayers of which about thirty lived in the north half of the county. That Of 1850 shows only eighty-three resident taxpayers in the county, thirty- three being in the north half. .At the August election in 1848 Washing, ton township polled twenty-three. Spring fifteen, and Liberty thirty-two votes; and in August, 1850, Washington nineteen. Spring nineteen, and Liberty thirty, in all sixty-eight votes. The tax book of 1850 shows the total valuation of property, real and personal, to have been forty-six thousand nine hundred and fifty-eight dollars, and total tax assessed, three hundred and seventy dollars and twenty cents. Twelve thousand six hundred and eighty-one acres of land were entered — about twenty sections in all. The total value of merchandise was nine hundred dollars, and that was all at Quasqueton. Mills and ma- chinery were valued at four thousand three hundred dollars; three thousand dollars at Quasqueton, one thousand one hundred and sixty- seven dollars at Independence, and five hundred and thirty-three dol- lars at Pine Creek. There were six watches, valued at one hundred and eighty-eight dollars; forty-three wagons, valued at one thousand six hundred doll.irs; seventy-four horses, valued at three thousand seven hundred and sixty dollars; two hundred and forty-one cattle, assessed at three thousand six hundred and seventy dollars; two hun- dred and eighty-eight sheep, valued at four hundred and three dollars, and five hundred and fifty-five hogs, valued at eight hundred and sixty- four dollars. There was a post office at Quasqueton and at Independence, and the mail came from Dlubuque once a week, via Quasqueton, in a one-horse wagon. There was not a bridge in the county, nor across any stream between this and Dubuque, nor any regular ferry. If streams were too deep to be forded they must be crossed in canoes, or by swimming, or by rafts. All houses in the county were of logs, save a few at Quas- queton and at Independence. .Almost every farm thus far selected was so located as to embrace prairie for tillage, and timber for fencing, fuel, and shelter, and on some little stream, and a spring near which to build. No special pains were taken to construct warm houses, and fuel was used as prodigally as though the whole country had been tim- bered. Pork and bread were abundant, and honey, venison and wild fruits, in their season. There was no market for surplus produce, and little surplus produce to market, except pork, and if that was hauled to the Mississippi it would bring two dollars per hundred. But every- body had plenty of good wholesoine food to eat, and they didn't trouble themselves about luxuries. Everybody in the county knew and was neighbor to everybody else, no matter how far apart they lived. In 1849, the California gold excitement prevailed, and the fever siezed many of the settlers here, and in the spring of 1850 several of them crossed the plains to that ElDorado. -Among them were William Bunce, John Obenchain, Kessler, B. D. Springer, Trask and Phelps and Stoughton. Some of them returned, others remained, and some died there. Among the latter was Kessler. Stoughton returned the next year, but died shortly after, of consumption, in the south, where he had gone hoping to benefit his health. In .May or June, 1850, Hor- ton and Beardsley left the place, and there remained but two familes. Close and Brewer, and two young men, McCIure and Roszell, to keep the village alive. McCIure caused the land belonging to Stoughton and McCIure, on the west side of the river, to be surveyed into lots, and named the place New Haven. In July of that year, William Brazelton moved to Independence from Jones county, and soon after, James .A. Dyer, and a young man, George Counts; and in September, Thomas Denton and family arrived. John Vargason and James Bige- low came to the county also that summer, and McCIure tried to induce them to settle in Independence, offering to give them any lots they might select, if they would build on them and remain there; but the inducement was not sufficient, and they settled five miles north. In June, McCIure traded fractional block number one and the east half of block number two, on the west side of the river, to Andrew Mullarkey for a barrel of gin and a bo.x of cigars, and thought it a good trade. With this assistance, we had a grand celebration on that fourth of July. Samuel Sherwood, Samuel S. McCIure, Dr. Brewer, Alexander Hathaway, and O. H. P. Roszell were oflficers, orators and procession. Henry Sparling and family settled near the county poor farm that autumn, and Philander French and Ephraim Miller and J. C. Neidy, in the timber, between Independence and Quasqueton. John W. Me- lone came during the winter of 1850-51; also William B.Wilkinson. Melone entered the quarter section of land immediately east of Inde- pendence, and Wilkinson the quarter section northeast. In the spring of 1851 came Casper Rowse and family; and in the 46 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. summer, Charles W. Cummiiigs and family, and several others. Among them, Francis Girten, Byron C. Hale, Amos B. King, Jacob S. Travis, and one Evans, who settled where Lyman J. Curtis now lives. In June, 1851, the river rose twenty-one feet above low-water mark — the highest point it has ever been known to reach. The saw-mill on Pine creek was washed away, and some injury done the fences. No bridges were carried away, for there were none— and no great damage done, for there was but little to be damaged. That summer, Samuel Sherwood commenced the erection of a flouring mill at Independence, and completed it the ne.\t season. The timbers were cut above Little- ton and floated down the river, with incredible labor, such as none but men of iron constitution and steel resolution could or would have per- formed — Samuel Sherwood had both. In the spring of that year, a State road was surveyed from Indepen- dence to Cedar Falls, and persons crossing the prairie were enabled, by following the line of stakes, to keep the same route, so that a visi- ble trace was soon formed. The line of the route was a little north o( where Jesup now is, and through Pilot Grove. In 1851, William Brazleton erected a frame building on Main street, in Independence, where now stands the First National bank building, and opened a general variety store; and in 1852 built the first hotel, on the opposite corner, where so long stood the "Montour house." C. W. Cummings also brought a stock of goods here in the fall of 1851. All goods were hauled from Dubuque, generally by ox teams. The roads were in such wretched condition that it was no unusual thing for teamsters to be compelled to unload their wagons and carry their pack- ages singly across the sloughs, and even to take their very wagons apart and carry them across in the same way. Such roads would now be considered absolutely impassable. The price paid for hauling was seventy-five cents to one dollar and a half }ier hundred weight: yet goods were fully as cheap, and many of them cheaper, than now. Brown sugar could be bought here at twenty pounds for a dollar, and seven or eight pounds of coffee for the same amount. From 1852 the village and county settled very rapidly, and it will be hardly practicable to particularize individuals. In August, 1852, Jeff- erson township was carved out of Spring, and in April, 1853, Perry from Washington, and in August, 1853, Buffalo and Superior (now Hazleton) were set off as separate townships. In September, 1854, Messrs. Parker & Hillery commenced the publi- cation of the first newspaper in the county, and named it the Indepen- dence C/i77/ff«. In 1855, Samuel Sherwood built the first bridge in the county, across the Wapsipinicon, at Independence. It was of wood and paid for by subscriptions of the citizens of the county. In April of that year, Newton and Alton (now Fairbank) townships were set off; and at the election that year the county polled five hundred and twenty-four votes. In that year also, the first stage coaches were run from Dubuque to Independence. Heman Morse had settled here in 1853, and bought the hotel built by Brazleton, which he enlarged and kept until 1856. One Gould commenced running a line of two horse hacks in 1854, and during the years 1854-5-6, the "Montour" was crowded to its utmost capacity with travellers, and its capacity being gauged more by the number and necessity of the guests than by the size of the house, was truly marvelous. Coaches ran night and day, and were sometimes forty-eight hours making the journey from Dubuque to Independence. Passengers were fortunate if, in addition to walking across the sloughs, they were not compelled to carry their baggage, and the coaches too, over the bad places. In 1855 W. H. Gifford & Brother commenced the erection of the hotel now known as the Merchants hotel; completed it in the spring Oe 1856, and during the summer sold it to Carl White and Thomas Sher. wood, who gave it the name of the " White House" and occupied it as a hotel for several years, when they sold it to Leander Keyes. It was the first brick hotel erected in the county, and gave the city quite a metro, politanair. In April, 1856, Byron and Prairie (now Fremont) townships were set off, and at the spring election of that year seven hundred and eleven votes were cast in the county. That spring also, the Dubuque & Pa- cific railroad was projected, and efforts were made to induce this county to issue two hundred thousand dollars m bonds to aid its construction. The question was submitted to the people at a special election in May and defeated; re-submitted in July and again defeated. Speculation, especially in lands and town lots, ran wild. Gold seemed a drug. The land office was crowded with purchasers. Any- body could go to Dubuque, give their note for two hundred and eighty dollars, due in a year, and get a bond for a deed for one hundred and si.xty acres of land, on payment of the note. The county was full of such bonds, and they were bought and sold as valuable property. The most worthless \agabond could give his notes gel such a bond or bonds, and trade it or them for goods stock, watches, jewelry, and sometimes money. The last foot of land in the county was entered; lots and land were bought and sold in many cases for more than they will bring now, after the lapse of twenty years. In 1857 the bubble collapsed, and al- most every business house failed in consequence. Expedients innumer- able were devised to stay the disaster. "Wild Cat" companies were organized, that issued "shinplasters" in the shape of bank notes, for circulation in place of money. Early in 1857, a company was orga- nized, with a project for a railroad up the Wapsipinicon, called the W^apsipinicon \*alley railroad company. They, like the Dubuque & Pacific company, asked the county to take two hundred thousand dol- lars of stock, and issue bonds for the amount. The question was sub- mitted at a special election in May of that year, and carried; but re- submitted in June and defeated. Some members of the company then organized what they called the Wapsipinicon Vallley Land company" and issued scrip in the shape of bills, for circulation, absolutely worthless, yet quite extensively circulated for a time, as money, such were the desperate straits to which business men were driven. The rapid influx of people, from 1834 to 1857, is shown by a com- parison of the vote, which, in April, 1854, was only three hundred and fifteen, and at the special railroad election in June, 1857, was twelve hundred and sixty-eight, an increase of over nine hundred and fifty votes, or four hundred per cent, in about three years. The township of Madison was set off in April, 1S57, and also the town of Sumner. That spring also, the erection of the first court house (the same now used) was commenced by O. H. P. Roszell, who had control of the county business from August, 1851, at which time he was elected county judge, up to August, 1857, when he was superseded by S. J. W. Tabor, who was appointed fourth auditor of the United States treasury, in 1861, which position he now holds. The county finances were in a healthy condition notwithstanding the general crash, there being about six thousand dollars surplus county fund in the treasury* The court house was completed by Judge Tabor in the fall of 1857. The lumber was hauled by ox teams from Dyersville, that being then the terminus of the Dubuque & Pacific railroad. In December, 1856, Rich & Jordan commenced the publication of a weekly newspaper called the Quasqueton Guardian, at Quasqueton, and continued its publication there till June, 1858, when they removed it to Independence and changed its name to the Buchanan county Guar' dian. In October, 1858, Cono and Middlefield were set off as separate townships, and the boundaries of all the townships arranged about as they now are. The population of the county continued to increase with remarkable rapidity; so that in i860, at the Presidential election, there were polled sixteen hundred and ten votes. The Dubuque & Pacific railroad was completed to Independence the last of December, 1859. When the war of the Rebellion broke out Buchanan county was among the foremost to respond to the call for troops, and continued to respond with volunteers to every call during the war, raising her full quota without draft. The first company was organized in June, 1863, and was commanded by Captain D. S. Lee, who settled here in 1852, and was the first regular professional lawyer who located in Indepen- dence. His company was one of those composing the Fifth Iowa regi- ment and infantry. I would like to honor this sketch by inserting therein the names of the many brave citizens of the county, who risked and lost their lives in defence of the national flag, but the list is too long; and to make selections from the number would be invidious. Notwith- standing the war, and the drain upon the population for troops, the county continued to prosper and to increase in numbers. The Dubu- que 6t Pacific railroad extended its line westwaid through the county. The village of Winthrop on the railroad eight miles east of Inde- pendence, which had been laid out by A. P. Foster in 1857, and in which the first building had been erected by A. E. Dutton in 1859 grew to be a thriving town, with stores, shops, grain warehouses and elevators, and a population of several hundred. Nine miles to the west of Independence, on the same road, sprung up the village of Jesup in the same manner. On the night of March 16, 1864. the office safe of the county treas- urer was broken open, and robbed of about twenty-six thousand dol- lars in money. Two men — Knight and Rorabacher — were accused of the crime, arrested and convicted, but no part of the money was ever recovered. This loss, together with the large expense incurred in dis- covering and trying the burglars, proved a serious inconvenience to the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 47 county, and is the only loss ever occurring to the county through rob- bery, or through defalcation of officers. In August, 1864, Independ- ence was incorpoiated as a city, and Daniel S. Lee chosen its first mayor. In 1868 an act of the legislature provided for the erection of a hospital for the insane at Independence, and the erection of the build- ing was commenced in 1869. In the summer of 1873 the Mihv.nukee division of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota railroad was completed through the county, and on the line of that road there at once sprung up the flourishing village of Hazleton, nine miles north of Independence, and of Rowley, about the same distance south. No great disaster, either by fire or flood, occurred to mar the prospect of the county, or any part of it, until 1873. In November of that year quite a serious fire occurred in Independence, destroying nine buildings on Main street, most of which were of wood. But on the twenly-fiflh of May, 1874. a disastrous conflagration broke out which destroyed about forty buildings, nearly all of brick, on Main and Chatham streets, and mostly stores, filled with valuable goods. The total loss on buildings and goods amounted to ne.ir half a million dollars; but before the close of the year nearly all were rebuilt and the traces of the conflagration almost obliterated. I have now in a manner, necessarily imperfect, sketched the history of the settlement and growth of this county. I( it were practicable within the limits prescribed by time, space and your endurance, I would add a more particular account of the schools, churches, etc. A brief mention is. however, all that can be allowed. The first school taught in the county was at Quasqueton, in 1844, by Alvira Hadden. Some of her pupils are still living in the county, among them Mrs. Norton, daughter of Frederick Kessler. The first school taught in Independence was by Edward Brewer, in 1848-9. In 1850 there were not more than three school-houses in the county, all log buildings. One of them was near John Boon's, built in 1848. and a Miss Ginther taught there in the winter of 1848-9. The first houser built in Independence for school purposes was in i85t, and William Brazelton erected it at his own expense. It was of hewn logs, and about fourteen feet by eighteen in size. O. H. P. Roszell taught the first school in it. In 1852 a school-house was erected in Hazleton township, at the place now called "Coy town." where the first white men in the township — Samuel Sufficool and Daniel C. Greeley— had located in 1B47. At Spring Grove, in Newton town.ship, a school-house was built in 1853, near R. C. Waltons; and Ward, Ross and Whitney built a school-house in the timber between their cabins, in 1853, the very first year they settled in Madison township. In fact, the pioneers of this county had hardly got a roof on their cabins to shelter their families, before they began to think about schools for their children. These first houses were all built either by some single individuals or by sub- scription of communities, and the first schools were maintained in the same way. Until 1847 there were no regularly defined school districts, and up to 1859 the schools were supported by private subscription or by rate bills against the patrons. In i860 there were about thirty schools in the county. In 1875 the number of school-houses was one hundred and thirty-si.x, valued at one hundred and fourteen thousand dollars, and the last log house had disappeared, or ceased to be used as such. The first union or graded school in the county, was organized at Independence in 1867, with Professor Wilson Palmer, as principal; the first building for that purpose being completed at the same date. There are now two graded schools at Independence, one at Winthrop, one at Jesup, and one at Quasqueton. Of churches it is not easy to obtain statistics; but the first chtirch building in the county was at Independence, and built by the Methodist Episcopalians in 1855. and the next at Quasqueton in 1856. There are now twenty-eight chuich buildings in the county, of which two are in Newton township, one in Homer, three in Jeff'erson, three in Liberty, two in Winthrop, eight in Independence, three in Jesup, two in Fair- banks, and three in Madison. Three of them are Catholic — Fairbanks, Independence and Newton having one each. The value of these buildings is not less than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Of mills and manufactories. I have stated the value in 1847 to have been two thousand nine hundred dollars, there being then but one flouring-mill and two saw-mills. In 1848, another saw-mill was built on Pine creek; in 1852 Daniel Greeley built another on Otter creek, in Hazleton township; the same year Samuel Sherwood, a flouring-mill at Independence. In 1854 Messrs. White & Little erected a saw-miU at Littleton, and in 1863 a flouring-mill was erected at Littleton, and about the same time one at Fairbanks and one on Otter creek. There are now eight flouring-miUs in the county, and their value probably about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars; one in Independence, built in 1867, valued at seventy-five thousand dollars. Among other manufactories there are cheese factories in Fairbanks and Byron town- ships, and one near Winthrop; also three creameries in Madison town- ship. The mercantile interests has increased in a still greater ratio; for. while in 1850. there was but one store in the county — that at Quasque- ton — kept by S. V. Thompson, and with a stock of goods not worth more than five hundred dollars, there are now mercantile houses scattered all over the county, at least a hundred in number, and the value of goods kept in stock must exceed half a million dollars. Besides these, there are dealers in lumber, grain, stock, farm machinery and produce, in Independence, Winthrop, Jesup, Hazleton, and Row. ley, and each of these places have elevators and grain warehouses. There were shipped from Winthrop during the past year five hundred and seventy-four car-loads of grain, and one hundred of stock; and from Jesup nearly as many, and as many more from the two stations of Hazleton and Rowley; from Independence about one thousand cars of grain and stock, one dealer, W. A. Jones, having shipped during that time nearly three hundred cars of stock, mostly hogs. Of the professions. Dr. Edward Brewer was the first practicing phy- sician in the county; Dr. Lovejoy the first at Independence, and died there in 1848. Dr. R. W. Wright was the third, having settled in Independence in 1851. Dr. H. H. Hunt comes next in order, and has practiced medicine in the county for over twenty years. The pioneers among the lawyers were Captain D. S. l^e, in 1852; James Jamison and J. S. Woodward, in 1853; Colonel Jed Lake, in 1855, and Vi. G. Donnan, in 1856. All are still residents of Inde- pendence and practicing their profession. In the ministerial profession the Methodists were, as usual, the first in the field. I have not been able to learn what missionary earliest penetrated the wilderness to this county. George I Cummings, Wes- leyan Methodist, was one of the eailiest at Quasqueton, and was the pioneer preacher in Independence. Rev. Mr. Brown was the first reg- ular Me.hodist Episcopal preacher located here, and the Rev. William Poor, whose son now fills the responsible office of county treasurer. Of secret, social and benevolent societies, the first organized was Cf Odd Fellows, in 1855 or 1856. at Quasqueton; and the next of the Masons at Independence in 1856 with John Bogart as W. M. The first chapter of Masons was organized at Independence in 1857, with George Warne, H. P. There are now lodges of Odd Fellows and Masons at Quasqueton and Independence; of Masons, at Independence, Winthrop, Jesup, Fairbanks and in Cono township; of United W^ork- men, at Winthrop and Independence; and of Granges, being organiza- tions of farmers for mutual protection, improvement and enjoyment, in every township in the county except Newton, having a membership of over seven hundred and fifty. The first county agricultural society was organized in 1858, dissolved and reorganized in 1870 as a joint stock company, since which time it has been in successful operation and holds annual fairs, and now owns forty acres of land and buildings thereon, near Independence, valued at ten thousand dollars. The earliest organization of fire companies in the county, was in 1862, when two hook and ladder companies were formed in Independ- ence. One of them composed exclusively of Germans soon purchased a hand engine, and became an Engine Co., but after a few, years dis- banded and donated their engine to the city, but reorganized in 1874, and now have charge of the same engine. The other, organized as "Hook & Ladder Co., No i." maintained their organization till June. 1874; when, the city having in the previous month purchased a steam fire engine, they reorganized as a Steamer Company, and have now charge of the steam fire engine. The first bank of issue in the county, was the "First National bank of the City of Independence," which began business in December, 1865, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, since increased to one hun- dred thousand dollars. A second, "The People's National bank," was organized in the fall of 1874. The first bank of exchange was that of Brewer, Bemis & Roszell," in 1854, and "Older. Lee & Co." in the same year, both of which were drawn into the whirlpool of speculation in 1855. -6.-7. and perished in the general wreck of 1857. -8. The first post oflice in the county was at Quasqueton, established in 1843; the next, at Independence, established in 1848, with S. P. Stoughton as postmaster. The total proceeds of the Independence office in 1850, did not exceed six dollars. Now. there are fifteen offices in the county, and the salary of the single office at Independence is over two hundred times the total postage received in 1850. Gas was first introduced into Independence in the winter of 1874--5. In addition to the newspapers I have mentioned, both of which are now published in Independence, one as the Independence Coiueri'ative 48 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. and one as the Buchanan County BiiUclin, a third is now published at Jesup, styled The V'indicator. In 1820, there was not a bridge of any description in the county. Now, the Wapsipinicon is spanned with wrought iron bridges at Quas- queton, built in 1874; Independence, built in 1872, and Littleton, built in 1876. Besides these, there are two other, wooden, bridges across the main river; and an iron bridge at Fairbank, andOtteiville; and every stream in the county is substantially bridged at each highway crossing. The population of the county in 1846, wns one hundred and forty- nine; in 1848, two hundred and hfty; in 1850, five hundred and seven- teen; in i860, seven thousand nine hundred and six; and in 1875, seventeen thousand three hundred and fifteen. The total valuation of all property in 1850, was forty-six thousand nine hundred and fifty-eight dollars; and in 1875, four million eight hundred and twenty-ninethousand nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars. The total taxes levied in 1850, were three hundred and seventy dollars and twenty cents; and m 1870, one hundred and twelve thousand four hundred and sixty-four dollars. I would be glad to have written with more particularity of the settlement and growth of the several townships and villages in the county; but it wns impracticable in the time and space allotted. I would that I could have graced these annals, not alone with the names, but with a personal sketch of all those pioneers whose brave hearts led them to this wilderness of prairie, which their sturdy hands have converted into a garden of cultivated fields, glowing with golden grain, — whose industry, intelligence, and taste have changed the very face of nature, so that this endless expanse of treeless plain which they found spread before them like a sailless sea. is now green, not only with the verdure of meadow and the waving corn, but with the groves that the hands have planted around each dwelling of the thousands which every where adorn the lovelv landscape. I would I might have space to write of the Menills, the Morgans. McKinneys, Beckleys, N'eidys, Wil- sons, and Logans, whose dwellings were among the first along Pine creek, and between here and Quasqueton; of Davis, Hadens, Thomp- sons, Cummings and Parker, and Hastings and Mowrer, who wrought so faithfully to build up the thriving village which marks the spot where stood the cabin of the first settler in the county; of Foreman, and Glass, and Hoover, and Holland and Carson and Cooper, who thirty years ago, and more, settled where they or their children now reside, in the township called Newton; of Everett, and Patterson, and Myers, and Conable, and Wright, who created the village of Fairbanks, and Clark, whose name leads all the rest in B'airbanks township; and Melrose, whose name and speech reminds us of the ancient Abby ■ in "Old Scotland," where he was born, whose little dwelling of one room above and one below, used, a quarter of a century ago, to accom- modate twenty weary tiavellers and more, of a night, as I can testify; and had it been as large as his heart, creation could not crowd it; of Little, whose memory is perpetuated in Littleton village, and not less worthily in the sons and daughters who have succeeded him. Of the Greeleys, and Kints, and Bounce, and Phillips, and Barr, and Ross, and Mintons, and Curtises, whose hearts and hands, and cabin doors, were never locked; of Smyser and of Sparling, and of Isaac Sufficool and his good wife, just gone together to a better land to receive their records for the glorious virtues which their lives so nobly illustrated; of Richardson, the sturdy representative of the pines of Maine, and of Richmond, the compeer of Sevmour and Ross and Ward in the early settlement of Madison ; of Elliott, whose shanty was the first in the prairie sea in the north of Fremont ; of Leatherman and Rise- ley, who were first to brave the mid-ocean of Middlefield ; of the Greys, William and Henry, the hardy borderers the smoke from whose cabins first floated over the timber of Spring creek in Jefferson; of Day and Beach, whose dwellings first relieved the loneliness of the road to Brandon; and of the Notions, who for twenty-three years have tilled the soil of Sumner, Homer and Liberty townships ; of the Boones, noble representatives of the family from which they sprung, so famous in the early annals of Kentucky ; of Sherwood, as true and trusty and indomitable as the granite of his native State ; of S. S. Allen, and Olders, and Whaits, and P. C. Wilcox, and the Clarkes; of S. S.|McClure, whose opulence in intelligence and wit and gener- osity and frankness made every man his friend, yet whose poverty in that worldly wisdom which acquires and retains wealth leaves him, in middle age, a homeless wanderer from the city which he founded in his youth, and fostered faithfully and fondly in his young and vigorous manhood; and of many others, whose skill and labor and energy de- serve a better monument than this, but it may not be. The personal history of some of these early settlers would fill a vol- ume, and read like a romance. Rufus B. Clark, who first settled at Independence, was the first white child born in what is now the city of Cleveland, Ohio. He wandered to the mines of Wisconsin: then here; then northwest toward the head waters of the Cedar; thence farther northwest into the wilds of Minnesota; thence across the continent to the west of the Sierra Nevadas, and at last lies sleeping in death on Whitby's island, in far-off Puget sound. John Obenchain, bred among the mountains of Tennessee, imbibed the wildness of his native surroundings; here in 1847; then across the plains to California in 1850; back again in 1853 to find neighbors too many and near to be endured; again to California; and now away in the wilds of Oregon, with his cattle and savage bear dogs, his hair long and white: a patriarch as rough and rugged and intractable, and honest and sincere, as the mountains which surround him, and with their friendly frown scare back intruders. But mto this enticing field I must not enter. .A single glance dem- onst."ates its extent and its romantic interest, and must suffice. The brief outlines which I have sketched of the settlement, growth and present condition of the county, is all that is possible, and will enable us to note the progress we have made; and it may be the historian of the day when the children of our children's children shall meet to com- memorate the falling of another century from " His hand whence cen- turies fall like grains of sand," may, in these annals, find material for one page of his. CHAPTER IV. SETTLEMENT AND POPULATION. There are those who profess to beheve that the coni- monlv received chronology of the Bible, which represents the entire human race to have sprung from a single pair, created about six thousand years ago, cannot be true; because, as they allege, there has not been time enough according to that chronology, for the race to have multiplied to its present e.xtent; nor to have accomplished what their present condition, and the records and monu- ments of the past, prove that they have, in fulfillment of the command to "replenish the earth and subdue it." But let any man, of ordinary observation and reflection, pass through Buchanan county and witness its present condition — its thousands of cultivated farms and commodious farm-houses, many of them already, wearing the look of age and surrounded by the large trees that were planted for their protection — let him drive over its well-built roads and across its many streams, everywhere substan- tially bridged — let him note the school-houses that dot its surface and the troops of children that gather there for instruction — let him visit its score of villages, all vocal with the sounds of industry; and especially its capital, now a thriving city of nearly four thousand inhabitants — let him observe its well-kept streets and side-walks; its elegant public and private buildings, business houses, churches and schools, which would do credit to any town of its size in New York or New England — let him see all this, and remember that it is less than forty years since the first white settlers came to this county — that hundreds of people are now living here who had passed their majority before the first furrows had broken the virgin soil af these prairies — and that many of these old settlers assisted in laying the first foundations of the marvelous civilization that everywhere meets his gaze — let him HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 49 remember all this, and, at the same time, recall the fact that this astonishing change is only a sample of that which has taken place, and is now taking place, throughout atl our northwestern States and territories — a region greater in extent than that of some of the most powerful empires of the old world — and, while recalling this, let him not forget that no country has been depleted to furnish population for this vast region, and that a great majority of the people now occupying it were born less than fifty years ago — and he will be a willing skeptic indeed, if he doubts that six thousand years are a period long enough, not only to have produced from a single pair, all the race of men that now exist; but long enough also to have enabled them to produce all the wonderful works of power and skill by which they have so far replenished and subdued the earth. History repeats itself; and the human race is doing to-day, here in Buchanan county, and throughout the west, only what it has been doing ever since the great dispersion, four thousand years ago. Westward "the star of empire" has ever taken its way, and when there remains no more land "to be possessed" in this direction, some new and startling crisis in the history of the world will doubtless have been reached. FIRST SETTLERS. From Andreas' Historical Atlas, and from personal information, we have gleaned the following facts concern- ing the early settlements of this county: The first white man that came here to reside, was William Bennett, who had been a resident of Delaware county, and had there also been the first white settler. He brought his family here in February, 1842; having built a small log cabin on the site of the present village Quasquetown, at a point on the east side of the Wapsi- pinicon, a short distance above the location of the flour- ing mill recently destroyed by fire. Bennett is believed to have been a native of New England. He was a rough and restless character, and remained in the county only about a year. Having con- ceived a violent grudge against the adventurer Johnson, whose arrival is recorded further on, he formed a con- spiracy with five or six companions to waylay and lynch him. They carried out their plot, whipping the man in the most shameful manner. Fear of arrest compelled them all to flee from the settlement on the very night of the outrage, which was in the dead of winter, and fear- fully cold. They set out for Coffin's grove, in Delaware county, which they managed to reach — but all of them except Bennett in a more or less frozen condition. Two of the company died from the effects of their exposure; but what became of Bennett and his family is not known. About the same time with Bennett came S. G. and H. T. Sanford and Ezra B. Allen. Early the same spring Dr. Edward Brewer, now residing in Independence and the oldest living settler in the county, came with Rufus B. Clark and family, and settled about a mile and a half from Quasqueton. William W. Hadden and Frederick Kessler and family also came about the same time. A man by the name of David Styles came with his family during the summer of the same year, and opened a hotel at the settlement. Bennett was engaged in improving the water-power and erecting a mill, and had several young men employed who boarded with him. Their names were Jeffers, War- ner, Day, Wall and Evens. At least one of these, namely Warner, was an accomplice of Bennett's in the lynching outrage, and had his feet badly frozen in the flight to Coffin's Grove. During the fliU of the same year there came, among others, three young men — Henry B. Hatch, who made his home with Kessler, and Daggett and Simmons, who lived for a time with Mr. Clark. A few patches of land were broken the first spring and cultivated for potatoes and other garden vegetables, and perhaps a little corn ; but no wheat was raised until the following year. Some time during the fall or early winter of the first year, a man by the name of Johnson settled at a point about midway between Quasqueton and the present site of Independence. He claimed to be the famous Cana- dian patriot of that name, who had lived for years among the islands of the St. Lawrence river. He was accom- panied by a rather attractive young woman whom he spoke of as his daughter Kate, the identical "Queen of the Thousand Islands." Subsequent events, however, proved that he was "an escaped criminal, and an adven- turer of the worst sort." His stay was of short contin- uance. The opening up of a new settlement always attracts some disreputable adventurers; but it is greatly to the credit of the first permanent settlers of Buchanan county that they soon made it so uncomfortable for such characters as to compel them to seek a more congenial abode. This chapter is designed to give one the commencement of settlement. The settlements in the several townships, and sketches of the first settlers, so far as materials for them can be found, will be given in the several township histories. FIRST EVENTS. The first store in the county was opened during the first year, and in the first place of its settlement, by "Old Dick" — that being all that is now remembered of the name belonging to the first Buchanan merchant. His stock was very "general;" one item being the best brand obtainable of Old Bourbon whiskey. The first sermon was preached in the Quasqueton settlement, during its first summer, by a minister named Clark. Let us hope that it proved something of an anti- dote to Old Dick's influence. The first mill was one built on the Wapsie — begun by Bennett, in 1842, and finished by W. W. Haddon, 1843. The first hotel was opened for the accommodation of the first settlement, during its first year, 1842 — David Styles being the proprietor, as stated above. The first death in the new settlement was that of a boy, seven or eight years old, who was a son of John Cordell, and who died in 1843 or 1844. The first post oflSce in the county was established at Quasqueton, in the year 1845 ■ ^"d William Richards was the first postmaster. so HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. The first marriage was that of Dr. Edward Brewer and Miss Mary Ann Hathaway, celebrated in March, 1846. The ceremony was performed by Joseph A. Reynolds, then a justice of the peace, for Delaware county. The first white child born in the county was Charles B. Kessler, son of Frederick Kessler. He was born near Quasqueton, July 13, 1842; and his mother, now Mrs. Heman Morse, still resides at Independence. The first law office opened in the county, was that of James Jamison, of Independence, recently deceased. He commenced practice here in 1847 or 1848 — D. S. Lee commencing about the same time. The first school was taught by Dr. E. Brewer, in a small log house in Independence, in the winter of 1848. The building was afterwards used as a blacksmith shop. The first Buchanan newspaper was the Independence Civilian, a Democratic organ, the first number of which was issued on the seventeenth of May, 1855, — B. F. Parker and James Hilleary being the proprietors. SOURCES OF POPUL.\TION. The settlers immigating to Buchanan county, have come mainly from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and the New England States. There are, at present, a good many persons of foreign birth in the count)', but they did not come in very large numbers till after 1858. They are mostly Germans and Irish ; but there are a few Polanders and Scandinavians. In the southeast corner of the county, in Newton township, along Buffalo creek, there is quite a colony of Irish. In Fairbank township, in the extreme northwest corner of the county, there are a good many Irish and Germans, and some Polanders. About one-tenth of the present population is of foreign birth; but the foreign element is fast becoming assimilated with the native, and it would be difficult to find a more intelligent, enterpris- ing, moral, and industrious class of people, than those constituting the present population of Buchanan county. The winters are too vigorous to be very attractive to the colored people; but there are about half a dozen families of that race now living in Independence, who are honest, frugal, and industrious people, enjoying in a good degree the confidence and respect of their neigh- bors. The Iowa census of 1875, taken by State authority, gives Buchanan county seventeen thousand, three hun- dred and fifteen inhabitants. The national census just taken, gives it seventeen thousand, nine hundred and seventy-two — an increase, in five years, of only si.\ hundred and fifty-seven souls. If both these enumerations are correct (and, of course, they must be accepted as such), Buchanan has fallen considerably short of holding its own, in the matter of population; for this five years' gain is hardly more than the natural increase for one year. This is to be accounted for by the recent opening up of excellent farming lands in Dakota, and other western territories. Not only have immigrants from the east passed by or through our county, seeking homes further west, but there has even been a considerable emi- gration from the county for the same purpose. Whether those who have left us have bettered their con- dition, may well be doubted. But, however this may be, the check thus given to our noble county, will doubtless be only temporary. Only the very best lands west of the Missouri can equal ours, and they will soon be occupied. When this takes place, we shall not only keep the natural increase of our own population, but emigration from the still swarming hive of the east will again be directed to our desirable, yet unoccupied, space; and the compara- tively quiet, yet every way pleasant and prosperous times of the present, will give place to the activity, enterprise, and excitement that come with rapidly increasing popu- lation. CHAPTER V. EARLY MAILS AND MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. It was three years after the first settlements began to be made in the county before a regular post office was established within its limits. During this time the settlers had their mail matter directed to the most convenient post offices, and thence it was brought by private con- veyance, as opportunity afforded. The settlers about Quasqueton, and farther north, obtained their mails from the nearest office in Delaware or Dubuque county. In the early part of the first winter (1842-3) there came a heavy snow storm followed by sleet, which left a crust over the deep snow, sufficiently strong to bear up the weight of a man, if not too heavy. During this time Frederick Kessler was selected, on account of being small and light, to bring the mail on foot, once a week, from a settlement in Delaware county, called "The Col- ony," near Ead's grove. As there was then no post office in the county of Delaware, the mail must have been brought to this place from Dubuque by private convey- ance, and the matter directed to the Quasqueton settlers was held for them till they could find some means of sending for it. The most of the mail matter, as well be- fore as after the establishment of post offices within the county, came by way of Dubuque; but some of the set- tlers south of Quasqueton, previous to the location of the post office at that place, were accustomed to getting their mail from Marion, in Linn county. We are in- formed that the first post office in Delaware county was established at Delhi, in the fall of 1843 : and that it "was supplied with mail once a week by William Smith, of Dubuque, who had the first mail contract through the county, from Dubuque via Delhi to Quasqueton, in Bu- chanan county, which he carried on horseback." But if he carried the mail to Quasqueton from the commence- ment of his contract, he must have made a private ar- rangement with the settlers of that place, since the post office was not established there till 1845. D. S. Davis was principally influential in securing it, and William Richards was the first postmaster. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. SI It is probable that Davis was the second mail con- tractor, and that Malcom McBane was the second post- master, for, early in 1847, when A. H. Trask came into the county from Wisconsin, he found them occupying those positions; and he himself "sublet " the mail con tract of Davis, in the fall of that year. The contract bound him to carry the mail from Quasqueton to Du- buque and back, once every week, on horseback or by any other conveyance he might choose. The "round rip" occupied four days, and he received, as compensa- tion, three hundred and sixty-five dollars a year. He had a partner by the name of Eli D. Phelps, a brick and stone inason by trade, who came from Wisconsin about the same time with Trask. They took turns in carrying the mail between Dubuque and (Quasqueton ; and after a short time took a contract (this also from Davis) for car- rying it between Quasqueton and Marion. There were, at this time, but four post offices between Quasqueton and Dubuque, viz., Coffin's Grove, Delhi, Rockville and a farm house near Epworth. When the travelling permitted (which was the most of the time, al- though there were then no bridges and no roads kept in order by the public) they went by wagon or sleigh, and carried sometimes a large amount of express matter, in addition to the mail. But sometimes, when the roads were bad and the streams too high to be forded by a wagon, they were compelled to go on horseback, and of course carried very little besides the mails. In the win- ter the snow was sometimes very deep — Mr. Trask hav- ing, on one occasion, broken a track the entire distance from Quasqueton to Farley, when the snow was nearly three feet deep on a level. A NARROW ESCAPE. Some time in March, 1848, about the breaking up of a hard winter, which is said to have resembled that of 1880-81, Mr. Trask was returning from Dubuque in a sleigh, with the mail and the customary amount of ex- press packages. Henry Biddinger, of Quasqueton, a harncssmaker who had been at Dubuque during the win- ter, working at his trade, was returning home with him. A thunder storm came up just as they reached the divid- ing ridge between Elk creek and the Buffalo. It had been thawing and raining a little, but the sleighing was yet quite passable. As the road turned to go toward the creek, there came a vivid flash of lightning, followed instantly by a terrific clap of thunder. The bolt must have struck in the immediate vicinity, as both of the men were stunned and momentarily prostrated. Mr. Trask fell out of the sleigh, dropping the lines; and Mr. Biddinger fell over backward, but remained in the sleigh. The horses were frightened, and ran as if they thought the lightning was after them. Both men, however, re- covered in a moment. Mr. Biddinger first gathered up himself, then gathered up the lines, and succeeded in stopping the horses. He lost no time in turning them about, and starting back to find the missing driver, seri- ously apprehending that he should find him dead in the road. He had proceeded but a rod or two, however, before he saw him running toward the sleigli, as fast as his legs could carry him. Almost doubting his senses, Mr. Biddinger called out, as soon as the other came within hearing distance, "Aren't you killed?" Mr. Trask, though but partially recovered from his fright, could not help laughing at the oddity of the question, and replied: "You must, at least, admit that I'm pretty lively for a dead man ! He then resumed his seat and the lines, and proceeded toward Quasqueton, where they both arrived without further mishap. This was thirty- three years ago, the present month ; and both the men are still residing in the neighborhood of their adventure, and often take pleasure in relating to their friends the incidents of their narrow escape. After carrying the mail for nearly two years, Trask and Phelps sold out to Thomas W. Close, who held the con- tract only about a year, "carrying the mail and doing the county shopping," when the business was resumed by the original contractor, Davis, whose partiality for Quas- queton led him to discontinue Independence as a part of the regular route; and for some time the residents at the latter place had to make private arrangements to get their mails carried to Quasqueton and back. The post office was established at Independence in 1848, S. P. Stoughton (the champion of that place, as Davis was of Quasqueton) being the postmaster. After holding, for a year, the place which brought more fame than money, and not enough of either to boast of, he re- signed, and Dr. Brewer was appointed in his stead. The enterprising and public-spirited doctor assumed the duties of mail carrier, as well as of postmaster, and some- times, it is said, made the trip to Quasqueton on foot, carrying the entire mail in his vest pocket. He paid the first quarterage to the Government with a five-franc piece —his own commissions amounting to forty-seven and a half cents. He held the office for about six years, and during no one of them did his income from commissions amount to five dollars. After a time he put into the office a few rows of letter boxes; and the rent of these coming into his pocket, instead of the more capacious pocket of the Government, increased his income a little. The meagre income of the office is probably to be ac- counted for, not so much by the small number of settlers, as by their acknowledged lack of money. Their friends at the east showed their generous appreciation of this state of things by prepaying their postage; and the set- tlers showed their equally feeling appreciation of it by leaving theirs unpaid. Thus the letters, whether coming or going, brought very little money into the office. About 1850 the contest for postal supremacy, which had been waged for some time and with some bitterness between Quasqueton and Independence, was decided by making the latter a point on the regular route west, which was then extended to Cedar Falls, and placing the for- mer on a side route southward. A man by the name of Gould was the first mail con- tractor on the route from Dubuque to Cedar Falls. Both the roads and vehicles began to improve, though the for- mer continued to be, at certain seasons of the year al- most impassable. Mr. Trask, who, carried off by the gold fever, went to California in 1850, found, on his return in 52 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 1854, regular stage coaches running east and west through Independence, and southward from that point through Quasqueton. The two railroads, passing through the county east and west and north and south, have since done away with the through lines of stage coaches; and the improvement in the prairie roads, and the construc- tion of substantial bridges over all the streams at every crossing point, have made the short stage routes that re- main comparatively safe and expeditious. EARLY ROADS. The private ownership of land is necessarily subject to the convenience of the public, which demands that some of it shall be given up for common highways. And one of the first things claiming the attention of the authori- ties, after a county is fully organized, is the laying out of such highways, with due regard of course to private rights, as well as public convenience. The State or Na- tion often establishes roads through unsettled territory; and these, when counties come to be organized, are sometimes retained as originally laid out, but more fre- quently, perhaps, are changed or given up altogether. Two such roads were already in existence in Buchanan county at the time of its organization. One of these was established by the authority of the Territory of Wis- consin, and extended in a southwesterly direction from Fort Atkinson, its southern terminus being Marion, in Linn county. Its course through the county was nearly south, passing near the place where the village of Win- throp now stands, and crossing the Wapsie at Quasque- ton. It was called the "mission road," because, as w-e are informed, it passed through an early Indian mission in Wisconsin, and was designed in part for its accommo- dation. The other was a State road from Marion to the north line of the State, crossing the river at Quasqueton, but running some three or four miles west of the mis- sion toad. The state of things which existed before the lands were enclosed and county roads established, is pictures- quely set forth in Judge Roszell's historical address. "The settlers," he says, "followed such routes as suited their convenience, from house to house and from neigh- borhood to neighborhood. Indian trails crossed the prairie from stream to stream, leading to fording places; and well worn paths led up and down the river, touching surely every bubbling spring. Such trails, which recent settlers suppose to be merely cattle paths, can be pointed out in many places, even to this day, by the pioneers. Even after the county seat had been located, and the town of Independence laid out, theoretically, into lots and streets; there was nothing for sometime, as we learn from the same address, to distinguish streets from lots; even Main street was only a crooked wagon path through the bushes. There was a wagon road cut through the timber to the Hickox farm (now known as the Smyser farm) and one, more crooked still, out upon the prairie east, crossing the first little creek near the Brewer place, and the next at the old Sufiicool place. From there it followed the edge of the timber to Quasqueton, about where the travelled road now runs. There was also a track north, by the Obenchain farm and thence across the prairie toward Thomas Barr's, and up Otter creek, but so faint as to be scarcely discernible. There was neither road nor track up the river, except an Indian trail ; and not even that across the prairie to the west, nor to the east beyond the timber, nor out toward Bran- don or Buffalo Grove. To venture two miles west on the prairie, was about as dangerous as to venture to sea, out of sight of land, without a compass. The mail was carried once a week to Cedar Falls, on an Indian pony. But there were no marks of any kind to guide the car- rier; and if, by careful observation, he kept within a mile of the direct course, it was quite a feat of prairie craft. The mail came once a week from Dubuque to Indepen- dence, via Quasqueton, in a one-horse wagon; but there was not a bridge in the county, nor across any stream between Independence and Dubuque, nor any regular ferry. If streams were too deep to be forded, they must be crossed in canoes, or by swiramir>g, or upon rafts. Such were the means and methods of intercommunica- tion between the different parts of the county, as late as 1849. Several county roads, however, had been regularly surveyed and established, and travel in their several di- rections was becoming chiefly confined to them. At their very first meeting, October i, 1847, the ceunty commissioners had received and granted three petitions for the establishment of as many different roads within the county. The first was for a road from Independence east to the county line, in the direction of Cofiin's Grove. Rufus B. Clark, James Collier, and John Boon were ap- pointed viewers of the saine, to meet on the first Mon- day in November. The second was for a road from In- dependence to intersect the State road from Marion to Fort Atkinson — John Obenchain, Edward Brewer, and Elijah Beardsley being appointed viewers, to meet on the date last mentioned. And the third was for a road from Quasqueton to Independence, on the west side of the Wapsipinicon river — the viewers, Rufus B. Clark, Levi Billings, and John Cordell, being also directed to meet on the first Monday in November. At the same meeting it was "ordered to employ a sur- veyor to do the surveying on the above roads, and to lay off" a town at the county seat." And at their next meet- ing, November 3, F. J. Rigand was appointed county surveyor. The next petition for a road was presented and granted at a meeting of the commissioners, April 10, 1848, the route being from Quasqueton to Otter Creek settlement. The viewers appointed were James Collier, B. D. Springer, and John Obenchain, who were ordered to meet at Quasqueton, on Monday, May i, 1848. From that time down to the present, the laying out of new roads has occupied much of the time of the county commissioners, and, after them, of the supervisors; so that now, roads have been established on a large majori- ty of the section lines — besides a great many that do not follow those lines. Some of these are kept in very good condition the year round. Others, in the rainy seasons, and at the breaking up of winters, are still well-nigh im- passable. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOW.\. 53 The happy era of good roads has not yet dawned up- on the county— an era which abundant gravelbeds and outcropping ledges of friable limestone arc waiting im- patiently to usher in. Let us hope that it will not much longer be delayed. CHAPTER VI. EARLY COMMERCE. The beginnings of commerce in a rural district, newly settled, are usually marked by much rudeness and sim- plicity. The pioneer merchant has not the capital or the credit which would enable him to import a large, diversified, and elegant stock of goods ; and his custom- ers are too few and poor to purchase them, if he had. Groceries, embracing only the commonest necessaries of life (among which pioneers too often reckon a supply of whiskey) take the lead; and dry goods, drugs, and hard- ware follow as settlements increase — for money begins to come in with the later settlers. There cannot be exten- sive imports without exports to counterbalance them; and for the first few years, pioneers have little or nothing to export. The beginnings of commercial enterprise in Buchanan county were no exception to the general rule. At first there was no attempt to separate, as now, the different classes of commodities; since no one class could com- mand sufiicient custom to support a separate dealer. It was, therefore, not unusual to find even hardware and drugs associated with the inseparable "dry goods and groceries." The earliest dealers purchased their supplies in Dubuque. Later, trips were made to Chicago and New York for the purpose of making purchases. Some bought their goods in St. Louis, from which place they came to Dubuque by the river. From Dubuque they were hauled to this county in wagons. The merchants themselves often kept one or more teams, which were constantly employed in hauling their own goods. The independent teamsters, however, constituted quite a large class of laboring men. The round trip from Quasqueton or Independence to Dubuque and back consumed an entire week. Most of the vehicles were covered two-horse wagons; though in bad weather, four horses were often attached to one wagon. The teamsters always went in companies, not only for the sake of mutual assistance in case of necessity, but because there were so many of them that they could not well go otherwise. When it is borne in mind that before the railroad was built the population of Buchanan county had reached seven or eight thousand, that Delaware and Dubuque counties, between here and the city were still more populous, that several other counties west of here were rapidly filling up, and that the supplies for all these people — largely the lumber for their dwellings, and their household goods and furniture, as well as their groceries and dry goods, were hauled over the same wagon route; when all this is borne in mind, it will not be difficult to fancy the number of men and teams and wagons that must have been employed in this extensive carrying trade. And no one will regard as extravagant the com- mon statement that the lines of canvass-covered vehicles often looked like the supply trains of an army. For a long time most of the wagons went to Dubuque empty, since there were no manufactures to ship to the east, and the surplus products of the farms were either consumed here or shipped to the settlers further west. For a few years, however, before the railroad was built, flour from the mill at Independence (and perhaps also from the one in Quasqueton) and corn, wheat and pork from the farms began to be sent to Dubuque in wagons, but never in large quantities. The usual price for freight was one dollar per hundred weight. This, of itself, made the cost of heavy com- modities very high. The freight on a barrel of salt was three dollars; and the price of the article (including freight) six or seven dollars. The best salt, as at present, (and in fact, almost the entire supply) was brought from Syracuse, New York — one of the principal salt centres of the world. Financial matters were managed quite differently then from what they now ars. There being no banks to fur- nish exchange, large sums of money were sent east whenever goods were to be paid for. Dealers, paying for their supplies in Dubuque, would often send money by teamsters. And when they went to New York or other eastern cities to make purchases, large sums were taken with them — not to pay for the goods then pur- chased, but to settle former accounts. For goods were purchased upon four or six months' credit, instead of thirty days, as at present. The first bank (not of issue, but only for deposit and exchange) was established in the old Brewer block on Main street by Beemis, Brewer & Roszell, about 1856. From that time remittances began to be made by mail; and merchants going east, began to take with them drafts instead of cash, or else leave their money on deposit, subject to check. THE PERSONNEL OF BUCHANAN'S EARLY COMMERCE. If men need not be ashamed to own, according to the teachings of Darwin and company, that they have been developed from the monkey, the present dignified race of Buchanan merchants need not blush to be informed that they have been developed, so to speak, from " Bill Dick," sometimes called William Richards for long, who opened the first store ever seen in the county, at Quasqueton, in 1843. His stock was not extensive, nor was his supply of the minor necessaries of life always abundant; but his barrel of whiskey, like the better barrel of the widow of Zare- phath, "failed not." We need not regret that this peculiar variety of the genus merchant did not perpetuate itself. Unfortunately the barrel of whiskey still lasts, and seeks to maintain a respectable alliance with drugs; but it was, years ago, cast ofT as an unfit associate for dry goods, groceries or hard- ware. 54 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. D. S. Davis and S. V. Thoinpson were the first regular merchants in the county, commencing their successful career at Quasqueton about 1845 — a couple of years be- fore the first beginnings at Independence. The first merchant at the county-seat was Charles Cummings, who had his store in a log building near the lower end of main, just east of Chatham street. Wil- liam Brazleton came next, in a store on the corner where the First National bank now is. He put up the first building on the corner south of the bank, and there kept the first hotel of Independence, which was afterwards changed to the Montour House. Among those who may properly be called pioneer mer- chants, the only ones (except R. R. Plane, to be mentioned further on) who are still engaged in mercantile business are the two brothers, A. H. and Orville Fonda, the former of whom has a news stand and variety store in the Hage- man building (Bulletin block), and the latter a dry goods and grocery store at the corner of Main and River streets, west of the bridge. Orville Fonda came from Janesville, Wisconsin, in 1853. He was for sometime engaged in the preparation of the buhr stones for the flouring mill, then in process of erection. A. H., the elder brother, came from the Stale of New York in 1854, and opened a store in a wooden building, on the same corner where the stone store of O. Fonda now stands. About 1856 the two brothers went into business together, at the same place. F'or some six years they were associated under the firm name of A. H, Fonda & Co. In i860 the old wooden building was moved east to the bank of the river, where Mr. Clark's building now is, and the present stone building was erected in its place. After this Orville was out of the business for some years; but, in i860, he bought out his brother, and has been doing business there by himself ever since. Among the merchants who were in business in Inde- pendence when the Fonda brothers commenced, was James Forrester, who, in the spring of 1852, opened a general store (groceries, dry goods, hardware and drugs) in the place where the "wigwam" now stands. He still lives near the city limits, on Main street, east, where he has a fine farm and attractive residence. E. B. and P. A. Older also had a store at this time, on Main, between Chatliam and Walnut streets. They, too, are still living in town, but have retired from business. R. R. Plane is the pioneer hardware merchant of the county, coming to Independence from Belvidere, Illi- nois, in 1854. He began in a small way on Main street, where Davis' meat market now is. He was there about ten years, then two years in the Wilcox block, then pur- chased a lot in front of Chatham street, on which he built a fine store. He was burnt out in 1874, and re- built on the same lot the store he now occupies. His business amounted to about eight thousand dollars the first year, last year about forty thousand, and has reached as high as seventy-five thousand dollars a year. Mr. D. Smith, still living on the west side, commenced the hardware trade about a year after Mr. Plane, but he has been out of the business for several years. The early commerce of the county embraces, besides the mercantile interest, thus far mainly considered, the milling interest and 'the shipping of grain and live stock. The milling interest has from early times been largely represented by a single name — that of Samuel Sherwood. He came to the county in 1847, from Janesville, Wis- consin, with Stoughton and his co-pioneers. He had previously been engaged in the milling business, a mill- wright by trade, having served his apprenticeship under T. B. Hall, of Vermont. He came to Independence to put up a saw-mill for Mr. Stoughton. The saw-mill was built nearly upon the same ground where the present flouring-mill stands. Two years later another was built, a short distance lower down. These mills sawed a large amount of lumber, all of which, of course, was used in the immediate vicinity. The first flouring-mill, the "old mill," as it is now called, was built at Independence in 1854. The name by which it was known in its own day and generation was "The New Haven mills" — New Haven being the name first given to that portion of the town west of the river. Previous to this the people of Independence had procured their flour mainly from Quasqueton, at which place a custom mill had been in operation for several years. The old mill, like the one at Quasqueton, did for the most part a custom business, though it did at differ- ent times ship considerable flour to the west, and occa- sionally a little to Dubuque. The mill built in 1854 did a fair business for about fifteen years, being owned dur- ing all that time by Sanford Clark and Samuel Sherwood, who then thought it advisable to pull down and build larger. The present fine structure of stone and brick was begun in the summer of 1868 and completed in two years. It was built and has always been owned by a stock company, the Hon. P. C. Wilcox, now deceased, being at first the principal stockholder. A few years ago the mill at Quasqueton (unfortunately burned last fall) was purchased by the Independence company, and the entire stock was increased to one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Of this, Mr. Sherwood is now the largest owner. The property has always been lucrative, realizing in one of its best years a net profit of eleven per cent, to the stockholders. During the existence of the old mill the supply of wheat was obtained entirely from this county. But since the failure of wheat here, their supplies have been obtained principally from Min- nesota, but largely also from Dakota, from which terri- tory the best wheat is now obtained. Their best market is Chicago, the next St. Louis, and after that New Orleans. Thomas Scarcliff is probably the oldest representative of the grain trade in the county. He came through this part of the country, on a prospecting tour, in 1851. At that time he entered two hundred and forty acres in Washington township; one hundred and sixty acres adjoin- ing the original town plat of Independence, on the north, and now called Scarclifls's second addition; the other eighty acres one half mile east. He came from England in 1847, spending two years in the State of New York, thence two years in Janesville, Wisconsin, from which place he joi.ied the caravan of immigration to Buchanan county. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 5S Having returned to Janesville, after locating his land he came again in the spring of 1852; but there was so much sickness (chiefly fever and ague) that he remained only ten days. The next year he came and spent the entire summer, but he did not locate himself here permanently till 1854. In 1856 he began grain buying in a small way — his first operation being the purchase of five hundred bushels of oats in Linn county, which he sold here at a price ranging from ninety cents to a dollar a bushel. The very next year the price dropped down to about ten cents a bushel. During that year he made a nice little speculation on two hundred bushels of oats, purchased here at twelve cents a bushel; shipped by wagon to Earlville, then the terminus of the railroad; thence taken to Dubuque by rail, and thence by river to St. Louis, where they were sold at seventy-five cents a bushel Two years later (1859) when the rails were extended to this place, he had two thousand bushels of wheat, and as many of oats, ready for shipment by the first freight train east. The wheat crop began to fail about seven years ago — and for the past five, very little has been sowed. Yet, from the increased production of other kinds of grain (chiefly corn, oats and flax seed) the grain trade is now about as good as ever; while the profits of agriculture, as a whole, from the more diversified pursuits upon which farmers have entered (especially in the raising of cattle, horses and hogs, and the manufacture of butter) have become greater than ever before. Mr. Scarcliff now ships about two thousand car-loads of corn per year; whereas, during the wheat years, corn was hardly taken into the account. He estimates the amount of corn now- znnually shipped from this place, at a hundred thousand bushels, that of oats two hundred. Flax seed began to be raised, on a large scale, about three years ago. The quantity shipped from here in 1879 is estimated at forty thousand bushels — in 1880, at one hundred thou- sand. Mr. Scarcliff owns two warehouses, just east of the Illi- nois Central Railroad station— both of them taken down and brought h€re from the east, on the completion of the railroad to this point — one from Dyersville, and the other from Earlville. He thinks that, on the whole, these warehouses, though involving much greater amount of hand labor, have been more profitable, during the transi- tion through which the grain trade has passed, than an elevator '-'with all the modern improvements;" since they, easily adapting themselves to the fluctuations of the trade, have been kept constantly open and doing business; while the elevators, owing to the heavy expense involved in running them, have had to be shut up a good deal of the time. Encouraged, however, by the revival of business, he has recently purchased the elevator just west of the depot. William P. Brown, entered into the grain trade here about the same time with Mr. Scarcliff; and, like him, has been a very successful dealer. He owns a fine ele- vator next east of Mr. Scarcliff's warehouses. The pioneer dealer in live stock, in this county is E. Cobb, who came to Independence in 1853, from Illinois The first business he engaged in, after coming here, was hotel-keeping in the house which he built and still occu- pies, on Main street, west side, opposite the present public school building. He continued in that business about six years. Before quitting it, however, (that is to say, in the year 1857,) he embarked in the business of buying, feeding and selling cattle and hogs. His farm, which is now mostly in grass for pasturage and meadow, consists of nearly three hundred acres, adjoining the town on the west. His cattle barn is a comfortable and commo- dious building, forty-two feet wide by two hundred in length. At first he dealt about equally in hogs and cat- tle, but since about 1870 he has dealt in cattle mostly. He shipped the first car-load of cattle that was taken from here over the Illinois Central road, in 1859; and also over the Burlington road, in 1873. He transported no live hogs before the railroad was built, but many large droves of cattle were driven east previous to that time, sometimes being taken across the river on the ice, and sometimes by ferry boat. He has an effective and ingenious method of enrich- ing his meadows and cultivating the grass, by a process called "brushing," by which their productiveness is con- tinued year after year without re-seeding. One of his largest meadows has been constantly in grass for twenty- six years. J. D. Myers, now living in Nebraska, was connected with Mr. Cobb in business for six or seven years, from about the year r86o. William A. Jones is also a pioneer in the live stock trade in this county, commencing in that business about two years later than Mr. Cobb — that is to say, in the year 1859 — on the completion of the Dubuque & Sioux City rail- road. Like Mr. Cobb, he had been in the hotel business; not, however, in this county, but Fayette. He came to Independence from the State of New York in 1855; was engaged for a few years in general merchandise, including lumber; then opened a hotel in Fayette, which he con- ducted for about two years more. Then he returned to Independence and engaged in the live stock business, which he has followed ever since. He was at first in partnership with the late P. C. Wilcox, who, we are told, "furnished the capital and shared the profits." These, however, for the first transaction, were "a total loss to the firm of about fifteen hundred dollars." But, on the whole, the partnership proved successful; continuing from 1859 to 1865, since which time Mr. Jones has carried on the business alone. His first shipment was of hogs, late in the fall of 1859, about a thousand in number, filling thirteen cars. The weather turned suddenly cold about the time they reached Dubuque, and, in forty-eight hours, the river was frozen over with ice sufficiently thick to be safely crossed with teams. Over this natural bridge the whole herd of swine were driven, and, as it was very smooth and slippery, it had to be sprinkled with sand to enable the "porkers" to keep their perpendicular. At the close of his partnership -with Mr. Wilco.x, Mr. Jones had real- ized sufficient money to pay off, dollar for dollar, some 56 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. heavy debts incurred by previous losses, and to begin business on his own account "with just one hundred and fifty dollars in money." He has dealt chiefly in hogs, but sometimes quite largely also in cattle. He commenced shipping the lat- ter in i860, the number that year being only two hun- dred. The largest number since, in any one year, was about five thousand. The largest number of hogs shipped in one year was thirty thousand, in 1877. For the first twelve years his average business was about sev- enty-five thousand dollars annually; since then, about two hundred thousand a year. A more full biographical sketch of Mr. Jones (as of some others mentioned in this chapter) will be given elsewhere, those facts only being given here which serve to illustrate the history of the early commerce of the county. CHAPTER VII. HUNTING, TRAPPING AND FISHING. Buchanan county constitutes a part of the great game region lying between the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers, whose plentiful supply of game, and I'ur animals, and fish, won for it, in early times, the sobriquet of "The Paradise of Hunters." Portions of this region may still claim the old title as their chief glory; but Buchanan, perhaps not without some regret, has given it up — for a better. THE GAME QUADRUPEDS, (that is, the quadrupeds hunted for their flesh as well as for their skins) that were found here at the first advent of white men, were the elk, buffalo, bear, dear, rabbit, and squirrel. Of these all have disappeared, except the two last named, which, on account of their small size and their habits of self-concealment, will doubtless resist suc- cessfully all exterminating causes. The buffaloes had already become somewhat "few and far between" when the county was first settled, and the same is true of elks. They were, however, quite plenty no further away than Blackhawk county and throughout the northwestern por- tion of the State. It is reckoned only about fifteen years since the buftalo disappeared entirely from Iowa, and the elk followed but a little later. Asa Blood, jr., shot a fine elk on what are now the cemetery grounds in Independence, on the second of October, 1848. Mr. Blood was the only male adult left in the settlement, all the others having gone off on an elk hunt, which he was prevented from joining by an attack of fever and ague. It would almost seem as if the animal referred to, out of poor compassion for the young hunter's privation, had come of its own accord to give him a chance for a little sport, in spite of "Old Shaky's" interdict. Be this as it may, when he heard that the animal had been seen in the neighborhood he shook off the shakes, seized his gun and went out in pursuit. He had not been gone many minutes before he came across his game in the locality just mentioned, and succeeded in bringing it down. It was a doe, and weighed, when dressed, six hundred pounds. By the help of the boys who discovered it he managed to get it up to the village and distribute it among the few families which then constituted the population. The flesh of the elk is said to be a very savory meat, resembling the best two-year old beef It was during the same fall that Asa Blood, sr., pur- chased of the Quasqueton hunter, Rufus B. Clark, a herd consisting of seven buffalos and seven elks, for about five hundred dollars. Clark had captured them when calves two or three years before, some twenty or thirty miles west from here. His mode of operating was to go out in the early part of the season, when the calves were young, and on finding a herd, whether buffalos or elks, to follow them till the calves got tired and lagged behind, and then capture them with a lasso. He would take cows with him on which the calves were suckled till they were old enough to feed upon grass. After a few days they would follow the cows wherever they went, and so he would bring his captives home, where they soon became as tame as their foster mother. Mr. Blood drove his herd to Milwaukee and there put them upon exhibition. To drive them across the country it was necessary to lead in advance a couple of the cows with which they were familiar. While in Milwaukee they were fed upon malt from a still-house. This, although tolerably nutricious food, contained more or less alcohol which intoxicated them if they were isermitted to eat too much of it. One of the Buffalo cows leaped upon a platform on which were standing several open barrels full of this food, and ate so much that she became furious, broke through the fence into the pen in which the elks were confined, and actually killed three of them before she could be got away. From Milwaukee they were taken to Racine and there exhibited four weeks. The avails of these exhibi- tions fully defrayed all expenses, and the animals were subsequently sold for one thousand one hundred dollars to a Mr. Officer who took them east. Arriving in Chi- cago at the time of some great political gathering, he slaughtered one of the buffalo cows, which was very fat, and gave a public dinner at which buffalo meat fried, stewed and roasted was one of the principal attractions. It is said that the sale of tickets to this entertainment amounted to more than enough to replace the eleven hundred dollars paid for the herd. Deer were at first so numerous and so bold that they would occasionally come into the settlement. Asa Blood, jr., killed one on the spot where the Independ- ence flouring-raill now stands. The animal had just swam across the liver and landed near a saw-mill which was then standing close by the site of the present mill. He used to kill from ten to twenty-five every year, with- out going out of the county. After a while, however, they began to grow scarce and hunters had to go further north and west to find them. It is about ten years since deer disappeared entirely from the county. Asa Blood, jr., and his brother, Amos HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 57 R., killed the last that were seen in this region in De- cember, 187 1. There were three of them — two does and a fawn, first seen in Ezra Wilson's fields, about two miles southeast from Independence. The brothers heard that they were there and went out after them with rifles, but taking no dogs with them. Coming in sight of them the two hunters, choosing each an animal, fired, bringing down the two old ones; but the fawn es- caped for that day. They returned the next day and followed the track of the fawn — finally overtaking and killing it on the premises of Ephraim Miller, about two miles from the place where the others were taken. These animals, it is believed, were the remnants of the native deer of the county, and the last that have been killed within its limits — unless one or two stragglers may have been taken since, just across the northern line. Bears were never numerous in this county. A forest- covered land is the favorite habitat of bruin; and, when found in a prairie region at all, he confines himself to the larger bodies of timber. The flesh of the bear has always been considered a great luxury by old hunters. Dr. Brewer says that he knew personally of the killing of but one bear after he came into the county; and that was killed in 1843 or 1844 by his fellow-pioneer, Rufus B. Clark, in the woods of the Wapsie, in Newton town- ship, just below Quasqueton. Of course his old friend sent him a nice portion of the steak. His father hap- pened to be with him at this time, on a visit from the east. As the father Iiad never tasted bear's meat, the son contrived to have it brought upon the table without his being aware of what kind of meat it was, that he might see if he would notice any pecuharity in its flavor. The meat was, therefore, brought upon the table and served without comment. The old gentleman partook of it heartily and with evident relish ; and, when he had finished the first piece, inquired: "Is this the kind of pork you raise here? It is the finest I ever tasted." And when they told him it was bear's meat, he replied, smacking his lips: "Very well; give us another slicei" THE GAME BIRDS found here by the first white settlers, were the wild tur- key, prairie chicken, partridge or pheasant, quail, wood- cock, snipe, wild goose, brant, swan, white crane, pelican, sandhill crane, and ducks of several species. Of these, the last seven are water fowl, and birds of passage. They fly north in the spring and south in the fall, usually be- yond gunshot range; at which seasons their cries (espec- ially those of the goose and swan) have a peculiar, weird effect, more particularly when heard in the night. The pelicans probably never had their nesting grounds here, and are now never known to light. Still they pass over, more or less, every season, and sometimes fly so low as to be reached by bird shot. An acquaintance of ours in Marshall county, being out hunting with his bird gun, in early spring a few years ago, fired at what he took to be the leader of a flock of geese. To his great sur- prise he brought him down, and to his still greater sur- prise, he found on reaching the place where he fell, that instead of a goose, he had actually killed a magnificent white pelican, measuring full eight feet from tip to tip of wings. Probably none of the other water fowl mentioned now breed here, except some of the duck species; but they all occasionally light in our waters for rest and food. The wild turkey is getting scarce, and will probably disappear in the course of a few years. The history of this magnificent bird is very remarkable. It is well known to be a native of this country. But so well adapted is it to domestication, and such are the excellent qualities of its flesh for food, that it has been introduced into nearly all the civilized countries of the world; the only game bird of America that has become cosmopoli- tan. Its color has become variable by domestication (the wild bird being black or very dark) but its size has not increased, nor the quality of its flesh improved. The mallard duck is the same as our principal tame species, and can hardly be distinguished from it; but the wild goose, though easily domesticated, is an entirely different species from our common tame goose. And when the two species cross, as they sometimes do, the product, like the mule, is incapable of reproduction. The quail, partridge, prairie chicken, snipe, and wood- cock, are said to be more plentiful now than when the county was first settled; but the prairie chicken is now rapidly disappearing, both from a lack of safe hatching grounds, and from the fearful slaughter to which it has been subjected. THE FUR ANIM.iLS of this county, when the white settlers first came, were the otter, beaver, mink, raccoon, muskrat, wolf, fox (rare then but more frequent since) badger, occasionally a fisher, lynx or wild cat, and (rarely) a |ianther. Of these the only ones that remain, are the muskrat, mink and wolf — with an occasional otter, wild cat, rac- con and badger. The otter is a short legged, long bodied animal — the legs being about five inches, and the body about thirty or forty in length, from tip to tip of nose and tail. It lives on fish almost exclusively — which it must take alive — pursuing its game by swimming under water; and out- swimming (it is said) any fish that ever swam in the Wapsie. The otter is taken in a steel trap, that has to be made for his especial accommodation. The jaws of the trap mu.=t be low (about two and a half inches) on account of the animal's short legs. The trap must be heavy, and furnished with a stout spring, as the otter is as strong as a bull-dog. Its fur is of the finest and most valuable — eight dollars being the average price for otter skin. An "otter slide" is a place where an otter habitually brings its fish out of the water to eat them, and then slides down into the water for more. It is generally on a bank three feet high. Here the traps are set, buried in sand, dried leaves and grass. To bring the animal more certainly to the place where the trap is concealed, it is frequently scented with the perfume of the skunk, diluted with alcohol — an odor which seems to have an ir- resistible attraction for the otter. The trap is fastened by a long and strong chain to a small sapling, from six to ten feet high, cut down and thrown into the water. Ash 58 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, lOAVA. is preferred for this purpose, since it is easily split at the but and then wedged, after the ring of the chain is slipped over it. When taken in the trap, the otter plunges at once into the stream, dragging the trap after him. By the weight of the trap and his entanglement in the chain, the animal is very soon drowned. The sapling seldom gets out of reach from the bank; and, by means of it, the trap and its occupant are drawn safe to land. The beaver is a much larger animal than the otter, and • frequently weighs eighty or ninety pounds. Its shape is almost precisely that of the muskrat. Its tail is from ten inches to a foot in length, an inch in thick- ness, and five or six inches wide— the appendage being flattened horizontally. They live on the bark of the willow, ash and aspen trees. They cut down these trees when from four to six inches in diameter, trim off the tender branches and drag them away to be stored up for food in the pond, about which their homes are con- structed, much in the manner of muskrats. The Bu- chanan beavers made their ponds by damming the small streams emptying into the VVapsie. Their dams were constructed mainly from the branches of the trees which they had cut down for food. These they placed across the stream in a very scientific manner, mix- ing in moss, leaves, mud, and even stones — some of the latter weighing as much as twenty-five pounds. The force of the adage, "Working like beavers," may be appreciated by considering a fact vouched for by Mr. Blood from personal knowledge. But a short distance below Independence, near the mouth of a small stream emptying into the river, stood a grove of young ash trees averaging about six inches in diameter, and thickly cov- ering about an acre of ground. All these trees were cut down in about six weeks time, from the middle of August to the end of September; and the most of the limbs were cut off" and dragged into the beaver pond near by. Mr. Blood's method of catching beavers was as follows: He would cut holes in the dam to let out the water; and about these holes he would plant his traps, prepared in the same way as for otters. The beavers would come in force to mend the dam, and some of them would be sure to get caught. The legs of the beaver are even shorter than those of the otter. The trap, therefore, has to be made after the same general fashion as that of the otter trap, though it must be about twice as heavy, on account of the greater weight and strength of the animal to be caught in it. Although the beaver is caught principally for its fur, which is much sought after and of great value, yet its hind quarters (and especially the tail) are regarded by epicures as a great luxury. The mink, whose fur is highly prized, especially for muffs and boas, burrows in the ground on the banks of streams. Each individual has its own peculiar home, to which it adheres with great tenacity. It lives on fish, frogs and small birds; and sometimes, like the weasel (to which it is nearly related) it is bold enough to invade hen roosts. In catching the mink a small trap, with only one spring is ordinarily used. A place is cut in the mouth of its hole (or burrow) and the trap is placed in it, covered with leaves and grass. The mink is easily caught, as it has no cunning to avoid the trap. Small as the animal is, compared with the beaver or otter, its skin is very valua- ble, having been sold as high as six dollars. The fisher is an animal somewhat resembling the mink, of similar habits, and taken in the same way. It is much more rare, and its fur is quite as fine. The muskrat sometimes burrows in the banks of streams, having the entrance to its burrow beneath the surface of the water, and coming up into the bank above high water mark; and sometimes it builds conical houses, composed of grass and weeds, in shallow ponds, the en- trance, as in the case of a burrow, being below the sur- face, and the house being built high enough to afford the animal a dry nest above the water. It lives on roots, and the trap in which it is taken is set near its burrow or house, and baited with parsnip, of which it is very fond. The animal is very prolific, and, like its troublesome namesake, hard to exterminate. Its fur is common and cheap, but profitable to the trapper on account of its abundance. Mr. Blood has taken as many as three or four hundred muskrats in this county in a single season; while if he secured here, in the same time, ten otters, as many beavers, and twenty or thirty minks, he thought he was doing pretty well. THE PREDATORY ANIMALS which the county is at present seeking to exterminate by offering a bounty for their destruction, are the wolf, the wild-cat and the lynx. The State fixes the bounty at one dollar, but permits the supervisors of any county to in- crease it to five dollars. The Buchanan county supervis- ors are at present paying three dollars for each scalp ("with the ears attached") of any one of the above named species, provided sufficient proof is furnished that the animal was killed in the county, and within a specified time before presenting the scalp. The skins of these an- imals are very valuable, especially those of the lynx, whose fur is highly esteemed for muffs, etc. Wolf skins are much sought after for sleigh robes and winter over- coats. It is doubted by some whether the lynx and the wild- cat, as found here are really different species. Many maintain that they are only different varieties of the same species. However this may be, it is certain that the names are frequently confounded. At first there were found here three species of wolves; the yellow, prairie wolf (much the smallest), the gray, timber wolf, and the black (sometimes called the blue) wolf The last two species were never numerous, and have almost entirely disappeared. They were large and powerful animals, and quite disposed to be friendly with the settlers' dogs— sometimes coming among the houses to play with them. The prairie wolves are much less numerous than at the first; but, in spite of the bounty, they have decreased but little, if any, during the past ten years. In June, 1873, the supervisors paid the bounty on thirty-five wolves; in January, 1879, on twenty-three; HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 59 and, in June, 1880, on forty-eight. During the whole of the last mentioned year, they paid the bounty on sixty- seven wolves, two wild cats and one lynx. In 1862 bounty was paid on eight lynxes; and, in 1863, on eight wild-cats. These animals are sometimes killed with poison; sometimes they are caught in traps, and some- times (which is by far the most huntsman-like) they are shot with rifles. No bounty was ever offered here for the killing of bears, foxes, or panthers. The first of these disappeared before the county was organized. The second never became sufficiently numerous to make their extermination a matter of importance; and it is doubtful if an individual of the third-named species was ever seen in the county, after the advent of the first white settler. Mrs. Heman Morse, who, as Mrs. Frederick Kessler, was one of the earliest pioneers of the county, states that, soon after the settlement was begun at Quasqueton, some of the men who had lived among the mountains of Pennsylvania, and had there often heard the scream of the panther (said to be unmistakable by any one that has ever heard it) declared that they had heard one at night, in the timber near the Wapsie. This is the nearest we can come to a panther story — but the animal was never seen. The supervisors also attempted, for a number of years, to exterminate those destructive little burrowers, the "pocket gophers," by offering a bounty of ten cents each for their scalps. It afforded a good deal of fun, as well as profitable employment, to the boys, who sometimes brought in as many as a hundred thousand scalps in a single year. But a thousand dollars a year was quite a tax — especially as there seemed to be no prospect of its dimin- ishing. So the supervisors, concluding that the gophers, like Sampson, were more destructive in their deaths than in their lives, withdrew the bounty. We have never heard that gopher skins were ever turned to any economic account. FISHING IN THE WAPSIE, was most abundant at the time the settlers first came, and continued good until dams were built, interrupting the free passage of the fish. The principal kinds of fish at first found here, together with their usual weight, were as follows : Black-bass, from two to eight pounds; pike, from two to eighteen pounds; pickerel, from one to twenty-five; mullet (or red horse), from one to ten pounds; suckers, two pounds; sunfish, half a pound; rock-bass, from one-half to a pound; bull- pout, from a half to a pound and a half; catfish, ten pounds; striped-bass, from one to two pounds; muskal- longe, from five to forty pounds. These are all found here now (in reduced numbers) except the catfish and muskallonge. One of the former was taken three or four years ago; but it is ten or twelve years since the lat- ter disappeared. The usual method of taking all these kinds of fish, is with a hook. The spear, however, is sometimes used; and formally many were taken in nets. But as this threatened extermination to the fish, it is now forbidden by law. For taking the bass, pike, and pickerel, the hook is usually baited with a minnow — or an artificial minnow, or fly, or "spoon," may be used. These all dart upon their prey, and seize it when in motion. The sucker and mullet take their food from the bottom of the stream. The hook therefore, is usually baited with a worm and dropped down before them. Some have regarded the catfish as a large bullpout, and the muskallonge as a large pike. If this were really so (and we are not scientific enough to say whether the theory is correct or not), the fact would account for the disappearance of those large fish — the only ones, in fact, that have disappeared. From the constant capture of the fish, it may be that those two species, the pike and the bull-pout, do not get time enough to develop into muskallonge and catfish. Rufus B. Clarke, whose name appears so often in this narrative, who was one of the pioneers of the county at Quasqueton, and the first settler in Independence, was, so far as we can learn, the only man in the county that ever devoted himself so exclusively to the business of fishing, hunting and trapping. He made a good deal of money at these callings, but beyond supporting, in toler- able comfort, his family consisting of himself, his wife, and two children, he had little to show for it all. He was a born pioneer, and felt like a fish out of water as soon as the institutions of civilized life began to cluster about his home. It would seem that he came naturally by his love of frontier life; for as Judge Roszell informs us, he "was the first white child born in what is now the city of Cleveland, Ohio." The same writer graphi- cally draws the following outline of his wanderings: From Ohio "he wandered to the mines of Wisconsin; then here ; then northwest toward the headwaters of the Cedar; thence further northwest into the wilds of Min- nesota; thence across the continent to the west of the Sierra Nevadas, and at last lies sleeping in death on Whitby's Island in far Puget Sound." While here his reputation as a pioneer sportsman had become known far and near — as may be seen from the following ac- count of A HUNTING, TRAPPING AND FISHING EXCURSION. As Stated in the sketch of his life, which is given elsewhere, Asa Blood, jr., first came to Iowa in the fall of 1844, just after reaching his majority. He came from Wisconsin, accompanied by a party of five other young men, of similar tastes and about the same age, named as follows; A. Brown, Charles Abbott, Leander Keyes (afterward sheriff of Buchanan county), \Villiam Ham- mond, and Titus Burgess, who subsequently became a settler at Quasqueton. They had heard of the fame of Rufus B. Clark, the great pioneer hunter of that place, and came there to secure his services as guide and cap- tain of the party. He consented to accompany them ; and they set out, the latter part of October, the captain on horseback and the rest of the party in a two-horse wagon, carrj'ing their necessary utensils. They proceeded as far as Clear lake, in Cerro Gordo county, hunting, trapping and fishing along the streams and lakes, and capturing, in about four weeks, nineteen beavers, si.xteen otters, thirty or forty raccoons, and plenty of other kinds of game for the sustenance of ihe 6o HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. parly. On their return, they struck the Cedar river in Bremer county, near the place where the town of Wav- erly now stands. Here the party divided. Clark returned home with his horse; Blood and Keyes followed with the wagon, and the rest of the party decided to come down the river in canoes, which they had managed to secure, and which they intended to abandon at the point of the river nearest to Quasqueton. But soon after this separation, the weather grew suddenly cold. The ice became so thick in the river that our four roj- agetirs were compelled to abandon their boats and take to the Kind. Game di-wppeared, and, in addition to tlie intense cold, they suffi.red all the pangs of hunger. For two entire days their only food consisted of a few fresh- water clams, which they succeeded in digging from the edge of the stream. Luckily, no snow fell; and with vigorous exercise by day and files and blankets at night, they managed to keep themselves from serious freezing, though their noses, lingers and ears were badly frost- bitten. At length, after five days' heroic endurance, they reached Sturgis' rapids (now Cedar Falls) in a hall"- famished condition. As good fortune (or, rather. Provi- dence) would have it, Mr. Sturgis had just slaughtered a fine beef, and had left the quarters hanging from the limbs of an oak tree near his house. The feelings of the boys, on suddenly coming in sight of this plentiful supply of meat, can better be imagined than described. With a yell which made the frightened Sturgis think that the Indians were coming, they rushed forward and surrounded the prize with the most grotesque antics and cries of grateful exultation. As soon as the proprietor, having assured himself from a window that they were not really savages, presented himself at the door, one of them called out, with a tone of mingled supplication and command: ''Cook us some of this, as soon as the Almighty will let you!" This the hospitable man, see- ing and comprehending their starving condition, was not slow to do ; and the thankful boys were soon regaling themselves right sumptuous!)'. The next day, anxious to put an end to the painful suspense of their friends, they set out for Quasqueton, and were met at Pilot Grove, a little west of the Black- hawk county line, by two men with a team sent out by Clark for their rescue. The coldest night was that of the twenty-fourth of November, and the one previous to the arrival of Blood and Keyes at Quasqueton. They made a fire and wrapped themselves in their blankets under the wagon. By these means they managed to keep them- selves from freezing, but got very little sleep. It was a joyful meeting, we may well believe, when the friends all got together again, safe and sound, at Quasqueton. In a few days they started on their return to Wisconsin, and all reached their homes without further mishap or ad- venture. Thus ended an exciting and meinorable excursion. It was undertaken mainly from the love of adventure, but proved to be quite remunerative in a financial point of view, for the furs taken during the trip were disposed of at Fort Atkinson for about three hundred and fifty dol- lars. IN AFTER YEARS, Asa Blood, jr., and his brother, Amos R., together with T. J. Marinus and Alexander Hathaway, all of Buchanan county, constituted a sort of OLD hunters' guild, the members of which, for more than twenty years, never failed on each recurring autumn to make a long trip to gether, north or west, for the purpose of hunting and fishing. Their last excursion of this sort was made in 1877, a little while before Mr. Blood removed to Colo- rado to reside. They went north, and spent several weeks roaming over the prairies, through the forests, and about the lakes and streams of Minnesota. While out they killed thirty-two deer, and took three thousand three hundred pounds of fish. All this was sent by express from St. Paul to Independence. It was stored in what is now Asa Clark's grocery, and was disposed of at wholesale and retail, realizing for the hunters about four hundred dollais. We will finish up our general chapter on Buchanan game, with a brief section on THE RETURN OF THE BEARS. As an evidence that bar-barism is not easily uprooted, and that savagery often lingers in the lap of progress and enlightenment, may be mentioned the fact that in the autuinn of 1859 several visits from members of the bruin family were reported in different portions of northern Iowa. Two were arrested and stopped short in their porcine pursuit in Delaware county; one in Fayette; a fourth was killed near Dyersville, Dubuque county, by a Mr. Sinith; and the fifth, weighing over two hundred pounds, met the fate which, sooner or later, is sure to overtake all who set at defiance the principles which underlie the institutions of civilized society, in Jones county, near Anamosa. The historian regrets to be compelled to acknowledge the truth of the assertion, if it should be made, that no positive testimony exists that either of these animals ever trod the soil of Buchanan county; but, as no one will venture to claim that there is, on the other hand, the least evidence to the contrary, and as this county cannot well afford to lose the distinction en- joyed by her sister neighbors, of having been favored in this farewell visit from members of this classic race, so long renowned in song and story, there seems to be the utmost propriety in assuming that at least the last named did pass through Buchanan on his way to Jones. The reasons on which this probability is based may be briefly stated thus: Bears are only one species of northern barbarians. An incursion of Goths, Vandals, or bears, from any other point of the compass would be an anomaly in history, or in any other department of literature. The bear is also remarkable for longevity, for a tenacity of memory, and for a preference for night operations and the additional protection afforded by a proximity to rocky forests, not often ventuiing far from their sombre re- cesses. In the vicinity of Anainosa, Jones county, which lies to the southeast of Buchanan, and shares with it the Wapsipinicon river, just such a region exists, and that, too, in a continuation of a belt of woodland bordering HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 6i the river, which takes its rise far to the north. This ro- mantic and broken country was, no doubt, a favorite re- sort if not the home of the ancestry and immediate fam- ily of the individual in question. Here, probably, clambering about these rocky defiles, his days of uncouth gamboling had been spent; and when, in 1838 or 1840, the presence of the hunters and trappers, and following them the' pioneer settlers, had made his hitherto safe fast- nesses no longer safe, instinct led the bear tribe to re- treat, not in the direction of the flowing water, which would have carried them into the very camp of their enemies; but to return, ascending the streams to the sources from which the water flowed, was their wisdom and their safety. Many moons had waxed and waned, and bears had disappeared from the valleys and hills of Northern Iowa, but in the autumn of 1859 they reappeared as far south as the fourth tier of counties; and why? We cannot answer for all; but, to the subject of this brief notice, it is evident that this excursion southward was not for pur- poses of marauding, or even foraging, else the suffolks of the farmers of Fairbank would have proved too enticing, and his progress south would have ended where it began, so far as Buchanan is concerned, in the northwest corner of the county. No; that hypothesis is not to be enter- tained for a moment. This aged bruin was drawn irre- sistably, as the Indian often is, to revisit the graves of his ancestors. Entering the county by following the Wapsi- pinicon, at its northwest boundary, and studiously avoid- ing the abodes of men, and eschewing his fondness foi' roasting pigs and "tame" honey, keeping within the friendly shelter of the woodlands, and travelling at night, he at last entered once more the enchanted wilds of rock and river, which had visited him in dreams and compelled him to undertake his last journey. How else should he have been found in that spot? He did not come from the south. To have reached the locality from either the east or west, he must have crossed a long stretch of open, thickly settled country. No; he was a Wapsipinicon bear, and returned to end his life where it began. We are encouraged to hope that none will feel called upon to assail what they may choose to call the weak points in this chain of evidence we adduce, as, after patient research of early records, we have not been able to discover any other ground for the claim, that Buchanan county was not overlooked in this last incursion of the northern barbarians. Note. — " Since the above was in type." as ilie printers say, we have learned that one of those northern marauders was intercepted and killed in Jefferson township. The bear facts are stated in the history of that township ; but Mr. James E. Jewel, who, though but a mere boy at the time, joined in the chase and was " in at the death" of the monster, has given us some additional particulars. This bear was killed in October, 1859, about two miles east of Bran- don, on the open prairie. About forty men and boys, all without guns, joined in the pursuit. He was so fat and heavy that a man could easily outrun him. But neither men nor dogs ventured near enough to attack him. One dog, with an unusual reputation for ferocity w.as set upon him; but, when at the distance of about ten feet, the huge planti- grade rose in fierce majesty, standing si.t feet in height without stock- ings, and showing his deadly teeth and claws. The canine, seeing that death was brewing, and that bruin was death, gave one velp of mingled fright and despair, turned and fled precipitately with his tail between his legs. However, the excited crowd managed to keep his beaiship in check for about three hours, till Joe Allen, hurrying off to ]. Wilson's, bor- rowed his rifle, and with it succeeded in despatching the dangerous in- truder, though not until three balls had been fired into his huge carcass. He weighed over three hundred pounds. CHAPTER VIII. ERECTION AND ORGANIZATION OF BUCHANAN COUNTY: At ITS winter session of 1837-8, held at Burlington, the legislature of Wisconsin Territory (which then em- braced the territory now constituting the State of Iowa) passed "an act to establish the boundary lines of the counties of Dubuque, Clayton, Jackson, Benton, Linn, Jones, Clinton, Johnson, Scott, Delaware, Buchanan," etc. The boundaries of Dubuque and Delaw.are having been described in the first three or four sections of this act, it proceeds as follows : Section 5. That all the country lying west of the county of Dela- ware and between the line dividing townships eighty-si.x and eighty- seven, and the line dividmg townships ninety and ninety-one, north, extended to the western boundary of the territory, shall be, and the same is hereby constituted a separate county, to be called Buchanan. Section 6. That the counties of Delaware and Buchanan shall, for temporary purposes, be considered in all respects a part of the county of Dubuque. This act, which was approved December 21, 1837, merely planted the seed of the new county. It gave it "a local habitation and a name," but left its develop- ment into a living organization to the operation of time and its own internal, germinal forces. The subsequent development of the county may seem to have been slow to one who fails to realize the amount of embryotic growth which it had to make. If it takes sixteen months for an acorn to be developed from the blossom, and twice that number of years for a blossoming oak to be de- veloped from the acorn, it ought not to be regarded as wonderful that it took Buchanan county ten years to emerge fully from its embryotic condition. Especially ought this fact excite no wonder, when it is remembered that all the early development of Buchanan county had to be made without any of that remarkable stimulus which railroads have since given to the growth of new- counties. The act above cited fixed the eastern boundary of the county as it now is, and designated the parallels along which the northern and the southern boundary lines still extend westward; but it extended those lines to the western limits of the territory. That is to say, it consti- tuted as the western boundary of the county, those portions of the Big Sioux and the Missouri rivers included within the two parallels mentioned. The county there- fore embraced, theoretically, at that time, a strip of land about two hundred and forty miles long and twenty-four miles wide. The act locating Blackhawk county, was passed by the Iowa Territory legislature, about five years after this, viz.: on the seventeenth of February, 1843 — the boundaries 63 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. beginning at the northwest corner of Buchanan county. Between these two dates there must, of course, have been an act designating the present western limits of the last named county. When such an act was passed we have not been able to ascertain. As to the origin of the county's name we have also made somewhat diligent inquiry, without being able to obtain any satisfactory information. The prevailing opinion is, however, that the name was given through the influence of an ardent admirer of the Pennsylvania statesman, James Buchanan, who afterwards became dis- tinguished as the last Democratic President of the United States. The act of December, 1837, attached Buchanan and Delaware to Dubuque, and that of February, 1843, at- tached Blackhawk and Buchanan to Delaware, for elec- tion, revenue and judicial purposes; and this latter ar- rangement continued till 1847, when this county elected its own officers, and assumed an independent jurisdiction. The first election was held in August, 1S47, when John Scott, Frederick Kessler, and B. D. Springer were elected county commissioners, and Dr. Edward Brewer, clerk — an office which the latter continued to hold for twenty-three years. We have been informed by Dr. Brewer (though we have found no record of the fact) that S. V. Thompson was appointed by State authority, as organ- izing sheriff", and that the election was called and man- aged by him. Doubtless some of the preliminaries were arranged by the authorities of Delaware county, under whose jurisdiction Buchanan was at the time, and by which the latter had been divided into two election pre- cincts, one called Quasqueton and the other Centre precinct. The earliest record of the proceedings of the commis- sioners' court of the county, shows that certain other officers, besides those above named, were elected, or ap- pointed, at or about the time of the first county election. We transcribe the following entries: September 4. 1847, John Scott (who was also one of the county com- missioners) filed his bond and took the oath of office as justice of the peace in and for the centre precinct of the county. September 8th, Thomas S. Hubbard filed his bond in this office as a justice of the peace in and for Quasqueton precinct, having taken the oath of office before Esquire Holmes of the same precinct. September 23d, Henry H. Baker fully qualified as constable, and Thomas E. McKinney as a justice of the peace, in and for the centre precinct of the county. September 28th A. B. Hathaway took the oath of office for coroner of the county. On the fourth of October the commissioners held their first meeting — their first official act being to divide the county into "three commission districts" — that is (as we suppose) districts from each one of which a county commissioner was thereafter to be elected. The first of these districts comprised the north half of the county; or the eight congressional townships lying north of the correction line. The second embraced the four southeastern townships, with the exception of the two tiers of sections lying on the west side of townships eighty-seven and eighty-eight of range eight; and the third comprised all the remaining portion of the county. TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION. January 3, 1848, the commissioners divided the county into three civil townships, whose boundaries were made identical with those of the three commissioner districts already established. These townships, like the districts, were first called simply from their numbers; and an elec- tion for township officers was ordered to take place in each of them, on the first Monday in the following April. In township number one the election was to be held "at the store in Independence;" Isaac Hathaway, John Scott, and John Obenchain to be judges of elec- tion. In township number two the election was to be held "at the school-house in Quasqueton;" Benjamin Cong- don, Levi Billings and Malcolm McBane to be judges. In township number three the election was to be held "at the house of Barney D. Springer;" and J. Monroe Scott, Gamaliel Walker and B. D. Springer were named as judges of election. In July, 1849, t'i6 boundaries of these townships were slightly changed, and number one was called Washing- ton, number two Liberty, and number three Spring. From this date until i860, the erection of new town- ships and the frequent changes in their names and boundaries, seem to have employed much of the valu- able time of the county authorities. We can give only enough of these to trace the formation of the sixteen townships as they now exist. The fourth township — Jefferson — was erected May 22, 1852; Buffalo (at first called Buffalo Grove), August 6, 1852; Perry was set off from Washington February 7, 1853; Superior (afterward called Hazleton), July 4, 1853; Newton, the first made conterminous with a con- gressional township (the same as township eighty-seven, range seven, which limits it still retains), was so erected May I, 1854. September 19, 1854, the eight townships then exist- ing, viz.: Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Buffalo, Spring, Washington, Superior, and Perry, were set forth anew, as to their boundaries; all of them being more or less changed, except Newton. At this time Spring township was very irregular in its form, comprising the south half of the present territory of Fremont, sections twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty- seven, thirty-four, thirty- five, thirty-six, and one-half of sections thirty-two and thirty-three, of the present terri- tory of Byron, the west half of the present township of Liberty, all of the present territory of Sumner, and about three sections of the southeast corner of Washington. At the same time Superior township consisted of the west half of the present territory of Buffalo, and all of pres- ent Hazleton except the western tier of sections. Alton (the same as the present township of Fairbank) was erected March 5, 1855. Prairie (afterwards Fre- mont) was erected March 14, 1856; and Byron, March 20th, of the same year. The remaining townships were erected as follows: Sumner, March 7, 1857; Madison, March 11, 1857; Homer, July 29, 1858; Middlefield, September 21, 1858; Cono, same date; Westburg, Au- gust 6, i860. The name of Prairie township was ' changed to Fremont, September 5, 1859; that of Alton HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 63 was changed to Fairbank June 2, 1862; and that of Su- perior to Hazelton, some time during the same year. The last two changes were made by the board of Super- visors — all the rest by the county court. We will now give, for convenience of reference, the names of the existing townships, in the order of the dates at which they assumed their present form: New- ton, May I, 1854; Fairbank (Alton), March 5, 1855; Hazelton (Superior), same date. Madison, March 11, 1857; Buffalo, same date; Homer, June 29, 1858; Mid- dlefield, September 21, 1858; Cono, same date; Liberty, September 5, 1859; Fremont, same date; Byron, same date; Westburgh, August 6, i860; Jefferson, same date; Perry, same date; Washington, September 13, i860; Sumner, same date. CHANGES IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT. The commissioners' court was abolished in i860, and the board of supervisors was established in its place. About the same time the office of county judge was given up and that of county auditor was adopted. The duties heretofore performed by the county judge now fall in a great measure to the board of supervisors. This body consisted at first of sixteen members, one from each township. At present, however, the number is reduced to seven — all being elected by a general vote of the county. The first supervisors were elected in the fall of i860, and entered upon their duties January 7, 1 86 1. Their names, with the township from which they were elected, are as follows: Elisha Sanborn, of Alton, (Fairbank); E. P. Baker, of Byron; C. H. Jakway, of Buffalo; E. D. Hovey, of Cono; James Fleming, of Fre- mont; S. S. Allen, of Homer; John Johnson, of Jeffer- son; William Logan, of Liberty; J. B. Ward, of Madison; James M. Kerr, of Middlefield; N. W. Richardson, of Newton; D. B. Sanford, of Perry; V. R. Beach, of Sumner; William C. Nelson, of Superior (Hazelton); George W. Bemis, of Washington; William B. Wilkin- son, of Westburgh. PRESENT COUNTY OFFICERS. The present officers of the county are as follows: Au- ditor, George B. Warne; clerk of courts, O. M. Gillet; treasurer, J. A. Poor; recorder, J. W. Foreman; sheriff, E. L. Currier; school superintendent, W. E. Parker; sur- veyor, J. N. Iliff; coroner, H. H. Hunt. SUPERVISORS. C. R. Millington, of Washington, chairman; H. M. Coughtry, of Byron; G. M. Miller, of Hazelton; A. H. Grover, of Homer; T. E. McCurdy, of Buffalo; W. H. L. Eddy, of Liberty; W. H. Gates, of Perry. CHAPTER IX. THE COUNTY SEAT WAR. It is said that an early History of Ireland contained a chapter entitled: "The Snakes of Ireland"— the whole of which consisted of six short words, as follows : "There are no snakes in Ireland." To those who have never written a history, there may be nothing in that announcement but the cool, unimpas- sioned statement of a historical fact. But to us who have " been there" — i.e., not in Ireland, but in the his- tory business — it is the laconic expression of an almost inexpressible regret. We think that we can read between the lines" — or, rather under the line; for there was but one hne written — the confession of a sad disappoint- ment. We can fancy that historian — who was probably not an Irishman, though he had learned to manage the vernac- ular like a native — setting out upon the composition of that chapter with high hopes of pleasurable excitement, both for himself and his readers. With what marvelous "snake stories" he was about to garnish his work! Monsters of fabulous length and fleetness were to rush out upon the defenceless inhabitants, from the reeds along the banks of the Shannon, or from the peat bogs of Kildare. Pitiless as an English landlord, they would make nothing of distraining the last pig of some widowed Kathleen; and only the valorous spades of the paternal Patricks would save the infant Pats from a like tragic fate. He sharpens his well-worn pencil {we always write his- tory with a pencil) sets down the heading of his chapter, and then he thinks himself to consult authorities in regard to the herpetology of the Emerald Isle. As he reads, the fine (renzy disappears from his eye; and when, at last, the utter snakelessness of his condition becomes apparent, he closes the encyclopedia in despair. How- ever, "what is writ is writ." The heading must stand; and the few brief words written under it, while they em- body an interesting historical fact (or fiction), shall, at the same time, record his own grievous disappointment : Alas! "there are no snakes m Ireland." And so, when we recall the thrilling, warlike incidents which, in so many counties, have attended the removal of the county seat — the harsh clashing of pecuniary and sectional interests — the vigorous political campaigns — the fiery eloquence of orators, subsidized by the friends of removal on the one side, and by its enemies on the other — the gathering of the hostile clans around the ballot-box — the frequent defeat and the final victory at the polls — the refusal of obstinate (though obsolete) of- ficials to deliver up the county archives — the siege of the old court house by the new sheriff, with his comic posseiatus, bearing the decree of the court as their banner with its strange device— the defiance of the besieged who, with guns in their hands, stand at the port-holes and hurl back, as their war-cry, the legend on the banner of their foes: "mandamus, if we yield!"— when we recall all this, and think of the opportunities for fine writing which the scenes thus hinted at afford, it is with a teeling of regret similar to that of our Irish historian, that we find our- 64 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. selves compelled to set down, as the pith and marrow of this chapter, an announcement which is only a parody of his : "There was never any county seat war in Buchanan county." Independence has been the capital ever since the county was organized ; and there is not now, and prob- ably never will bp, any other place that will be either able or disposed to compete with it for that honor. The county archives are there, and, in the language of the immortal Webster, "there they will remain forever." CHAPTER X. THE COURT AND THE BAR OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. In the year 1847, there stood a small wooden building on the corner of Main and Court streets, in the city of Independence, the spot where what is called the Brewer block now stands. The small, dingy front room of this building was used as the county cleik's office and court room. The back end was occupied by Dr. Edward Brewer and family. In the fall of that year, a gruff-looking man, in a one- horse buggy, drove up to the front door of this building and from his seat called for the clerk of the court to ap- pear. Dr. Brewer modestly stepped to the door, when the following colloquy took place: "Is this the clerk of the court?" "It is." "I am Judge Grant. Are there any cases on the docket?" "Yes; there are two. One an original case; the other an appealed case from a justice of the peace." "Bring the docket out here." The doctor carried the docket out to the buggy. Says the judge: "Do you know anything about these cases?" "I do. One is an original case against myself; that is to be dismissed. The other is an appeal from a jus- tice by the defendant. I am counsel for the plaintiff. That is to be affirmed." "All right. Enter them up accordmgly." And the judge drove off. Thus ended the first court ever held in Buchanan county. Dr. Brewer had just been elected county clerk, the first clerk of the county, and a position which he held continuously for the next twenty-one years. Couit was held the following year by Judge Grant, in a log building just south of the Dr. House dwelling, in what is now the street. The year following, it was held in an old building occupying the ground where the First National bank now stands. It was at this place that a scene occurred which illustrates the practice of the times, likewise the peculiarities of Judge Grant, and the summary manner of dispensing with justice. Two men from Black Hawk county were here on trial for disturbing the peace. As was usual in those days, a large number of neighbors and friends of the parties, and a host of witnesses, were on hand. As the skirmish was about to commence, the judge said to Dr. Brewer: "Call out all the men from Black Hawk county, and have them stand in a row." This was done, and enough stood in the row to make a good-sized militia company. "Now," says Judge Grant, "put all those men under bonds to keep the peace." It was done at once, and court adjourned. The next year T. S. Wilson was elected judge of the district court. His first term was held in the old Meth- odist church, just back of the present church. This building resembled a nine-pin alley, and was just about as large. The year following, it was held in the upper room of the stone building now occupied by Tom Cur- tis as a livery stable, and in a school building where the jail now stands. It was altei wards held in a wooden building just south of Orville Fonda's store, on the west side of the river, and afterwards, in 1856, in the new court house. The first judge of the district court of this county was James Grant, who held his position from 1847 to 1S53. The second judge was T. S. Wilson, of Du- buque, who held his first term in June, 1S53, and his last term in September, 1862. The third judge was James Burt, of Dubuque, who held his first term in April, 1863, and his last term in October, 1870. The fourth judge was J. M. Brayton, of Delaware county, who held his first term in April, 1871, and his last term in April, 1872. The fifth judge was D. S. Wilson, of Dubuque, who held his first term in October, 1872, and his last term in September, 1878. The sixth and present judge is S. Bagg, of Waterloo, whose term commenced January 1, 1879. The first term of the first circuit court of Buchanan county was held in March, 1869, S. Bagg, of Waterloo, judge. The first case tried in this court was D. D. Hol- dridge vs. Andrew Nicolia. B. W. Lacy was appointed circuit judge to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of S. Bagg to fill the position of district judge, and held his first term in Feb- ruary, 1879. He was reelected in the fall of 1880 for a term of four years, commencing January i, 1881. The first sheriff was Eli Phelps, term commenced Jan- uary I, 1S49, expired January i, 1850. Second sheriff, H. W. Hatch; term commenced January i, 1850, ex- pired January i, 1852. Third sheriff, O. B. King; term commenced January i, 1852, expired January i, 1853. Fourth sheriff, Norman Picket; term commenced Jan- uary I, 1853, expired January i, 1S54. Fifth sheriff, Eli Phelps; term commenced January r, 1854, expired January i, 1856. Sixth sheriff, Leander Keyes; term commenced January i, 1856, expired January i, 1858. Seventh sheriff, William Martin; term commenced Jan- uary I, 1858, expired January i, i860. Eighth sheriff, Byron Hale; term commenced January i, i860, expired January i, 1862. Ninth sheriff, John M. Westfall; term HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 65 commenced January i, 1862, expired January i, 1866. Tenth sheriff, A. Crooks; term commenced January i, 1866, expired January i, 1868. Eleventh sheriff, John A. Davis; term commenced January i, 1868, expired January i, 1872. Twelfth sheriff, George O. Farr; term commenced January i, 1872, expired January i, 1876. Thirteenth sheriff, VV. S. Van Orsdol; term commenced January i, 1877, expired January i, 1880. Fourteenth sheriff, E. L. Currier; term commenced January i, 1880. Dr. Edward Brewer was elected clerk of the court in 1847, and served until 1868; D. L. Smith was elected in 1868, and served until 1878; R. J, Williamson was elected in 1878, and served until 1880; O. M. Gillette was elected in the fall of 1880. BIOGR.\PHICAL SKETCHES OF LAWYERS. James Jamison was born, February 14, 1828, in the county of Armstrong, Pennsylvania. Of his father we can learn but little, except that he was very poor, and died when James was two years of age, leaving a widow and two children. James was given to his uncle with w-hom he lived until he was eighteen years of age, work- ing on the farm summers and attending school winters. At eighteen he cut loose from his uncle and commenced the struggle of life alone and unaided. Like so many others, in the vast army of self-made men, he gained discipline and money by teaching district school winters. His summers were devoted to study. In 1850 he entered Alleghany college, at Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he remained for two years, working his way. He then cotnmenced the study of law with the Hon. David Derickson at Meadville, and was admit- ted to the bar, Aug'ist 18, 1853. He immediately took his diploma and started for the west. With no particu- lar point in view, he threw himself into the great wave sweeping toward the west, trusting move to chance than to design, as to where he should land. Independence was the place, and without hesitation, but with an assurance that success awaited him, he at once opened an office. His first law case was tried for Orrin Lewis, October iS, 1853, for which he received a fee of three dollars. His business for the first month amounted to five dollars and seventy-five cents. A more uncouth, awkward, unpromising young man, in personal appearance, than Jamison was at that time, never threw his shingle to the public. Tall and angular, with light hair, a face not molden for beauty, awkward in every move, a gesticulation that defied all rules, a hesi- tancy of speech that was painful, he was at once, by su- perficial observers, set down as a failure. To the young men he was a subject of ridicule; to the young ladies a curiosity. The public soon began to observe that, from early morning until late at night, he never left his office except for meals. People soon learned that if they ever should want anything of Jamison, they would always know where to find him. The value of the adage, "Keep your office and your office will keep you," was well known and appreciated by him. Clients began to drop in. Their business was dispatched with wonderful promptness and accuracy. His knowledge of the law, his sound judgment, and his keen insight into the affairs of men, amazed the people. Beneath that ugly exterior, a broad, comprehensive mind was discovered. Clients thickened around him; business accumulated, and he was soon in the midst of an extensive and lucrative prac- tice. Fortune and fame increased. But few cases were tried in our county in which he was not interested. He was largely engaged in the real estate transactions of the county. As a counselor he had but few equals in the State. The quaint and witty sayings of Jamison would fill a volume. One must be preserved. One of his ob- jections was overruled by the court in a trial of a case. Jamison very drily remarked "your honor is right and I am wrong, as your honor most always is." As a citizen he was just and honest. He set a noble example of filial attachment. His widowed mother presided over his home (for he never married), and her lite was made happy by his constant love and devotion. But for one enemy Jamison would have been living to- day; have been in the front ranks of his profession, and a highly honored and wealthy citizen. Having no family to call forth and cultivate his domestic nature, his social qualities gradually found relaxation in the society of those whose tendencies were downward. The sequel need not be told. It is useless to follow him down the road we have all seen so many travel. It is the same old path ; once entered it is seldom forsaken. It leads all classes to the same goal. The talented, noble James Jamison, died a victim to intemperance the second day of August, 1878. Captain D. S. Lee was born in Genessee county, New York, October 16, 18 17. When he was sixteen years old his mother died. The family was scattered, and young Daniel was left to shift for himself. He was employed as a farm hand summers, and attended school winters, until he was twenty-one, when he entered Leroy academy, where he remained for two years. The follow- ing winter he taught school and, with his earnings, started, in the spring of 1842, for the west. He made his way to Akron, Ohio, where he studied law in the office of the Hon. William C. Dodge, at the same time teaching, until the fall of 1846, when he was admitted to the bar. He practiced his profession at that place until the summer of 1851, when he came to Dubuque, Iowa, and in the winter taught Dubuque's first free school. March 3, 1852, he was admitted to the bar of the Iowa supreme court. In the same spring he com- menced the practice of law in connection with the real estate business at Independence. In 1855, in connection with P. A. and E. B. Older, he established the first bank in Independence. The latter business was very success- ful until the year 1857, when the firm went down with so many others in the general crash. All of Mr. Lee's ample fortune was swept away, and financially he never recovered. Lee attested his patriotism and fidelity to the Government by being the first man to volunteer from this county in the late war. On the organization of company E, of the Fifth regiment Iowa infantry, he was unanimously elected captain, which position he held for 66 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. three years. He was almost constantly engaged in active campaigns, and participated in many hard fought battles. On the field he was brave as a knight, in camp tender and kind, beloved by all his men. In the fall of 1864, immediately after his term of office expired, he was elected the first mayor of the city of Independence, and was reelected the year following. In the year 1869 he was chosen a member of the Iowa legislature, and per- formed the duties of that office with much ability. At the close of the session he resumed the practice of law, and continued in the same until he was prostrated by disease in 1875. After a lingering illness he died. May 25, 1878. Captain Lee was married to Miss Fannie L. Brooks, who is still living. In physique, the captain was of medium height, straight as an arrow, with a well developed head, and was a strikingly handsome man, easy and graceful in every movement, affable and kind; he was, in every sense, a gentleman. As a speaker he was easy, fluent, and forcible. Had he confined himself strictly to the profession of law, and applied himself more closely to its study, he would have had but few equals in the State. O. H. P. RoszEi.L. — One of the most conspicuous and remarkable characters identified with the history of our county was the Hon. O. H. P. Roszell. With his com- manding presence, superior ability and strict integrity, he would have been a marked character anywhere. He was born December 21, 1827, in Canandaigua, New York. His father died when he was nine years of age. His education was completed at the Cary Collegiate semin- ary, where he attended for several years. When he was twenty-one years of age he determined to find himself a home in the great west. His first summer was spent with a Government surveying party in Wisconsin. De- cember, 1849, found him in Independence, where he remained until his death. The first few years of his western life were spent in various pursuits, principally in teaching and surveying. In 1851 he was admitted to the bar. In 1854 he was elected the first county judge of Buchanan county, which position he occupied for six years. The county judge at that time was a very impor- tant functionary. His powers, in reference to all business pertaining to county matters, were almost exclusive and unlimited. In 1858 Judge Roszell was elected county superintendent of public schools, holding the position for two years. He was, also, in the same year, elected a member of the State school board of education, and was a member of that body when the present free school system was adopted, and one of the committee who drafted the original bill. He was elected mayor of the city of Independence on three different occasions. He was married in Independence, in 1852, to Miss Mary E. Whait, by whom he had nine children. Judge Ros- zell was of extraordinary personal appearance, tall, dig- nified and commanding. The expression of his face was always grave and thoughtful, but good humored. His fine presence and brilliant talents at once commanded respect, even among strangers. In his speeches he was clear, logical and forcible, rather than abounding in rhetorical embellishment. He was a strong partisan. always taking great interest in political affairs, and always an ardent Democrat, of the old school. Yet such was the esteem in which he was held by his fellow-citizens, that he was rarely beaten in a political race, although his party was in a hopeless minority. As a lawyer, he did not meet with brilliant success. His life was so much taken up with other matters that others, with less ability, outstripped him at the bar. Probably no man in Bu- chanan county did so much for popular education as he. He was always an enthusiast in advancing the efficiency of our public schools. He died the fifth day of October, 1877. Avast concourse of people, from all parts of the county, gathered at the funeral to shed a tear over the remains of one of Buchanan county's greatest and best men. He is one of the few, comparatively, who have left their impress for good in the community in which he lived. Albert Cl.\rk.e was born in Conway, Massachusetts in 1810. He was brought up in the old-fashioned New England style, on his father's farm, with fair school ad- vantages, until the age of eighteen, when, exhibiting more than ordinary aptitude for an education, he com- menced the study of the languages, preparatory to en- tering college, which he did in 1830, when he entered Amherst college, and was in the same class with Henry Ward Beecher and Fowler, the phrenologist. His stand- ing as a scholar was good, being most distinguished in those branches that require close thinking and deep re- search. He graduated in 1834. He was then principal of the academy in Oswego, New York, one year, and af- terwards filled a similar place in l)unkirk, where he also gave considerable attention to the law, and filled for some time the office of justice in that young and grow- ing village. He then moved to Virginia, where he taught in several institutions of learning, principally in Smithfield, for about ten years. He then returned to Massachusetts and completed his law studies in West- field, with ^^'illiam G. Bates, and practiced several years in his native town. He then for several years owned a drug store in Worcester, Massachusetts, and from thence moved to Dubuque, Iowa, where he went into the land business, (emigration then being nearly at its height), en- gaging at the same time, more or less, in the law. Hav- ing been interested, to a consideralile extent, in lands in Buchanan county, in 1S54 he moved to Independence, and gave his attention to its interests, and also to agen- cies of land belonging to eastern men. and attending to various public interests with which he was intrusted. He accumulated a fair property, and was considered as possessing good financial abilities. Being possessed of stern integrity and good judgment, he was often called upon to give counsel and aid to those who had come to this land of promise with little means, and were strug- gling to obtain a foothold; and he is still held in grateful remembrance by many who have risen to prosperous cir- cumstances. He took great interest in the growth and development of the county, especially in its educational and religious interests, and was one of the principal founders and supporters of the First Presbyterian church of Independence. He was married in 1847 to Miss HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 67 Elizabeth Adams, and left one son, who lives in Inde- pendence. He died in the year 1868, aged fifty-eight years. J.AMES W. Weart was born in Hopewell, Mercer county, New Jersey, in a house occupied by General Washington as his headquarters during a period of the Revolutionary war. He was lieutenant in the Twenty-first regiment New Jersey volunteers. He came to Independence De- cember 25, 1863, and at once coinmenced the practice of law. He was city clerk for a number of years; also clerk of the Iowa senate for three terms. He came to his death by the accidental discharge of a gun while hunting, on Thanksgiving day, which badly mutilated both of his hands. He survived the accident about one week, dying in December, 1874. He was married to Jennie E. Taylor, of Philadelphia, in 1866, by whom he had five children. We are very sorry that we are not able to give a more complete history of this interesting- young man, but the data are not at hand. He was ex- ceedingly popular with all classes, especially the young, and is held in grateful remembrance by the citizens of Independence. S. S. Allen", one of the oldest and most respected citi- zens of Buchanan county, was born May i, 1828, in Franklin county, Massachusetts. He resided there until he was about nineteen years of age, when he came west, stopping in Waukegan, Wisconsin, and engaging in teach- ing. In 1S51 he entered the law office of Bennett & Hudson, Janesville, Wisconsinsin, where he studied two years. He was admitted to the bar in 1853. and imme- diately came to this county and settled at Independence, where he practiced law three years, exclusively, though he was engaged in law and real estate business until 1875, when he left Independence and moved to Homer town- ship, upon the farm where he is at present. He has the largest farm in the township, consisting of six hundred acres of excellent land. He is principally engaged in stock raising, keeping from one hundred to two hundred head of cattle, and about the same number of hogs. He has a pleasant and beautiful home surrounded by a "Cen- tennial grove," set out by himself in 1876. Mr. Allen was an early proprietor of the first newspaper in Inde- pendence, the Civilian, with which he was connected from 1855 to 1859. He built the first three-story brick block west of Dubuque, also established the first broker's office west of that place. Mr. Allen was in business as a merchant from 1856 to 1859. He had a drug store, hardware store, dry goods store, and a book store, the latter the first in Independence. He dealt quite exten- sively in real estate for many years, and many acres of land passed through his hands. Mr. Allen married Miss Martha Smiley, of Rock county, February 21, 1854. They have had seven chil- dren, six of whom are living: Emery S. S., born July 5, 1858; Charles, born February 2, i860, died when about four years old; John B., born February 15, 1865; Willie H., born December 15, 1866; Andrew J., born August 27, 1868; Mattie, born January 10, 1874; Augusta M. W., born April 2, 1877. Mr. Allen is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a firm Demo- crat, and has held several local offices, though he never sought them. J. S. Woodward, esq., was born in Middleburgh, Schoharie county. New York, in 1830. He lived until he attained the age of seven years at Hanover, New Hampshire, the home of his father, Stephen Woodward. He then went to Tunbridge, Vermont, where he lived until he came west. His father died in 1865 ; his mother is still living at Albany, New York. She is at present over eighty years of age, and is healthy and active. Mr. Woodward was educated at Kimball Union Aca- demy, Meriden, New Hampshire, one of New England's first-class schools. He fitted for Dartmouth college, but he did not pursue the course, as he had made up his mind to follow Horace Greeley's advice to young men. When about twenty years old he went to Wisconsin, where he read law in the office of George B. Ely, of Janesville; and in August, 1853, was admitted to the bar in that place. He came to Buchanan county the same fall, and located at Independence, then a place of perhaps twenty or thirty inhabitants. At the time of his arrival his entire capital consisted of a yankee ninepence and six law books. Of course his business was very '• small at first, but by diligently attending to it, Mr. Wood- j ward gained the confidence of the people, and rose rapidly j as the county became more thickly settled. In 1854 he I was elected prosecuting attorney, and from that time j onward his business steadily increased. In 1857 he was I elected a member of the State legislature, and represented his district with much credit. In 1864 he was a delegate to the Baltimore convention. He has twice been mayor of the city of Independence. Mr. Woodward has done a large business for many years. He has practised law six years longer than any other lawyer in the city. Many of the prominent lawyers of this vicinity have been students in his office, as well as several who are now practising in other States. Mr. Woodward has always been a constant worker, and is at present doing as large business as any lawyer in the county. It is unnecessary to add that he stands high in the community, and possesses the highest esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. In physique Woodward is a little below the medium height; sparely but well built ; coal black eyes and hair to match. He has untiring energy, is ever active, never caught napping, always on the alert and diligent. His char- acteristics as a lawyer may be gathered from the above. He is untiring and ceaseless in the cause of his clients, and never forsakes them until he is victorious or hopelessly defeated. In speaking, his whole body is in motion. There is no circumlocution, no hitching and hesitating, to pick out smooth and elegant expressions: the only object is to hit the mark. If he sometimes scatters, his shots are so rapid that some are sure to hit. When Jamison was living, there was rarely a case in which both were not engaged, and generally on opposite sides. A detailed history of the legal contests between these two men would fill a volume with rich and rare reading. Woodward is the prince of good fellows, social, genial and generous. His humor is proverbial. His organ of mirth Is developed to such a degree that it has been said of him 68 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. that he would smile the longest and loudest of any man in Iowa. Woodward's high standing at the bar, his integrty as a citizen, his sparkling wit and social qualities would have commanded for him almost any otificial position. He has never asked, but steadily refused political prefer- ment. Last year Mr. Woodward commenced building a splendid residence, which, when completed, will be the finest house in this county. It is very tastefully planned, and is both beautiful and convenient. Mr. Woodward was married, in 1855, to Miss Caroline Morse, who was born at Rochester, New York, in 1835. They have three children living and two deceased. Anna died when nine months old; Jerome when nineteen months old. Agnes was born March 26, 1861. Will M. was born June 29, 1865; Katie, born March 21, 1872. All are at home with iheir parents. Mr. Woodward is a member of the Odd fellows and the Knights of Pythias. He has been a staunch Republican since the organization of the parly. Hon. W. G. Donnan is one of the small number of men whose names are not only woven into the history of their own county, but of the State and Nation also. He was born at West Charlton, Saratoga county. New York, June 30, 1834. His parents were Scotch, and he inher- ited all the strong, sturdy qualities of that people. At seventeen years of age he entered Cambridge academy. Two years later he commenced his collegiate course at Union college, New York, and graduated in 1856, the fourth in his class. He immediately started for the west, and selected Independence for his future home. Here he studied law with J. S. Woodward, and was admitted to the bar in 1857. He has practiced law in this city ever since, except when occupied with official duties. In the fall of 1857 he was elected treasurer and recorder of Buchanan county, was reelected and continued in that office until 1862. In August, 1862, he enlisted as a private in the Twenty-seventh regiment, Iowa infantry volunteers, was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, and was brevetted captain and major, and served until the close of the war. His meritorious conduct while in the army received special mention on several occasions from his superior officers. In 1867 he was elected to the State senate for the term of four years. He was a very popular and influential member of that body. It was through his efforts, while senator, that Independence se- cured the location of the State hospital fur the insane at this place. He originated and drafted the bill which se- cured us that great institution. A man of much ability, who was in a position to know, thus writes of Mr. Don- nan; His services in the legislature were exceptionally noteworthy and creditable. His practical good sense, fine social qualities, and thor- ough knowledge of human nature, rendered him alike popular and in- fluential with both houses. In council and debate his opinions were sought after and respected. During his first session he originated and was largely instrumental in securing the passage of an act locating a State hospital for the insane at Independence. His peculiar fitness for legislative woik, developed during his career in the State senate, so recommended him to the favor of the Republicans of his district that in the fall of 1870 they made him their candidate and elected him to the Forty-second Congress by a majority of about five thousand votes over the Democratic candidate. Mr. Donnan's services in the Forty-second Congress were so eminently satisfactory to his constituents that he was renominated for the second term without opposition, and was elected by a large majority. He could undoubt- edly have been nominated for the third term, but he pos- itively refused to become a candidate. At the end of his second term he was offered a foreign mission to South America, but declined. Mr. Donnan was a member of the National convention at Cincinnati in 1876. He has been treasurer of the Iowa hospital for the insane at In- dependence, Iowa, since January, 1877. M""- Donnan has performed the duties of all the high positions in which he has been called to act, with eminent ability and satis- faction to his constituents. He has developed an aptness for legislative work rarely excelled. Physically he could vie with the old Scotch Bruces and Wallaces, being six feet in height, broad-shouldered, erect, strong, and healthy. As an orator Mr. Donnan ranks high, being always clear, logical, and forcible. Intellectually he is strong and vigorous, grasping at once the main points and the details of the question involved. Socially he has no superiors. He ardently loves his home and fam- ily, as well he may. He was married October i, 1857, to Miss Mary E. Williamson, who was born in Kentucky. His family consists of two boys — William W., born Au- gust 20, 1859, and Donald D., born August 7, 1862. Col. Jed Lake was born in Virgil, Courtland county, New York, November, 18, 1830. His father, Jedediah Lake, was the son of Henry Lake, of Montgomery county, New York, who. served under General Washing- ton in the Revolutionary war. He enlisted when seven- teen years of age, and served four years. Jedediah Lake settled in Virgil in 1822, at the age of twenty-four, and was married to Patience Church, of the adjoining town of Marathon. They had two sons and two daughters. Our Jed Lake was the second son. His father died when he was three years old, leaving his widowed mother with four children, the oldest seven, and the youngest less than one year old. The mother kept the family together, and carried on the farm until the oldest son was of age, when he took charge of it. This threw Jed on his own resources. He had received, at this time, no education except from common schools. He hired out to a neighboring farmer for the summer, but after working a month a disagreement arose, and Jed left. While on his way to find employment he met a man going to Ithaca to start for New York, with a canal- boat. To him Jed hired out to drive a team on the Erie canal at thirteen dollars per month. The Colonel says he has always felt a little diffidence about telling this part of his history, but since the election of Garfield he speaks of it with pride. He laid up some money that season, and the next spring went to the New York Central college. By teaching and working on farms he supported himself for two years at this institution. At this time he would have been ready to enter college, had he been prepared in Latin and Greek, but in his youth he had been taught to despise these studies, and it took him these two ye."irs to get over the prejudice. At this time the Courtland academy was in the full tide of its HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 69 prestige. Here Jed took Mathematics under Pro- fessor Lawrence, the author of Mathematical works, and English Grammar under S. W. Clark (also author of a text book), and German under Professor Maasburgh, and Latin under Professor Sanford. In May, 1855, he was taken with billious fever and paralysis of the right side, and by the advice of physicians quit school. In the fall of that year he engaged to travel with William Swift, a cousin of the noted Professor Swift, of Rochester ob- servatory. This Swift was giving lectures on electricity, electro-magnetism, and an expose of spirit rappings, which had just then come into notoriety. In this capacity he traveled until 1855, visiting New York, Penn- sylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Ohio. At this time, desiring to settle into permanent business, he packed his satchel and started for Des Moines, Iowa, but landed in Independence, in October, 1855, where he has since resided. His health would not permit his engag- ing in a profession, so he spent two years on a farm. At the end of that time his cousin persuaded him to pur- chase a half interest in a saw-mill, and then lit out between two days, leaving Jed the sole proprietor. Jed has not seen his cousin since. After a little he blew up the boiler, sold the remnants, sold all he had and paid his debts, as for as he could, came to town and com- menced the study of law. He sometimes tells that it looked awful dark to him, after he blew up his mill, but he is now satisfied that it was the best thing that ever happened to him. He was admitted to the bar in the spring of 1859. He was examined by Honorable F. E. Bissell, and D. S. Wilson, of Dubuque, and John H. Pierce, of Anamosa, and they gave him a flattering recommend to the court. Honorable George W. Bemis tells that one day, meeting Jed, he said to him: "Jed, I understand you are admitted to the bar. Now my ad- vice to you is to go west and grow up with the country. You can make something out there." Said Jed with clinched fist, "I brought one thousand dollars in gold to this place, and I'm not going to leave here until I can take away as much as I brought." Mr. Lake then set- tled down to the practice of the law. In the fall of 1861 he was elected to the State legislature. The following summer he enlisted in a company then being raised by Captain Noble, and was elected first lieutenant. He was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the Twenty-seventh regiment, Iowa volunteer infantry, by Governor Kirk- wood. He served with his regiment during the w^ar. Several of Mr. Lake's interesting war letters will be found in another chapter of this work. His regiment was in very many battles, and lost a large number of men. At the close of the war he was colonel of his regiment. He then returned to Independence and resumed the practice of law. He has been urged by his friends to accept many official positions, such as representative, senator, and judge of district court, but he has positively refused to accept any office that would take him away from his business. He served as alderman for six years, as a member of the school board for seven years, and was a member of the board of supervisors two years. He per- formed the duties of the above offices with admirable skill and ability. He now holds the positions of Direc- tor and attorney of the First National bank of this city; also director, attorney, and chairman of the executive committee of the Independence Mill company. In his law practice he has been eminently successful, and has secured an abundant competence. His firm, of which he is the senior member, is now engaged in defending about one hundred and twenty of the citizens of this part of the State in the celebrated drive well suits. In personal appearance the Colonel is a solid, well-built man, weighing two hundred and twenty-five pounds; has grey eyes, and coal black hair. By a strict observ- ance of the laws of health he has preserved a re- markably fresh and youthful appearance, for a man of his years. As a lawyer he has but (ew equals in this part of the State. He has a strong analytical mind and a very retentive memory. Is a close student, not only of law, but of general literature. He is not given to ostentatious show and glitter. Everything is business and matter of fact. His fine judicial mind and com- manding presence, well qualify him for the bench. Jed Lake was married June 2, 1861, to Miss Sarah E. Meyer. He has two children. Rush C, born April 13, 1862, and Hattie I., born February 7, 1S70. Other attorneys in Independence are worthy of special and lengthy notice, but space will not permit. We have given a more extended liistory of the three last mentioned, for the reason that they were among the pioneer lawyers of the county, each having practiced here for more than a quarter of a century. The brief sketches following, of later attorneys, will be as nearly as possible in the order of their residence in Independence. D. D. HoLDRiDGE was born in Madison county. New York, September 3, 1835. He was educated at the Cazenovia seminary, New York, and then studied law two years with D. W. Cameron, at that place, after tak- ing a full law course at the Law university at Albany. He was married at Cazenovia, New York, March 16, 1858, to Miss Mary L. Loomis. He moved to Inde- pendence, Iowa, in March, 1862, and immediately com- menced the practice of law. He was elected to the Iowa legislature in the fall of 1S63. He was afterwards quartermaster of the Forty-sixth Iowa infantry volunteers. During the war he received a commission from Abraham Lincoln as captain and commissary of subsistence, but declined to serve. He was three times mayor of the city of Independence, twice by election and once by appointment. He has four children — Fannie L., Mary B., Kate P., and Harry H. J. B. DoNNAN was born in Saratoga county. New York, December 13, 1840; was educated at the Fort Edward institute. New York. He came to Indepen- dence in May, 1862. He was graduated at the law department of the Iowa State university in June, 1868. He had previously formed a partnership with his brother Hon. W. G. Donnan in 1865, and they have continued in partnership ever since. He was married in June, 1868, to Martha J. Ross; has four children — Lillian E., Ale.xander M., Abbie R., and Mary B. 7° HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Hon. M. W. H.i^RMON was born in Seneca county, Ohio, June 25, 1844. His parents removed to Ingham county, Michigan, in 1849, to Dubuque county, Iowa, in March, 1855, to Hopkinton, Delaware county, Iowa, in June, 1S56, where they now reside. In the fall of 1859 he entered the Collegiate institute at Hopkinton, where he remained three years. July 28, 1S62, he en- listed as a volunteer from Delaware county, Iowa. His company was mustered into United States service August 23, 1862, as company K, Twenty-first Iowa vol- unteer infantry; was private eight months, corporal two months, and sergeant. He served during the war and was discharged with his regiment July 26, 1865. He went south in the fall of 1S65 and lived a year at Mobile, Alabama. He came to Buchanan in November, 1866. Here he taught school two years, reading law at the same time. He was deputy postmaster at Independence under Captain Little, from April i, 1868, to April i, 1869. He then entered the law office of Hon. W. G. Donnan and was admitted to the bar in October, 1869. July I, 1870, he formed a partnership with Colonel Jed Lake, with the firm name of Lake & Harmon, which partnership still continues. Mr. Harmon .was married in December, 1872, to Miss M. C. Carter of Independ- ence. Iowa, by whom he has one son, Ray. At the gen- eral election in 1875, Mr. Harmon was elected State senator from Buchanan county for four years, and was reelected in 1879. 1^'s present term expires January i, 1884. J. E. Cook, esq., was born in Grafton county. New Hampshire, July 8, 1847. His parents removed to this county in 1856. Young Cook graduated at the Iowa State University in 1870; studied law with O. Miller, at Watertown, and was admitted to the bar in 1871. He practiced at Jes/ip until 1877 when he came to Inde- pendence. He formed a partneiship with J. S. Wood- ward February i, 1879. He was married to Bessie P. Johnson, from Decovah, Iowa, September 3, 1874. He has one child — Roy. Mr. Cook and wife are members of the Presbyterian church. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity. D. \V. Bruckart, Esg., was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, April 23, 1851. He was one of a family of eight boys. At the age of twelve he commenced to work in the iron mines. He was afterwards newsboy on the streets of Lancaster. He began teaching when fifteen years of age. In the fall of 1869 he entered Lafayette college, Pennsylvania, remaining there two years. He graduated at the law school of the Iowa State university in June, 1872, and the following fall opened an office at Independence. He was married May II, 1875 to Miss Sarah Williams, of Independence, and has one child living. M. R. Eastman was born in Hopkinton, New Hamp- shire, in 1839. He was graduated from New Hamp- shire seminary, July 20, 1859. He was admitted to the bar in New Hampshire in April, 1864. He removed to Waterloo, this State, in 1865; practiced law there until 1868, when he removed to Jesup, this county. He prac- ticed in Jesup until the ninth day of May, 1874, when he came to Independence, and has practiced here ever since. C. E. Ransier was born in New Woodstock, Madison county. New York, April 4, 1854. His parents removed to Indeijendence October 9, 1867. He took the full course in the high school of this city; commenced to read law April 4, 1874, on his twentieth birthday, with James Jamison; was admitted to the bar in May, 1S76, and has practiced law in this city ever since, being the successor of James Jamison. He was married March 8, 1881, to Miss Delpha Tryon. He was city solicitor for three years, and is a member of the Masonic fra- ternity. Daniel S.mvser was born May 29, 1839, in Wayne county, Ohio. He removed with his parents to this county in 185 1. He studied law with James Jamison, and was admitted to the bar September 10, 1877. He was married July 9, 1878, to Miss Arvilla McFadden. They have one son — Walter B. Seth Newman was born in Herkimer county. New York, December 7, 1836, and was educated at Fairfield academy; studied law two years with Horace Boies, and two years with Lawing & Lockwood at Buffalo, and was admitted to the bar November 15, i860. He practiced with Boies at Buffalo until 1861, when he was compelled, by disease of the lungs, to relinquish the practice for several years. Having recovered his health, he returned to the practice in Independence in 1876, and was elected justice of the peace the same year, which position he held until January, 1880, when he resigned and entered into partnership with W. H. Holman. He was married March 14, 1866, to Miss Laura F. Hewell, and has but two children, Sarah F. and Lizzie B. John J. Ney, esq., was born at Sandusky, Ohio, June 8, 1852. He was educated at Notre Dame, Indiana, graduating in 1875. He afterwards pursued a law course at that institution. In 1875 ^^ came to Independence, and entered into partnership with Lake &: Harmon. He continued in that firm until the following year, when he formed a partnership with D. VV. Bruckart. In the spring of 1879 he withdrew from that firm, and opened an office alone. He was city attorney for Independence in the year 1876. In the spring of 1877 he was elected mayor of the city by the Democratic party. He was married October 3, 1878, to Miss Emily F. Colby, of Chicago. They have one child, Marion F. Captain H. W. Holman was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, August 22, 1841. He was in the army from April, 1861, to August, 1865, enlisted as a private and rose to lieutenant and signal officer. He removed to Allamakee county, Iowa, in 1865. Was admitted to the bar in 1868, and practiced at Wankon for two years, then removed to Waterloo, Iowa, and formed a law part- nership with Lichty, which continued for two years. In 1872 he was appointed reporter of the district court of the nineteenth judicial district, which position he held until April, 1877. He then resigned and commenced the practice of law at Independence. In 1881 he was elected captain of the Independence guards. He was HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 71 married October 22, 1867, to Miss Harriet Smith, by whom he has three children, Gracie, Leta and May Bell. J. E. Jewel was born in Montgomery county, Ohio. October 19, 1847. Came to this county in June, 1854. He enlisted as a private at the age of seventeen years, and served as such to the close of the war, in company C, twenty-seventh Iowa infantry volunteers. He attend- ed Western college in Iowa for two years, and Cornell college for two years. He was graduated from the law department of the Iowa state university in 1877. Com- menced practice in Independence in September, 1877. He was married March 5, 1S71, to Miss Hala E. Ros- zell, of Benton county, Iowa, her native place. They have two boys, Fred B. and Jed Lake. Fr.\nk Jennings, esq., was born in Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania, July 3, 1836; was educated at St. Vincent col- lege, Cape Girard, Missouri. He studied law with H. T. McNulty, at Dubuque, Iowa, and was admitted to the bar in February, 1856. In the year 1859 he was elected city recorder of Dubuque, which position he held two years. He was afterwards deputy clerk of the county for three years. The balance of the time he practiced law in Dubuque county, until 1877, when he removed to In- dependence. Mr. Jennings was married January 22, 1872, to Eliza J. Dow. They have three children living, Charles B., Blanche and Edith. J. H. Williamson was born February 7, 1855, at New- burgh, Orange county, New York. He graduated at the Lenox collegiate institute, in the same class with his brother, in June, 1878. He was graduated from the same department of the State university, June 21, 1880, and was admitted to practice in all the courts of the State and the federal courts. He commenced practice at Independence in September, 1880, and entered into a partnership with his brother, R. J., in January, 1881. R. J. Williamson was born in Newburgh, Orange county. New York, February 3, 1857. He graduated at the Lenox collegiate institute, at Hopkinton, Iowa, in June, 1878. In the fall of that year he was elected clerk of the district court of Buchanan county, Iowa, and served until January i, 1881. He was admitted to the bar in November, 1880. He formed a law partnership with his brother, J. H., in January, i88r. O. M. Gillette was born March 12, 1850, in Bergen, Gennesee county. New York. He first came to Inde- pendence in 1865 ; was educated in the high school of Ba- tavia, New York. He studied law with Lee and Weart, and was admitted to the bar in 1875. He was first elected justice of the peace in 1876, and held that posi- tion until January i, 1881. Was elected clerk of the court in 18S0. Was married November, 1873, to Miss Emma Dyer, of Independence. Has one child, Mabel. E. E. Hasner was born February 21, 1848, in Onan- daga county, New York ; graduated at the Iowa state university; was admitted to the bar in 1873; was city attorney one term. He was married December 25, 1876, to Miss Nettie E. Bain. Francis W. Comfort was born in Cook county, Illi- nois, 1853. He was educated at Wheaton college, and was admitted to the bar in 1880. He was married on the third of June, 1878, to Miss Ella G. Aborn, of Inde- pendence. F. W, CJiFKORD was born March 8, 1854, in Manches- ter, Vermont. Came to this county in 1858. He grad- uated at Madison university, Wisconsin, in 1875. Studied law with Lake .Sc Harmon, and with O. M. Gillette. Was admitted to the bar in November, 1877 ; was elected justice of the peace in the fall of 1880. E. S. Gavlord. — This gentleman was admitted to the bar three or four years ago, since which time he has been practicing in Winthrop. A remarkable fact in his history is the age at which he commenced his legal studies. After having been a farmer till he was over fifty years old, he became convinced that he was born to be a law- yer. He therefore gave up his farm, studied law, was admitted, and is said to be having an excellent practice. Stephen Paul Sheffield. — This gentleman, who has an office at Hazleton, was born at Palmyra, Wayne coun- ty. New York, F'ebruary 27, 1833; received his early ed- ucation at Walworth academy; studied law with the Hon. Stephen K. Williams, and was admitted to the bar of the supreme court of New York in June, 1855. He came to Iowa the same year, but remained at that time only a year and a half. He has been a great rover, and has followed many avocations, among which, besides that of the law, are those of civil engineer, newspaper corre- spondent and novelist. He is a very graceful writer. He returned to Iowa in 1873, ^"d in 1880 he settled in Hazle- ton with his family, consisting of his wife and two daugh- ters. Having fairly settled down to business he expects to make Hazleton his permanent home. CHAPTER XI. INTERESTING CASES. So.me of the legal cases that have come before the courts in this county, or been taken from it to others by change of venue, are sufficiently interesting to be included among the "causes celebres" of the French bar. We will give a brief account of a few of the most striking of these, commencing with the COVEY MURDER CASE, which furnishes a remarkable instance of the failure of justice, through the mere technical inability to prove what the lawyers call the corpus delicti, or substance of the crime. That a murder had been committed nobody doubted. Who the murdered man was, and who the murderer everybody knew. The corpus of the latter was lying in jail — that of the former, nobody knewvvhere; and so, the corpus delicti not being proven according to the technical requirements of the law, the murderer escaped unpunished. A murdered human body has usually been regarded as a very difficult thing to conceal, and a very easy thing to find; but a few cases like the following would go far 72 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, lOAVA. to establish the contrary notion, viz., that, of all things, a murdered body is the easiest to conceal and the most difficult to find. The principal part of the following statement has been kindly furnished by our friend Jed. Lake, esq., one of Buchanan's best known lawyers; but we have added some interesting facts derived from other sources — especially from the verbal narrative of another friend, Mr. D. W. Hammond, one of the pioneer settlers of the county, and for many years in the employment of the United States Government, as head clerk in the railroad postal service. Among the early settlers in and about Buffilo Grove, or Upper Buffalo, as it was called, was a somewhat numerous family by the name of Jewell. There were the father and mother, who were then very old people, and several sons who were married and had families, and who had taken up land in that vicinity. One of these sons was J. R. Jewell, who was then commonly known as Rock Jewell, and who had taken a fine tract of land on the west side of the grove, in what is now Byron township. In the spring of 1855 one J. N. Covey came here from Vermont and made some kind of a trade with Rock Jewell for this land. Covey had a large house built there the same year, and moved into it in the spring of 1856. lewell and his family still lived in a small shanty on the place. Some time in May, of the same year. Covey fore- closed a chattel mortgage that he had on a span of horses owned by Jewell, and bid them in himself It may throw some light upon the subsequent portions of this history if we state, in passing, that Jewell con- sidered himself wronged by Covey in these transactions, and was harboring a sort of grudge against him, though no open rupture had taken place between them. It may also be proper to say that Covey and the Jew^ells ("Rock" and "Tom,'" who figure in the story) were rather rough and intemperate characters; but no one suspected them to be capable of such a terrible crime as that of which the two latter now stand convicted in th? popular esti- mation. On the first Sunday in June, 1856, Covey started with the team above mentioned to go to Dubuque, avowing his intention (as was alleged) of going from there to Ver- mont, and of returning in about two weeks. As he was about to start Rock Jewell came out. of his shanty and asked the privilege of riding over to his father's, who lived some two miles distant, in a northeasterly direction, on the other side of the grove. The privilege was granted, as from one neighbor to another, and the two set out, crossed a bridge over Buffalo creek, and disap- peared in the timber. This was the last that was ever seen of J. N. Covey, except by those who are believed to have put him out of sight, effectually and forever, on that fatal morning. At the time of which we are writing D. W. Ham- mond, another settler at the grove, was boarding at the house of a widow by the name of Watson, who lived on the opposite side of the grove from Covey's, and about a mile farther north. Mr. Hammond, who had been recently married, and had made arrangements for going to housekeeping, was expecting his wife at Dubuque about the middle of the week following the events above narrated, and had engaged to meet her there and return with a load of household goods. Covey, ascertaining this, persuaded Hammond to go with him that Sunday morning instead of waiting till Monday or Tuesday, as he had intended to do. Hammond, although he dis- liked to make the trip on Sunday, yet, for the sake of having company, consented to the arrangement. Covey was to come up to Mrs. Watson's and they were to start together from there about 7 o'clock in the morning. At about 6 o'clock, while Hammond was getting ready to start, Tom Jewell, who also lived on the east side of the grove, some distance north of Mrs. Watson's, came by on the horse of his brother-in-law, Starkey, going south, with a spade on his shoulder. A few words were exchanged, Hammond mentioning that he was going to Dubuque with Covey, and Jewell passed on. Seven o'clock came and Covey did not appear. After Hammond had waited a half hour or more, Tom Jewell returned without the spade, bare-headed, riding the same horse at a full gallop. As soon as he came near Ham- mond he called out: Havn't you gone yet?" Ham- mond replied that he was waiting for Covey. "Why," said Jewell, "he went nearly an hour ago. He told me to come and tell you, and I forgot it He had to go by the south road, and wants you to go on to the crossing. Perhaps he'll meet you there. If he don't, you keep on to Coffin's grove, and wait for him if he hasn't got there. If he gets there first he'll wait for you." Having said this, Jewell went back, and Hammond started on as di- rected. The road he took was about a mile north of the one he supposed Covey had taken — the two running parallel for soiiiC distance, then converging, and finally crossing each other on a ridge about three miles east of the grove. Hammond had not gone far when he saw Covey's team on the south road, driven very rapidly. He recognized them distinctly, notwithstanding the dis- tance, by the flowing silver tail of the sorrel horse on the near side. He supposed it was Covey that was driving, but noticed that he sat crouched down in the wagon in an unusual attitude. Thinking at first that the rapid driving was a challenge to see which should reach the crossing first, he put whip to his own team and run them for some distance. But the other gained upon him so fast that he soon gave it up, rather than run tlie risk of injuring his horses. Just before reaching the ridge Covey's team had to cross a slough, which retarded them so much that when they reached the crossing Hammond was not more than fifty rods from them. The driver was still crouched down in the wagon, as if desirous to avoid recognition; and, instead of taking the road toward Dubuque, as Hammond expected him to do, he turned directly north and drove off over the open prairies as fast as the horses could go. And as the wagon receded in the distance Hammond saw distinctly that a buffalo skin was spread HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 73 over the bottom, and that some large, loose object be- neath it was rolling or bounding from side to side. Much puzzled, and not a little vexed by what he had seen, but still supposing that the driver was Covey, and that he had hastened off across the prairie to see an acquaintance living somewhere in that direction, and that he had driven so fast simply to gain time and not retard their journey too much, Mr. Hammond went on to Coffin's grove, and there waited several hours for Covey to come. But, having waited in vain, he at last gave him up, and started on to Dubuque alone. He was there till the latter part of the week, his wife not arriving till Thursday, and every day he looked and enquired for Covey; but no Covey came. The latter had said nothing to Hammond about going to Vermont; but the understanding between the two was that they should return together — each expecting to have a pretty heavy load — that they might assist each other in case of neces- sity. Mr. Hammond and his wife, however, returning alone, reached the grove in safety. Two weeks rolled around, and still Covey did not return, nor were any tidings heard of him. Rock Jewell was absent — no one knew where — and suspicion of foul play began to be aroused, and search began to be made. About the first of July, 1856, Charles H. Jakway, then and now residing in Buffalo Grove, happening to be in Dubuque on business, came across Rock Jewell, sitting behind a pile of wood on the levee, with his hat drawn over his face, as if not wishing to be recognized. Mr. Jakway went up to him, and addressing him called him by name. He looked up at Jakway and said, with an oath: "I don't know you." Then another person came up and inquired of Mr. Jakway if he knew that man? whereupon Jakway received a warning from Jew- ell, in an undertone, to say he did not. But when he openly avowed his knowledge of him, Jewell, in a great rage, and with many oaths, protested that he had never seen Jakway before. No time was lost in sending back word that Jewell was in Dubuque, and in having him ar- rested by the officers on the charge of murder. It was afterward found that Jewell had sold the team, wagon and harness, with which Covey had started from ' home, at Potosi, Wisconsin; that he had tried to sell two watches which Covey had with him when he left ; and also tliat he had on many of Covey's clothes when seen in Dubuque. It was to get these watches priced by a jeweler that he had come to that city, under an assumed name, along with the man who was going to purchase them. The whole neighborhood about the grove was aroused when it was learned that Mr. Jewell had been arrested with Mr. Covey's clothing on, and that he had the other property in his possession. Letters were written and telegrams sent to Covey's relatives in Vermont, and ans- wer returned that he had not been there. After a while, a large searching party turned out, and went up and down through the timber and out on the prairie, and examined every place where it was thought a body could be con- cealed, but no trace of it was found. In a short time, a smaller party of men, consisting of E. B. Older, R. J. Thornton, Jed. Lake, W. S. Church, and some others, started and followed the route which they supposed Jewell took after leaving the grove, as far as Elkader, searching through the bluffs and woods about Volga City and in that region, spending several days in the search, and going into caves and all sorts of out-of-the- way places, and making inquiries of the settlers wherever they went. All their searching, however, was in vain. The feelings of Mrs. Covey, while all these events were transpiring, can better be imagined than described. ^\'hen she saw Mr. Jewell going off with her husband, she thought (as she afterwards declared) that something was wrong. She had a presentiment that there would be a murder. There were then boarding at her house William S. Church, H. A. Robertson, and Jed. Lake, who owned a sawmill situated near by. These men, after breakfast, and before Mr. Covey had started away, had gone to the mill. When she saw Mr. Jewell in the wagon with her husband, and this presentiment came over her, she started for the saw-mill, with the intention of in- ducing them to follow the team and see what was done. When she got to the mill, the men were all gone and off on the prairie, some half a mile away. So she went back to the house and remained there, with this terrible feeling hanging over her. When, therefore, Mr. Jewell did not return to his family, and her husband failed to come back at the time he was expected, she persisted in saying that Jewell had followed her husband and killed him. But it was not until after Mr. Jewell was found in Du- buque that people generally believed that Mr. Covey had actually been murdered, so slow are people ordina- "rily to believe others criminal. After Mr. Jewell had been arrested in Dubuque, and it had been ascertained that he had sold the horses, wag- on and harness in Potosi, Wisconsin, D. S. Lee, esq., and Jed Lake went to Potosi to recover the property. The man who had purchased it attempted to secrete what he could of it, but, after search, it was found and the matter was compromised. The wagon, when found, had a stain on the bottom of the box, about in the mid- dle, that looked very much like blood; but so long a time had elapsed that it could not be definitely proven to be so. Mr. Jewell had a preliminary examination at Indepen- dence, when all the facts in regard to his going away with Covey — his being in possession of the team, cloth- ing and other property of the missing man — his sale of the same, and his actions when discovered in Dubuque — were brought out in evidence before the magistrate. On this evidence Mr. Jewell was committed to jail to await the action of the grand jury. That body, at its next meeting in the fall of 1856, indicted him for mur- der in the first degree, and he was again committed to jail to await his trial. While Jewell was in jail he was kept at Delhi, then the county seat of Delaware county. At that time a tnan by the name of Manchamer was confined with him. This KLinchamer, on being released from jail, de- clared that Jewell admitted to him the killing of Covey, and told him where the body was buried. He also pre- 74 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. tended that he could go where the body was, if he should be led into the woods and shown the route that was followed by the team. This was done in the spring of 1857. Mr. Lake went with him, but on getting out into the grove the latter was unable to recognize the place. There were so many little clumps of timber, all so nearly alike, that, after a half day's travel through the woods he gave it up, and declared that he could not designate the spot. He stoutly affirmed, however, that Jewell ad- mitted to him the killing, and that Covey was buried within a half mile of his own house. The fact that all attempts to discover the body were unavailing will not seem so wonderful when we bear in mind that the deed was committed when the grass and leaves had just started, and the search was not com- menced until some four weeks later. Thus the rapidly growing vegetation aided to conceal the place where the ground had been disturbed so long before. When the searching first commenced the people gen- erally thought that Jewell went with Covey down beyond Delhi in the timber, and committed the deed there: and that, consequently, it was useless to search about Buffalo grove. But when it was ascertained that, instead of going east, the team had gone north on the prairie, to- ward Taylorville, in Fayette county, and had then turned toward Volga city, they concluded that the body had been taken in that direction. It may be proper to state here that what Mr. Ham- mond saw, on the morning of the tragedy, convinced him that Covey was shot by Rock Jewell while passing through the grove; that Tom Jewell, and probably one other confederate, were to have buried the body there while Rock Jewell made off with the team; that for some reason they changed their plan about burying the body, thinking it would be more safe to leave it in the wagon covered up in the buffalo skin, to be carried off and se- creted in some unfrequented place upon the prairie; that Jewell waited as long as he dared to for Hammond to get out of sight, and that when he saw him on the north road he ran the team to avoid being intercepted at the crossing. That a conspiracy was formed for the murder of Covey he thinks is rendered well nigh certain by the fact that the two Jewells, and their brother-in-law, S. Starkey, are believed to have been together at the house of the latter till a late hour of the night previous to the murder. Another fact in connection with this matter is that when Jewell was arretted, he had in his possession a re- volving pistol, known as a Deringer, which Covey brought with him from Vermont, and which he had loaned to Jewell not long before the date of his disappearance. However, some say that this pistol had never belonged to Covey, but was loaned to Jewell by Samuel Burns on the very Sunday morning on which the tragedy occurred. Jewell was kept in jail about a year; when, as it ap- peared to the court that the body had not been found, and that there was no prospect of finding it, he was released from jail and the case stricken from the docket, so that, if the body should ever be found he could be rearrested and tried. The law requires that, before a man can be tried for murder, it must be proved absolutely that the person supposed to be murdered is dead. In this case, convincing as were the circumstances pointing to the murder of Covey, there was still a doubt as to his death. He might have given up his property and left the country, although no cause for such a course and no probability of it could be shown. There is, of course, a necessity for the law to be thus stringent, in order that men may not be convicted of a crime while there is a doubt as to whether a crime has really been committed. The principle has long been well established, that the body must, save in very exceptional cases, be shown to be dead before the accused can be convicted of murder. Some people have thought that Jewell ought to have been punished for murder, any way ; that the circum- stances were so strong against him, and so long a time had elapsed since the disappearance of Covey, that there ought to have been a legal presumption that the latter was dead. On the other hand rumors have been started that Covey has been seen in different places since the sup- posed murder. So that, even in this case, it would seem that all are not agreed that the missing man is really dead. At the same time the editors of this strange history must be permitted to say that the common instinct of human justice demands that one found in the possession of the personal effects of a missing man, who was seen with him the last time he was seen on earth, should al least be kept in prison until he can give a satisfactory account of the manner in which the property came into his hands. Mr. James Jewell, a brother of the two men whose names are so unfortunately connected with the mysteri- ous disappearance of J. N. Covey, still lives at Buffalo grove; and it gives us pleasure to state that he has never been suspected of having any knowledge of the crime which is commonly laid to their charge. He enjoys in the highest degree the confidence and respect of the community. M.^IL ROBBERY. John M. Boyd, a young man of good family and of pleasing address, came to Quasqueton from Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1857. After a time, having made a most favorable impression upon the community, he was employed as deputy postmaster, and continued to act in this capacity to the entire satisfaction of the people of Quasqueton until about the first of September of the same year, when he left for Nebraska. A letter was mailed at the Quasqueton post office about the last of August, by a Mr. Potterf, containing a draft on a Boston bank for five hundred dollars, and one on a New York firm for one thousand dollars. Mr. Potterf, learning that they were not received at Pella, Ohio, to which place they were directed, wrote to New York and Boston, and was notified in answer that the five hundred dollar draft had been ])aid. It was learned by inquiry in Dubuque that the five hundred dollar draft, endorsed by Boyd, had been sold to Taylor, Richards & Burden, bankers, of Dubuque. In possession of these facts, HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 75 Sheriff Martin, of Quasqueton, was dispatched with a warrant for the apprehension of Boyd, in Nebraska. He was brought back, to Quasqueton about the first of De- cember, and, after an examination, in default of two thousand dollars bail for his appearance at the next term of the United States district court, was committed to jail. Boyd freely admitted, as of course he must, hav- ing the five hundred dollar draft cashed, but said it was sent to him by a friend in Wisconsin. The friend not appearing to substantiate this statement, it fell to the ground. About the middle of December Boyd was transferred to the custody of Marshal Pierce, of Du- buque, and taken to that city. A hearing was had before Commissioner McKinley, who remanded him for trial at the next term of the United States district court, on the fourth of January, 1S5S. Brought before the court at that date, he was, after a somewhat lengthened trial, convicted of the crime with which he was charged. He was ably defended by his counsel, Messrs. Samuels, Allison, Adams, and Lovell, Judge Love presiding. The testimony against him was clear and convincing, and the sympathy which his youth and previous good character were calculated to excite, was neutralized by a bold attempt to implicate Mr. Har- din, the postmaster at Quasqueton, a man held in uni- versal esteem. The vindictiveness with which he pursued this scheme, and the stolid indifference which he mani- fested after his arrest, went far toward convincing many that Boyd was not the tyro in villainy which his years and manner would indicate. A most pitiable attempt to extricate himself from the toils into which his own folly and wickedness had betrayed him was made in the court room, when asked if he had aught to say why sen- tence should not be passed upon him. During his whole trial his statements were contradictory, and proved their own falsity; but with this privilege from the court, he rose, and, weeping during the whole recital, gave the fol- lowing account of his connection with the robbery: He asserted his innocence of the charge, notwithstanding the verdict of the jury, declaring that on the night of the robbery he went into the office and found two men in the act of appropriating the contents of the letter. He could not tell where one of those men was, but the other was in court. These men, when they found that they were caught in the act, proposed to buy him off with the five hundred dollar certificate. He refused it, saying he did not want to be bought off, but they insisted on his ac- cepting it, not as "hush money," but as a gift. In accept- ing it he enquired whether they had come honestly by it, and they assured him that they had. He counseled them to destroy the one thousand dollar draft, as he did not wish the parties to be losers by it. He left Quasqueton and came to Dubuque to see a sick cousin, and while in the place had negotiated the certificate of deposit. He was innocent of the theft, and if the man who was guilty had the spirit of a man in him, he would never let another suffer by incarceration in the State prison, but would confess the charge he then made. He respected the man's family; they had nursed him when sick in Quasqueton, and he didn't like the task imposed upon him. Here, depending no doubt upon having made a favorable impression upon his hearers, Boyd looked around the court room until his eye rested on the post- master at Quasqueton, S. W. Hardin, and pointing at him, exclaimed, "There tits the man, brazen-faced, who committed the crime for which I am to suffer." It is, perhaps, needless to say that this weak and wicked har- angue had an influence quite the opposite from that in- tended by the unhappy culprit. It was indeed a sad sight to all thoughtful persons — a young man endowed with so many natural advantages prostituting them to the com- mission of crime, when, rightly used, they would have secured him a high place among the honored of the land. The jury having recommended him to the mercy of the court, on account of supposed extenuating circum- stances, he received the lightest sentence known to the law for the offence — two years' hard labor in the State prison. AN ATTEMPTED MAIL ROBBERY. The principal interest attaching to the following inci- dent, at the present time, lies in two somewhat curious coincidences — the locality being the same as that of the more successful operation of Boyd, nearly three years be- fore; and the sum which the last robber came so near securing, being the same in amount as that realized by Boyd. Since two coincidences suggest another it does not seem improbable that the robbers were identical. We do not know that this indeed was suggested at the time of the latter occurrance; but, as this was several months after the time of Boyd's sentence had expired, the idea is by no means chimerical. Truth is stranger than fiction, it is said; and what sometimes passes for fiction, has more truth than that which sometimes passes for history. On Thursday, the fourteenth of June, i860, near the hour of noon, the post office at Quasqueton was robbed of several letters, by a stranger stopping temporarily at the Hardin house, in the office room of which the mail matter was kept. It is supposed that he secured them by reaching through the delivery window; some of the boxes being accessible from it; and, being in the house for the purpose of effecting the robbery, the opportunity for which he was waiting at length offered itself to him, in the temporary absence of the postmaster. One of the letters was addressed to a Mr. Smith, and another to Dan- iel Stratton, a third to Mr. Sales, and one was from Ger- many; having safely traversed the ocean, and two-thirds of the continent, to be purloined by a petty villain, just as it was to be placed in the hands of those who were wait- ing for tidings from, "fatherland." These four, it is sup- posed, he took first; carried them into a clump of bushes several rods from the house, and opened them. Finding no money, he twisted them into a roll and threw them into the bushes, where they were afterwards found. It is thought he then returned and took from another box four letters belonging to B. G. Taylor, of Quasque- ton. Mr. Taylor thought that in one of these there might have been a small sum of money sent in payment of taxes, but neither of the others were of special value. 76 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. In the same box, however, probably leaning close to the side nearest the delivery window, so as not to be ob- servable, was another letter which the thief did not se- cure — and fortunately, as it contained a draft for five hundred dollars. The robbery was discovered about two o'clock p. M., and the thief had not been seen for two hours; having left the place immediately, it is prob- able, upon securing the second quartette of letters, which he must have taken with him, fearing to risk another opening in the near vicinity. Mr. Hardin made imme- diate and active pursuit, tracing his quandom guest to Independence. About eight o'clock in the evening he was seen leaving that place, going north; and though chase was made at once, he managed to reach the woods and escape. A NOVEL PROSECUTION. On a pleasant morning in the early part of July, 1859, a singular cavalcade passed through the streets of Inde- pendence. The cortege was headed by Sherifif Martin, whose air was not that of an officer who realized in his demeanor the majesty of the offended law. Following the sherifif came a large number of open wagons, filled with men and boys of all ages, and at the rear rode the deputy sheriff, his p3sition evidently designed to suggest the idea of a rear guard. The apprehended zwd. witnesses numbered over fifty persons, residents of Jefferson town- ship, and parties in an action before Esquire Glynn — the defendants being charged with disturbing a religious meeting. The particulars, as they were developed dur- ing the examination, were as follows : Religious services had been appointed to be held on the Sunday previous, in a grove in the aforesaid township. Seats had been prepared, and the people, on assembling, seated themselves as had been their wont, promiscuously, or, more properly speaking, and with great propriety of custom, families were seated together. The preacher, whose name and denomination are not matters of record, doubtless a well-meaning man, but possessing a zeal not according to knowledge, insisted that the sexes should occupy seats on the opposite sides of the speaker. This "Shaker habit" not commending itself to a majority of those assembled, the request met with a tardy compliance on the part of some, and a positive refusal on the part of others. The person who was to conduct the exercises not being able to overlook so flagrant a departure from what he esteemed of the gravest importance, the congre- gation was dismissed; and, subsequently, the above action was brought against some seventeen or eighteen of the offenders. The action was not sustained, however, and the pris- oners were discharged. They left town as they had entered it, singing with great heartiness, but, it is to be feared, not in a frame of mind to be profited by the min- istrations of one disposed to elevate matters of minor importance into the ranks of fundamental doctrines. As a matter of courtesy, we do not doubt that a sim- ilar gathering of intelligent citizens of Jefferson at the present day (which, as history repeats itself, may occur,) would comply with the request, or even a demand, though the inicard protest against the unwisdom of the proceeding might be just as stout as that in the breasts of the unyielding heroes of the novel trial of 1859. COUNTY SAFE ROBBERY. On the night of the seventeenth of March, 1864, the safe of the county treasurer's office was blown open and county, State and private funds to the amount of twenty- six thousand dollars were stolen. The robbery was one of the boldest and heaviest ever committed in the State, and its announcement was a shock to the entire com- munity. Everything indicated that the nefarious crime was the work of a gang of old offenders. The safe, which was one of the old Lilly Chilled Iron patent, was a complete wreck ; the ponderous door was thrown completely off, and fragments of the lock scattered about the room. Cases of record books were thrown down, and deeds, mortgages and other valuable papers scattered over the floor. Under the debris were found the implements used to effect their purpose, which had been stolen from a blacksmith shop on Walnut street — a sledge-hammer, tongs, punch and cold chisel. The building was doubtless entered by skeleton keys, and the safe opened by drilling a hole in the door and applying a slow match to powder. Five hundred dollars was picked up from among the rubbish. None of the records or other papers were in- jured. The money taken was principally county funds and State taxes. The night chosen was exceedingly cold, with a high wind prevailing, which, with the isolated situation of the court house, prevented the explosion from being heard. E. B. Older, county treasurer, promptly telegraphed to all available points, and one thousand dollars was offered for the apprehension and conviction of the thieves, or the restoration of the .money; and later the sum was increased to three thousand dollars. Chicago detectis'cs were employed under the direction of Cap- tain Yates, but it was not until about the middle of the July following that any arrests were made. Four pris- oners were lodged in the county jail at that time, charged with the great county safe robbery. One (Jones) was discharged at the preliminary examination. In the time which had elapsed between the robbery and the arrest of these men. Captain B. C. Yates, of Chicago, had been pursuing the matter with ceaseless vigilance, travelling hundreds of miles and assuming all sorts of disguises. He had been plow-boy, wood-sawyer, flat- boatman, log rafter, and fisherman, following one of the suspected parties in a skiff over one hundred miles. The difficulties were greatly increased by the fact that the three robbers pursued widely different routes after the robbery. Such were the evidences that the right clue had been taken which led to the apprehension, that from the first, great confidence was felt that the true culprits were in custody. The prisoners were arraigned on Monday, July 2 5ch, before Justice Barton, at the court house in Indepen- dence. They gave their names as Christian A. Roher. bacher (arrested at his home, near Pilot Grove, Black Hawk county), William H. Knight (arrested in Du- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 77 buquc), and Wallace R. Pollard (arrested at Marathon, Cortland county, New York). C. F. Leavitt, esq., ap- peared as counsel for the defendants, and Wednesday following was assigned for an examination. The bail was set at fifty thousand dollars, and the prisoners were recommitted to the custody of the sheriff. The three prisoners were brought before W. H. Barton, justice of the peace, for examination, on Wednesday, the twenty- seventh of July, the examination lasting nearly four days. The State was represented by Messrs. Woodward, Jamison and Chandler; and the prisoners had Messrs. Barker, of Dubuque, and Leavitt, of Independence, as counsel. The e.xamination ended in holding the prisoners for trial in the sum of fifty thousand dollars each. Near the last of the month, the prisoners had evi- dently resolved upon effecting their escape, thus adding to the evidence already strongly confirming their guilt. Knight not only slipped out of his irons, but had escaped through a window, and was discovered only in time to prevent him from making good his escape altogether. The other two were found during the same week with their_irons off. Pollard showed himself a skilful mech- anician in this line. The trials took place in April and May of 1865, and resulted in the conviction of Roherbacher and Knight, each being sentenced to the State prison for the term of six years. Pollard was acquitted, and returned to the State of New York, where he is now living. Knight, who was suffering from pulmonary consumption, was pardoned after about nine months' imprisonment ; went south in the vain hope of recovering his health, but remained only a few months, when he returned to Inde- pendence; died at the Montour house, and was buried by the county. He died, it is said, protesting his inno- cence of the crime for which he had been imprisoned. Roherbacher was also pardoned, about six months after Knight. He went to Kansas soon after regaining his liberty; and there, as we are informed, established so favorable an opinion as to his honesty and intelligence, as to be elected to the legislatnre of his adopted State. The fact that these men, to all appearances, never en- joyed the money which they were supposed to have stolen, joined to the further fact that they were convicted mainly upon the testimony of paid detectives, who, how- ever honest they may have been, could hardly fail to be strongly prejudiced against the men whom they had fol- lowed so long — these facts, it cannot be denied, caused a strong reaction in the minds of many, after the excite- ment of the trial was over. It is probable that a large proportion of the community now have serious doubts if the convicted men were really guilty. On this point we have no opinion, but state the facts as they have been stated to us. SUSPECTED POISONING.* In the year 1868 one Daniel Thomas purchased a farm in the town of Hazleton, of Albertus Gillett, and moved onto it. About the same time a Mrs. Fay, a widow with a large family, moved onto a farm that she had * Communicated by Jed. Lake, esq. purchased from Mr. Thomas. The neighbors were not long in coming to the conclusion that there was an un- due intimacy between Mr. Thomas and the widow. But as Mrs. Thomas made no complaint, and none of the old residents of the neighborhood had any previous knowledge of either party, nothing was said or done by them, except to keep as far from them, in a social point, as possible. Things went on in this way for about two years. Mr. Thomas had received considerable money due him from Wisconsin, and Mrs. Fay built a new house, and fences, and outbuildings on her place. Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Fay came to Independence to- gether quite frequently, and purchased goods to a con- siderable extent, for which Mr. Thomas paid. About February, 187 1, Mrs. Thomas was taken sick with cramp- ing in the stomach, and severe spasms. A physician re- siding at Otsego in Fayette county, was sent for ; and, at the time of his visit, he discovered no alarming symp- toms, but thought she would get along in a few days. In a day or two after this, however, Mrs. Thomas died. She was buried in due course of time. On the day of the funeral, it is reported, Mr. Thomas took the widow Fay out for a ride. The neighbors became aroused, and sent for the county coroner. Dr. H. H. Hunt, and filed before him an information alleging, in substance, that they believed Mrs. Thomas had been poisoned. Dr. Hunt had Thomas arrested, his house searched, and found in it a bottle containing sulphuret of strychnia. He then had the body exhumed; a post mortem ex- amination made; and the stomach taken out, placed in a glass jar carefully sealed, and sent to a chemist for analysis. The coroner's jury spent some time in their examina- tion, and finally found that Mrs. Thomas was killed by poison administered by her husband. An information was filed against Mr. Thomas; and, after an examination that lasted about four days, the justice held him to answer for the charge of murdering his wife by administering poison, to wit: strychnine. On the preliminary examination it was shown by the prose- cution, that when Mrs. Thomas was first taken sick, she and her husband were at home alone ; that he gave her some chicken broth that had been prepared by some one for her; that she complained of its bitterness, and shortly after, went into spasms, and that he called in some of the neighbors to assist in taking care of her. To them she stated, on coming out of the spasms, that the broth was very bitter. The physician that w^as called to see her the next day, testified that Thomas told him that she had these spasms and had been subject to them for some time; that she would die in a spasm some day; that it was no use to doctor her, as nothing could cure her, and told the physician that he need not come again. The doctor who made the post mortem examination, testified that there were no indications that she died from disease ; that her symptoms were those tetanoid convulsions. That strychnine poison would produce tetanus, and the convulsions as testified to by witnesses present when she died, and as shown by the condition of the body when e.xhumed, and by her general appearance. 78 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. The chemist, Professor Hinrichs, of Iowa State uni- versity, who analyzed her stomach, testified to finding strychnine that would indicate that she had taken about one-half grain of the poison. The witnesses also testi- fied to the facts as to the intimacy between Mr. Thomas and the widow Fay: thai he gave her money frequently, and built her house, and improved her farm. Others that he ordered merchants at Independence to sell her goods that she might want, and he would pay for them; and the fact that he did pay for large amounts of goods that she purchased. Messrs. Lake and Horman, and Mr. Jamison were employed on the defence by Mr. Thomas. They ex- amined the facts of the case, aside from what was proved on the preliminary examination. After a careful ex- amination, ihey came to the conclusion that delay was a good defence; and therefore, were not ready for trial. The evidence for the prosecution was mostly circumstan- tial, and the small amount of strychnine, as shown by Professor Hinrich's analysis, left the case in some doubt; so that the prosecuting attorney was not anxious to urge the case to trial. Mr. Thomas was confined in the county jail, but, be- ing an old and feeble man, was allowed large liberty by the jailors, and had a fail ly comfortable time. He was in the jail where a large number of very tough customers were confined then. They desired to try to break jail, but did not dare to try to get Mr. Thomas to go with them. So they contrived, in some way, to stupify him in his cell. But their plan was frustrated by some other means. They succeeded in getting out of jail, but were all recaptured in a short time. After that, Mr. Thomas, at another time, put the sheriff on the watch for tools that had been prepared by a noted burglar, then confined in jail, to get out. This so enraged the other prisoners that it was deemed unsafe fir him to be with them, and Mr. Thomas was removed to better quarters in the jailor's house. His case, in the meantime, was not called for trial, but was continued by consent of counsel. In the spring of 1872 he was taken sick, and, in a short time, died. Thus the facts, as they might have been found by the jury on a full trial, will never be known. If innocent, the man was most unjustly dealt by. If guilty, he ought to have been tried and punished. He has, however, gone to his reward; and to be judged where all truth is known. The willingness of his attorneys to allow his case to linger on the docket, is evidence that they did not have the most unbounded faith in his innocence. DEADLY ASSAULT, MURDER, AND SUICIDE. On Sunday evening, February 17, 1878, Mr. Sidney Toman and Miss Matie Sherwood were returning to In- dependence from Fairbank township, where the latter had been stopping two or three days, visiting friends. They were in a covered buggy, and it had become dark (or rather, moonlight) before they reached town. Near the southwest corner of the Catholic cemetery young Toman stopped the horses for a moment to adjust the buffalo robe, when some unknown person leaped upon the back part of the buggy, thrust his hand through the cover and discharged a pistol. The discharge not taking effect. Toman attempted to whip up the horses, but could not make them move — the supposition being that an accomplice of the ruffian was holding them. There- upon, resolved to sell his life as dearly as possible, if killed he must be, Toman jumped from the buggy and seized the man who had fired the pistok A scuffle ensued, during which several more shots were fired, two of them taking effect on the left side of young Toman's head and face. One was slight, though causing the blood to flow profusely. The other was more serious, the ball lodging among the muscles of the face, where it remained until removed by the physicians. The would-be assassin, having emptied all the cham- bers of his revolver, succeeded in releasing himself from his intended victim; who though weak from his struggle and the loss of blood, managed to get into the buggy and drive into town. Strange to say, the assailant, as the buggy started, leaped again upon the back part of it and remained there until it arrived near the Central depot, when he jumped down and disappeared. Whether or not he tried to reload and finish his work, will never be known. The first suspicion, so far as the public knows, con- cerning the perpetrator of this diabolical outrage, fell upon a roving and dissipated character, named Jim Strohl; who, with an unknown companion, was seen near the Central railroad station, on the afternoon before the occurrence. He had recently been in the peniten- tiary, and it was said, was harboring a grudge against young Toman for some things that had been said about him in the Independence Bulletin, of which ])aper Mr. Toman was local editor. One of the suspicious circum- stances implicating Strohl and his companion, was the finding of some wet handkerchiefs, one of them stained with blood, in the pockets of their overcoats, which had been secreted under the plank-way at the Independence mill. Considering all the circumstances, it was thought best to have them arrested on a charge of vagrancy, that the authorities might have time for further investigation. This was accordingly done, and they were sent to jail for ten days. Before the ten days were up, it was thought that sufficient facts had been discovered to implicate them in the attempted murder. Being rearrested on that charge, they waived examination and were recom- mitted to await the action of the grand jury. That body met about the middle of March; and, after a three days' hearing, the two accused boys (for Strohl had haidly reached his majority, and the other, Rourke, alias Henderson, was only seventeen) were held in the sum of three thousand dollars each to appear at the next term of the district court. The chain of evidence which led to this result was about as follows: The boys left Raymond, the second station west of here, between twelve and one o'clock, Sunday p. m. While there they were seen to have in their possession a pistol known as a "four shooter." They arrived here, and were seen on Main street bridge about half past five. About six, three persons were seen near the central HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 79 crossing, one of them identified as Henderson, and another wearing a coat and cap similar to those shown in court as the property of Strohl. About dusk three persons (supposed to be the same) were seen going in a northwesterly direction up the slough. Mr. Hayes saw three persons, a little later, near the place where the shooting occurred, but could not identify them. Mr. Morse, living in that vicinity, heard the shooting — "four shots in quick succession, and only four were fired." This corresponds with the four-shooter shown by the boys at Raymond, but not with the recollection of young Toman. These circumstances, with the threats made by Strohl against Judge Toman and family, made a bad looking case for the boys. Still, many puzzling questions were asked by those who doubted that the boys were the guilty parties. Two things were evident: First, that the motive of the assault was a grudge of some sort ; and second, that the person or persons wOio planned and perpetrated it, knew that Toman was to [jass that way about that time. If, therefore, Strohl and his companion knew it (arriving in town late as they did Sunday even- ing) they must have been informed by some third party. But no such party was ever found. The case was called for trial at the next session of the district court, on the seventh of May. Rourke had been bailed by his friends, and was not to be tried at this session. The case was managed, on the part of the State by District Attorney Powers, assisted by Mr. Holman, of Independence; and on the part of the defence by Charles Ransier and an attorney by the name of Gannon, of Davenport. The trial lasted four days — that is, until Saturday night, the tenth of May, when the case was given to the jury. After being in consultation over it all night, they brought in a verdict of guilty. Strohl re- mained in jail until the June session of the court, when, on Saturday, the twenty-second of that month, the appli- cation for a new trial having been overruled, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment in the penitentiary at Anamosa. THE SEQUEL of this strange trial is too tragic, the events which com- pose it are too recent, and the living whose hearts bled, and still bleed in consequence of it, are too numerous to justify a minute description here. But this history would be imperfect, and its patrons would have some right to complain of injustice, if all allusion to these events, as notorious as they are sad, were to be avoided. While, therefore, any mention of them must doubtless be pain- ful to some, we will endeavor to make our comments upon them so brief, and withal so charitable, that none shall have just occasion to censure us. Miss Matie Sherwood, the young lady who was with Sidney Toman at the time of the assault related above, and who was commonly understood to be engaged to him in marriage, had another lover, Clarence Shaw, who seemed to be completely infatuated by her many attrac- tions; and who, on the other hand; seemed to exercise over her a strange sort of spell. It is not our intention to give anything like a history of this ill-starred attach- ment; but we cannot forbear to say that the terrible re- sults of it should prove a warning to all young people to keep the sentiment of love within the strictest bounds of honor, morality and religion. Especially should everything like love-making between two parties, either of whom is affianced to a third party, be frowned upon, not only as dishonorable, but as an actual crime against society, by all, both old and young, who have the good of society at heart. It is not known that the rivalry of the two young men, in regard to the young lady in question, had ever pro- duced any open rupture between them ; but both must have been either more or less than human, if it did not cause at times, on the part of both, a pretty strong feel- ing of jealousy. During the trial, and after it, the feeling was general, even among those who believed Strohl to be guilty, that there was a third party yet undiscovered more guilty than he. This feeling was so much intensified after Strohl's conviction, that a detective was employed to f&rret the matter out. Suspicions began to point to young Shaw as this third party, and these suspicions coming to his ears, annoyed and disquieted him greatly. His conduct became more and more strange, and many of his actions and words, on the day of the fatal deed, partook strongly of the character of insanity. But whether, or not, he was guilty of the shooting of Toman, it is not probable that remorse, or the fear of apprehension, alone, impelled him to the terrible act which he finally committed. Toman was alive and well. A frank confession that he had assaulted him in a mo- ment of frenzied jealousy, accompanied by an openly avowed resolution to atone, as far as possible, for his crime, by a future course of virtuous living, would un- doubtedly have saved him from the penitentiary, and re- gained for him at length the good opinion of the com- munity; whereas, the double crime with which he left the world, would be looked upon by many as a confes- sion of the smaller crime of which he was suspected. No, the infatuation of a misplaced and hopeless love, was probably the principal cause that goaded poor Shaw to the commission of murder and suicide. What little we have to say in regard to this fearful tragedy, will be taken mainly from a long account of the affair, published in the Independence Conser-daiive, of July lo, 1878 — the Wednesday after the act was com- mitted To lay before the readers of the Conservative an account of the re- cent sad occurrence, is, indeed a painful task. Last Saturd.iy night, at ten o'clock, Clarence Shaw, aged nineteen years, and an employe of this office, shot Miss Matie Sherwood, twenty years old, daughter of Thomas Sherwood, and then shot himself. The shooting was done at the residence of W. S. VanOrsdoI, sheriff of this county. They had gone thither after tea, by appointment, to meet Miss Minnie VanOrs- doI, and Mr. John Evers. After conversing for a while, the four start- ed out for a walk. They had not gone far when the two couples sepa- rated — Clarence and Matie proceeding to the river for a boat ride During the walk the strange actions of both had ex-cited the apprehensions of Mr. Evers and Miss VanOrsdoI ; and, after the for mer had gone to the river against their expostulations, the two latter hastened to the store, where Charlie Sherwood, a brother of Matie, was employed, and informed him of their fears concerning his sister and Clarence. Charlie hastened to the river and got there just as Clarence was pushing the boat off. Charlie rushed into the water and pulled the 8o HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. boat to shore. He then told his sister to go home, and she started, Clarence accompanying her and Charlie following behind. They passed directly along Genesee street until they arrived on the corner at Dr. Hunt's. Clarence then said that they must go to Mr. Van Orsdol's and get their things. The narrative does not say whether anything had really been left there, or whether this was merely a ruse for the sake of carrying out the fatal programme. However this may be, the three returned to Mr. ^'an Orsdol's. Clarence and Matie went in and Charlie re- mained at the door. After being admitted Clarence asked Miss Van Orsdol t'or some water to wash his hands, "as the rope on the boat had dirtied them." He was shown to a bedroom, which he entered — Miss Sher- wood following. Miss Van Orsdol, after pouring some water into a bowl, stepped out for a moment, but scarcely had she gone six steps when she heard the report of a revolver twice. Charlie Sherwood rushed in and found them both lying across the bed, shot through the head. Matie lived about twenty minutes, and Clarence about an hour after. Physicians were summoned, but nothing could be done. Messengers were sent to mform the parents of the unfortunate young persons. We forbear to dwell on the sorrowful scenes witnessed when tidings of the terrible tragedy were imparted to the parents. The bodies, after being cared for, remained at Van 'Orsdol's until Sunday morning, when they were taken home. The funeral of Shaw took place Sunday afternoon at five o'clock; that of Miss .Sherwood on Monday afternoon at two o'clock. How the thouglits crowded in upon our minds. Two days before who would have thought of such an event? Saturday evening on earth; Monday, the souls in eternity and the bodies in the cold grave. Sad the thoughts; sadder the scenes; saddest the stern reality. Miss Matie Sherwood was a pleasant, interesting and engaging young lady — romantic, sympathetic. She moved in the best society, and had many warm friends. Her death, and the terrible tragedy con- nected therewith, will long be felt in this community. Of Clarence Shaw we wish to say a few words. Having been in our employ for four years, we believe our opportunity for knowing his character was better than that of any other person, excepting his par- ents. He came to us a boy, in September, 1874. .\n almost daily intercourse with him from that time forward, has led us to regard him only with the kindliest feelings. He was stricUy honest and temper- ate, and withal intellectual; and had he not become enmeshed in the toils of an infatuated love, we believe he would have made more than an ordinary man; but a morbid sentimentalism got the better of him, and one thing led to another until he struck down himself and the girl he worshipped. It was in this that he showed a sveakness that surprises us. Here ■we close our extracts from the Conservative, and let the curtain drop upon the awful tragedy. Whether it was Shaw who made the deadly assault upon Toman — whether Matie Sherwood was consenting to the sacrifice of her own life with his — whether he was of sound mind when the dreadful act was committed, and what amount of guilt rests upon the souls of both for its commission — are solemn questions upon which the grave has set its seal till the great day of final account. We shall not attempt to forestall the decisions of that day. Mainly on account of the evidence adduced before the coroner's jury, Strohl was released from prison on his own recognizance, pending an appeal which had been taken to the supreme court. That court reversed the decision of the court belov?, and sent the case back for a new trial. But the district court dismissed the case without a hearing. Rourke, of course, was never brought to trial. CHAPTER XI. COUNTY SOCIETIES. This chapter will comprise the history of all the asso- ciations of a public character, whose membership ex- tends over the entire county. We begin with the EARLY settlers' ASSOCI.ATION, not because it is first in the order of time, but because it seems more nearly related than any other to the first settlement of the county. Owing to the comparatively recent date of its organ- ization, we are enabled to give our readers a fuller ac- count of the meetings held, addresses delivered, etc., than would be practicable if its history extended over a much longer period. The first formal organization of the pioneers of the county took place in the autumn of 1875. Several of the old residents of Independence and vicinity united in a call for a meeting, to be held on the ninth of Sep- tember. It was intended to hold the meeting in a grove near the town, but, the weather proving unfavorable, it was held in the court house. Quite a good number of the early settlers came together, and unanimously adopt- ed the following CONSTITUTION : We, the pioneers in the settlement of Buchanan county, assembled at Independence in said county, this ninth day of September, 1875, having resolved for our mutual interest and happiness to imite ourselves into a permanent organization, do hereby, for that purpose, make, or- dain and adopt the following constitution, to wit : Article I. This organization shall be known and desingated as "The Early Settlers' Association of Buchanan county, Iowa." .Article II. The officers of this society shall consist of one presi- dent, one secretary, one treasurer ; and also one vice-president from each township having resident members of this association. Article HI. .•\11 officers shall be elected annually, at the regular meeting of the association, as hereinafter provided; and shall hold their office until their successors are elected. Article IV. The president shall perform the usual duties apper- taining to that office; shall countersign all orders drawn upon the treas- urer; and, in case of his absence or inability to act, the duties of presi- dent shall devolve upon the first on the list of the vice-presidents able to act. Article V. The president and vice-presidents shall constitute an e.xecutive committee, whose duty it shall be to make all necessary ar- rangements for meetings of this society; examine and audit all claims against this society, and attend generally to all business thereof, not otherwise provided for. Article VI. The secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the society and of the executive committee; also a record of all deaths of members of the society, so far as shall come to his knowledge, and attend to all necessary correspondence of the society, and draw orders on the treasurer for the payment of all claims allowed by the executive committee, keeping a record thereof; receive all money paid to the society, and hand the same over to the tieasurer, keeping an ac- count thereof. Article VII. The treasurer shall receive all the money from the secretary, belonging to the society, safely keep the same, and pay it out only on orders of the secretary ; report to the executive committee, at each annual meeting, the amounts received and expended, and pay over to his successor in office any and all moneys remaining in his hands, belonging to that society. Article VIII. The society shall also report annually; and both secretary and treasurer at any time when requested by the executive committee. Article iX. .Any resident of the county, who has resided therein for twenty years, may become a member of the society by presenting his name to the secretary for record. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUN TV, IOWA. 8i Ahticle X. The expenses of the society shall be paid by voluntary subsciiption, unless the society shall, at a regular meeting, provide some other method. Article XI. The annual meetings of the society shall be held on the first Thursday of September of each year, at some place near the centre of the county, designated from time to time by the executive committee. .•\rticle XII. The executive committee shall meet annually, at the time and place of the meeting of the society, and shall hold such special meetings as may be called by the acting president, or by a ma- jority of the members of said committee. Article XIII. This constitution, or any by-laws or rules adopted thereunder, may be altered or amended at any annual meeting of the society, by vote of a majority of the members present and voting. After the adoption of the above constitution, the so- ciety proceeded to the election of officers for the ensuing year, which resulted as follows; O. H. P. Roszell, president; J. S. Woodward, secretary: James Jamison treasurer; J. B.Ward, Madison township; C. H. Jakeway, Buf- flalo township; Samuel Sufficool, Hazleton township; Francis Pingree, Fairbank township; Charles Melrose, Perry township; Ephraim Miller, Washington township; S. G. Pierce, Byron township; James Fleming, Fremont township; A. Risley, Middlefield lownsliip; S. Swartzell, Liberty township; A. C. Blakely, Sumner township; Peter Ham, West- burgh township; George Frinke, Jefferson township; Eli Norton, Homer township; John Newell. Cono township; Charles Hoover, Newton township; vice-presidents. The following names of members were taken at this meeting, in accordance with article nine of the constitu- tion: William A. Jones, David Cill, B. C. Hale, S. Swartzell, E. A. Cam- eron, C. Jakeway, J. G. Litts, C. Wilson, John Carson, D. L. Lee, John Cameron. John H. Anderson, L. D. Ingall, Charles Melrose, Jesse Ozias, B. B. Warren, A. C. Blakely, Joel Fisher, Thomas Scar- cliff, D. Robinson, J. Slaughter, David .\gnew, S. M. Eddy, Peter Ham, Harvey Norton, Ell Ozias, Thomas Ozias, Eli Norton, S. G. Pierce, H. Sparling, W. O. Curtis, M. A. Glass, J. C. Glass, E. Cobb, E. B. Older, Eben Little, J. J. Travis, M. Burbridge, J. M. Blakely, John Logan, E. Miller, B. W. Ogden, J. W. Plumerfelt, A. M. Bryant, Rebecca Chitistei. J. C. Neidy, Lovina Sparling, J. S. Woodward, O. H. P. Roszell, James Jamison, Mary Jamison, John L. Frinke, J. R. Megonigan, J. L. Norton, Charles Hoover, Rufus Brewer, F. W. Car- don, E. Mosher, diarlotte Minton. Alice J. Burroughs, Charles A. F. Roszell, Mrs. S. C. Little, C. H. Little, F. M. Curtis, Charles Kautz, J. C. Wroten, James Poor, E. B. King, S. S. Allen, John .S. Bouck, C. Gideon Ginther, Lyman R. V'arguson, George McFarland, William Bunce, .Alexander Risk, J. Wiley, G. Walker, William Slaughter, Wil- liam H. Gifford, A. E. Morphy, S. G. Gifford, Mrs. J. Wiley, Asa Blood, W. G. Cummings, Z. P. Rich, Mailha Hoover, W^arren Chase, Thomas Edie, D. G. Dunlap, Don F. Bissell, Samuel H. Miller, John O. Cummings, William Waggner, Margaret .■\. Waggner, Mrs. Almina Miller, J. C. Stevenson, Lovinia Edie, Mrs. E. M. Sampson, Lydia Rich, Janet Glass. The next year (September 7, 1876) the association met in Dickinson's grove, on the west side of the river. The meeting was called to order by O. H. P. Roszell, president, and Z. P. Rich, of Byron township, was elect- ed secretary Jiro ton., in the absence of J. S. Wood- ward, secretary of the society. The weather was un- favorable and the attendance consequently small. The election of officers for the ensuing year, resulted as follows: O. H. P. Roszell, president; J. .S.Woodward, secretary; W. A.Jones, treasurer. The vice-presidents for the several townships were all reelected. W'. A. Jones, A. Risk, Elder Brintnall, IJr. H. Bryant, and Judge Roszell, made brief addresses, replete with interesting reminiscences ot f)ld times. Owing to the small attendance, no additions were made to the mem- bership of the association. September 6, 1877, the society met on the same grounds, and was called to order by B. C. Hale, of Perry township. The president. Judge Roszell, was present but too feeble in health to preside. This was the last meeting of the society that he ever attended, his death occurring before the close of the year. The weather being propitious, the attendance was large; and the re- sult, as will be seen further on, was a goodly number of accessions to the society. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: Henry Sparling, jjresident; J. J. Travis, secretary; Byron C. Hale, treasurer. The vice-presidents were all reelected, with the follow- ing exceptions: Gamaliel Walker was elected for Perry township in place of Charles Melrose, deceased ; James Fleming for Fremont township; and A. Risley for Mid- dlefield. Colonel Jed. Lake, David Gill, Henry Sparling, Z. P. Rich, and Mrs. B. N. Morse (the latter having been a resident of the county for the past thirty-five years), made appropriate addresses; and Samuel Harvey, an old resi- dent of Delaware county, favored the society with a song, entitled, "Thirty Years Ago." The following names were added to the list of members: Curtis Morgan, Mrs. N. Moshier, John McMillan, Mrs. J. McMil- lan, J. F. Hathaway, Sarah Jane Hathaway, Jesse Kitch, Maftha Jakeway, John Merrill, Moses Litts, John Slomens, Mrs. Mary Gates, Mrs. Mary Edgell, Mrs. Dora Gregory, Mrs. Nancy Sheldon, Mrs. Charlotte Potter, Mrs. T. M. Hunt, Mrs. Mary E. Kitch, Mrs. .Anna Wagner. Mrs. Rebecca Miller, Mrs. Sarah E. Menshaw, Henry Bnrn- ham, Mrs. M. C. Burnham, Norman Boyce, Rachel Boyce, Willi-im Ramsey, Elizabeth Ramsey, Mrs. C. A. Ridinger, James Henry, Jesse Merrill, Jube Day, George A. Jakeway, Mrs. Martha Logan, Mrs. Ellen Stevens, Mrs. Elmira Hunt, J. B. Edgell, W. G. Miller, T. M. Hunt, Amos R. Blood, M. V. Miller, Kate Frank, N. E. House, S. L. Hastings, Mrs. .Amy Hastings, Sarah Biddinger, Elsa Biddinger, Lo- vina Hathaway, Josiah Brace, Leonard Curley, James .Saunders, W. W. Norton, Hugh Hursay, Enos A. Sheldon, Nathaniel Walker, J. E. Cook, William Morgan, Z. P. Stoneman, Mrs. C. H. Stoneman, John Moor, Sophia Moor, A. D. Stoneman, Mrs. Samantha J. Litts, Ella Wilbur, M. S. Ozias, Mrs. J. Day, Mrs. Lovina Sparling, Maltha Ozias, Mrs. Huldah Sherwood, Mrs. B. N. Morse, Mrs. Hannah Phelps, Joseph E. Jewell, Mrs. Joseph E. Jewell, J. B. Potter, E. Dick- inson, E. W. Purdy, Charles E. Purdv. Mrs. E. W. Wilson, Mrs. Margaret Mann, Mrs. B. Slomers, S. H. Pierce, Mrs. Nancy A. Litts. The meeting for 1878 (September 5) was held in the same place (Dickinson's grove) and was opened with prayer by William A. Jones. The exercises were enlivened by music by the Independence cornet band. After the reading of the minutes of the last meeting, the constitu- tion of the society, and the list of members previously enrolled, the Hon. W. G. Donnan was called out and addressed the meeting at considerable length, giving many interesting reminiscences of the early settlement of the county. After some stirring music by the band, Messrs. Asa Clark, Dr. H. Bryant, John C Neidy, Asa Blood, and William A. Jones also made appropriate re- marks. The following names were then reported, and entered on the list of members: G. W. Smyser. Susan C. Smyser, Mrs. George O. Farr, E. Zinn_ Mrs M. Zinn, Mrs. A. Zimmen, .Adolph Leytze, Mrs. C. Leytze, Louis Melzmier, Mrs. .A. L. Metzmier. Charles Swartz. Mrs. B. Swartz. J. L. 82 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Bigelow, Mrs. Harriet Bigelow, J. R. Freeman, Mrs. Cora E. Free- man, Mrs. Emily M. Rich. Mrs. D. M. Moore, Mrs. E. Ogden, G. Dickinson, G. R. Smitli, Mrs. Elizabeth Heron, Mrs. Hannah Hay- wood, Mrs. Cynthia George, R. J. Williamson, Mrs. Belle Fonda, C. G. Woodruff, P. H. Goen, Mrs. S. Bitner, Mrs. L. C. Bryant, Mrs. Mary Hathaway, Nicholas Bornheim, G. Walkins, Valentine Gates, Alden Whitney, Mr. G. M. Goen, A. B. Black, Horatio Bryant, L. Fonst, Mrs. .Amanda Cutler, Mrs. Susan Brace, .Alexander Brace, A. S. Munshaw, John Briggs, Mrs. Ann Briggs, Mrs. Mary Jamison. D. C. Hastings, Mrs. E.- D. Whitney, Charles L. Patrick, Mrs. M. A. Patrick. The following are the names of the old settlers that died during the year: Hon. O. H. P. Roszell, Captain D. S. Lee, James Jamison, Henry Mead, Thomas W. Close, Mrs. Gaylord, Mrs. Frisell, Mrs. R. R. Plane, Mrs. Baton, Mrs. Apple. Mrs. Beach, Mrs. Blood, Mrs. Croma ' —all of Washington township— and Mrs. Charlotte, of Perry. The election of officers resulted in the following choice : Dr. H. Bryant, president; J. J. Travis, secretary; Henry Sparling, treasurer; J. B. Ward, Madison township; Nelson Bennett, Buffalo township; Samuel Sufficool, Hazleton township; Charles Higby, Fair- bank township; Gamaliel Walker, Perry township; A. H. Fonda, Washington township; James Hamilton, Byron township; Joseph Fleming, Fremont township; A. Risley, Middlefield township; Solo- mon Swartzell, Liberty township; A. C. Blakely, Sumner township; Peter Ham, Westburgh township; George Lauterdale, Jefferson town" ship; Eh Norton, Homer tow-nship; John Newell, Cono township' Charles Hoover, Newton township, vice-presidents. The fifth meeting of the society, September 4, 1879, in Dickinson's grove, was called to order by the presi- dent. Dr. H. Bryant, and opened by prayer by Josiah Brace. The Independence cornet band was again in at- tendance. After the preliminary business several mem- bers addressed the meeting, the last speaker being Perry Munson, who related incidents in the early settlements of the county, dating as far back as 1842, when he first came here to reside. The following names were added to the list of mem- bers : • Henry W. Oliver, George Mann, George Harriman, Mrs. Antre Ring, Mrs. Doritha Mann, Mrs. Arvilla Gregory, Mrs. Elizabeth Palmer. Mrs. Lucinda Bright. The deaths of members reported for the past year were as follows : William Ramsy, September 23, 1878, having been a resident of the county twenty-five years; Mrs. Merrill, of Liberty township, and Adolph Leytze, of Washington. The following poem, composed by Mrs. E. A. Wood and dedicated to the society, was read by the secretary: TO THE OLD SETTLERS OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. Old settlers, wlio to-day have met To take each other by the hand, Whose hearts have never known regret For all your toils in this fair land — We welcome you to our glad throng. Who, in the months and years gone by. Have battled manfully and long — Have bravely stood to do or die. Strongmen, brave women — true hearts all — A great State blesses you to-day. That, from beginnings crude and small. For empire you have cleared her way. From eastern homes, with plenty blest. By mountain-side, or sea, or rill, * You left your dearest and your best, The prairie soil untouched to till. These prairies, as of old, to-d.iy Spread their green bosoms to the sun; But bearing, as they ever may. The honest homes that toil has won. Each year the harvest time pays back For all the days of toil and pain; And never is there any lack Of stores of fruit or golden grain. .And many a stream that winds its way To join its "Father" of the west. Is taught by skilful hands to stay And turn a mill at their request ; While daily, all the season round. The yellow grain its hoppers fill. There's nuisic in its cheerful sound — O never may that sound be still ! Old friends, your monuments, to-day, .Are scattered wide o'er all the land; And you have built in such a way That they forever more shall stand. Your cities, manufactures, schools, .And church spires pointing to the sky, .All show that education rules. And teaches how to live and die. May coming years to you but bring New scenes of joy and gladness. Like the return of nature's spring From out a winter's sadness. And when your days on earth are o'er. From far across Death's river, May angel hands stretch from the shore To help you home forever. Last year, September 2, iSSo, the sixth meeting of the society was held in the public park, east of the court- house, Independence. The old settlers from all parts of the county came together with baskets filled with choice eatables from their well-stored pantries; and the usual exercises were prefaced by a pic-nic, which was highly enjoyable, not only as an occasion of gustatory pleasure, but as a social reunion of old friends. The proceedings of the meeting were, as usual, enlivened by favorite airs from the cornet band, and, what was quite unusual, by songs from a well-trained choir, under the leadership of Mr. D. D. Holdridge. The death of the late treasurer, Henry Sparling, was announced, after which the society proceeded to the election of officers for the ensuing year, with the follow- ing result: William .A. Jones, president; J. J. Travis, secretary; Colonel |ed Lake, treasurer. The vice-presidents elected from the several townships were as follows ; Madison, Alden Whitney; Buffalo, Charles Jakeway; Hazleton, Samuel Sutficool; Fairbank, Charles Higby; Perry, Gamaliel Walker; Washington, David Gill; Byron, James Hamilton; Fremont, James Fleming; Middlefield, A. Risley; Liberty, John C. Neidy; Sumner, George Wilson; Westburgh, Peter Ham; Jefferson, George Lauter- dale; Homer, Eli Norton, Cono; John Newell; Newton, Charles Hoover. Mrs. Chandler, of Independence, read an appropriate essay, dedicated to the society, after which addresses were made by the following members: J. C. Neidy, Charles Jakeway, James Ptaniilton, Martin Glass ("who is never known to miss a meeting of the society"); Mrs. Brooks, of Byron township; D. D. Holdridge (whose humorous remarks about the establishment of the Inde- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 8£ pendence churches proved conclusively that the "D. D." prefixed to his name must have a different signification from what those letters ordinarily have when used as a suffix); Colonel Jed. Lake, and the Rev. Henry \V. Bailey. The Hon. S. J. W. Tabor, an honored pioneer of the county, who had been absent at his post in the treasury department, at Washington, ever since the organization of this society, and who had returned during the past year to take up again his permanent residence in Inde- pendence, was present for the first time at this meeting with his fellow pioneers, who naturally looked to him for an address. It is no disparagement to the others to say that his was the principal rhetorical attraction of the oc- casion. The speech was without manuscript, and largely extemporaneous, but the speaker having kindly consented to write it out for our use, it will be found in full a little further on. At the close of Judge Tabor's address, the Rev. C. S. Percival, county historian, who happened to be present as a guest of the society, was called out and made a brief extempore speech, the substance of which may also be found after that of Judge Tabor. The address of Mrs. Chandler was in manuscript, and was quite brief, owing to the very limited time given her for preparation. It has been kindly placed at our dis- posal, and we insert it here. When it is borne in mind that Mrs. Chandler is in her seventy-fifth year, the merit of her address will be all the more highly appreciated. Friends and Old Settlers; — It is with pleasure that I meet you here to-day: and, as I look around, I see many old familiar faces that brighten up this pleasant scene as with the last rays of the setting sun. Time, with his silent footsteps, has led us down the long pathway of our western life together: and, consequently, this friendly gathering seems more hke a family reunion than like a public festival, and awak- ens thoughts that perhaps have long been slumbering — thoughts of old times, when this place was new. Many changes have occurred as the years have glided along, with their burdens of life's heaiy cares. Memory recalls the scenes of the past when we meet, as to-day, for social enjoyment: and it recalls, too, painful hours of sickness and sor- row, when death touched many a loved one with its iron finger, and left its impress on form and feature, and a vacant chair stood by the fireside, and we found " That ties around our hearts were spun That cannot, will not, be undone." Many of the old settlers have passed away. We were with them at the bridal and the burial, and still remember the warm pressure of the hand as our tears were mingled together with words of sympathy. They are gone: but their memory still lingers around us, and their good works are embalmed in the hearts of their survivors. And many of those sur\'Uors are here to-day, while the frost of old age lies while upon their heads: but their faces are like autumn's ripened fruit set on dishes of silver. Leaving the land of steady habits, they came, they saw, they conquered. They saw that this was a goodly land, and much to be desired. They found it lying like an infant asleep, while the gentle Wapsie sang its lullaby. But while they tended this infant soil, almost before they were aware, it became to them as a nursing mother. And these men went to work and built their shanties, saying by that act, "We mean to possess this land. " Then they sent for their wives and little ones. That was well : for it is these wives and little ones that keep the hearts of men tender and true. But they found them true helpers; and, by their aid, they at length conquered the difficulties that invest pioneer life. Most of these pioneers were manly and independent men; and so they christened this young child of the west — this infant city which owed its life to their energetic toil, "Independence." It grew so fast that some said it came up in a night, like Jonas' gourd. But look over this beautiful city, now so thickly dotted with comfortable and elegant homes on its many pleasant streets, echoing with the footsteps of the busy workers. Listen to the voice of the successful mechanic and merchant. See the churches and fine school-houses and business blocks. Listen to the rattle of the type in the prosperous printing- oflices, and the pompous array of lawyers' signs, and the doctors' mortars beside them, and all the other indices of civilized life — and then say if it looks like magic or the work of a night. Does it not look more like work done by energetic men who brought their brains with them, when they left the old eastern States, and set their hands to work under the direction of the brain, that skilful alchemist that transformed this place into a thing of beauty, and we trust "a joy forever." Now these old settlers are reaping their reward; for country and city have flourished like a green bay tree. "And the place has grown human in all the long years, Has been brightened by happiness, hallowed by tears, By the brides on the hearth, that bless it no more, By the cradles kept rocking like boats on the shore, By the touchlngs of hands and the whispers aside — AH the charms that survived, when Paradise died." All the events that have since transpired to make this a queen among the many pleasant cities of the west, and have given it character and prosperity, have come to pass through the guiding hand of the Supreme Ruler of cities and of nations, who has guided heart and hand in all the affairs of our social and religious life, up to the present time. Let us render to Him, therefore, the tribute of prairie and thanksgiving which is justly His due. We are passing away, one here, another there; and soon the last of the old settlers will be gone. Let us then plant around our homes the fragrant Asphodel, that shall say to us here, and of us when we are here no more, in eNpressive symbolical language — "Remembrance be- yond the tomb." The following is JUDGE tabor's address. Mr. President, L.\dies .\nd Gentlemen: An "old settler" who has not only reached the age of three score, but has passed beyond that boundary, is not so much given to blushes as when he was in his vouthful prime. This being the case, I have heard with a comparative decree of composure the encomiums which our presiding officer has so generously showered upon me. He seems to follow the proverb of judging others by himself, and in that manner discovers qualities in me which are his own characteristics. We all know how excellent a repre- sentative he is of the enterprise, the business tact, and the social amen- ity of the county: and, knowing this, we have made him our president, notwithstanding his easy elocution deals out compliments with the same profusion as his purse scatters its contents among so many of our farmers and stock-raisers. It is with pleasure that I greet the assemblage around me. I see many faces that are strange, but I also see many that are "familiar as household words" — faces that carry me back to the old times, and re- mind me of the great changes that have taken place among us during the last twenty-five years. Now I see here a flourishing town, with a thrifty, prosperous and enterprising population, and throughout the county, fine residences, cultivated farms, good roads, numerous schools, and many villages, full of activity, business, and all the requirements of future growth and success. — I see the various Christian sects represented, all with convenient houses of worship, and, some of them of such elegance as would be no discredit to metropolitan congre- gations. I see all these denominations living in the greatest peace and harmony with each other. I see, too, the Israelite and the heretic have here entire freedom of thought and liberty of speech, and that equal rights are accorded to all, without social ostracism or theological denunciation. Every man can truly sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there is none to molest or make him afraid. This religious brotherhood and this religious toleration has, indeed, ever been most marked in Buchanan county, as none can be better witnesses than more than one of us now in this assembly, who can gratefully testify that neither heterodo.xy or orthodoxy were made texts by our citizens in State or national politics, or in our civil government. But the mate- rial prosperity of the various denominations, and of the community at large, has increased and developed to an extent which is very gratifying and which promises to be permanent and yet greater. I came here from a busy, thriving, manufacturing village and county in Massachusetts, where manners and customs were stereotyped, and where precision and etiquette were the order of the day. The barber's trade was there very flourishing, and tailors found plenty of employ- 84 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. ment for needles, shears and goose. A smooth-shaved face overtopped an unexceptionable coat and a pair of fashionable pantaloons. A full beard and moustache were unknown in that Massachusetts region, and if an individual had made his appearance in the streets with his coun- tenance so garnished and adorned, he would have frightened the child- ren and been a spectacle of wonder to the adults. It would have been doubted whether he wr.s Lorenzo Dow resuscitated, whether one of the old Hebrew prophets was on a voyage of discovery, or whether Satan himself was again going about, to and fro, and was hiding his cloven foot in a well-shaped boot. What was my surprise, then, on getting to Independence, to find four-fifths of the men with beards of flowing luxuriance, and with mustaches worthy of a Hindoo devotee ! But, alas ! there is a certam book which tells us most truly that " Evil communications corrupt good manners," and what is true of vice is true of custom: "We first endure, then pity, then embrace." So it was with the well-shaved Yankee who had always abhorred a full beard and mustache, like a Roundhead in the time of Cromwell; but was now viewing the unsightly enormity for the first time with his own eyes, and was making his first acquaintance with western men and western manners. He became a renegade. He joined the Philistines. He enlisted in the army of Esau. Verily, he became a hairy man, and, what is more, though twenty-five years have since passed over his head, a hairy man he still remains, and now stands before you the same, and yet changed. The "silver threads" are not the exception, but the rule, m his locks; and his beard and mustache have taken that hue which they will never lose. The fact of my so immediately adopt- ing the full beard and mustache is a proof that I heartily relished western comfort and western disregard of fashion, which interfered with ease or business. I found the same western style in regard to dress. While the ladies —as a good Catholic on certain occasions always bows his head and crosses himself, so when the fairest part of creation is mentioned, I al- ways have an exclamation, "Bless the dear souls!" — the ladies did then, as they do now, dress most bewitchingly, but the men were as in- dependent of tailors as of barbers. It was almost a fact that every raascuUne garment from the lime of Adam down to 1856 could be found in Buchanan county. The craniums of the citizens weie adorned by every variety of hats and caps — bell-crowned, peaked, broad- brimmed, narrow-brimmed, beaver, felt, round, square, white, black brown, and grizzled — and every man considered himself a Beau Brummel in style and outfit. There were "long blue coats,'" like that of old Grimes; there were short, jaunty coats, like that of an Irishman at Donnybrook fair; there were tight coats, loose coats, swallow tails, blouses — all sorts, and every one just fitted for the man who wore it, for the time, and for the occasion. Other garments were after a similar fashion — every man for himself, and God for 'em all. Oh, you old settlers, those were the days worth livmg ! Those were the days of hearty frankness, downright friendship, absolute equality, and contempt of shams. Oh, how I enjoyed it! Freed from the restraints of New England formality and staid exactions, I fairly rioted in the universal sociability which here united one to another, where ceremoni- ous introductions were unnecessary, where sight was acquaintance, and acquaintance was friendship. For myself, though not "a native here, nor to the manner born," if I may quote Shakespeare with a little vari- ation, yet I took to these free and easy ways, this unostentatious and cordial intercourse, as a duck takes to the water, or the red man to his native woods. Yes, old settlers, I became one of you at once, and in manners, garments, thoughts, and feelings, I was emphatically a pio- neer. Never before had I enjoyed myself so well; never again do I expect to experience the beatitude of being "As free as Nature first made man." Those were days that could not last. The increase of wealth, the prevalence of comforts, the influx of newcomers, the greater and greater number of persons with whom we had no intimacy, our appor- tionment more and more into a larger number of sects, our devotion to business, and various other social interests have assimilated us nearly to the habits and customs of our eastern kindred and progenitors. Farewell to the old pioneer days ! They are gone. But for one I am glad that I participated in them, and if i cannot say with .^neas, "£/ guorit}n pars magna ftii — " "In which so large a part I bore — *' I know that I was an Arcadian, that I was one that helped to develop the resources of the county, and to aid in its culture, its affluence, and prosperity. I have some curious reminiscences of those old times which sharply illustrate the difterence of then and now. W'helher my earnest and cordial love of my pioneer environments, and my intuitive acceptance of their social exactions — whether nature had no power to mold me into a fashionable man — and so my fellow old settlers instinctively re- cognized me as one of themselves, I know not; but I do know that without solicitation or expectation on my part, and to my surprise as well, they made me the recipient of their official confidence for a num- ber of years, and in fact until our relations were terminated by Presi- dent Lincoln assigning me to new duties and with greater responsibilities. But as an example of the thoroughness of my pioneer habits, and of the ways of those with whom I lived, I will relate a curious circum- stance wjiich happened to me while I was county judge. 1 then lived on the north side of the railroad, in the house now owned and occupied by Heman Morse, and which I built. It was a warm summer afternoon, very near sunset, that I was out in search of my cow; for I was then my own master, servant, chore boy, and man of all work, from helping my wife to wash on a Monday morning to milking my cow, sawing and splitting my wood, feeding my pig, and looking after things generally. I had on a broad-brimmed palm-leaf hat, a good honest shirt and a pair of blue overalls, warranted not to fade in color, and like Washington's buckskin breeches, not to rip in the seat. My feet were guiltless of shoes and stockings, and I was striding off with the ease of a man untroubled with corns. While thus engaged I noticed a handsome barouche approaching, drawn by two fine bay horses, and occupied by an elegantly dressed gentleman and lady. When the carriage came up with me the gentleman said: "Can you direct me to the county judge? " "Oh, yes sir; I can." I answered, "1 am the county judge." " You the county judge !" exclaimed the gentleman in a tone of sur- prise, and exchanging comical and rather astonished glances with his female companion. "Yes. sir," said I, " I am the man. according to the record." "Well." said he, "my name is Griffith. I am a teacher of elocution, and wish to procure the court-house for a series of lectures. Can I have it?" "Of course you can." I replied, "and I presume you will have a suc- cessful course." It was soon arranged, and Mr. Griffith proved a very excellent elo- cutionist, and was the first man who ever made me really appreciate the power of good reading. In fact, I have always given him the preference of any elocutionist I have heard. Before he left he was satisfied that blue-jeans and bare feet did not absolutely preclude some knowledge of literature, and some acquaintance with books. But the comical figure I cut on the prairie, among the hazel bushes, and in my primitive costume, has always made me laugh whenever it has came into my mind. The Griffiths doubtless thought they had reached the outer-pos'.s of civilization. Another similar, but more annoying occurrence, happened the sum- mer before, when I was living in what had been Wilkinson's carriage- shop, and which then stood about where the Tabor & Tabor drug store is now located. I had been over the river to bring up my cow, in the same identical costume I have described, and as I had waded through the romantic and picturesque W^apsipinicon, I had taken an evening bath suitable for a warm day; but the blue overalls were de- cidedly bedraggled, and clung to my limbs with a tenacity not very flattering to proportions thai I never considered "A glass of fashion, and a mould of form." Desirous of changing my wet habiliments for dry ones, I boiled unceremoniously into tKe only apartment we had for kitchen, parlor and reception room, and there I was astounded to find an elegantly dressed lady, who was making her first call upon my wife. I own I did then wish for shoes and stockings, and consigned the sticky, wet, clinging overalls to a place which has a reputation for excessive heat. But there was no help for it. I was very politely in- troduced by my wife to our visitor, and she, being a real lady, con- trolled herrisibles, made only mental comments on the staturesque ap- pearance of my limbs, comprehended the situation fully, and having a fund of wit and sociability, soon placed me as entirely at my ease as if I had been clothed in tiie purple and fine linen so noted in the days of King Solomon. Perhaps it will not be too impudent for me to add that I see the lady who then called on us now in this audience, and many a hearty laugh have we had over our first introduction. Such were the incidents of these old pioneer days, incidents full of interest with the present improved state of things. Every man and every woman was aUve then, all woiking with their own hands, and no one feeling dispirited or degraded thereby. Every winter morning when I went to my office I used to see the district attorney out-o'-doors, axe in hand, cutting up wood for his stove, and taking it from a pile where it lay sled length. Lawyers, merchants, doctors and ministers HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 8S not only had ench a stalwart pair of hands, but they used them, and honest hibor was respectable everywliere. But I cannot dwell longer on the old scenes, which, however, have been more impressed upon me than the rest of you, because I sojourned away from you for many years, and have at length returned, as I hope, to spend the remainder of my days among you. I miss many old faces that would be with us were they alive. Judge Roszell, my predecessor as county judge and my frequent competitor in political contests, has gone to his long home. Never were we other- wise than friends, and after our first canvass of the county, during a political campaign and each evening a political discussion, I think we each had a greater respect £br the other than ever before. I honor his memory and mourn his loss. The Rev. Mr. Boggs is another who comes vividly before me. Theologically we differed greatly, but our personal friendship was never for a moment disturbed; and it is a pleasing recollection with me that on one occasion, when his health would not allow him to walk to the polls, he yet rode to them in order to give me his vote. Samuel Parker, an old and honored citizen, has recently left us, and so has Mr. .Sparling, both carrying with them our tender memories and filling us with sorrow at their loss, .^mong those, too, who were formerly my tried and true friends, I must speak of Mr. S. B. Curtis, whose native good sense, strict integrity, and sterling qualities would have done honor to any station in life. But I must draw my desultory and disconnected remarks to a close, and as hardly ever a man reaches the age of sixty without thinking himself competent to give advice, I intend, old settlers, to exemplify this fact. Yes, my friends, we are old, and even at the longest we can maintain our hold on life but a short lime. Let us then, by cheerful- ness, neatness and good temper, by a cultivation of youthful feelings, by a constant interest in public affairs, by a love for progress and im~ provement, by resolutely banishing fault-finding and querulousness, by abstaining from unreasonable laudations of the times when we were young, and by duly appreciating all that is now better and more per- fect than in former days — let us, I say, by these means, and by being amiable both in our families and in public, endeavor to be happy our- selves and to contribute to the happiness of those around us. Let us keep our intellectual faculties bright by using them. Let us remember that books are a great comfort for the aged and those deprived of gen- eral conversation. Let us. one and all, be prepared for death. Let us be so assured in our own minds in relation to that inevitable debt that we shall be as ready to meet it now as to-morrow — at this moment as at any future time. "So live," as I will quote in conclus- ion what has been quoted before, but which will bear repetition, "So live, that when thy summons comes to join The innumerable caravan which moves To that mysterious realm, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave. Like one wly wraps the drapery of his couch About him and lies down to pleasant dream.s. MR. perciv.\l's address. The remarks made by the Rev. Mr. Percival at this meeting of the Old Settlers' association were substantially as follows : Pioneers of Buch.\nan Cou.ntv:— My friend, the president of your society, has introduced me as the "county historian." It is not a title that I am ashamed of, and yet I am almost sorry that he has ap- pUed it to me on this occasion, for, above all things, I should have liked to avoid the suspicion that I came here with an axe to grind. At the same lime I may as well confess that, in a certain sense, the suspicion would do me no injustice. It is not an entirely disinterested motive that brought me here. It would not have been that, if I had come merely to have a good time — to enjoy the pleasant excitement of ming- Ung in a crowd — to gratify a natural curiosity to see, with my own eyes, of what stuff the yeomanry of old Buchanan is composed — to avail my- self of the rare opportunity of listening to the eloquence of your county orators. All this was, in part, the attraction that brought me here. But if I confess that my principal motive in coming was apparently more sordid than that — that I had an eye to business, even more than to pleasure — that I hoped to gather inspiration from what I should see and hear on this occasion, that would render the task I have undertaken (that of writing the history of your noble county) easier for myself, and more satisfactory to those who may honor the work with their patron- age, in short, if I own up. fiirly and squarely, that I did come here "with an axe to grind," I trust you will judge me as leniently as the demerits of the case will permit. .^s I have been sitting here, listening to the graphic sketches which the various speakers have given of eariy times in this county, and cast- ing my eye over this assembly composed so largely of men and women who weie actors in the scenes described, I have realized, as I never did before, how noble it is to be a pioneer— to take the lead in the great work of transforming a wilderness to a fertile and cultivated land, and to assist in laying the foundations of a new empire. I feel a sort of envy of these fortunate men, and a sort of humiliation when I remember that I was never a pioneer anywhere, or in anything. It is true that my parents were among the eariy settlers in central \ew York in "old Oneida," which has sometimes been called the Empire county of the Empire State; and if I had remained there until the present time, I might perhaps have been admitted to the old settlers' associa- tion of that county (should one still exist there) because I once lived in a log cabin, helped to roll and bum log heaps, and planted and hoed corn among the stumps. But I was born too late to be considered a pioneer in my native county, and I left it too soon to become an old resident in it; and were I to return now, I should perhaps be looked upon only as a deserter. Since leaving it. I have lived in four States; but they were al| settled before 1 came, and, although I have been an old man in three of them, I was never an old resident in any. Neariy ten years ago I became a resident of your county and of this goodly town. Had I re- mained here from that time to the present, I should now have, accord- ing to your terms of admission, but about ten years more to stay before I might enjoy the coveted honor of being enrolled in an old settlers- society. But, alas, my nomadic habits had become too strongly fixed; and so, after a two years' stay, I folded my tent like the Arabs, and as quietly stole away! And now, although I should remain with you for the remainder of my days, there is little probability that I should live long enough to be reckoned as one of your "old settlers." Since, therefore, this boon is denied me, I must content myself with the best substitute that lies within my reach. Since the fates deny that I shall ever be a pioneer myself, I will do what I can to perpetuate the memory of them and of their noble achievements. Though I cannot be remembered as an old settler. I will try to be remembered as the old settlers' historian. I deem myself fortunate in finding such an organization as this in ex- istence here. It is a pledge beforehand, of public interest in the work I have undertaken; and it will simplify and lighten my labor, by giving me more ready access to the materials I need. The county is fortunate in having such an organization within its borders. It will do more than to furnish an annual festival, that shall serve as the source of great social enjoyment to its members and their friends; though that, of itself would be no unworthy object. But what is far better, it will keep alive the old, healthful, vigorous pio- neer spirit, and an honest county pride, both in yourselves and in your children, which will prove, the sure promoter of material, social and moral improvement. And finally, my friends, you are, as a society, fortunate and worthy of congratulation on more accounts than I have now time to enumerate, but especially on these— that you have so goodly a heritage as this fair land to transmit to those who are so soon to come after you — that you have, within your own membership, so goodly a number with ready wit and ready tongue to instruct and entertain you when you come to. gether on occasions like this— and last, but not least, that you have a president capable, energetic and public spirited; magnetic in imparting his enthusiasm to others; skilful in arranging a bill of fare for an in- tellectual festival, and well knowing when it is best (as in the present instance) to observe that ancient rule, so often violated, viz., to reserve the poorest wine until the close of the feast. COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY — FIRST ORGANIZATION. The following "call" appeared in the Quasqueton Guardian of February 25, 185S: To the farmers 0/ Buchanan county, and all others interested in the formatiou of a county agricultural society: We, the undersigned, in view of the importance, as well as benefits, derived from a properly organized and well regulated agricultural soci- ety, would invite all persons who are willing to cooperate in such an organization, and aid in sustaining the same when organized, to meet 86 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. at Morse's hall, in Independence, on Saiurday, March 20, 1858. at lo o'clock, A. M., to perfect such an organization. February 18, 18 = David W. Gould, R. Campbell, Charles Crane, L. B. Mellish, S. S. McClure, C. F. Leavitt, J. H. Campbell, H. S. Chase, P. A. Older, B. S. Rider, C. 'W. Sellis, S. "W. Cook, L. Keys, D. S. Lee, S. V. Thompson, E. A. Alexander, J. M. Benthall, T. A. Jernegan, E. W. Whitney, G. C. Jordan, A. O. Davis. E. B. Older, S. J. 'W. Tabor, C. 'W. ■Wilson, Thomas Sherwood, \V. D. Fisher, A. J. Bowley, William Miller, John Burns, G. P. Hayslip, G. R. Smith, Charles E. Kent, J. Rich, F. M. Lewis, D. S. Davis, E. J. Pratt, S. W. Hardin, B. F. Clark,- James C. Henry, M. N. Timson, George P. Martin, Pursuant to the above call, a meeting was held at the court house on Saturday, March 20th, for the purpose set forth in the call for the meeting, viz: The organization of a county agricultural society. At 11 o'clock a. m., the meeting was called to order by choosing Dr. H. S. Chase, as chairman, and L. W. Hart, secretary. A committee of five was then appointed by the chair for the purpose of drafting a constitution for such a so- ciety. The committee consisted of L. W. Cook, D. S. Lee, M. Harter, H. S. Chase, Samuel Braden, and John Merrill. The meeting then adjourned until i o'clock of the same day, and at the same place, to hear the re- port of the coinmittee. At i o'clock the committee reported the following constitution : Article I. — The name of the society shall be the Buchanan county Agricultural society. Article II. — The object of the society shall be the promotion of agriculture and the mechanic arts. Article IH. — The officers of this society shall be, a president, three vice-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, and five directors, all of whom shall constitute an executive committee, with such other ofiicers as shall be appointed by the society. Article I'V. — The secretary shall keep ^record of the proceedings of the society and of the executive committee, and make report thereof at the annual meeting, or when requested by the society. Article V. — The treasurer shall keep all moneys belonging to the society, and pay out the same on a warrant of the president, counter- signed by the secietary; and tnake an annual report to the society of the finances thereof. Article VI. — The e.\ecutive committee shall superintend and direct the affairs of the society, from one meeting to another, and perform such other duties as the by-laws shall direct. Article "VII. — The officers of this society shall hereafter be elected at the annual meeting, by ballot, and shall hold office one year, and until their successors shall be elected. Article VIII. — The annual meeting of said society shall be held on the first Tuesday in January of each year. Article IX. — Any citizen of the county may become a member of this society upon the payment of one dollar into the treasury annually, and having his name registered by the secretary. Article X. — The society shall have power to adopt such by-laws as may be deemed necessary to carry out the object of this constitution, and to change the constitution and by-laws at any annual meeting of the society. This report was received and the committee was dis- charged. A motion was then made and carried unanimously, to adopt the constitution as reported. The following persons were then appointed a commit- tee to report names for officers of the society : W. O. Smith, O. H. P. Roszell, D. S. Lee, \Villiam Logan, H. H. Hunt, who, after a short session, reported the follow- ing persons to hold the various offices of the society, to- wit: H. S. Chase, president; Abiathas Richardson, Da- vid Merrill and Newman Curtis, vice-presidents ; L. W. Hart, secretary; O. H. P. Roszell, treasurer; John Smy- zer, William Logan, Rufus Conable, William Elliot and Charles Hoover, directors. The report was received and the committee discharged. The motion to adopt the report was then put, and car- ried without dissent. The following persons were then appointed a committee to draft by-laws for the society, to-wit: J. B. Thomas, S. S. Allen, Charles Kinckerbocker, who were to make report at the next meeting. W. O. Smith, D. S. Lee, and C. S. Leavitt, were appointed a committee to enquire into and report what should be done by this society to entitle it to share in the agricul- tural fund. The secretary was instructed to notify ab- sent officers of their election, by mail, or otherwise. A motion was then carried to publish the proceedings of the meeting in the Independence Civilian^ and the Quas- queton Guardian. The society then adjourned to meet on the second Saturday in June, at 11 o'clock a. m., at which time the several committees are to report. With this brief account of the organization of the first agricultural society, we pass at once to a description of its first fair, held in October of the same year. FIRST AGRICULTURAL FAIR. From the columns of the Guardian of October 21, 1858, we condense an account of the "first fair." The weather of the first day, October 13th, was cold, blustering and somewhat stormy, and the entries and attendance of that day was limited. The "fickle goddess," who, since that time, has "poured cold water" on many a similar enterprise, smiled propitiously on the second day, and the influ.x of both entries and visitors was characteristic of Buchanan outpourings of that early tinie. The different committees were generally prompt and attentive to their duties, making their awards iinpartially, and to general satisfaction. It was the opinion of the writer in the Guardian, that though several fine horses were exhibited, the display was inferior to what the county was capable of making. In cattle there were thirty-two entries, some of them very fine, so that even thus early one of Buchanan's specialties was fore- shadowed. In sheep there was but one entry, a fine me- rino buck and ewe, belonging to Mr. C. H. Jakway, of Buffalo township; the man who once offered a pail of fine butter in Independence, for four cents per pound, without finding a purchaser. The display of swine was quite creditable; Mr. Martin exhibiting the finest speci- men of the Suffolk variety — the other exhibitors show- ing crosses of that stock. The display of poultry was not large, but the varieties exhibited were fine. L. W. Cook showed a brace of Chittagong fowls; which we mention in the interests of science, fearing the name might become extinct as we suspect the family has. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 87 In fruits and vegetables the exhibit was pronounced excellent; but, in looking over the list, we are com- pelled to notice a very remarkable omission — not a single specimen of fruit being mentioned; unless the "large and splendid looking sweet potatoes," displayed by Mr. E. B. Older, and Mr. Romig's radish — two feet and seven inches in length and twelve inches in circumfer- ence, were thought by the committee worthy to be re- garded as standard bearers, if not "standard fruits" of Buchanan county soil. Mr. Romig also exhibited sam- ples of white and yellow seed corn which had produced seventy-five to eighty bushels per acre for him that year. Some of the Chinese sugar-cane syrup presented was pronounced equal to the best golden syrup then in mar- ket. Mr. Lathrop's and Mr. Reed's were especially line. In butter the entries seemed alike superior. Only one sample of cheese was entered and that of excellent qual- ity, made by Mrs. James Brooks. THE PLOWING .\ND RIDING MATCH. Passing over the notices of other departments, which will sufficiently appear in the list of premiums which we copy entire, a few words in regard to the plowing and riding matches will suffice, with the list, to perpetuate the memory of an event, which, at the time of its occur- rence, was regarded by all classes of the population as one of special interest. Not a household in the county, if is safe to say, was not plea.santly and profitably stirred from the dull monotony of ever recurring toils. THE RIDING MATCH. The great point of interest in the entire exhibition, at least to the more youthful portion of the visitors, was the riding match which came off at the race-course, which then occupied the grounds of the west side school building. About ten o'clock of the second day a tide of men, women, and children, in wagons and on foot, began to pour over the bridge towards the place of exhibition. The plowing match had but a feeble attrac- tion, except to the few. Farmers' wives and sons could see plowing on their own broad acres at home; while the element of novelty drew a large proportion of those not personally interested in the awards, irresistably to the race-course. The entries for the riding contest were Mrs. Edge- comb, Miss Freeman, Misses Clara and Mary Kipp, Miss Clark and Miss Coleman. It was the opinion of the judges, as well as of the spectators, that the horses were generally inferior, while the riding was uniformly good. Mrs. Edgecomb and daughter were awarded the first and second prizes, Miss Freeman, of Byron township, taking the third. The exhibition closed with an excellent address de- livered in the grove on the west side, by C. A. L. Roszell, and the reading of the premiums by Colonel Thomas. Mr. Roszell's address will be found in another part of this chapter. The Quasqueton band was in attendance, and enlivened the exhibition with their excellent music. As a primary one, the exhibition was exceedingly credita- ble. When it is remembered that Buchanan was then in its adolescence, wanting a full decade of its legal ma- jority, the following list of premiums will demonstrate the fact that, though the county was but a robust youth, its first farmers were already in th'e full tide of successful experiment. LIST OF PREMIUMS, awarded at the first exhibition of the Buchanan coun- ty agricultural society, held at Independence, October 13 and 14, 1868: Horses. — Best stallion, five years old or upwards, D. S. Lee, $5.00; second best. H. S. Chase, $3.00: best stallion, three years old and less than five, C. B. Jakway, $3.00; second best, H. H. Lathrop, $2.00: best breeding mare, E. .Miller, J2.00; best four-year-old do., J. Hunt- ington, $2.00: best sucking colt, S. B. Brooks. $1.00; best trotting horse, H. Edgecomb, $2.00; best pair matched geldings, A. F. Wil- liams, $3.00; best yearling colt, F. Pingiee, $2.00; matched carriage team, W. B. Kipp, $2.00; breeding mares, D. S. Lee, $4.00; single buggy horse, J. Boone, $2.00; three-year-old mules, C. Hoover, $2.00. Two-year-old do. , J. Smyser, $1.50; three-year-old mare, F. Hatha- way, $1.00; two-year-old stallion, S. F. Searle, $1.50. Cattle — Best yoke of oxen, five years old and upward, S. Sherwood, $2,00: best yoke of steers, four years old, F. S. Loy. $1.50; best full- blood short-horned Durham bull, two years old and upwards, D. Mer- rill, $3.00; best full-blood Devon cow, D. Merrill, $2.00; best do. Dur- ham do..,D. Robertson, $3.00; best cow, native or crossed, S. B. Curtis, $2.00: best yearling heifer, Edward Cobb, $1.50; best calf, John Car- penter, $1.00; two years old Devon bull, J. Carpenter, $1.00; two year old heifer, D. Merrill, $r.oo; full-blooded Devon calf, the same, 50 cents; four years old grade Devon bull, O. Cobb, 50 cents; second best Durham bull, three years old, D. Robertson, $1.50. Sheep — The committee on sheep did not report. C. H. Jakway made the only entry, and was entitled to the premiums offered. Best full-blood Merino buck, $3.00; and best do. do. ewe, $3.00. Swine — Best full-blood Suffolk boar, one year old or more, William Martin, $3.00: best do., less than one year old, B. W. Ogden, $2.00; best boar of any breed, one year old or more, Samuel Sherwood. $2. 00; best litter of pigs, not less than five in number, S. Sherwood, $2.00; to J. M. Bryan, for crossed Suffolk, $1.00. C. Lane and Smyser present- ed fine specimens of Suffolk pigs; also James Brown, Leicestershire and Suffolk pigs. Field Crops — Best acre of wheat, J. M. Miller, $5.00; best do. corn, J. F. Romig, $3.00; best do. potatoes, H, S. Chase, $1.50; best acre of Vermont eight-rowed yellow flint corn, H. S. Chase, $3.00. Vegetables and Fruits — Best bushel of potatoes, Baxter Adams, 50 cents; best beets, .H. S. Chase, 50 cents; best bushel carrots, H. S. Chase, 50 cents; best bushel turnips, J. F. Romig, 50 cents; best sweet potatoes, E. B. Older, 50 cents; best three pumpkins, Solomon Swartz- ell, 50 cents; best two traces of seed corn, J. F. Romig, $1.00; best ten pounds of honey, D.ivid Gill, $1.00; best gallon of Chinese sugar cane syrup, H. B. Lathrop, $1.00. Poultry — Less than one year old — .Shanghai, best three fowls, cock and pair of hens, J. M. Miller, $1.50; best pair of ducks, Edward Chase, $1.50; silver grey fowls, John Rcekhemmer. $1.00. Butter and cheese — Best twenty-five pounds May or June butter, Mrs. H. S. Chase, $3.00; best sample of btitter made in September, Mrs. John Symser, $1.50; twelve pounds September butter, Mrs. J. Gould, $1.00; jar of brandy cheese, J. M. Brooks, $1.00. Mechanics' work — first-class — Best two-horse wagon, .Aaion Sher- wood, $1.00; best buggy, Aaron Sherwood, $1.00, best ox yoke, S. Sherwood, 50 cents; best specimen of horse-shoeing, W. Scott. $1.00. Mechanics' work— second class — Best dressed calf-skins, J. C. Loo- mis, $1.00; best coarse boots, John Wiley, $1.00; best ladies' shoes, John Wiley, 50 cents. Mechanics' work — third class — Best specimen blacksmith's work, three pieces, W. Scott, $r.oo. .Articles of household manufacture — Best twenty-five yards of car- peting, Mrs. G. W. Fo.\, $1.00; best two bed quilts. Mrs. J. Gould, $1.00; one white quilt, Mrs. S. Parker, 50 cents; one knit counterpane. Mrs. Thomas Scarcliff, 50 cents. Domestic cookery — Best loaf of bread, .Mrs. L. W. Hart. 50 cents; best specimen of cooking, Mrs. Purdy, 50 cents. Miscellaneous articles — One bushel timothy seed, J. M, Miller, $2. 00; map of Independence, drawn with a pen, Thornton & Ross. $2.00; bits, augurs and gun work. Aaron Barnes, $z.oo; one dozen domestic cigars.J. M, Chandler. $1.00; one roast of beef, C:-.rr & Co.. 50 cents. 88 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IO^VA. [It is evident that the controlling influence with the awarding committee was decidedly Sir Walter Raleigh-an; inasmuch as one cigar was esteemed equal to two and one-twenty-fifth yards of carpeting. The world, it is to be feared, has not moved greatly since that time, unless it may be in the wrong direction. In iSSo, it is quite probable that a roll of the fragrant and flagrant weed would outweigh an entire roll of "regular stripe," or "hit and miss," which has been wrought with so much patient labor, and was destined to redeem some home from the barrenness which marks the dwellings of stolid plodders, who have no aspirations beyond the wants of the body. And in such dwellings the pipe reigns pre-eminent. Truly, in society as in philosophy, "extremes meet."] Fancv articles— Sample of worsted work, L. B. Mellish, 50 cents; fancy pin-cushion. Mrs. J. J. Whait, 50 cents; mona-chromatic paint- ing, Emma Butterfield, 50 cents; Oriental do., the same, 50 cents; Gre- cian do., the same, 50 cents; embroidered collars, the same, 50 cents; leather-work stand, Mrs.R. B. Wright, $1.00; fancy bead basket, Mary V. Randall, 50 cents; two pictures, H.Kinsley, 50 cents; leather-work picture frame, Mrs. W. Scott, 50 cents, also specimen of crayon draw- ing and embroidery, 50 cents each; one .shoe-bag, Mrs. A. J. Bowley, 50 cents; one swinging book-case, Mrs. E. B. Older, $1.00; specimen of silk embroidery. Mrs. D. Robertson. 50 cents; embroid- ered cap, Mrs. E. C. Ecklee, 50 cents; one lamp mat, Mrs. O. H. P. R05zell,5O cents. Plowing — Best plowing with one span of horses, J. Smyser, $2.00; best plowing with one yoke of o.\en, E. Miller, $3.00. Giving "especial praise" to the committee of arrange- ments for zeal and industry, in making the necessary preparations for the exhibition in the short time allowed them, and acknowledging the indebtedness of the socie- ty to the following gentlemen, for the loan of lumber, viz: Messrs. J. D. and D. B. Myers, M. D. Smith, T. B. Bullen, Samuel Sherwood and Sanford Clark, the account of the first exhibition of the Buchanan County Agricultural society closes with the following notice and call, signed by the secretary, L. W. Hart : "The annual meeting of the society will be holden on the first Tues- day of January, 1859. It is hoped that every person interested in the advancement of agriculture and the mechanic arts will be present and take part in the proceedings. The officers for the next year are to be elected, and other important business transacted." An address delivered at the close of the first annual fair of the Buchanan County Agricultural society, at In- dependence, October 14, 1858, by C A. L. Roszell: Mr. Pkesiuen't, L.vdies .\nd Gentlemen: This is an agricul- tural fair, and I am invited to deliver you a brief address, more as a matter of form than from any knowledge I am expected to impart- more as a characteristic of fairs, to have a separate show — to enlarge and give variety to the general exhibition by the introduction of a new animal. A person may sometimes criticise an art without being an artist himself ; and it is said of the learned Dr. Johnson, of England, that he was no more a poet than a sheep is a goat, yet he spent a large portion of his time reading poetry, and gained something of a celebrity as a critic of that art, though it is now admitted that he was scarcely ever right, if not always wrong. -And in some respect I am like the great doctor, for, being no farmer, though I myself may be dull — yet, by stating some facts connected with agricultuie, I may operate as a whetstone to sharpen the farmer's energy, if not his practical ideas. Whether a man be a mechanic, an artist, a doctor, or a lawyer — whether he has spent a successful life toiling in a country village or in pent up cities, regarding every other occupation as inferior to his own — when he first steps into the great valley divided by the "Father of Waters," bordering a land of the richest fertility, of unsurpassed beauty, of the finest climate— when his eye wanders over the grassy, interminable prairies, watered by springs, lakes, and majestic rivers — he feels his mind expand, his own profession is lost in insignific.ince, and the vocation of the humble agriculturist rises into the noble and. sublime. In this great region, which the plow has hardly scarred, lies our own State, spread out like a table for a feast of the gods, possess- ing all the natural advantages of a salubrious climate, strength, variety, and richness of soil — almost an agriculturist in itself — it needs but to be touched by the creative thought and energetic action of man, and its luxurious soil yields the harvest. With this immeasurable field for agricultural enterprise before them — we think our farmers should at least enquire what ought to be done to secure their own individual hap- piness and prosperity, and a permanent argicultural importance to their county and State. It is almost presumptuous for me to under- take to tell you anything about it, but if we look at the eastern States, many of them had a primitive fertility of sail equal to our own — but, the farmers hasting to get rich, and deeming the strength of the fields inexhaustible, crop followed crop in rapid succession, and they have raised their millions of bushels of grain, that have filled their own and foreign markets for three-quarters of a century, by impoverishing the soil, and replacing but little equivalent — by sapping and not replenish- ing. They have been industrious — building up magnificent internal improvements — but not pnident; and to-day their agricultural statistics show a rapid decrease in produce for the last few years. They have moved fast, but now move slower, for want of breath; and they admit that there has been a radical mistake in cultivation. Many of our Iowa farmers are from the east. They have come where land is cheap, to seek a wider field for their labors, to establish a permanent home, to amass wealth. Their old honisteads were too limited, and, worn out by old age and debility, the soil failed to pro- duce, and it was thought out of the question to infuse into it new life and vigor. They are here, certainly, not to repeat the old system of decay that is urging the soil of the east into sterility, but to grow lux- uriant crops, and yet retain the pristine vigor of the fields by nourishing them with proper aliment. Yet, with all the prudence and foresight exercised, with all the accuracy of geological conclusions, and chemical combinations, the exact depth of plowing, and precise time of sowing, the farmer's occupation has its ups and downs, its calamities and de- pressions — the seeds do not germinate, and in spite of the barometer, by which a man can get a little start of time, and look forward a week or two into the weather, the ripening crops are cut off by the frost, wind and rain. The effects of these accidents can be in part counter- acted by devoting a portion of the attention to growing horses, cattle, sheep and swine — which is a concomitant of agriculture, and may be said to be comprised under that general term. In this State, where pasture and meadow land is immeasurable, and grass nearly as free as the air we breathe, a fine herd of live stock must certainly be a source of immense profit. I am not intending to recommend any particular breed, for whether the best breed of cattle is the Durham or Devonshire, the short, long, rough or smooth horn. 1 can not tell. A good breed is always desirable, but many are under the mistake that because it cost, for instance, ten dollars to fatten a hog of a poor breed, it will cost twice that amount to fatten a good one. The reverse of this proposition, however, is always true; for while a swine of mis- erable breed is decidedly the most consumate hog in the world, so far as eating is concerned, it is at the same time the most contemptible as a porker. I know there are many so-called aristocratic people in our capitals, who regard the farmer's calling as beneath them, and their refined sen- sibilities are shocked at the mention of hogs and sheep. There prob- ably always will be such a class, but to you there is nothing discourag- ing in it. Your opulence is in the line of their stupidity. Turn your attention then as much as you please to growing live stock; that same aristocratic class of hungry men will keep your millions of swine in a perpetual squeal. The delicate appitites of those exquisite ladies will keep your countless lambs in an eternal bleat. But some of you may not like the idea that you are the class upon which other classes de- pend, thinking it a menial position. The sun is our planet's source of light and fecundity; the moon and planets glow and stars twinkle with its hght; the morning borrows from it its tints of silver, crimson and gold; yet, as it moves in brilliant mystery through the heavens, 1 im- agine no one can say it occupies an ignoble position in space. Raising grain and stock is a source of emolument to the agriculturist — it results in a profit to be counted in dollars and cents. But there are other elements than those of gain, intimately connected with his calling. 1 take it for granted that most of our first-rate farmers have found a permanent home, for I believe it to be admitted that those who continually move from State to State are more itinerants than agricul- turists. However this m.iy be, a farmer wants a home. Castles and HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUN'IV, IOWA 89 palaces, surrounded with grand parks and extensive lawns, may not at first be built; but, by enclosing his grounds with neat fences or hedges, planting shrubbery and fruit trees, and cultivating a tasteful garden, he may give his home, however lowly, an air of beauty and cheerfulness while in its youth, and when developed an air even of luxury, elegante, and grandeur. If the farmers children become averse to the farmer's employment, it is perhaps because too little attention is given to mak- ing home attractive; and where its general features show a want of life and energy — a sort of monotonous decay — you must admit there is nothing inviting in it. To be sure, kindness and harmony, at this day, reign in the household of the farmer, and no one can take exceptions to his calling on that account. But it has not always been so. I find what was formerly considered the height of domestic economy — disa- greement and dissimilarity of taste --expressed in the old English ballad— "Jack Sprat could eat no fat, His wife could eat no lean, And so, betwi.xl them both, you see They licked the platter clean." But the old regime of economy has passed away, and it is now ac- knowledged that harmony and union contribute most largely to eco- nomical power, and henceforth, throughout the limits of the domestic and general management of the farmer, new elements will be brought to bear — farming must be done on more wise and scientific principles. Scientific — a word with a sharkish-looking Latin head; but it is as good natured as modern Anglo-Saxon, and W'On't harm anybody, and it is becoming deservedly popular in agriculture. Our material world moves about the sun now in the path it described thousands of years ago, and the stars chase each other in the same circle round the pole; but the world of science has been advancing in a straight line, and agriculture at last begins to feel its influence. I say at last, for the most important de\'elopments in agricultural science belong to the last half century. The fields of heaven had been largely explored. Planets, constella- tions and satellites had their places on the maps of the astronomer ; masses were weighed and orbits defined ; the fine arts attained a high degree of perfection ; paintings and statues adorned the cathedrals and temples. The Grecians had their national exhibitions of physical strength ; the Romans had their r/>Y//.f //t a x tin us and gladiatorial shows; but no crystal palaces were built where the agriculturist might exhibit to the world the products of the soil. The Helots of Greece and the Roman plebeians could follow tilling the soil from day to day, and per- lorm all the physical functions recjuired in sowing .and reaping ; but they understood no law that governed matter, and knew nothing of the elements that produced the han-est. Fetteied in ignorance and scourged by crazy despotism, they were worked, rather than working, trailing after them their fetters, and gnashing their teeth. There was no stim- ulus to encourage investigations of animal or vegetable life. There has been enough of these kinds of farming, and we all admit that they are the ones which, with an iroii arm, have held our grandest art in thrall, contributing not a penny-worth, not a grain of sand, to the temple of human knowledge and industries. The genius of modern Yankee progress alone is the conjurer that must fully unlock the spell and startle up this agricultural science from its sleep of centuries. This spirit of improvement declares that the world has been too much occupied with heroes and conquerors; that the strife of gieat men has been too long a terror to the earth, and not a benefit — coming like a whirlwind, or like conflagrations that consume cities, rather than seeking those truths which bless mankind. There is no longer a field for such ambition — we have no more need of mighty conquerors — the dust of the Caesars is blown away, and to-day it is more a matter of praise to be an Alexander in the science of raising grain, horses, cattle and sheep, than to desolate the empire of an in- nocent people with a victorious army. Many of the countries of Europe have made great advancement in scientific agriculture, their governments sustaining colleges where the deductions of science are applied to the piocesses of agriculture in all of its departments. England, Russia, Belgium and several of the German States have taken the first steps toward elevating agriculture to the place which, from its importance and inherent dignity, it should right- fully occupy. In Belgium, it may be said that farming is fashionable, and there they //// the earth — joori it over just as ladies do their butter; and this is quite possible to them, for the quantities are nearly equal. In other countries the labor of farming is done by the lower classes. England is one of these; and she sometimes laughs at our country with its nineteen millions of agriculturists, saying, the Yankee is shockingly practical; that he gazes on Niagara's cataract and exclaims. What a stream to turn a mill ! —on the variegated and gorgeous land- scape, and cries. What a splendid pasture for cattle, swine and sheep ! — that his speculative genius being engrossed in enterprises and con- quests for the almighty dollar, all National refinement is lost sight of — and last, that he is unmilitary. It does not follow, however, that because we are practical we may not be theoretical; practice is the natural sequence of theory — the thought of the thinker taking palpable shape; and the aim of our insti- tutions is to make men both theoretical and practical. To a monarchy that loves old forms, and clings to the decaying spirit of the feudal system, our country appears weak in a military point of view. We maintain no standing armies to make pompous displays, as suction pumps to drain with an onerous tax the purses of an industrious people; yet, if made the object of foreign assault or foreign levy, this people, so practical, so strongly agricultural in its natural unpampered strength, is instinctively a military giant, which, when it moves its limbs and turns itself about, can cause earth to tremble, and make thrones totter. The possession of a vast body of intelligent agricul- turists is not, then, a National weakness, but rather a bulwark of un- told strength. And manly toil under the blue sky, in the bright sunshine and pure atmosphere of heaven, is it disgraceful? If the mind loves philosophy, it can there grasp nature in its widest extent ; if the soul is poetic, the muse's voice is heard in the rippling rills and the rushing river, and romance lurks around the dewy meadows. Is there, then, anything degrading in agriculture? It is the vital element of internal improvement, creating a want that builds railroads through swamps, and canals over mountains — the enchanter that lifts up cities; it withdraws its hand from them, and they sink into insignificance; it extends it. and the choicest treasures of the earth are thefe piled up, and commerce is the breath of its nostrils. If agriculture, then, is not degrading, but ennobling— if it is the leading interest of our State, why not educate men for scientific re- search in this art? Why should not the farmer be taught to study propee fertilizers by analyzing earths adding and combining varieties containing those elements necessary for growing certain products, that they may be scientific and therefore skilful farmers? Let us place the plow boy at least on an intellectual and social level with the sleek fel- low who cuts lace behind the counter, or sells candy and cigars in a confectionery — on the same platform with him also, who depends so largely upon the magnitude of his client's pocket ; and let learned ag- riculturists be sent to legislate in Congress in the interests of this great industry, and of those of his constituents, who, like himself belong to a class which the citizens of this great Republic will always hold in especial honor. Farmers of Buchanan county, you can aid in bringing about these results, and to this end the instituting of an annual agricultural fair is of no idle importance. It shows a desire to improve which must lead to great advances in all that pertains to agriculture. There is the crust of the earth. Millions of years have passed over it. Mathematically it cannot be measured ; agriculturally, it is but partially explored ; for its profound depths are fathomless as the caverns of the sea. It is a field for the loftiest intellect, the most scientific experiments and the most inventive genius. Do not siooJ> to farming, then, but elevate it. with yourselves, to a plane of commanding dignity-, by com- bining intellectual capacity with physical energy. Thus you will not only enhance your individual wealth and happiness, but you will contribute to the high consideration in which your county and State will be held, both at home and abroad ; and for innumerable years to come, every freight car that rolls from west to east, and every American trade ship that plows the sea, shall bear to other peoples and climes, some tribute to the wisdom and industry of the great agricultural people of Iowa. LATER AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. The first society to whose organization and first fair we have deemed it proper to devote considerable space, continued in existence but about four years. A good degree of interest was manifested, and the displays were very creditable considering the imperfect development which had, at that time, been made of the agricultural resources of the county. It was found difficult, how- ever, to keep up the interest, for the lack of funds to offer attractive premiums. This organization, therefore, was soon abandoned. A second society was organized in 1866, held two 9° HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. fairs, very much of the same character as the previous ones, and was then abandoned Uke the other. Neither of these societies owned any ground, or other real estate. Their means for defraying expenses, paying premiums, etc., were derived from membership fees (one dollar an- nually from each member) and two hundred dollars con- tributed by the State for each fair held. These sources of revenue being found insufficient, the joint stock plan of organization, now common throughout the State, was finally ado[)ted. THE PRESENT SOCIETY, adopting that plan, was organized in 1869, and held its first fair the following year. The first officers were as follows: L. S. Curtis, president; J. H. Campbell, treasurer; Jed Lake, secretary. The capital stock origi- nally subscribed was six thousand dollars, to which was added soon after the organization six hundred dollars more. This was increased by a donation of one thou- sand dollars, made by the county in accordance with a law of the State. All this not being sufficient to meet the estimated expense of an equipment that should enable tlte society to make "a fair start in life," it pro- ceeded to borrow fifteen hundred dollars -making its entire outfit nine thousand two hundred dollars. With this money it i>urchased about sixty acres of land, owned by James Burns, about half a mile west of Indepen- dence, being a part of the northeast quarter of section five, township eighty-eight, range nine: enclosed it with a close substantial board fence, too high to be scaled, ex- cept by long ladders; built along its south and western sides convenient stalls and sheds for cattle, a stable one hun- dred feet in length for horses, and an octagnal floral hall twenty-two feet on each side, graded a half-mile race track, and dug four excellent wells. The aggregate ex- pense of all this was nine thousand one hundred dollars. The main hall is two stories high, with a wing on one of its sides twenty-two feet in width by sixty in length. This wing is used for the exhibition of fruits and vegeta- bles, while the main hall is devoted to flowers, articles of domestic manufacture, works of art, etc., etc. Fairs have been held annually ever since this society was organized, which have always been successful, pecun- iarly, and for the most part creditable to the farming interests of the county, which should be the chief care of such an association. It cannot be denied, however, that, for the past few years, the race-course has been assuming too great a prominence as an object of attrac- tion. We are not Puritanical in regard to the morality of public exhibitions of the speed of horses, but we cannot help thinking that the chief value of agricultural fairs will be lost if such exhibitions ever come to be regarded as the principal means of attracting the masses to the fair grounds. There are those who think that, even now, as many of our county fairs are conducted, they ought, in strict honesty, to call themselves the "Annual County Races." We hope that the exhibitions of this society may still be called, without a figure of speech, "agricultural fairs." But the "truth of history" compels us to say that, if what we saw last fall is a sam- ple of the present tendency of its affairs, and if that ten- dency cannot by some means be effectually checked, the time is not far distant when it, too, will require a change of name. -In companv with a friend we rode out to the grounds during the progress of the fiir, It was the morning before the races; but, so deserted did the place appear, that it almost seemed as if we had come "the day after the fair." In fact our friend jocosely remarked, as we drove in at the gate, that we must have mistaken the day, and come on Sunday instead of Thursday. Noth- ing brought in for exhibition had been removed; but the stalls and sheds were nearly all empty, and the space devoted to farm machinery might have been used by the boys as a base ball ground. Had it not been for the very creditable exhibition in Floral hall (mainly under the energetic and skilful direction of Mrs. C. M. Dur- nam) the fair must have been pronounced a failure, as to all the objects that have hitherto been regarded as germane to an agricultural fair. The Independence Bulletin, in its next issue after the fair, contains the following notice of the exhibition: Tlie tenth annual fair of the Bitchanan County Agricultural society, which was held near this city last week, was not in all respects the success of former years, yet was not without a certain degree of inter- est to the visitor. In all that went to make up the display in the departments of live stock, farm products, fruits, etc., the exhibition was only partially successful, as it was observed that these divisions were lamentably deficient. \ number of the old veteran stock growers of the county did fully their share toward filling up, but were poorly supported. The ladies came forward in their usual enthusiastic manner, and metamorphosed rough old Kloral hall into a wilderness of beauty, with their paintings [several of which were by the talented Buchanan county artist. Miss Hattie Freeman] their embroideries, ornamental and useful needle work, and other products of feminine skill; and the visitoi was constrained to obs«rve that, had the community in general manifested the same zeal as the ladies in particular, the fair would have been all that could be desired. The absorbing interest manifested in the races, is shown by the fact that, on Thursday, the first day devo- ted to that part of the exhibition, "one thousand nine hundred tickets were sold at the gate!" The capital stock of the society is divided into two hundred shares, one-half of which are owned by Jed Lake, esq., the most of the other half being held by the farmers throughout the county. The society is still in debt about one thousand two hundred dollars. The present officers are as follows: C. H. Jakway, president; L. J. Curtis, vice-president; J. H. Wilson, secretary; W. R. Kenyon, treasurer; Jed Lake, R. O'Brian, J. H. Campbell, executive committee. The board of directors at present are as follows : J. H. Campbell, W. R. Kenyon, R. O'Brian, L. J. Curtis, Clinton Wilson, J. B. Patton, G. M. Miller, C. H. Jake- way, Jed Lake, G. H. Wilson, and W. O. Curtis. COUNTY lilBLE SOCIETY. This association, auxiliary to the American Bible society, was organized July 26, 1S57. The meeting called for this purpose, was held in the Presbyterian church, Independence. After an address by the Rev. S. P. Crawford, agent of the American society, it was re- solved to organize an association to aid in the circulation of the Holy Scriptures. A constitution was adopted. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 91 which has since been two or three times amended — the last time in 1875, when it was put into the following form : CONSTITUTION OK THE BUCHANAN COUNTY BinLE SOCIETY. Article I.— This society shall be called the Buchanan County Bible Society .'\uxiliary to the American Bible Society. Article II.— The object of this society shall be to promote the circulation of the Holy Scriptures, "without note or comment," and, in English, those of the commonly received version. Article III.— All persons contributing one dollar to its funds, shall be entitled to one common, forty cent Bible, or its equivalent in Test- aments, for gratis distribution if called for during the year. Those contributing Jivt' dollars, shall be members for life, and entitled to one common Bible, each year, for the purpose, and subject to the condi- tions, named above. Article IV. — AH funds, not wanted for circulating the Scriptuies within this society's limits, shall be paid over annually to the Parent Society, to aid distributions among the destitute in other parts of the country, and in foreign lands. Article V. — The officers of this society shall consist of a president, one or more vice-presidents, secretary, treasurer, and three directors, who shall constitute an executive committee, to whom shall be in- trusted the management of this society, and who shall have power to fill vacancies in their own body in the interval of annual meetings. The ministers of all co-operating churches within our bounds shall be members of this committee, cx-officio. Article VI. — There shall be a general meeting of this society each year, at which time the officers shall be elected, and such other business transacted as may be necessary. Should the society fail of an annual meeting, the same officers shall be continued until an election does oc- cur. .-Ml persons sustaining this society by their influence or means, shall be entitled to vote at this general meeting. Article VII.— It shall be the duty of the executive committee to meet soon after each annual meeting, for the purpose of attending to the following items of business; First. — The report of the secretary for the past year. Second. — Appointment of an auditing committee of two or three persons who shall serve during the year, and to whom shall be referred all reports involving finances. Third. — Report of the depositary and treasurer. Fonrlk. — The election of a depositary for the ensuing year. Fifth. — The adoption of necessary measures for the supply of the field. Sixth. — Miscellaneous business (reports of committees, etc.) It shall also be their duty to meet frequently on call of the president, or, any duly authorized agent of the Parent Society; to see that their depositary is suitably located and well supplied with books; to see that collections aw; made annually in every congregation, and that all funds are forwarded promptly to the Parent Society. Article VIII. — Any branch society or Bible committee formed within the bounds of this au.\iliary, by paying over its funds annually, shall receive Bibles and Testaments from this society's depositary for the supply of their field. Article IX. — No alteration shall be made in this constitution, ex- cept at a business meeting, and by the consent of two-thirds of the officers present. After the adoption of the constitution, an election was held for the choice of officers for the ensuing year, which resulted as follows: Rev. J. L. Kelly, president; Mr. Newman Curtis and Mr. C. C. Cadwell, vice-presidents- Rev. John M. Boggs, secretary; Mr. William C. Morris, treasurer; Mr. J. C. Loomis and Mr. A. C. Blakeley, additional managers. The organization being thus completed, the society ad- journed. As appears from the records, there have been but seventeen annual meetings of the society held since the first — none having been held in i860, 1862, 1865, 1878, 1879 and 1880. There have also been several years when no meeting of the executive committee has been held; but, through the wise provision of the constitution, requiring the officers previously elected to hold over, in such cases, the society has maintained its existence ; the depositary has always been kept open and supplied with Bibles; and no year has passed without more or less having been disposed of The books of the treasurer and depositary show that, on an average about a hundred and sixty dollars' worth of Bibles have been purchased from the parent society and distiibuted throughout the county each year since 1857. The largest amount in any one year was in 1869, when tlie distribution amounted to three hundred and fifteen dollars and eighty six cents. In cases of inability to purchase, the distribution has sometimes been gratui- tous; but the most of those found by the canvassers un- supplied with a copy of the Holy Scriptures, have been both willing and able to pay the small price charged by the American Bible society, which, for those sold here, averages about one dollar for Bibles and twenty cents for Testaments. Of course the principal number of books distributed have been in English; but a few have been in French and Norwegian, and still more in German. Since 187-6 the operations of the society have largely fallen off — the entire distributions, since that time, amounting only to two hundred and twenty-one dollars and fifty-seven cents. What has been the actual cause of this we are not informed. It may be because the de- mand is not as great as it was previous to that time — immigration (as we have seen) having materially de- creased since then. Or it may be that the people, being in better circumstances, have supplied themselves, through other channels, with more expensive Bibles. At any rate let us hope that it is not because the interest in the Bible is waning, either among the classes that need to be supplied with it, or in the church that has under- taken to supply them. Those who have been elected to the office of presi- dent of the society since its first organization, are the following: Rev. J. L. Kelly, Rev. D. Poor, Rev. Harris Kinsley, Rev. William Sampson, Mr. L. N. Putnam, Rev. John Fulton, Dr. Horatio Bryant, Hon. W. G. Donnan, Mr. D. L. Smith, and Mr. J. B. Jones. The following are those who held the office of vice- presidents: Mr. Newman Curtis, Mr. C. C. Cadwell, Rev. R. H. Freeman, Rev. W. H. Sparling, Mr. J. C. Loomis, Dr. J. G. House, Mr. W. A. Jones, Dr. H. Bryant, Mr. L. A. Main, Rev. Harris Kinsley, Rev. J. G. Schaibel, Rev. W. B. Phelps, Rev. A. Beeles, Rev. C. S. Percival, Mr. J. B. Donnan, Mr. A. B. Clark, Mr. E. W. Purdy, Rev. H. S. Church, Rev. F. A. Marsh, Rev. L. W. Brintnall, Rev. I). Sheffer, Rev. James Patterson, Rev. F. M. Robertson, Rev. T. B. Kempt, and Rev. M. Knoll. The following have held the office of secretary: Rev. John M. Boggs, Rev. John Fulton, Rev. Hale Town- send, Mr. J. B. Donnan, Mr. D. B. Sanford, Mr. George R. Warne. The office of treasurer and that of depositary (or person to keep the depository of books) have always been united in one and the same individual. These two important offices have been held by only five members of the so- ciety, as follows: Mr. William C. Morris, Mr. H. O. 92 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Jones, Rev. William Sampson, J. P. Sampson, and Mr. S. Waggoner. Thirty-three members have held the office of director, as follows : Mr. J. C. Loomis, Mr. A. C. Blakely, Mr. E. Curtis, Hon. W. G. Donnan, Dr. H. Bryant, Mr. L. N. Putnam, Mr. W. C. Morris, Rev. Harris Kinsley, Dr. J. G. House, Rev. H. H. Fairall, Mr. H. W. Sparling, Mr. C. C. Cadwell, Mr. M. H. Sanford, Mr. S. Wag- goner, Mr. William Few, Mr. W. Hart, Mr. G. S. Woodruff, Mr. S. W. Noyes, Rev. W. B. Phelps, Rev. C. H. Bissell, Rev. G. M. Preston, Mr. J. B. Jones, Mr. D. Elwell, Mr. L. A. Main, Mr. J. F. Coy, Mr. J. Kitt- ridge, Rev. J. G. Schaibel, Mr. B. S. Brownell, Mr. E. Zinn, Mr. W. E. Kellogg, Mr. George Keifer, Mr. C. F. Herrick, and Mr. W. F. Kellogg. The following have been the preachers at the annual meetings of the society, some of them on two or more occasions, and all, except Rev. Messrs. Roberts and Phelps, agents of the American Bible society; Rev. S. P. Crawford, Rev. B. Roberts, Rev. Mr. Byon, Rev. D. E. Jones, Rev. Landon Taylor, Rev. Z. D. Scobey, Rev. W. A. Chambers, Rev. J. N. Williams, Rev. E. C. Con- dit, Rev. W. B. Phelps. The following are the present officers of the society, having been elected in 1877, and holding over, accord- ing to article six of the constitution : J. B. Jones, presi- dent; Rev. W. B. Phelps, Rev. James Patterson, Rev. F. M. Robertson, Rev. Dr. T. B. Kemp, Rev. M. Knoll, Kev. J. G. Schaibel, vice-presidents; George B. Warne, secretary; S. Waggoner, treasurer; William P'ew, R. S. Brownell, E. Zinn, W. E. Kellogg, George Keifer, C. F. Herrick, and W. F. Kellogg. BUCH.-\NAN COUNTV MEDIC.XL SOCIETV. The physicians from Independence were, from early times, accustomed to hold meetings for consultation, ex- change of views, the establishment of fee-rates, etc.; but no society was formed, embracing the entire county, till 1878. On the eighth of May, in that year, upon a call, issued by some of the leading physicians of the county, a meeting was held and an organization effected, with the name of "the Buchanan County Medical society." This organization has never comprised all the regular practitioners of the county; since some do not regard the benefits of association as fully compensating for the slight sacrifice of freedom and independence which mem- be:rship in the society imposes. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of May, August, November, and February, at which discussions are held in regard to miscellaneous matters connected with the interests of the profession; and interesting cases are reported, that are met with in the practice of the members. The membership has thus far embraced the following names — all being those of present metnbers, except Doctors House and Fisk, deceased: Doctors John G. House, George Warne, H. C. Markham, S. G. Wilson, and H. H. Hunt, of Independence; L. M. Johnson, of Winthrop; A. L. Clarke, now of Bazille Mills, Nebraska; G. H. Hill, hospital for the insane, Indepen- dence; J. A. Fisk and F. A. Weir, of Jesup; and Dr. A. W. Trout, of Quasqueton. Dr. House died on the first of January, 1880. He was a member of the Iowa State Medical society; at a meeting of which body, held at Des Moines, January 29, i88o, eloquent memorials of his life and character were read by Dr. Warne, of Independence, and by Dr. A. Reynolds, of the hospital for the insane. As a bio- graphical sketch of Dr. House, containing the substance of these memorials, is presented in another part of this volume, they are omitted here. Dr. Fisk died August 10, 1880; and at a meeting of the county society, held on the nineteenth of the same month, the following resolutions, expressive of the esteem in which he was held by his professional brethren, were unanimously adopted: Rscolvcd, That we have found in Dr. James A. Fisk, a co-laborer of good ability, genial disposition, and strict integrity. We testify that our association with him has been both pleasant and profitable. We cherish his example and deeply regret his early death. Rcsotvtd, That we express to the bereaved relatives and many friends our sympathy and grief. One dear to them has been called away in the prime of life. In him they lose one eminently worthy of confi dence and love. We commend the sorrowing family to one who has promised to be a companion to the widow and a father to the orphan. The present officers of the society are as follows: G. H. Hill, president, hospital for insane; H. H. Hunt, vice-president, Independence; I.. M. Johnson, secretary, \Vinthrop; H. C. Markham, treasurer, Independence; Drs. Wier, Trout, and Markham, censors. GR.\NGES. These are secret societies, organized among the farmers, for social enjoyment and instruction; and for counteracting the influence of monopolies and "rings" which have proved deleterious to the farming coim- munities. No discussions that involve religious sectari- nnism or party politics, are allowed at their meetings; and whatever political power the "grangers" have exerted, has been generated and directed by machinery never operated inside of the lodge rooms. The "Patrons of Husbandry" (as the order at large is called) was first organized in 1867, by O. H. Kelly, of Boston, and William Saunders, of the Agricultural Bureau, at Washington, District of Columbia. For three or four years the order increased slowly; but irom 187 1 to 1874, inclusive, it spread over the country like a prairie fire. In the former year only one hundred and twenty-five granges were established; in 1S72, one thousand one hundred and sixty; in 1873, eight thousand six hundred and sixty-seven; and in 1874, forty thousand six hundred and eighteen. The whole number of patrons (or "Grangers") in the last named year, was estimated at one million five hundred thousand, since that time the order has diminished almost as rapidly as it increased. In some States it has almost ceased to exist. In Iowa, although there are not half as many granges as there were at one time, yet, at the present, the number is thought to be slightly increasing. The first grange was established in this county in 1S73 or 1874. No grange can be established within five miles of another. There were, a few years since, thirty- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 93 five in the county. Now there arc not more than twelve. There was formerly a county grange, which sent delegates to the State grange, as that does to the National. The county grange, however, was given up some three or four years ago. But all the granges in the county unite in sending delegates to the State organization. Membership in a grange is restricted to practical farmers, or horticulturists — together with their wives and their children over fourteen years ofage. The officers of a grange are the master, the overseer, the cha|)lain, the lecturer, the steward, the assistant steward, the gate-keeper, the secretary, and the treasurer. Any or all of these officers may be ladies; but there are four offices which none but ladies can fill — viz., those of ceres, pomona, flora, and stewardess. A deputy grand master for each county is appointed by the grand master (/'. e. the master of the State grange) who has the general oversight of all the granges — settling all questions of order or jurisdiction, organizing new granges, etc. Thomas S. Cameron, of Otterville, is the present deputy for Buchanan county. At Hazleton the "Patrons" own a warehouse for handling grain, and shipping directly from the producers. The upper story is a hall in which their meetings are held. Elsewhere they meet in school-houses and private dwell- ings. At Otterville they have a store at which goods (mostly groceries) are sold only to members of the order, at first cost. The goods are kept in the house of J. W. Plumerfelt, who acts as the agent of the grange in their purchase and sale. CHAPTER XII. RAILROADS. Two railroads only have thus far been built in the county — the first built by the Dubuque &: Pacific railroad company, and transferred, by a perpetual lease, to the Illinois Central railroad company, about the year 1870; and the second built through this county in 1873, by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern railroad company. The charm of novelty being with the first, we shall give a pretty full account of the discussions and negotiations which preceded its commencement, and of the events which accompanied its completion as far as the county seat. The other we shall pass over with a comparatively brief mention. Of the abortive railroad projects, which at one time seemed promising, we shall barely allude to that of the Wapsipinicon & St. Peter's Valley road. THE DUBUQUE AND PACIFIC, ALIAS THE IOWA DIVISION OF THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL. No apology is needed for the introduction into this volume of farts relative to the movement resulting in the building of a road which has aided so materially in the rapid development of the entire county. The corporation of the ^Vapsipinicon & St. Peter's Valley railroad, though atone time (/. e., in 1851) appar- ently ready, under the most favorable auspices, to com- mence the construction of a road, which was to begin at Anamosa and run in a northwesterly direction through Quasquelon, Independence and Fairbank, and thence in the same direction to the north line of the State ; and which, with its connections, was to constitute an almost air line between St. Louis and St. Paul, had finally mis- carried, leaving the farmers of Buchanan county for several years with little prospect of an outlet which would furnish a market for their surplus products. It was not until the spring of 1858 that another proposi- tion was made to them, looking to the supply of this long felt need. An informal meeting, held at Quasque- ton in May of that year, was addressed by Piatt Smith, esq., of Dubuque, vice-president and attorney of the Dubuque & Pacific railroad. Mr. Smith first gave a brief history of the organization of this company, and spoke of the original intent and primary expectations of the incorporators. They had at first, he said, no expectation of receiving a grant of land to aid them: and yet, taking the experience of the Chicago & Galena road as a basis, they calculated un- doubtingly upon the investment being a paying one. The reasons which justified an e.xpectation were fully stated, and the event had proved the soundness of their deductions. The Chicago & Galena road had, from the first of its operations, been considered one of the most remunera- tive in the entire country ; and yet, while that road, with forty miles in operation, paid but one thousand, nine hundred dollars per annum, the Dubuque & Pacific road from only thirty miles earned from the eleventh of May to the thirty-first of December, at the rate of two thou- sand, six hundred and ninety-six dollars per mile per annum. A comparison was then instituted between the natural and artificial advantages of the two roads, to show that while the former road rapidly advanced in its earnings as it advanced in length, until it reached in 1856, with one hundred and eighty-eight miles of road, ten thousand dollars per mile per annum; there was abimdant evi- dence that the earnings of the Dubuque & Pacific road would increase in even a greater ratio. This part of Iowa, it was claimed, was fully equal to Illinois in agri- cultural capacity, and was not inferior as regards water power. The country, too, was better settled, and more fully developed, than was that along the line of the Chi- cago & Galena road at the period of its construction in 1849. The value of the jjroperty in the counties border- ing the line of this road, from Chicago to Dunleith, one hundred and eighty-eight miles, was seventeen mil- lion dollars, while in the counties through which the Dubuque & Pacific road passes, from Dubuque to Fort Dodge, one hundred and ninety miles, the value of the property was, in 1856, three million dollars. Illinois, it was stated, had at that time one mile of railroad for 94 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. every five hundred inhabitants, while northern Iowa, with a population of two hundred and seventy-five thou- sand, has but one mile to every six thousand. As another advantage of the Dubuque & Pacific road over the former, it was demonstrated that the latter road would not suffer from the competition of water carriage by the MississiiJpi. The vast gypsum, coal and iron de- posits of the interior of the State, if ever brought to market, must be brought by railroads, as our rivers offers no facilities for transportation. Lumber, too, must be freighted west, and these facts demonstrated that their road would be a better paying road than the other, which had heretofore yielded dividends of twenty-two per cent. In setting forth the resources of the company, it ap- peared that the grant of land from the State comprised an area of one million, two hundred and fifty-one thousand and forty acres, which, at an average of six dollars and twenty-five cents per acre, would more than pay for the building of the road. Contracts had already been made with Messrs. Mason, Bishop & Company for building the road without ecjuip- ments, but witli the necessary buildings, shops, etc. For a first-class road from Dyersville to Cedar Falls, the sum of twenty-three thousand, five hundred dollars per mile would be required : and from Cedar Falls to Fort Dodge, twenty-three thousand dollars per mile. Besides, there had been donated to the road, in the different towns through which it was to pass, seven hundred lots, with an average value of one hundred and forty-five dollars per lot. In Dubuque, the company owned about eighty acres of property, with a river front of nearly three-fourths of a mile, worth fully another half million of dollars. This property was nearly all donated to the company, or else procured in exchange for property given to them. The lands of the company were shown to be valuable, as well for their mineral as for their agricultural resources. The projected road ran through and would open the northern portion of the great Iowa coal fields; the com- pany's lands also contained inexhaustible stores of coal, iron and gypsum. Professor Owen, then United States geologist, had estimated the area of the Iowa coal fields at twenty-five thousand square miles — sufificient to sup- ply the world with fuel for a thousand years. Pennsyl- vania, it was stated, was receiving from New York and New England seven million dollars per annum for her coal ; and why, it was asked, will not this vast deposit become a like source of wealth to the people of Iowa, having tributary to them for their supply of this indis- pensable article of consumption, the immense territory occupied by Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota, Nebraska, and, indeed, the whole region north to the British pos- sessions ? The immense value of the gypsum beds was dwelt upon, and the statement made that the value of this article of commerce was then, in the eastern markets, equal to that of flour. Millions of tons could be re- moved from veins varying in thickness from twenty to forty feet, without a perceptible impression upon the quantity. The iron deposits, it was claimed, W'ere equally valuable and inexhaustible. These minerals and the manufactures to which they must give rise, must of ne- cessity pay rich subsidies into the treasury of the rail- road then being pushed towards these buried treasures. The financial condition of the company was also un- reservedly discussed. Under assurances of the English loan, they had gone considerably into debt in the prose- cution of some parts of the enterprise which, otherwise, the company would not have attempted. The negotia- tions for that loan finally failed, having been delayed un- til the financial panic of 1857. This indebtedness, how- ever, as was shown, was neither ruinous or pressing, as the mortgage on the road had thirty years to run. The impossibility of negotiating bonds, e.xcept at ruinous sacrifices, had induced the company to return to their original plan, which was to build the road by the help of the people along the line. It was easy to show that it was bad policy to allow the work to stop where the road then was; bad, not only for the company, but for those who needed the road and had been impatiently awaiting its construction. The company must extend it; and to do it they must have the cooperation of the people inter- ested. Cash subscriptions, in the then deranged state of the finances of the country, were not looked for, nor were they necessary. For the construction of the road, almost every marketable product of the farm was indis- pensable. Flour, corn, oats, cattle, hay, meat, stone, lime, timber, ties, etc., the people along the line of the road had a surplus of, for which they had no market. The gist of the proposition of the company was, to buy these surplus articles, build the road, and pay in stock. The farmers were shown that in so doing they would turn their unmarketable material into a reliable specie paying investment. There was no doubt that the road would pay a good dividend as soon as completed to Ce- dar Falls; and, as a result of the road being owned at home, its revenue would be retained at home to add to the further development of the country, and thus increase the business of the road; but, if built upon bor- rowed capital, every dividend which the company de- clared would be a drain upon the finances of the coun- try. If Buchanan county owned one million dollars in stock, then dividends of twenty per cent, per annum would throw yearly into her lap twenty thousand dollars in clean cash, sufficient to make a decided impression upon the local finances. Every farmer holding a thou- sand dollars worth of stock would be sure of cash returns of two hundred dollars yearly. This revenue would, of course, be derived principally from the local population; and, if the road was owned by them, would, to a large extent, return to the owners and patrons of the road. But, otherwise, it would be a drain upon them to that extent. The incentives to secure the stock were apparent, and the facilities offered, all that could be desired. If the road progressed, the company would be compelled to issue their scrip to the contractors; and this they could not do unless it would buy the articles enumerated as indispensable to the carrying on of the work; and, to in- sure this, it was necessary to make it an object to the farmers and others to secure it. For this reason they wanted the people of the county to subscribe for stock HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 95 for which they could pay in this scrip. This would make the scrip current and cause it to answer the end of the advancement of the road almost as well as money. Instalments would not be called for oftener than once in every three months, and for not more than five per cent, at a time; thus giving five years in which to pay for stock; while the company allowed seven per cent, interest on all instalments, as a means of placing on an equality the full paid and partly paid stock. It was the expectation that not more than twenty-five or thirty per cent, of instalments would ever be called for. The company's lands would doubtless soon be in demand, and when sold, the receipts would probably be sufficient to prosecute the work as fast as advisable. The company had then a title to two hundred and thirty thousand four hundred acres of land, and had perfected a plan by which their sale was sure to be ac- celerated, and at the same time their development in- sured. This was to sell them to actual settleis at five dollars per acre, one dollar and twenty-five cents in cash and the remainder in instalments, the last in five years from the date of purchase. This price would, when deemed advisable, be increased so as to bring the mean price to that at first proposed, viz: six dollars and twen- ty-five cents per acre. Mr. Clinton, who had long been conversant with the operation of the western railroads, gave to the meeting some sound views, both abstract and practical, of the benefits of railroads. This much-needed information, given in his off-hand, humorous and, at the same time, convincing style, influenced many minds favorably to- ward the project so ably presented by Mr. Smith. The farmers and capitalists of Buchanan were not slow in perceiving the advantages to be secured by this prop- osition. Indeed, with the accumulated quantity of un- saleable products then on their hands, it was impossible not to see that the proposal was one of reciprocal benefit, while the advantage resulting from a large amount of stock held in the county, appealed strongly both to the public spirit and private interest of all classes of citizens. The next link in the presentation of this matter to the people of Buchanan county, will appear in the following proclamation of the county judge: Statk of Iow.a, j^ BucHAN.'^N County, ) ^^' The undersigned, county judge of said county, in pursuance of the code of Iowa in sucli cases made and provided, hereby orders an election by the qualified voters of said county, to be held on the twenty-eighth day of June, eighteen hundred and fifty-eight, at the several places in said county where the last .April election was held , for the purpose of voting upon the following, to wit: Whether the county of Buchanan in its corporate capacity will lav a one per cent, tax upon the taxable property of said county, to aid the construction of the Diibutiue & Pacific railroad in said county — said tax to be expended within the limits of said county and not else- where; — and the means thus collected shall only be paid for work done after said vote shall be taken, and before the payment of said tax. Said tax to be collected before the first of November next, and for the amount of the same the Dubuque & Pacific railroad company shall issue to said county an equal amount of the capital stock of said com- pany at par. The form of the vote shall be, "for the railroad loan " or, "against the railroad loan." .Ml votes in the affirmative shall be considered as adopting the prop- osition entire. Stephen ]. W. Tabok, County Judge. To meet the objection on the part of the taxpayers, that it was then found dilticult to meet the payment of taxes for ordinary purposes, whereof the long lists of delinquencies with which the county papers were filled at that time, attested, an able editorial appeared in the Guardian, of which the following is an abstract: Admit- ting the burdens that were pressing so heavily upon the farmers especially, the writer showed that though the vote would increase the taxes, it would at the same time increase the capacity to pay them. With overflowing graneries, and thousands of tons of produce, there was not money enough in the county to pay taxes; and why? Simply because, having no railroad, the producers were without, or outside of, a money market. Parties were at that moment contracting with the Dubuque & Pacific, and Clinton railroads, for the transjiortation of hundreds of thousands of bushels of wheat, for which they were paying cash. But these markets were created by these roads, and through them the people in prox- imity were reaping a great, solid, and timely advantage. But the farmers of Buchanan could not afford to send wheat thirty or forty miles to a* depot, at the present prices, even though it brought gold or currency. But were the road in operation within the county, this market would be available, and would place in the hands of farmers the relief so much needed. What man, it was asked, could not well afford to pay ten dollars out of every thousand he owned, for the privilege of that market now? Confidence was expressed, that, as soon as the work commenced in the county, produce would take a material rise. Wheat would advance from thirty to fifty cents per bushel ; potatoes, which were now unsaleable, would become marketable at paying prices; butter, which in trade would scarcely cominand a sixpence per pound, would sell at a shilling, and corn, oats, beef, pork, and other articles with which the home market was glutted, would largely advance in price. By this rise alone the resident taxpayers would be enabled to pay their quota of the tax, and therefore would not feel it. To those who objected to receiving the company's scrip, he answered that, if the scrip was taken in exchange for their products, the company had, on their j.iart, guaran- teed to receive the scrip in payment of the tax. No danger need, therefore, be apprehended as to the pro- curement of the means to pay the tax. The construc- tion of the road would bring not only this, but a large surplus with it. The amount of taxable property in the county at that time, 1858, was but two million five hundred and fifty thousand three hundred and fifty-four dollars. The tax one per cent, would give a little over twenty-five thou- sand dollars, fully one-third of which would come from non-resident owners; while the actual outlay of the company, in grading alone as far as Independence, would be sixty thousand dollars. The construction of this jjortion of the road would leave in the county a surplus of thirty-five thousand dollars. 96 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. The benefits accruing from the expenditure of this sum, in exchange for articles of which there was a sur- plus, everywhere needed no demonstration. And then, too, it was to be remembered that this sum must be expended before the collection of the tax. As, in the words of the proposition, the product of that tax, if voted, is to be applied in payment of work done since its voting and previous to its collection, it would seem all fears as to the capacity to pay the tax were relieved, and the means insured for other purposes — means of which all felt ihe urgent need, and which were not to be secured in any other way. If the tax was voted, work would commence at once; if defeated, there would be loss to the county through the disadvantages which its want would entail, treble the amount asked by voting the tax. Still another favorable feature of the proposition was pointed out. Its adoption entailed no extended tax — it began and ended during the current year and could never act as a bugbear to scare away settlers from the county, but would act rather as an incentive to settle- ments. The creation of a market for produce was not the only equivalent which was offered. The stock, until the road began to pay dividends, was to draw seven per cent, interest, payable *in stock, which would gradually increase ; and should the company in three years, through the earnings of the road and the sale of land, pay a dividend of twenty per cent., this would give an income to the county of six thousand dollars per annum, which would lessen materially, the burden of taxation. To this result the non-resident taxpayers would largely contrib- ute, so that, in fact, the county was only called upon to make a timely investment, yielding immediately and prospectively great advantages. It will he seen at a glance that the whole object, both of the tax and of the effort made by the company to secure private subscriptions, was simply to make it an object to the people of the county, farmers and dealers of all classes, to take the scrip which the company must issue in order to proceed wiih iheir work, and to pur- chase the produce and materials necessary in its con- struction. The following resolution of the board of directors of the Dubuque &: Pacific raih'oad company, pledging the company to receive the scrip issued in pay- ment of the tax or for stock, was published in the papers of the county, contemporaneously with the other matter, from which our article has been drawn : Office of the Dubuque & P.vcific Railroad Comi-anv, i^ Dubuque, low.^, First of June, 1858. I \VnERE.\s the county judge of Buchanan county has issued a pro- clamation to the qualified voters of said county, to lake a vote upon the question whether the said county will levy a one per cent, tax on the ta.xable property of said county, which said vote is to be taken on the fourth Monday of June, instant, for which tax the Dubuque & Pacific railroad company agree to issue to said county full paid stock ; and whereas it has been represented to the said county judge and the people of said county that, in case said tax shall be voted, the company will receive payment therefor, from the proper authorities in said county, any script or paper which shall be paid out and put in circula- tion for the purpose of doing work in said county by said company. Now, therefore, Rfsoh-cd, That, in consideration of the premises, said railroad com- pinv hereby [iledges itself to said county of Buchanan, to receive in payment for such stock, any paper or scrip which may be paid out to the contractors or men for work done in said county, or any other obligations of the company; and that the proceeds of such tax shall be expended in good faith within said county of Buchanan, and not elsewhere. We certify that the above is a true copy of a resolution passed by the board of directors of the Dubuque &' Pacific railroad company, at their meeting on the first of June, 1858. Witness our hands and the seal of the company, J. P. Farley, President. J.\MES M. McKiNLAY, Secretary /ra /iv«. HISTORICAL PROBABII.rrV. And now, with this array of fact and argument before us, let us ask this young friend of ours, just now jubilant over his accession to the .glorious privilege of the ballot (his natal day and the celebration of the opening of the Dubuque and Pacific railroad being coincident) about this vote, which had been so ably presented before the people. What was the result of the vote? Was it "for the rail- road loan" or "against the railroad loan?" "Let me see — that was in 1858 was it? Oh, it was for the loan of course. It couldn't have been otherwise — and then the road was opened in 1859, for I have heard my mother say a hundred times" — Not so fast my dear young voter. Doubtless your answer would be that of ninety-nine out of every one hundred voters, except those who voted on that (juestion in Buchanan county in 1858; and why it is not the cor- rect answer it may be the special duty of the historian in 1880 to inform you. But, in regard to the reasons of the failure of that vote, the records of that day, like the Sphinx, preserve a sullen silence. Had the vote gone as you think it ought, the road, without doubt, would have been opened at least a year sooner, and you would have lost the distinction of connecting your natal anni- versaries with so important an event. Should you so distinguish yourself in the future as to make your name an honor to your native town, and should the Dubuque & Sioux City railroad justify its first ambitious cognomen and become really the Dubuque & Pacific, the future historian may guess that he has read the riddle of the lost vote of 1858. EVIDENCE OF ENTERPRISE AND FRUITFULNESS IN RE- SOURCES. Not many weeks after the adverse vote in regard to the railroad loan, the board of directors published a cir- cular, setting forth the following plan by which they hoped to secure the means to proceed with tlie building of their road. The proposition was as follows: To appraise the lots and lands belonging to the company, issue land script to the amount of the ai>praisement, and pay off the bonded and funded debt by offering for every dollar of debt one dollar of stock and one dollar of land script, with which scrip any unsold land of the com- pany can be located and paid for. Also to appraise the balance of the four hundred and sixty thousand eight hundred acres of land which the company were to receive when the first hundred miles of the road was built, and issue scrip as before. This was to be devoted exclus- ively to building the road to Cedar Falls. For every dollar of full paid stock then held, or thereafter subscribed, an equal amount of this scrip was to be issued to the holder or subscriber, in addition to the certifi. cate of stock. In other words, as an inducement for men to furnish means for building the road, the company donated to each stockholder a hundred dollars' worth of lands for every share of stock for which he subscribed, thus inikiii'' the stock itself cjst him nothing. HISTORY- OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 97 GOOD NEWS. The munificent display of capitals and wide-spread head Hnes, which at the present day go so far towards excusing the editorial caput from exhaustive mental effort, had hardly gained, so recently as the close of the year 1859, a very general following. When, then, the local press of Independence, in the autumn of that year, in- dulged in three head lines, of small capitals, prevented from expanding into unbecoming obtrusiveness by their location on the third page and under the usual heading of "Local Matters," and the further top ballast of the "Township Ticket," it must not, after all, be doubted that the subject matter of the announcement was one that stirred every Buchanan county heart with intensest delight, "glorious news for Buchanan county!! the rail- road COMING ! ! ! On Saturday last our citizens were notified by a few lines written on the margin of the Western stage company's way-bill, that the contract for the construction of the Dubuque & Pacific railroad to this point had been signed, and that the work was to be commenced immediately. "' But so sick had the aforesaid heart been made by hope too long deferred, that it was not until Monday, when the cheering news was confirmed by the Dubuque papers and by letters, that doubting gave way to universal joy and congratulation. It appeared from later intelligence that, General Booth, one of the directors of the company, had returned from the east, bringing the welcome news that a contract for a continuation of the road from Dubuque to Indepen- dence was signed the Thursday previous, the contractor being Oliver P. Root, of Oneida, New York. The con- tract stipulated that the work should begin at once, and that the road should be completed to Manchester, then described as being located nine miles this side of Not- tingham, by the first of October; to Winthrop, eleven miles further, by the first of November; to a point five miles west of Independence, by the first of December, and the balance of the aggregate distance of eighty miles from Dubuque, by the first of January. Mr. Root was represented as a practical engineer, a man of energy and pecuniary ability, and the utmost confidence was expressed in the fulfillment of the terms of the contract. A few days only elapsed before work on the railroad bridge over the Wapsipinicon had been inaugurated. The piles were being delivered and the work of driving them had also commenced. The bridge itself was in process of construction in Dubuque, and was to be brought out in pieces after the cars began to run. It was to consist of four spans of forty feet, and twenty-four spans of twelve feet, making a a total length of four hun- dred and forty-eight feet. In the centre of the nver^ where the rock bottom prevents the driving of piles, there were two bents ; and the bridge was to be four feet above the high-water mark of the great freshet of 1858. Already the impetus upon the movement of grain was felt, and an unusual and constantly increasing number of wagons were to be seen in town daily, loaded with cere- als, for which cash was being paid by merchants and grain buyers. A few weeks later, and the city press chronicled the presence of throngs of wagons on the streets, bring- ing in grain, and active competition among buyers. A cash market had at last opened in Independence ; and, as the crop had been fully an average one, hopefulness sat serene upon every countenance, and an unwonted activity was visible in every department of business and trade. As the time for the opening of the road approached, it seemed a question whether the capital of Buchanan might not be compelled to close her ports of entry and cry, "hold," so continuous was the golden stream which was filling her storehouses to bursting. One of the city editors informs his readers that, on the twenty-second of November, he counted thirty-five teams moving on Main street, loaded with grain, or returning after having dis- charged a similar freight; and still they came. Several new grain and produce buyers had already commenced operations in the place, and a new era was fairly estab- lished, in expectation of a speedy outlet for the accumu- lating stores of cereals and other produce. preparations for the opening. A call for a meeting of those interested in celebrating the advent of the iron horse was published early in No- vember, and arrangements were perfected to give fitting welcome to the long desired steed with his attendant train of cars, and manifold train of advantages. The first of December arrived, and though the road was not completed to the county seat, all were ready to acknowledge that the utmost energy had characterized Mr. Root's operations; and the only surprise felt was that he had overcome so many obstacles incident to opera- tions in a new country, and was so near the completion of this section of his contract. The second week of the month created a perfect furor among the youthful portion of the community, by sending the shrill echoes of the voice of the approaching motor vibrating through the oak groves of the Wapsie; a voice heard by many born on Buchanan soil for the first time. At last the iron horse (we wish somebody would invent a name more worthy of him) was within two miles of the town, and, within a few hours, would be seen tossing his billowy mane at the new station on the east bank of the Wapsipinicon. The track layers were busy during the whole of Sun- day, the eleventh of December, the contractor doubtless justifying the de.secration of the day on the plea that he was nearly two weeks behind the time specified in the contract. The rails were laid to the depot grounds, the turn-table brought up from Masonville, and \m\. in order, passenger and freight cars were at the depot, and all nec- essary preparations made to commence the formal open- ing of the road on Monday. At 9 o'clock on that day, December 12, 1859, the first regular train left the depot at the county seat of Buchanan county, taking the first shipment of produce, which was made by West & Hopkins, and consisted of wheat and pork. railroad celebr.\tion. The day was all that could be desired, the entire au- tumn having been of exceptional mildness and bright- ness. At an early hour, people came flocking into town from all directions, and Main and Chatham streets we e 98 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. filled with teams and people. A large concourse was at the depot to welcome the train, which came in punctual to time, at 2 o'clock p. m., with four car-loads of guests, among whom were the Governor Greys, Captain Robinson, of Dubuque, accompanied by the well-known Germania band. After a brief and appropriate address, welcoming the guests to the hospitalities of the town, by D. S. Lee, esq., on behalf of the citizens of Independence, and a graceful response from Captain Robinson on behalf of the Greys, the large concourse formed in procession, headed by the military company and lead by the band, and marched through the village to the Montour house, where the guests were quartered. About 4 o'clock, an elegant dinner was served to the invited guests by Mr. Purdy, which was pronounced by all to have been, in quality and style of serving, worthy of the occasion. After dinner, the Greys paraded and went through vari- ous military evolutions, with admirable skill and pre- cision. At night there was a ball at Morse's hall ; and, though the company was the largest ever assembled ?h the place, harmony and good order reigned supreme, and the tide of enjoyment flowed on with undisturbed current, until the summons for the return train, during the "wee sma' hours," brought the fete, long to be remembered by some who participated in it, to a close. The "Germania" furnished the music for the evening, and choice refresh- ments were served at both the Montour and the Revere houses. The committee of arrangements were restricted in their invitations by the unusual rush of persons from abroad, which, for several weeks previous to the celebra- tion, had filled the hotels to their utmost capacity; and it was only through the most unwearied exertions of both the hotels and committee that the guests were suit- ably entertained. But the opening ceremonies and festivities were over. Independence had a railroad; and the columns of the town papers were enriched by a bona fide time-table. We linger a moment in sympathy with those editors. With what ecstatic self-gratulation was the carefully pre- pared schedule placed in the hands of the compositors ! Only two events in their previous history could approach this acme of exaltation: the first pair of boots, and the first ballot. Who shall tell which of the triumvirate should bear away the palm ? STATIONS k^Vi AGENTS. Winthrop — The cars reached this place but a few days before they arrived at Independence. There have been seven station agents at this point. Their names and the order of their terms of service are as follows : R. B. Crippin, S. ^^'. Rich, Samuel Leslie, Frank Ward, W. T. Kendall, M. J. Flanigan, and G. M. Nix. The present incumbent is W. T. Kendall, re-appointed. Independence — The first agent at this point was W. B. Boss, who remained only six or eight months; the second, Z. Stout, now of ihe lumber yard near the sta- tion, one year; the third, J- W. Markle, about nine months; and the fourth, C. M. Durham, who still holds the post, a veteran in the service, having occupied the position over eighteen years. Jesup — The cars reached this point shortly after arriv- ing at Independence. Four agents have served the company (or, rather, companies) here, as follows: J. R. Jones, W. Mosier, H. H. Smith, and W. C. Smith, the present agent. BURLINGTON, CEPAR RAPIDS AND NORTHERN RAILROAD. This road was constructed through this county during the summer of 1873. I' has done much toward devel- oping the resources of the county, but its historical inter- est, as well as its material value, is, of course, somewhat eclipsed by its cross-wise neighbor. Rowley — The station at this place was opened for business June 17, 1873. There have been three agents here, as follows: R. R. Harding, J. E. Wyant, and the third, and last to date, A. Allen. Independence — The cars reached here about the first of July, 1S73. Five agents have served the company at this point: Mr. Harding, Mr. Tuthill, J. Hough (or Hoff), J. A. Vincent, and G. W. Hallock, who "holds the fort" at present. Hazleton — The road was completed to this point in September, 1873. J. E. Bennett was the first agent, retaining charge till May, 1880, when the present incum- bent, W. G. Hogue, took charge. CHAPTER XIIL PROVISION FOR THE POOR. The trustees of the several townships are by law em- powered to furnish all necessary relief for the poor within their jurisdictions, at the expense of the county. In the case of families, this is done at their homes. Applica- tions for assistance can be made either by the families themselves or by neighbors who are aware of their neces- sities. When the application is made the case is exam- ined by the trustees, and whatever is needed is supplied. In winter it is very commonly fuel, and at all seasons it may be flour, or meat, or house rent, or clothing, or medical attendance. No family, except in rare instances, and for short periods (as in case of sickness), ever re- quires its entire support from the county; and, of course, it is the aim of the trustees to stimulate the self-respect of the poor, and encourage them to industry by furnish- ing them employment, whenever that is practicable. It is thought that, in some of these ways, about fifty fami- lies in Washington township were aided by the county last winter; and that in no other township were there more than half as many aided, while in some there were very few. This was the only method of aiding the county poor until 1 86 1, when the "poor farm" was purchased, mainly to afford the means of relieving those who are homeless, as well as in want. The farm consists of one hundred and ninety-four acres, in the eastern part of Washington HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 99 township (25, 89, 9), one hundred and twenty acres bought of the Hathaway estate and the rest of Mr. Van- etten, for about four thousand dollars. Of this land, one hundred and sixty acres are prairie, and the rest woodland. The farm had on it, when purchased by the county, a substantial stone dwelling house and such out- houses as were common at that time. Since the purchase a two-story frame addition has been joined to the dwell- ing, and a large and commodious barn has been built. The poor farm is under the control of the county su- pervisors, who appoint of their own number a poor farm committee, who hire a steward to take charge of the farm and a matron to manage the domestic establishment and look after the comfort of the inmates. The committee meets every month at the farm-house, and reports annu- ally to the supervisors. The steward purchases every- thing needed, and disposes of all farm produce, reporting at stated times to the committee. The joint salary of steward and matron at present is five hundred dollars, to- gether with the entire living of themselves and family, and all needed help. Some of the inmates occasionally assist about the house and garden. The house has ac- commodations for twenty inmates, but the largest num- ber thus far is seventeen, and the average number is nine or ten. At present (June, 1881) there are but seven inmates, four men and three women, none of them re- lated to each other. The present steward and matron are Mr. and Mrs. William Hamilton, who are now on their second year. Previous to Mr. Hamilton's time there had been but three stewards, viz : Gideon Ginther (who served twelve years), A. G. Beatty, and John Lock- head. The following is the "annual report of the poor farm committee, January i, 1881, to the board of super- visors :" Gentlemen: Your committee on poor farm would respectfully sub- mit the within report : Number of paupers January i, 1880 11 Added during the year 11 Died : I Number at date 1 1 (Four adult males; three adult females; three minor males; one minor female). Average number of paupers during the year 10 Number in steward's family 5 Total cost of maintaining farm $1,964 35 Deduct for permanent improvements 197 62 $1,766 73 Average annual cost, per pauper, for entire maintenance, in- cluding products of farm $ in 11 The same, excluding farm products 43 80 Your committee take pleasure in reporting having hired William Hamilton, and May Hamilton, his wife, as steward and matron for one year from the dale hereof ; and also in testifying to their faithful and efficient conduct in their respective positions during the year last past. Mr. Hamilton exceeding our expectations. G. M. Miller, "j Edward Black, sPoor Farm Committee. A. H. Grover, j SCHEDULE OF POOR FARM PROPERTY. Farm and buildings ($30 per acre) $5, 820 00 Stock 778 00 Produce on hand 913 00 Sales during year 679 97 CHAPTER XIV. THE HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE. During the winter of 1867 and 1868, the Honorable W. G. Donnan introduced in the State legislature a bill for the erection of a hospital for the insane, to be located in or near the city of Independence. The hospital at Mt. Pleasant was already overcrowded and many insane persons in the State were deprived of the benefits of hospital treatment. The bill passed the senate without a dissenting voice, and easily passed the house, together with the first appropriation of one hun- dred and twenty-five thousand dollars. The bill created a "board of commissioners for the erection of buildings for an insane hospital," and appointed as the members of said board, Maturin G. Fisher, of Clayton county; E. G. Morgan, of Webster county, and Albert Clarke, of Bu- chanan county. Mr. Clarke died before the expiration of the first year, and the Honorable George W. Bemis was appointed by the governor to fill the vacancy, and took his seat in the board January 21, 1869. The bill passed by the legislature required the donation to the State of three hundred and twenty acres of land within two and one-half miles of the city. Several tracts were offered and the money for the purchase was raised by subscription among the citizens of Independence. The lot of ground selected by the commissioners is situ- ated about a mile west of Wapsipinicon river and the city of Independence, and about the same distance from the Dubuque & Sioux City (branch of Illinois Central) railroad. It is about one quarter of a mile wide at the east end; widens northward to the width of half a mile in the middle, and narrows again to a quarter of a mile on the west quarter section. The tract is on an elevation, rising by a gradual ascent from the banks of the river to a height of from fifty to one hundred feet, and the hos- pital building is on about the highest point of the prairie for some miles around. It is certainly well- placed to be seen of men. The tract was unbroken prairie, without a tree or shrub (to use the words of one of the commissioners, who seemed to think that a recom- mendation), and furnished, on digging, an abundant sup- ply of soft water free from any foreign substance. It was also discovered that the tract contained a bed of good brick clay, which proved of great value to the State. Having obtained the land, the next step was to pro- cure plans and specifications for the buildings necessary for said institution. In order to qualify themselves with the knowledge necessary for discharging intelligently the trust committed to them, the commissioners visited sever- al hospitals, reputed to be most complete in their ap- pointments, and consulted eminent physicians who had made the care and cure of insanity their specialty. They decided on what is known as the corridor form of hospital as offering the greatest advantages in convenience, abundance of light, separation of wards, etc. The com- missioners engaged Colonel S. V. Shipman, of Madison, Wisconsin, to prepare plans and specifications, and he presented a plan nearly identical with that of the old Kirkbride hospital, of Philadelphia. The plans were HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. accepttd, but were so far modified and improved by the superintendent of construction, Mr. George Jossclyn, en- dorsed by Dr. Ranney, superintendent of the hospital, at Mount Pleasant, as to become almost new plans. It will not be amiss here to state the opinion of the commissioners, as expressed in their first report, that they "esteemed it fortunate that they were able to secure the services of a superintendent so experienced and so competent," has been more than justified by subsequent events. Mr. Josselyn had been employed in a responsi- ble position during the whole construction of Mount Pleasant hospital, and was afterwards steward of that insti- tution for several years. In addition to these cjualifications he has been found to possess sound practical sense, and an integrity so rare that it may be doubted whether the history of the erection of public buildings, in this coun- try, will show a similar work so economically done, and so absolutely free from any suspicion of jobbery. Among the changes in the plans, made by, or at the suggestion of, Mr. Josselyn, were: ist. The substitution of mansard roof for ordinary pitch roof, on the main centre and on the transverse section; thus affording ac- commodation for about two hundred more patients. 2nd. The removal of cupolas from the roofs of the trans- verse section, and the addition of projecting towers to the longitudinal sections. These towers are pardy rectangular and partly semi-octagonal, and increase the ornamental appearance of the building, while affording means of ventilation. 3d. The addition, entire, of the rear centre building, containing, among other things, the laundry, kitchen, etc. 4th. Increase in the fire-proof qualities of the structure by the substitution of iron stairways for wooden; of masonry for wood in ventilating flues, and in other ways. 5th. Improvement in the means of ventilating. In the original plan the domitories were to be provided with ventilating registers, leading (as now) from the bottom of the rooms, but connected by ducts with ventilating towers not provided with any means of producing the upward draft, which experience has proved to be necessary for this purpose. Mr. Josselyn's original plan was to connect all the ventilating ducts with shafts heated by steam radiators of the kind used in heating the building, and this plan has since been adopted in the newer wings. The principle was at once adopted, but in a different manner — as will be stated in its proper order. GENERAL PLAN. The plan contemplated a central building four stories high and two wings three stories high; one extending north and the other south, and exhibiting an eastern front of seven hundred and twenty-six feet. The two win^s were to consist each of three transverse and three longitudinal sections, so arranged that the front, as a whole, constantly receded from the front line of the main centre, in all about one hundred feet from the line of the front center. The main centre building is sixty by one hundred feet, four stories high and with Mansard roof. The wings are of the following dimensions : First section— longitudinal, forty-five by ninety-two feet; a transverie section thirty-six by eighty-seven and one-half feet; longitudinal section twenty-six by fifty-six feet; transverse section thirty-five by seventy-two feet. The main centre was originally intended to contain the kitchen, laundry, etc., in the basement, but the plan was changed by the addition of a rear centre building, the front section of which is forty-two by sixty feet. The upper story (equivalent in height to second and third) contains the chapel. The rear section of this building is forty-four by forty-nine feet, and contains in the base- ment the kitchen and laundry. The upper stories con- tain a dining-room, sitting-rooms for patients, general storage rooms and sleeping-rooms for female employes. The hospital as a whole is intended to be fire-proof. The walls of the basement story are built of granite from the prairie boulders found in the vicinity. The upper walls are of brick, with a facing of Farley and Anamosa limestone. The roofs are of slate and the cornices of galvanized iron. The framework of the Mansard roofs in the portions lately constructed, is of iron and brick arches. In the attics under the roofs the arches are leveled up and paved with brick. On the ceiling of the basement, and the first and second floors, wire cloth has been used instead of lath. The engine house is built entirely of boulder granite, cut in rectangular form but of irregular shape and size, and is an ornamental building. It is fifty-five by one hundred feet in size and has an attic which contains some sleeping-rooms and furnishes storage room for some valuable machinery. It is situated directly back of the rear centre building, and is connected with it by the fan room. It contains the engine and boiler for supply- ing steam for heating the entire building, and also for doing the greater part of the cooking in the kitchen. The boilers, at present, are four in number. Three are thirteen feet by fifty-four inches, and one about the same length and forty-eight inches in diameter. There is also a pump for forcing water into the supply tanks through- out the building. Back of the engine-house is the chimney, or rather ventilating shaft. It is one hundred and thirty feet high, including the base which is of granite, twenty-two feet and six inches in diameter. The shaft is octagonal or star-shaped, fourteen feet in diame- ter, and is of brick, of which two hundred and fifty thousand were used in its construction. Within is the true chimney, of iron, and this heats the air in the shaft, causing a strong current through the air passages which lead into it from different parts of the building. The ventilation of the most distant parts of the south wing is by means of perpendicular shafts heated by steam radia- tors. THE HEATING of the entire building is accomplished by the use of steam radiaters, all of which are placed in the basement and enclosed in a brick passage way. This latter is sup- plied with fresh air through a duct connected with the "fan tower." It is intended to have large fans to force the air over the radiators. The hot-air registers in the extreme ends of the building, where the patients are kept closely confined, are placed in each sleeping room ; but, HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. in most parts of the building, they are in the central pas- sages, and the heated air passes into the sleeping-rooms through the transoms over the doors. The oldest air, which in winter is also the coldest, is drawn out through the ventilating registers at the base of each sleeping- room by small ducts connected with the large flues leading into the heated ventilating shafts, before men- tioned. The main duct constantly increases in size as it passes every additional smaller duct, until near the great chimney it is large enough for several men to walk in. The offices of the medical superintendent and stew- ard have fireplaces. THE LIGHTING of the building is now done with gas, which is manufac- tured from naptha, in a building erected for the purpose on the premises. The building and apparatus were completed in 1879, and during the winter gas was manu- factured from coal, but the results were unsatisfactory and the apparatus was changed so as to manufacture the gas from oil products. The result has been entirely sat- isfactory. WATER SUPPLY. An abundant supply of water is of the greatest impor- tance in an institution of this kind. A full supply is at the rate of about thirty gallons a day for each patient. This includes the amount used for drinking culinary pur- poses, baths, cleaning of building, and for laundry and heating apparatus. During the summer of iSSo, when water was abun- dant, and the weather very warm, about one thousand barrels a day were used, being about two barrels to each patient. The principal source of supply is a well, ten feet in diameter, from which water is brought by a siphon, a distance of about three thousand feet. During parts of the year this well would furnish more than is needed; while, during the dry season, the supply is insufificient. In order to utilize all the water, a storage cistern was built in 1880, with a diameter of eighty feet, and depth of about fourteen feet, and capable of holding about fourteen thousand barrels. Into this will be pumped daily all the water which the well will yield after supply- ing the building. There is a cylindrical cistern, seventy-four feet long by twelve feet in diameter, and holding about two thousand barrels; also another, holding about three hundred bar- rels. These receive water from the roof of the buildings. The water is distributed throughout the building by gravity from two iron tanks in the attic of the main centre building, which are filled by the pump in the en- gine house. These tanks are twelve and sixteen feet in diameter, respectively, and hold about si.xteen thousand gallons. Water is supplied to each bath-room and water- closet. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, CONVENIENCES, ETC. Each ward is on a single floor, and comprises one longitudinal and one transverse section. The promenade, or general hall, in each ward, is lighted at the end and a "bay" at right angles with the end of the transverse sections. All dormitories and the dining-rooms have large windows. There is a dining-room in each ward, one above another. The cooked food is carried from the kitchen by a railroad through the basement to the dumb waiters, which connect with each dining room. Speaking tubes and bell wires lead from each dining- room to the foot of the dumb waiters; also bells from the superintendent's room to different parts of the build- ing. Each ward is provided with a dust flue and with a soiled-clothes-slide, leading to receptacles in the cellar. The water-closets are of the most approved patterns, and provided with downward ventilation through special flues. The bath-rooms are floored with marble, and provided with every convenience for supply and waste. All waste pipes lead to a six-inch drain pipe of cast-iron, laid below the cellar bottom, and provided with the necessary stench traps. The rooms are plainly but com- fortably furnished. Most of the dormitories are provided with plain iron bedsteads with woven wire mattresses and straw beds. The dining tables are set attractively with stone-china ware, casters and all the conveniences usual in good families. No wall paper is used about the building, and all walls and ceilings are hard finished. In short, every means has been used to insure the health and comfort of the inmates, and to economize in labor. APPROPRIATIONS. The amounts appropriated for the building and furnish- ing of the hospital up to the present time have been by the Twelfth assembly, $125,000; by the Thirteenth as- sembly, $165,000; by the Fourteenth assembly, $200,000; by the Fifteenth assembly, $93,900; by the Sixteenth as- sembly, $99,000; by the Seventeenth assembly, $48,000; by the Eighteenth assembly, about $33,000. DIETARY. The bill of fare is varied, by a regular system, every day in the week. Coffee is served every morning and tea at supper. Roast beef or corned beef, or beefsteak, are furnished once or twice daily, and fish on Fridays. White and Graham bread are always on the table, and butter at breakfast and tea. Potatoes are used daily, and cabbage, onions and beets often. All garden vege- tables are in abundance, in their season', and large quan- tities of tomatoes and green corn are kept for winter use, and pickles are put up. Dried fruits and green apples are used in abundance, atid berries in season. Hot grid- dle cakes are furnished for breakfast twice a week dur- ing winters, and hot corn-cake throughout the rest of the year. Crackers are kept on hand for those who prefer them. On Thanksgiving day the whole household has turkey for dinner, and either turkey or chicken on two other days in the year. Fresh strawberries and rasp- berries are served to all the patients several times in summer, and melons in their season. The sick are provided with various delicacies when they are unable to partake of the regular diet. In 1877, when the number of patients was three hun- dred and twenty-two, and of employes sixty, the one baker baked about twenty-six hundred loaves of bread per week, consuming about fourteen barrels of flour. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Two cooks and five assistants prepared the food; two men conveyed the food when prepared to the wards, at- tended to the storage-rooms, and assisted in the kitchen; one butcher dressed and prepared all the meat, took the entire care of all the stock cattle, hogs and poultry, and made the soap used in the laundry; two girls, with the help of one male patient, did the washing for the entire household ; three girls, aided by female patients, did the ironing; one carpenter did the repairing, making coffins, etc. ; three chambermaids and waiters do the housework in the main building, wait on table and at- tend door ; the gardener, with the help of patients, dur- ing the summer, cultivated fifteen acres of garden, be- sides attending to the flowers and yards; one man took care of the cows, fourteen in number, and was employed part of the day about the farm ; three teamsters were employed, two at farm work in summer and hauling coal in the winter, while one drives the hospital wagon, takes care of the barn, harness, carriages, etc. For that number of patients twenty-seven attendants, male and female, were employed in the wards, and a male and female watch. The attendants are under the immediate supervision of the male and female super- visors, who administer all medicines, and are responsible for the clothing of patients; and the male supervisor does the work of the apothecary. The seamstress does all the mending for male patients, makes new clothing, etc.; the engineer attends to the engine and the heating and cooking apparatus, and does all necessary repairing to steam and water pipes. Two firemen are under his immediate supervision. According to the last biennial report of the superin- tendent, dated October 2, 1880, the number of patients in the hospital was four hundred and fifty, of whom two hundred and twenty-seven were men and two hundred and twenty-three women. The whole number admitted since the opening of the hospital had been one thousand four hundred and thirty-three. Of this number there had been discharged, improved, three hundred and fifty- eight ; recovered, two hundred and forty-nine; unim- proved, one hundred and ninety-six; died, one hundred and eighty. The cost of caVe and board of patients has varied from sixteen dollars per month, in 1878, to ten dollars in 1879, at which price it remained at the time of the re- port. The w^hole number of employes was eighty-three. The number of patients in May, 1881, was five hundred and twenty, and of employes, including officers, one hundred. RELIGIOUS SERVICES have been held in the chapel on Sunday afternoon, be- ing conducted by the pastors of the Presbyterian, Epis- copal, German Presbyterian and Methodist churches in turn. Attendance is voluntary, but is always good. AMUSEMENTS AND RECREATION. Concerts, reading, magic lantern exhibitions, etc., are continued during the fall and winter months. But the most popular amusement is the dance. The music is all furnished by the household. Two of the male at- tendants play the violin, one calls the figures, a female attendant plays the organ, and latterly one of the patients plays the bass viol, an instrument which he made during his stay at the hospital. Quite a number of newspapers have been contributed, and some books for the forma- tion of a library. OUT-OF-DOOR EXERCISE, ETC. Many of the male patients are at times employed on the farm and garden, in the various out-buildings, laun- dry, boiler-room, etc. It is not unusual for twenty female patients to be employed at one time in the kitchen, laundry and sewing-room. A large amount of ward work is done by the patients. Nearly all male patients go out of doors daily in summer when the weather is not wet. THE FARM. Of the three hundred and twenty acres belonging to the institution about thirty acres are occupied by the brickyard, one hundred and twenty are in corn, oats, potatoes, beans and garden stuff. The remainder is in meadow and pasture lands. The value of farm and garden products in 1878 was five thousand six hundred and forty-three dollars and forty-nine cents, and in 1879 six thousand and seventy-seven dollars and seventy-eight cents. The wheat grown on the farm for the two years was valued at nine hundred and thirty-six dollars, and plants in the green-house at eighty-two dollars and eighty- five cents. The current expenses for the year ending October i, 1879, were sixty-six thousand five hundred and fifty-six dollars and sixty-three cents. The farm stock and implements are valued at four thousand dollars, and the current expenses of the hos- pital for the year ending October, 1880, were seventy- one thousand and seventy-one dollars and ninety-two cents. OPENING OF THE HOSPITAL. The original board of trustees of the hospital con- sisted of the persons named as follows: Maturin G. Fisher, Farmersburgh, president; Rev. John M. Boggs, Independence, secretary; George W. Bemis, Independence, treasurer; E. G. Morgan, Fort Dodge; Mrs. Prudence A. Appleraan, Clermont; C. C. Parker, M. D., Fayette; T. VV. Fawcett, Chariton. The board of commissioners appointed to superintend the erection of the hospital, called the first meeting of the trustees to take place at Independence, July 10, 1872. In pursuance of that call they met and organized the board and took the preliminary steps for organizing the local government of the institution. A circular was issued to the several institutions for the care and treat- ment of the insane in the United States and the British Provinces of North America, giving notice that this hos- pital was soon to be opened, and inviting applications and recommendations of some suitable person for the office of medical superintendent. The board adjourned to meet on the first Wednesday in September, the time fixed by law for the regular quarterly meeting. A few HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. days before this meeting the Rev. John M. Boggs was seized with a malignant fever and died on the day be- fore that appointed for the meeting. Without transact- ing any business the board, after passing resolutions of regret and condolence, adjourned to meet October 2d. The governor appointed Dr. John G. House to fill the vacancy. From a number of physicians highly recommended, Albert Reynolds, M. D., of Clinton, Iowa, was elected superintendent of the hospital. Dr. Reynolds, after having received a finished medical education, was employed for a considerable time as as- sistant physician in the Kings County Lunatic asylum, Flatbush, New York, under the superintendency of Dr. Edward R. Chapin, where he had an opportunity to pur- sue his studies and practice in the special department of his profession to which he was devoted. He afterwards travelled in Europe and visited the principal institutions for the insane in Great Britain and Ireland. Mr. George Josselyn, superintendent of construction, was elected steward, and his wife, Mrs. Anna B. Josselyn, was elected matron. Mr. and Mrs. Jossleyn were steward and matron of the hospital at Mount Pleasant for several years, and had ample e.xperience to qualify themselves for their respective offices. Dr. Willis Butterfield was elected assistant physician on the fourth of September, 1873. The hospital was opened for the reception of patients on the twenty-first day of April, 1873. The number of patients received up to December 13, 1873, was one hundred and seventy-eight, and the num- ber remaining at that tiuie was one hundred and fifty- two. Only one had died. In December, 1874, Dr. Butterfield resigned his posi- tion, and Dr. G. H. Hill was appointed in his place. Dr. Reynolds' term of office expired on the first day of February, 1878, and he was reelected. Mr. and Mrs. Josselyn resigned their positions as steward and matron in May, 1877, and George B. Smeallie, and Mrs. Lucy M. Gray were appointed to their places. Dr. Henry G. Brainerd was appointed second assist- ant physician in May, 1878. Mr. Noyes Appleman succeeded Mr. Smeallie as steward in January, 1878, and has retained his position ever since. Mrs. Gray also retains the position of matron. CHAPTER XV. BUCHANAN COUNTY IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. The record of Buchanan county, Iowa, in that struggle for the life of the Nation, places her shoulder to shoulder with those who were foremost in throwing themselves into the deadly breach made in the union by fratricidal hands. The reverberations of the first cannon fired upon Fort Sumter had not yet died away among the hills and forests of the north and west, when a tidal wave of patriotic en- thusiasm, bearing high its majestic crest, swept with resistless force from the shores of the Atlantic to break with murmurs upon the coast of the Pacific. The baser fires of partisan and sectional strife which had cast a baleful light over the darkening horizon, and in which the enemies of the Government had a powerful ally, were quenched, no more to be rekindled, and in their stead the pure flame of patriotism burned with a clear and cheering light. Henceforth there was no wavering allegiance to the Government, no divided love for the Republic, but only the loftiest exhibitions of National pride and devotion, and the sternest resolve to defend the Nation's life and to "repel force by force." If it should be remembered that treason essayed to lift her hydra head, and even to hiss forth her hatred of the Government to whose leniency she was indebted for envenomed power, it can be answered that the antidote of fervid patriotism was so all pervading and so potent, that the malignity of these feeble manifestations, served only to bring out in more vivid contrast the steadfastness of the true patriot. To attempt to trace the causes which led to this memorable civil contest is far beyond the humbler task allotted to the local historian, whose narrower sphere limits him to a record of facts and events, in their chrono- logical order, leaving the higher walks of historic com- position to him — the philosopher, statesman, and historian in one — who in the fullness of time having gathered into one broad reservoir, these quiet rills flowing onward with the lapse of years, shall distil from their mingled volumes that wisdom which shall serve for the future guidance of the Nation. Some one gave an author credit for a "little of the true Shakespearean secret," in that he let his characters show themselves without obtruding unnecessary comment. To merit such a criticism might satisfy the most ambitious. The ample material found in the contemporary press of the county, during the four years' progress of the great Rebellion, with slight adaptation, will, therefore, be allowed to tell the story so honorable to Buchanan county pat- riots, whether at home or in the field. A few words will suffice to give to the home scenes of that wondrous drama the needed continuity. On the twelfth of April, 1861, a cannonade from Fort Moultrie, and the batteries erected by the confederate authorities in Charleston harbor, was opened upon Fort Sumter, which was still in possession of the United States, and under the command of Major Robert Anderson. On Sunday the fourteenth, the fort was surrendered. There was no longer room to doubt the intentions of the South — she was in open rebellion. The action of the United States Government was prompt. Immediately, under authority of the law of 1795, 8'^'i"g the President power to call out the militia in case of insurrection. President Lincoln issued a call for seventy-five thousand men. The effect of these events has already been described ; hut in the editurial columns of the Buchanan County I04 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Guardian, in the number following the announcement of the fall of Fort Sumter, the editor, Mr. Rich, gives utter- . ance to the following graphic sentences. Thrown off at a white heat of patriotic ardor, they give a most vivid impression of that fine heroism which animated the loyal people of the north, and are well calculated to awaken in the young men of the present day — sons of the patriots of 1861, a like noble enthusiasm: We devote our paper, to the exclusion of everything else, to the details of the war news. The taking of Fort Sumter, however, distasteful to those who hoped never to see the stars and stripes trailing in the dust, has proven the salvation of the country. By it freedom has been saved. Through it men have had their patriotism and love of nationality aroused, and now, where the traitors fondly hoped to find divided counsels, political prejudices, obstructing elements, they see nothing but the greatest unanimity, the most intense love of the Republic, the most exalted exhibitions of national feeling, the sternest determination to repel the attack made upon the Government. . . . Almost as soon as the telegraph had conveyed the intelligence of the call of the country, the people had proffered an army twice as great, and means sufficient for its support for a campaign. Pennsylvania, alone, offers more than the contingent, and New York and Ohio will do as well. Our own governor leaves a sick bed, and travels to Davenport in order the sooner to obtain the proclamation, and offers to mortgage his property to obtain the money for the arming and equipping of the troops. Chicago alone proffers the quota of men for Illinois, and Illi- nois proffers nearly the whole number required from the Union. Who dares to say, after this, that money-getting has swallowed up the loftier aspirations of our people? The contest can have but one end. With us is the power and with us is the right. The issue is emphatically slavery or freedom. The question is as stated by the vice-president of the southern confederacy — whether we shall live under the constitution of our fathers, based on the idea of liberty, or whether we shall exist under that of Jefferson Davis and his coadjutors, founded on the doctrines of slavery. Whether we shall still hold to the vital principle of democracy, the right of the majority to rule, or whether we sh.all submit to the des- potic doctrine of the secessionists, that the minority, the few are to govern. Northern freemen will soon give their answer — will soon set- tle the question in favor of liberty and the majority. We can glorify the result at Sumter, in view of the grand develop" ment of patriotism which it has elicited. With the sentiments of the civilized world against them ; with no credit, and the great champion of repudiation at the head of their government , with no navy; with a scarcity of provisions ; with but few if any manufactories of arms ; with a servile population of several millions to be kept in check; with a disparity of men and resources ; with large numbers of union men among them ; with nothing to depend upon but the bravery of their people — when met as they are by a people equally brave, how can the result be other than against the traitors? It must be against them. They may by their boldness and promptness meet with tem- porary success : but with the north fully in the field against them, they must go down. They must fall before northern power, northern bra- very, and northern love of freedom. God grant that with their fall, the villainous system of human slavery may be dashed to atoms. • • • In to-day's paper (April 30), will be found a call for the formation of a company of volunteers. Although there seems to be but a poor prospect of being called into active service immediately, (but one regi- ment being called for from the State and four already offering), it is highly probable that additional quotas will yet be drawn from the States, when, if organized and ready, the company may be accepted. It is plainly the duty of every lover of his country to prepare himself for the conflict. The question is one of life or death for the Republic, for free institutions ; and every friend of the Republican idea, every lover of the principles of free government, should prepare to battle on the side of his imperilled country. It is a glorious cause in which to be enlisted — the cause of justice and right — the cause of democracy against aristocracy — the cause of the masses against an oligarchy — the cause of freedom against slavery. It is the old battle of the Revolu- tion over again. Mothers never gave sons to a nobler cause ; husbands never separated from wives to go forth to do nobler battle ; hands never grasped swords, nor voice shouted battlecry in a more holy fight than this on the part of the Government. Let us emulate the spirit of 1776, and, oblivious of self, give onrselves to our country — to human- ity. Let us be ready when the next call comes. There are men enough in Buchanan county willing to go where there is need of them. Let us be ready to report when that need is indicated. We can organ- ize, get commissioned, become familiar with the necessary drill, arm and equip ready for instantaneous movement. If we are needed, well; the steps taken will not be unprofitable. If we are needed we shall have all the advantage of preparation. Let us make everything sub- ordinate to our duty to our country. We are all heartily for the Gov- ernment ; let there be no delay in making a public indication of this feeling. These are the fervid utterances which shall give to the youth of Buchanan county in 1881, the key by which they may translate the heroism which moved their fathers and elder brothers, into the prosaic, if not sordid lan- guage, now current. Or better, the glowing words may so stir their hearts as to lift them into an atmosphere in which the language of that heroic, and now historical time, is the vernacular. Thus inspired, they will be pre- pared to preserve inviolate that which has been, first pur- chased, and again redeemed, at so great a price. C.\LL FOR VOLUNTEER REGIMENTS. In the meantime telegraphic news from the east, showed that troops were in motion from all points tow- ards Washington, and that so simultaneous had been the rush to arms, at the call of the President, that no doubt was entertained that the whole number of troops called for was already at the disposal of the Government, and that an equal or larger number stood ready to march, at the first intimation of their acceptance. Governor Kirkwood, of Iowa, was not, however, idle. Called from a sickbed, as he stated to an enthusiastic meeting in Davenport, he had left Des Moines, which was, as yet, without railroad communication, and had hastened forward to meet the dispatches of the Presi- dent at that point, that he might act without loss of time. Realizing, with all thoughtful men, that "the end was not yet," he inaugurated, as soon as he was clothed with the proper authority, the most energetic means for the raising and equipment of troops. The citizens, not only of Independence, but of all portions of the county, responded with alacrity to the call for enlistments. The patriotic language already quoted from the columns of the county press, was the universal voice, without re- spect to name or party. An impromptu gathering at the court house, on Satur- day evening, the twentieth of April, was pervaded with such unanimity and sternness of feeling against the plot- ters of treason, as could not fail to culminate, when the hour arrived, in men and means for the defence of the Government. Party spirit seemed to be annihilated, and Democrats and Republicans vied with each other in ex- pressions of devotion to the Government, and in male- dictions upon the heads of the traitors who had plunged the country into a civil war. In order to obtain a fuller expression of feeling and definiteness of action, a meeting was called for the fol- lowing Monday evening. At the time appointed, with- out other than verbal notice, the large hall of the court house was again crowded with a calm, earnest and de- termined body of citizens, many ladies also being pres- ent. Alfred Ingalls, esq., was called to the chair, and HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 105 Messrs. Rich and Barnliart appointed secretaries. On motion of Mr. Latiirop, a committee of five was ap- pointed to prepare resolutions, consisting of the follow- ing gentlemen: C. E. Lathrop, W. S. Marshall, Edward Brewer, D. T. Randall and Lyman Hathaway. While the coi.imittee were out, Messrs. Hord and Lee were called upon, and made strong, earnest union speeches — urging the claims of the Government upon all loyal citi- zens, and the necessity of punishing treason by the over- throw of the traitors. The following resolutions were reported and unanimously adopted. Whereas, The f.ict has been announced by proclamation of the President of the United States, that rebeUion exists in a portion of our country, and that the flag of our Union has been fired upon by the constituted authorities of the so-called Southern Confederacy; and Where.as, The President has called upon the luyal Stales for troops to put down said rebellion and assert the supremacy of tlie laws, therefore Resolved, That we, the citizens of Independence, without respect to party distinction, will rally as one man to the support of our rightfully constituted Government, and pledge ourselves to respond to any call that may be made upon us, either for men or money, to the full extent of our ability. Resolved, That we regard all who refuse to stand by the Government in the present crisis as unworthy of the name of American citizens, and as enemies of the liberties of mankind. Resolved, That, come what may, we will never give up that noble sentiment of the patriot Jackson: "The American Union — it must and shall be preserved." Resolved, That we approve of the policy of the national administra- tion in the present crisis, believing that the President has acted toward the southern rebels in a just, magnanimous and conciliatory manner, and has afforded by his conduct no pretext for their recent warlike preparation and action; and we will stand by our President while he continues to act in the strict line of his constitutional duty. Such pledges made by such a body of men, calm, earnest and determined, were equivalent to the enroll- ment of every able-bodied man, taking upon himself such serious obligation, and was doubtless so considered by every one actively concerned in this public expression of allegiance to the Government of the United States. Speeches breathing the utmost devotion to the Union, and the most earnest determination to support the Gov- ernment in its struggle to maintain that Union inviolate, followed the adoption of the resolutions from Messrs. Donnan, Marshall, Lake, Jones, Pratt, Randall, Bryant, Sampson and Abbott. Only one dissonant utterance from a citizen grated upon the harmony of this patriotic gathering, which, in its manly, outspoken loyalty, con- ferred lasting honor upon Buchanan county. One of the speakers called upon took' a narrow, partisan view of the situation, and spoke of the call of the President for troops as an appeal from Republicans for assistance from an opposing political party; and, though he counseled such assistance, it was upon the ground that only in so doing could they hope for political ascendency in the time to come. It is, perhaps, needless to say that these sentiments had few sympathizers, and the charitable opinion expressed by the editor of the Guardian, "that the speaker had done himself great injustice, his patriot- ism being infinitely deeper and broader than his party feeling," suggests the added charity of withholding his name from this record of the war, and those who sup- ported it. A Mr. Henry, of St. Louis, who was called out at the suggestion of a friend, received hearty applause when he said that he was with the people of Iowa for the Union. But when he proceeded to say that he and the Union men of the border States would stand as a wall between the contending parties, saying to the Government you shall not cross our territory to attack the South, and to the South you shall not cross our line to attack the North, his prestige was gone. The hollowness of such Union sentiments had only a few days before been ex- emplified in the killing of Federal soldiers in Baltimore, on their way to defend the Federal capital, and the true patriots of Buchanan would have no more of it. Some sharp catechising showed the speaker that he could have little hope of pleasing himself again en rapport with his audience, and his address did not progress beyond the exordium. Mr. Sampson, pastor of the Methodist church, declared his readiness to inarch in the ranks if necessary, thus showing that he would not urge others to a duty from which he considered himself excused. At a late hour the meeting adjourned, after adopting a motion made by Mr. Donnan, for the appointment of committees to or- ganize companies and raise the funds that should be re- quired for their outfit. The meeting had fully developed the fact that but one sentiment existed in the community — that of unflinching loyalty to the Government; and it had likewise demonstrated that, should occasion require, a company of volunteers for active service could be raised in a few hours, and another be left at home as a guard, or ready as a contingent. A meeting lor those desirous of forming a company whose services should be offered at once to the governor, was appointed for Wed- nesday evening, and the citizens' meeting was adjourned subject to the call of the chairman. INCIDENTS SHOWING THE STATE OF THE PUBLIC MIND. At the first telegraphic dispatch, announcing the opening of the cannonade upon Sumter, the fine flag be- longing to the citizens of the place was raised upon the flag-staff near the court house. As the folds of the Na- tional emblem were lifted by the breeze, and the glorious stars and stripes shone out, the wildest cheers went up from the assembled crowd — given as heartily by Demo- crats as Republicans, and again and again renewed. Flags were also raised and kept flying from the offices of both Guardian and Civilian, nor did one differ to the other in the warmth of their utterances for the Govern- ment and the Union. On Saturday, April 14th, while a case was on trial in the district court, and while the jury was attentively listening to the examination of witnesses, some one brought into the court room a Dubuque paper containing the first account of the fight at Charleston. The news flashed around the court room instantaneously, and created great excitement. Lawyers, witnesses and juryman caught the infection, and it was found impos- sible to proceed with the case, until all had heard and discussed the news. The jury would give no attention until the "war news" had been read to them, which was at length done by order of the court, a suspension of proceedings having been ordered-for that purpose. . io6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. The case of South Carolina and Secession, thus un- ceremoniously brought before the jury, was of a char- acter to require no cross-examination of witnesses, no special pleading of lawyers. The crime stood confessed, and the judgment was quick, and will never be reversed. THE TWENTY DAYS OF GR.^CE EXPIRED. Under date of May 7th, appeared another column of terse sentences from the vigorous pen of Mr. Rich. Its succinct summing up and grouping of the elements which then constituted the "situation," both for the Government and the people, make it a paper which the citizens of the county may well be proud to transmit to her latest posterity: On Sunday night last, May 5th, the twenty days which Mr. Lincoln, in his proclamation, gave the rebels to disperse expired, and from now onward nothing will intervene to prevent the Government from push- ing its movements actively against the traitors. F. W. Seward, As- sistant Secretary of State, telegraphed to New York, in refutation of the report that an armistice had been asked by the Government, that that sort of thing ended on the fourth of March; and we may there- fore conclude, both from thut and Mr. Lincoln's reply to the Maryland deputations, that the administration is fully resolved to give action to the determined sentiment of the whole north, that this infamous Re- bellion must not be compromised with, but must be crushed out — crushed out so effectively that the men and the system that for long years have kept the country in foment, shall never thereafter be able to create a disturbance. The country demands no half-way measures. It demands of the Government no longer conservative or defensive efforts, but calls for a forward, aggressive movement. It demands not only that Washington may be made secure, but that every fort, arsenal and Government building in the slave States, stolen by the secessionists shall be retaken. . . . Demands that no thought of re- construction, no proposition of division shall be entertained, but that the Union and the constitution, as they have existed, shall be pre- served intact. Since they have been forced to fight, they demand that the question in issue shall be settled forever — that slavery shall no longer have the power to convulse the country as it has done hereto- fore. This firm determined stand of the people and the administration, has had its clear effect in the border Stales. Maryland, for a time overcome by a bold mob, has received a strengthening of b.ickbone by this evidence of the power and will of the great north. Again the American flag floats throughout all her borders. Again her people in mass meetings declare their fidelity to the Union, and her legislature is forced to frown down the idea of secession. The cry of northern volun- teers, " Through Baltimore, or over it," has made that city almost as patriotic as could be desired. Western Virginia stands boldly up, un- der the inspiration of northern firmness, and declares that she will battle to the death with the secessionists of the eastern part of the State. Missouri, also, as well as Kentucky and Tennessee, dare not declare against the old flag, in view of the glorious uprising of the free States, and the stern determination to drive treason from the land. Treacherous as they were and are still willing to prove with secession triumphant: with a northern army on their borders, and the free States united and determined, they have found it inexpedient to secede, and will probably so continue to find it. Virginia, that demanded so much consideration, that claimed so much power, has gone over to the seced- ers, and this movement has had no other effect than to show how weak she reallv was, with all her vaporing. Her going has detracted noth- ing from the strength of the Government, and added nothing to the seceders. Her power is now forever broken, because all see that the influence she claimed in the confederacy she could not have possessed. Her pretensions were a mere bubble, and she herself has pricked it. We hope, then, thai the Govenmient will declare, as the people have done, a firm determination to permit no division of our territory, no disruption of the Union. With that declaration as the b.asis of its campaigns the free States will make short work of this Rebellion. ENTHUSIASM EVERYWHERE. Nor were these Union demonstrations by any means confined to the country seat. Union meetings were be- ing held at various points in the county. Quasqueton, the pioneer town of old Buchanan, was true to her early record as a place of undaunted enterprise. Volunteers were offering daily at that place and at Littleton, and it was soon apparent that the entire county was a unit for the defence of the Government. Everywhere offers of money for the support of the families of those volun- teering in the defence of the right, testified to the earnest patriotism which swayed the public mind. An enthusiastic meeting of the citizens of Littleton and vicinity was held early in May, with the avowed ob- ject to organize a military company, whose services should be offered to the governor as soon as the organization was complete. Many ladies were present, giving con- vincing evidence, by their warm interest in the great questions before the people, that they were worthy daugh- ters of the heroic mothers of the Revolution. The meeting was addressed by Messrs. Lewis, Leavitt, and Hord, of Independence; and by Reed, Muncy, and San- ford and others of Littleton. Thayer's band, from Barc- lay, was present, and the music of the spirit-stirring fife and drum, as they struck up "Hail, Columbia," "Yankee Doodle," or the "Star Spangled Banner," aroused the pattiotism of the people to fever heat. Another meeting was appointed to be held on the following Saturday evening at Lester. No town, village, or hamlet, was destitute of a flag, and at the county seat, on days of especial interest, such as the reception of war news, or the announcement of Government measures, printing offices and business blocks displayed the stars and stripes in such profusion as to suggest the thought that, unconsciously, the loyal heart of the north was striving by a double meed of allegiance to atone for the indignities offered elsewhere to this sacred emblem of the nations power and majesty. A LETTER FROM THE HON. WILLIAM VANDEVER. The following letter of instructions appeared in the Guardian of May 7, 1861: Dubuque, May 4, 1861. J. Rich, esq., Dear Sir, — . . Companies when formed should elect officers — one captain, two lieutenants, etc. The muster roll should then be forwarded to Adjutant General Bowen, who will see that the officers are commissioned. It is the desire of the governor that such companies should be formed all over the State, and placed in such a state of prep- aration — without interrupting the usual avocations of the men — as will enable them to respond promptly to any call which may hereafter be made for additional troops. The State will distribute arms as fast as they are received from the General Government. It would be well if men would furnish themselves with some simple style of uniform, say a gray tweed flannel blouse and pants. The legislature, at its session (extra, which met May 15, 1861), will undoubtedly make some provision for arming and equipping several regiments. Companies now formed will have a preference in being called into the service. Preparation is what is needed, for any exigency that may arise here- after. I trust that in the next regiment required from the State, some of our northern companies will be preferred over those from the river towns. Truly yours, William Vandever. THE SECOND CALL. The second call for troops was received here as every- where with undisguised satisfaction. The fact that no requisition was to be made upon the several States for HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 107 the forty thousand volunteers, for three years service, was commented upon as favorable to Iowa troops — all regi- ments offering being accepted until tiie full number was enrolled. The first Independence military company was an- nounced as on a firm footing, in the same issue as the second call of the Government for eighty-three thousand additional troops, May 14th. The company was organized with a view to active service, the oath being administered to each recruit as he presented himself Quasqueton was reported at the same date to have enrolled a home guard of nearly one hundred members, and to have com- menced drilling with an earnestness of spirit which showed that their ultimate aim was a more serious one than cannonading the effigies of the enemies of their country. On June i, 1861, the Independence guards, having completed their roll, held a meeting for the election of officers, which resulted as follows: D. S. Lee, captain; G. C. Jordan, first lieutenant; W. S. Marshall, second lieutenant; C. L. \Vhite, first sergeant; R. S. Marlin, second sergeant; T. Blonden, third sergeant; J. D. C. Garrison, fourth sergeant; C. J. Reed, first corporal; E. A.Woodruff, second corporal; J. H. McWilliams, third corporal; O. J. M. Fuller, fourth corporal. The company being fully organized. Captain Lee went to Iowa City to tender their services to the governor, with the expectation of being accepted and sent inmie- diatcly into active service. Meanwh le squad drills were held at Morse's hall every evening : and on the race ground, on the west side of the river, every morning be- tween 4 and 6 o'clock; thus rising up early, and late taking rest, that they might honor themselves and the county which they represented; but, most of all, the sacred cause which, taking their lives in their hands, they were to go forth to defend. LETTER FROM THE GOVERNOR. Though assured of their acceptance, the guards were not assigned to a regiment until the last week in June- as appears from the following letter of Governor Kirk- wood : Executive Office, Iowa City, ) June 25, 1861. J Captain Lee, Independence Guards. Dear Sir ; — Your company is assigned to the Fifteenth Regiment Iowa volunteers, and under the recent call of the war department will be sent to rendezvous at Burlington as soon as arrangements can be perfected — perhaps next week. Fill up your ranks to not less than •ighty-four, nor more than one hundred and one men. If you can avoid it, do not go into quarters at home, as I have no money, and shall have none till the State bonds are sold. If you cannot possibly avoid going into quarters, do so, but not otherwise. As soon as matters are arranged, I will send you orders to march to Burlington. I enclose a printed circular, and call your special attention to that part relating to clothing, and hope you may be able to conform to the suggestions therein contained. Please answer immediately. Very respectfully, Samuel J. Kirkwood. The following extract from the circular comprises the suggestions in regard to the outfit of volunteers: It is very desirable that, in case you be called into active ser\'ice, you have a change of clothing. I therefore suggest that your men procure for themselves, with the aid of your neighbors, the following articles for each man; A gray or black felt hat — gray is the best; two good gray flannel shirts; one pair stout gray satinet or cloth pants, lined, with black stripe up the seam; two pair socks, and one pair stout, well made brogans or laced boots. These articles will answer, with a good blanket, which will be furnished by the State, when you may be called out, until a uniform can be furnished by the State, and will continue to answer for a fatigue dress, or a change in case of being caught in the rain — and thus conduce to health. The State cannot furnish these things, but I hope your neighbors will aid you in procuring them. In case you shall not be called out, they can be worn as ordinary dress, and thus no loss will be sustained by the men. The following call takes its place naturally, as the re- sult of the publication of the governor's letter and cir- cular : PUBLIC MEETI.NG As the Independence guards have been accepted by the governor of this State to form part of the Fifth Regiment of Iowa volunteers, and as the governor has recommended the people of the county to give the cmopany a temporary uniform, which may hereafter be used as a fatigue dress, and conduce to the comfort of the men; and as it will also be necessary to provide for the keeping of many of the members of the company until they are ordered to the rendezvous at Burlington, we therefore invite the people of Buchanan county to meet at the court house, in Independence, on Tuesday evening, July 2d, to take steps to provide the necessary means for these purposes. H. S. Chase, J. Rich, C. P. HiNSLEY, J. S. Woodward, James Jamison, L. Moore, M. GlLLLTT, C. F. LEAVITT, W. Chandler, O. H. P. Roszell, D. S. Dunham, E. W. Purdy, T. B. BuLLENE, J. D. Myers, A. INCALLS, ]ed Lake. The Guardian had a generous tribute to the " boys,'' and spoke out in regard to their claims upon those who were to remain at home. It spoke also with the utmost positiveness as to this company being the only one to go from the county, and used it as an argument for en- listment, with all who wished to enter the service of the Government. A later enlistment would compel citizens of Buchanan to enter a company from some other lo- cality. PREPARING FOR THE START. July 2d the announcement is made that Captain Lee had been notified by Colonel Worthington (of the Fil'th) that the guards would probably receive orders to move to the rendezvous on the following Monday. And now the notes of preparation were heard on every hand, and everybody seemed anxious not only to send the brave fellows into the field as comfortably equipped as possible, but with hearts so warmed by kindness and attention, as to cheer them on to noble deeds for friends and for country. As the result of the meeting held in response to the call, which we have given above, and of subscriptions made subsequent to the meeting, four hundred dollars had been raised; and this, with contributions of mate- rial, by merchants and others, had accumulated a mass of goods at the company's depot in Morse's hall which looked sufficiently formidable, when it was remembered that but one short week remained in which to fashion it into garments required by the gallant men, who were so soon to stand as the defenders of a beneficent Govern- ment, assailed by those of its own household. io8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. But where was the corps which could be detailed to make an advance movement in the face of this breast- work of satinet? And where was the money to pay them if they were found? It was evident that the War Department had neglected to provide a much needed pioneer force, and therefore it turned out, that in Bu- chanan county, the honor of being first "called into active service" fell to the ladies. It is but a simple act of justice to the heroines of the hour, whose names should grace the page of history, that a full company, fully equipped, reported at the rendezvous, at the first call of their country. The second day, Saturday, fully one hundred and fifty were in attendance. Sunday was given to the "work of mercy and necessity," and with an industry, zeal, and even enthusiasm which knew no flag- ging, the work went on until the seventh day, when at evening, the entire company had been provided with uniforms — an aggregate of nearly three hundred gar- ments. In addition, each soldier had received from the ladies a needle case containing a pair of scissors and a full supply of pins, needles, buttons, and thread. As this was the evening of their last day "at home," a social meeting was improvised at the court house, to give the citizens and the citizen soldiers the opportunity for a friendly and farewell greeting. Mr. Leavitt presided at this interesting gathering, and words were spoken which, it may be hoped, cheered the hearts of those brave men in many a trying hour of the future. Captain Lee was called out, and in a few ear- nest words acknowledged the obligation of himself and his men, for the many kindnesses and services received at the hands of the people of tlie county at large, and from the citizens and ladies of Independence. THE DEPARTURE. The departure of the Guards on the following morn- ing, Friday, June 12th, is best described by the pen of the editor, an eye witness of the scene. Friday, the day of departure, came, and a sad day it was to most of us. In the morning, at nine o'clock, the guards drew up in front of the Montour House, and were each presented with a Testament by a committee of the Buchanan County Bible society. Rev. Mr. Boggs made a presentation address, and was followed in a stirring speech by Rev. Mr. Fulton. Rev. Mr. Samson, at the close of the addresses, made an excellent prayer. The boys were then dismissed, that they might take leave of their friends. The town was crowded with people from the country, who had come to give a parting greeting to the noble fellows. Mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, clung to sons, hus- bands, fathers, and brothers, with the tearful energy of a fearing affec- tion. On nearly every countenance were traces of tears, and everyone seemed too full for words. Hands were shaken in silence, the lips refusing to speak the blessings that each knew were in the heart. A more solemn occasion we never witnessed, and hope never again to witness a similar one. But the time for departure came, and at the tap of the drum the boys fell into line. The Independence band led the way to the depot, the Benton company followed, and our own noble fellows brought up the rear, surrounded by many hundreds of friends, of both se.ves. At the depot, while waiting for the cars, another scene of leave-taking occurred. All along the line friends and relatives were clinging, with tears and sobs, to the soldiers, while they, in their turn no less affected, were trying to impart comfort to the objects of affection so soon to be left behind. Pledges of love and friendship were exchanged, and nearly every man in the ranks carried a pretty bouquet of flowers. The boys pronounced this leave-taking more unmanning than marching up to the mouth of cannon. But gradually these manifestations of feeling were mastered, and before the train arrived they took to cheering " The Vinton Boys," "Soldiers' Wives and Sweethearts," etc.; and the great crowd sur- rounding the depot, several thousand in number, responded with cheers for the soldiers. But the friendly arrival of the train cut short this prolonged tension upon the feelings of the brave fellows and their friends. The cars brought the Hardin county company, and the Ben- ton and Buchanan boys were soon on board. The whistle sounded, and amid the firing of cannon, the waving of handkerchiefs, and the wildest cheers from both soldiers and friends, the train moved off taking away many courageous hearts and leaving thousands of heavy ones, but equally courageous, behind. At Manchester a splendid dinner was given to tlie soldiers by the people of the town. We are assured that it has never been surpassed in the State. This reflects the greatest credit upon the people of that enterprising town, and entitles them to the heartiest benedictions of the soldiers and their friends. A reluctance to transcribe the closing paragraph of this interesting article has given way before the convic- tion that the indignation expressed in it is, under all the circumstances, most generous and natural. That the brave men, who were leaving all that the heart holds dear, save the love of country, should have met with anything like an indignity, and that, too, in the presence of their weeping wives and mothers, fathers and brothers, was too much to be borne with equanimity. The good soldier must indeed be inured to hardness, but stern necessity soon enough brings the inevitable discipline, and there could be no excuse for such unseemly haste in anticipating it, and honor the -warmth of sympathy which dictated the outspoken reproof: We cannot refrain from a word of animadversion upon the course of the superintendent of the Dubuque & Sioux City railroad. With sev- eral new passenger cars at the command of the company at Dubuque, and with an empty one on the train. Superintendent Young stowed a part of our company and all of the Vinton company in open cattle cars, rigged with rough board seats, wheie the hot sun could play upon them and clouds of dust cover them. It does not suftice that Conductor Cawley, to whom all praise is due for his attention to the boys, insisted upon placing the empty passenger car at their disposal after they reached Manchester. The fact is patent that Mr. Young, with abun- dant means at his command to secure the comfort of the soldiers, in- sisted upon treating them as cattle, forcing them to ride in cars that were in every way comfortless. Such a niggardly spirit is worthy of all reprobation, and receives it from the friends of the volunteers in this county. Superintendent Young has neither done himself nor his com- pany any good by this treatment of our friends. MUSTER ROLL, "INDEPENDENCE GUARDS," FIFTH REGI- MENT, IOWA VOLUNTEERS. COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. Captain Daniel L. Lee. First Lieutenant George C. Jordan. First Lieutenant Alexander B. Lewis. Second Lieutenant William S. Marshall. Second Lieutenant Carlos L. White. NON-COMMISsIONED OFFICERS. First Seargeant Carlos L. White. First .Sergeant Thomas Blonden. Second Sergeant Kelsey S. Martin. Second Sergeant William S. Peck. Third Sergeant Thomas Blonden. Third Sergeant Charles F. Putney. Fourth Sergeant Alexander B. Lewis. Fourth Sergeant William Bunce. Fifth Sergeant William S. Peck. Fifth Sergeant Jerry Rea. First Corporal Cyrus J. Reed. First Corporal Joseph H. McWilliams. Second Corporal Eugene A. Woodruff. Second corporal, Julius F. Phelps. Third Corporal Joseph H. McWilliams. Third Corporal Frank Noble. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 109 Fourth Corporal Oscar J. M. Fuller. Forth Corporal Simon L. Shultz. Fifth Corporal Julius F. Phelps. Fifth Corporal John B. Oliver. Sixth Corporal Frank Noble. Si.vth Corporal William Codling. Seventh Corporal Leroy F. Funk. Seventh Corporal John Jarrett. Eighth Corporal Charles F. Putney. Eighth Corporal Calvin C. Paltee. Musician William H. Brown. Wagoner Henry McQueen. PRIVATES. David .Allen, Samuel C. Allison, Joseph Anson, Madison J. Bryan, William Bunce, James Bell, William W. Baughman, David H. Bill, Charles F. B.iiley, William H. H. Coats, Solomon J. Clark, William S. Cushman, Elijah Chiltester. William Crawford, William Codling, A. M. Conkling. John A. Davis, Thomas Donnelly, Almon [. Francis, Albert R. Goss, George Gay, J ames B. Gaylord, John C. Geyer, James Harrigan, Martin Hallock, Morgan Holmes, Sanford Hamilton, John Jarrett. William F. Johnson, Adin B. Kinsel, Wilbur F. Kellogg, Castleton Latherman, Simmeus Mead, John W. Marlin, Charles Marsh, Charles A. Marsh, Rev. J. W. McWilliams, .\lexander Mun- ger, James G. McKenzie, John B. Oliver, Levi Overhulser, Noah Porter, William R. Peters, Calvin C. Pattee, Peter Putnam, Thomas C. Puckett, James C. Perham, William Payne, Thomas Robison, Samnel -A. Reed, James Rice, John Richards, Edward Roderick, Jerry Rea, Moses H. Robinson, Jackson Rice, George Sellars, John Shay, James Stack, Rufus W. SafFord, Oliver Saflford, George B. Sitler, Simon L. Shultz. Heman Sprague, William H. Sayer, Henry W. Snider, Hola C. Sprague, John Snider, John H. Towle, Alden R. Wheeler, James B. Wolf, Cres. W. Waggoner, Ormar R. Whitman, Richard Whait, Nathan Wheeler, Rynear M. Walker, Weelley Wil- liams. M.ihlon Williams, Stephen R. Washborn. -Additional enlist- ments up to January i, 1863, John C. (or W.) McCray. Captain Lee's company (company E, of the Fifth regi- ment of the volunteer infantry) was enrolled in the county of Buchanan, ordered into quarters by the gov- ernor of the State June 29, 186 1, and mustered into the service of the United States by Lieutenant Alexander Chambers, United States Army, at Burlington July 15, 1 86 1, under the liroclamation of the President of the United States, bearing date May 3, 1861. From the place where the company was enrolled to its rendezvous is three hundred miles. A poetic tribute to the guards appeared in the same number of the GuarJian as that containing the above chronicle of their departure; and, though without a name, it honors both the writer and those to whom it is in- scribed. It would, therefore, be a manifest wrong done to "Our Brave Boys of the West" if it were not trans- mitted as one of the fragrant blossoms which make up the chaplet offered them by a grateful people. THE INDEPENDENXE GU.\RDS. What golden glory doth the sun Flood over all the west, A farewell greeting to the earth. And blossoms on her breast. The cricket chirps its evening tune, Its homely, cheery note, And one last song is trilling forth From out the robin's throat. But oh, upon our aching hearts, Earth's music sadly swells; W'c hear through all her perfect choir The echo of farewells. We've seen our loyal men go forth To plant the flag, wiiich waves Triumphant over Northern arms, Upon the traitors' graves. W^e know whose hands shall bear unsoiled The eagle's golden crest; Whose hands uphold the stripes and stars— Our brave boys of the west. Give cheers for our devoted band, Our men of words and actions; .And groans, aye three times three, for those Who bear the flag of factions. May he who counts the ocean's sands. And marks the sparrow's fall, Spredd His almighty, loving hands, In mercy, over all. And nerve their arms to strike aright. Such hearts have never f.iiled; They'll teach the world how men can fight When freedom is assailed. Where're they .stand in battlefield. With mingled pride and tears, Our hearts shall follow on to pray God bless our volunteers. Friday, June 12, 1861. INCIDENTS, PRESENTATIONS AND DON.ATIONS. Mr. Noah Porter, living at Good Hill, Bremer county, while on his way to work on Friday (June 28), saw a notice of the acceptance of the "guards," and a call for a meeting of the company on Saturday. He immediately went home, put his team in the stable, bade his wife and children good bye, and walked seventy-five miles to Independence, where he lost no time in enrol- ling himself as a member of the company. S. Hellman, of Independence, accompanied a dona- tion of one dozen pairs of shoes, and as many of socks, for the use of the company, with the wish that the wearers of them might march to victory, for the glory of the country. Dr. Chase, of Byron township, as soon as the news of the acceptance came, gave the conijjany ten dollars. Had this example had a general following, and had the resulting fund been invested in rubber blankets, how many lives, sacrificed by sleeping on the damp ground, might have been saved. G. \V. Doiinan presented the company with ninety pairs of woollen socks, making, at the same time, a speech, which was received by the company with repeated cheers. Mrs. William Scott also made a liberal donation of woollen socks — articles of prime importance to the health and comfort of camp life. COM.MENTS AND INCIDENTS. The Dubuque Times thus speaks of the people and soldiers of Independence: Much praise is due to the people of Independence for the creditable manner in which they fitted out their volunteers. Through the liberal- ity of the citizens the "boys" were enabled to go into camp with a better outfit Ih.in any other company in the regiment. .All spectators were struck by the gallant bearing and evident intelligence of this fine corps, and with one accord they were pronounced the star company of the five who left here last Saturday. Much is e.vpected of them, and most assuredly they will not disappoint their friends. The "guards" arrived in Burlington on Sunday after- noon, and were mustered into .the United States service on the following day, Monday, July 15, 1861. There were between twenty and thirty companies at Camj) War- ren, and none, it w'as said, presented a finer appearance than the Independence company. Three of the volun- no HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. teers were not accepted — William Sherwood, owing to a deformed hand; a Mr. Clark, of Littleton, who was above age, and T. Fleming, of Fremont township, who was too young. The company, as mustered into service, numbered ninety-seven men, exclusive of officers. When first heard from by their friends, they had not received their blankets, and were sleeping on straw without covering. As an inevitable consequence of this sudden change in manner of living, diarrhoea was to some extent prevailing in the camp. The Indepen- dence band accompanied the guards to Burlington, and were offered the position of rtgimental band, on condi- tion of raising their number to si.xteen. PRESENTATION. A number of the friends of Captain Lee presented him with a fine Colt's navy revolver. Lieutenant Jordan was the recipient of a similar compliment, and Lieuten- ant Marshal escaped by being already provided with small arms. These officers were held in the highest estimation by their fellow citizens, and were deservedly popular with their men. Captain Lee paid a visit to !iis home in the last week of July, reporting the company in excellent health and fine spirits. Only one was in the hospital, as after they received their blankets, and cooked their own rations, they were living much better than at first. They were fast acquiring proficiency in drill, though their arms and equipments had not yet been supplied. The con- duct of the men received the highest encomiums of their captain. Not one man had been ordered under guard, and their fine soldierly bearing and orderly behavior had won them hosts of friends. Colonel Woithington had not received marching orders for his regiment, but every- thing pointed to an early demand for their presence in Missouri. OFF TO THE WAR. The following incident shows not only the stuff" that one brave heart was made of, but it also shows how defeat itself, in our case, furnished the impulse that made our final victory the more complete and decisive. On recei[)t of news of the gieat disaster to the Federal forces at Manassas, J. L. Loomis (afterwards editor of the Bulletin) who was then employed as a clerk in the post office, in Independence, and who was known to his friends as an intelligent, quiet, but determined young man, immediately resolved to volunteer, and, leaving at the earliest possible moment, went to Dubuque in order to take advantage of the first opportunity to enlist. Such a spirit and such promptness and decision in its manifestations, gave a sufficient guarantee that, whatever post was assigned him, he did his duty well. He went to the aid of the Government in the time of its greatest peril. ANOTHER COMPANY. A military company was organized in the early sum- mer, in Jefferson township, and soon numbered over fifty men; most of whom were ready for active service. S. D. Joy, who was an orderly sergeant in the Mexican war, was elected captain, Joseph Rouse first lieutenant, and George Frink, second lieutenant. THE HEARTS AT HOME FOLLOW THE BR.WE HEARTS IN CAMP. On the twenty-fifth of July, the friends of company E, Fifth regiment, in camp at Burlington, shipped to said com- pany three boxes and a barrel, filled with delicacies be- longing to what might be styled the higher departments of culinary tactics, in which the "boys" had not been drilled. The collation, which was enjoyed as one spread by loving hands, reached Camp Warren on the second of August, and, on the following day, the company re- ceived marching orders, which took them beyond the reach of these loving ministries. ORGANIZ.\TION OF A SECOND MILITARY COMPANY IN IN- DEPENDENCE. The first election of officers by the "guards" having been made void by a law passed at the extra session of the legislature, a second was held on the first of June, which resulted in some changes in the officers, both com- missioned and non-commissioned. By the new election Messis. Jordan and Marshall took the places of Hord and Marlin, as first and second lieutenants. Lieutenant Hord, with a promptness which showed that a desire to serve his country was paramount with him, set to work at once to raise a second company, and his success showed the confidence reposed in hmi by his fellow citizens. I'he following notice which appeared in the Guardian of June 25th, speaks for itself. ATTENTION COMPANY ! The Buchanan County Light Infantry will meet at their headquarters on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings of each week, for the pur- pose of drill. J, M. Hord, captain. William Scott, orderly sergeant. A few weeks later. Captain Hord accompanied the guards to Burlington; met Governor Kirkwood, and se- cured the acceptance of the Light Infantry into active service. The company was assigned to the Seventh regiment, which was then forming. Captain Hord and Lieutenants Scott and Randy were commended to all de- sirous of enlisiing, as every way worthy of confidence. The captain had seen service in Mexico, and Lieutenant Scott in the East Indies, while Lieutenant Randy had for many years been an officer in the militia. In the early part of August the company went into quaiters; and so rapidly were Ihe ranks filling up under the inspiration of the second call for troops, that no doubt was felt that the Light Infantry would be in readi- ness to report by the time required, August 25th. Mr. Bull, proprietor of Bull's addition to Independence, con- nected himself with this company, and devoted himself warmly to the furtherance of its interests. An extra session of the board of supervisors was held to take into con- sideration the matter of supplying the company with a uniform. Three hundred dollars was promptly voted by the board, and a resolution was also passed, declaring their willingness to give a similar amount to any company of volunteers raised in the county, upon going into active service. The company was so fortunate as to be assigned to Colonel Vandever's regiment, the Ninth Infantry. As the colonel had expressed great confidence that the troops HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. collecting at Dubuque at that time, would be furnished with uniforms before leaving that city, it was necessary that shirts, hats, shoes and belts only should be provided by the county. .'\nd again, the noble women of Inde- pendence exemplified their patriotism, by coming forward to contribute by their active sympathy and unselfish labor, to the formation of that esprit de corps, so essential to the efficiency of military organizations, and so char- acteristic of the troops from "old Buchanan." Great enthusiasm prevailed among the men, in view of the high character of their colonel, and the efficiency which marked their regimental organization. A battery of si.x cannon was attached to the regiment, which made it the best appointed that had been raised in the State. DEPARTURE OF THE LIGHT INF.\NTRY. Another month had rolled by, and the leave-taking of July 1 2th was repeated. As the magnitude of the great struggle, into which the country had been plunged, came day by day to be more adequately appreciated, there was no sign of wavering or drawing back, on the part of the patriot sons of our smitten country; but, with ever in- creasing numbers, they were pressing forward to her defence. A great sympathy for the cause of liberty assailed, and for countrymen tearing themselves from all that is most precious in life, save liberty, to offer their lives upon the altar of patriotism, pervaded the hearts of all classes, and varying parties and sects became of one kindred. And so again, in the early morning of August 27th, a large concourse was gathered — fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives, friends and neigh- bors — for a parting unlike any other on earth. Already had more than one battle-field been drenched in patriot blood, and who should say if these, going out in all the strength of manhood's prime, should again clasp the hands that cling to them now? But the words of an- other must not displace the tribute, warm from the heart of one who was himself swayed by the overmastering enthusiasm of the hour, and who was proud to claim these heroic men as his friends. The Guardian of Au- gust 27th speaks thus of a scene which had just been enacted, at the departure of Buchanan's second offering of a hundred lives upon the altar of Liberty: Another company of noble-hearted men have left us for the war. Buchanan county has given up another hundred of her brave sons to go forth and battle with this unholy rebellion. They have just started, amid the sobs, the tears, the smiles, the cheers, the God-speeds of hun- dreds of loving hearts left behind. May every man of them live to re- turn to the arms which now give thern up for their country's cause. They were accompanied to the depot, even at the early hour of starting, by a large concourse of people, many of whom had come ten and fifteen miles to be at the parting. The scene was veiy aflfectmg, mothers and sisters and wives clinging to many of the soldiers with tears and sobs, and fathers, sons and brothers grasping hands in si- lence too full for utterance. The men mastenng their emotions, like true soldiers, went off in excellent spirits, cheering heartily as the train moved away; while the sad crowd behind could do little more than wave their adieu. Our self-sacrificing, patriotic women went bravely to work to pro- vide uniforms for the men, in the latter part of last week, and soon had the necessary number of shirts made for them. Not satisfied with that, they made each of them a needle-case, filled with buttons, pins, nee- dles, etc. Yesterday tliey were presented to the men, who enthusias- tically acknowledged the kindness of the ladies. Clad in their blue woollen shirts, felt hats, with eagle and handsome belt, and decked with that most touching parting gift, a boquet of bright but perishable flow'ers, these stout, robust men, bronzed with the labors of the harvest, and full of m.inly vigor and energy, were a sight to send the proud blood surging through the heart of every be- holder. What, then, must it have been to those tender ones, whose lives, until this sad mom, had grown "upon one twin stem" with those now so rudely torn asunder ? On the Sunday previous to the departure of the Light Infantry, the Rev. Mr. Sampson preached a sermon to them, appropriate to the circumstances, both of the country and ot the men about to go forward in her de- fence. On Tuesday morning, before leaving, each of the coinpany was presented with a copy of the New Testament by the Buchanan County Bible society. Rev. Mr. Fulton making the address, and Rev. Mr. Sampson offering a prayer. The election of officers took place at Camp Union, Dubuque. The following is a complete list of the offi- cers and men of the company: COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. Captain Jared M. Hord. Captain Hiram C. Bull. Captain Robert W. Wright. First Lieutenant Hiram C*. Bull. First Lieutenant Nathan Rice. First Lieutenant Robert W. Wright. First Lieutenant Jacob P. Sampson. Second Lieutenant William .Scott. Second Lieutenant Nathan Rice. Second Lieutenant Robert W. Wright. Second Lieutenant facob P. Sampson. Second Lieutenant Edmund C. Little. . NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. First Sergeant Robert W. Wright. First Sergeant Jacob P. Sampson. First Sergeant Edmund C. Little. Second Sergeant Nathan Rice. Thiid Sergeant David V. Coe. Third Sergeant Edmund C. Little. Third Sergeant Hiram Holdridge. Fourth Sergeant Billings Davis. Fifth Sero'eant R. T. Bain. Fifth Sergeant Charles G. Curtis. First Corporal James M. Elson. Second Corporal Charles N. Bennett. Third Corporal Ezra T. Rust. Fourth Corporal James H. Merrill. Fifth Corporal Jacob D. Sanders. Sixth Corporal Fred M. Wilbur. Seventh Corporal Charles W. Sarchet. Eighth Corporal Edmund C. Little. Musician .\lpheus Losey. Wagoner David Greek. PKIV.-\TES. Henry Reynolds, William .Allison, E. J. Allen, Marsena Allen, Isaac Arwine, William Adams, George M. .'\bbott. Perry Alspraugh, Thom- as J. Barber, J. H. Bower, Jesse Barnett, John C. Brown, .Adelbert Bellus, Thomas Cress, C. Corbert, L. D. Curtis. Isaac G. Chase, Val- entine Cates, John Cartwright, Wesley Curtis, William Decker, Bill- ings Davis, J. E. Elson, Olinzo H. Engles, John Engerman, J. H. Ford, Julius Furcht, Edwin Fary, Reuben E. Freeman, Enoch Fary, George Frerberthauser, N. A. Green, William C. Gillum, Nelson Ho- vey, Theodore Hyde, C. A. Hobert, Stephen Holman, Isaac N. Hol- man, Vinson Holman, Eli Holland, Henry Jones, Silas E. King, John M. King, Benjamin Klapp, James Leatherman, Orlando F. Luckey, Alpheus Losey, D. Pangburn, E. U. Patchen, Enoch Piatt, B. W. Powers, William Pope, L. A. Persall, Isai.ah Perdue, Philip Ritter- man, Henry Reynolds, Russell Rouse, Reuben Rouse, G. Q. Rust, Darwin Rich, Ahal H. Robbins, Samuel Robbins, John Rogers, David Steele, James Steele, Charles W. Sarchet, George W. Suyre, R. R. Stoneman, James M. Sparling, Jacob P. Sampson, Thomas Smith, 112 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. James A. Sutton, George A. Turner, Royal Taylor, W. T. Thayer, Albert Utteibeck, P. Vanclerbilt, William Willey, H. P. Wilber, Wil- liain Wisennand, R. M. Whitlock, Pierce Walton, Adonin J.Windsor, John H. Young. Additional enlistments up to January i, 1863: Dorr E. Godfrey, William A. Jones. Enrolled in the county of Buchanan; went into quar- ters at Dubuque, July 30, 1861; mustered into the ser- vice of the United States by Captain C. Washington, United States army, on the twenty-fifih of September, 1 86 1, under the proclamation of the President dated July 23, 1861; from place of enrollment to rendezvous, fifteen miles. CAVALRY COMPANY. Early in September, following the raising of these two companies of infantry, a call was made for recruits for a cavalry company, which, as Dr. Parsons had been active in its organization, it was expected he would com- mand. R. S. Rider was associated with Dr. Parsons in proiTioting the interests of this new enterprise, in which great enthusiasm had already been awakened, and en- listments were being freely made. Before the organiza- tion had been completed, and pending the acceptance of the company by the proper authorities. General Fre- mont issued an order prohibiting the acceptance of more cavalry after the completion of the Fourth regiinent, which it was then understood was nearly full. Through the indomitable energy of Dr. Parsons his men were con- solidated with those of Captain A. F. Peters, of Dela- ware county, and were accepted into Colonel Porter's cavalry regiment. Dr. Parsons took the rank of second lieutenant in the consolidation, and the company of be- tween twenty and thirty men left Independence in the first week in October, and went into camp at Mt. Pleasant. During the month the regiment was sent, as were many of the Iowa troops, into Missouri. Through some ine.x- cusable neglect the names of the members of this com- pany were not published in the county papers, and though the company w^as afterwards recruited in Buchanan county, no roster has been met with in the preparation of this record. Quite a number of youn.; men from the north part of the county joined captain Ainsworth's com|iany during the months of September and October, so that, by the close of the latter month, Buchanan county had sent in- to the army over three hundred men. The death of R. E. Freeman, of Captain Hord's com- pany, Ninth regiment, was announced in the Guardian of December 24th, with the statement that his was the first death among those who had gone from this county to the war. He died in the hospital at Pacific City, Mis- souri. The Ninth regiment, of which company C was enlisted in this county, after Jying for some months at Pacific City, engaged for the most part in guarding important railroad connections, was ordered near the last of January, to break camp and move to the southwest to cooperate with the Federal troops under General Curtis, that had for some time been confronting the combined forces of Price, Van Dorn and McCuUough. The brilliant battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, was fought on the sixth, seventh and eighth of Match, 1862. The Fourth and Ninth Iowa regiments and the First and third Iowa batteries were in the thickest of this desperate struggle, and earned for themselves and for their State an imperishable name. A regiment of volunteer patriots, but lately from the peace- ful avocations of secular life, had shown the steadiness of nerve and unconquerableness of purpose which are looked for ordinarily in veterans only. There are many now living throughout the county who, after the lapse of nineteen years, can recall the shuddering with which the first news of the victory was received. All had friends among those who were known to have gone into the bat- tle — some had fallen. Whose fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands were those two hundred and forty-eight who had attested their courage and their patriotism with their lives? Only a brief season of uncertainty, and the list of killed and wounded came to tell how singularly had the thick flying shafts been turned away from our households, and the pall was lifted which threatened to shroud the victory. The youthful Rice, of Vinton, Benton county, who entered the company in July as second sergeant, and had risen to the rank of first lieutenant, thus vindicating his claim to rank among that galaxy, who fulfilled the glori- ous promise of their early career by giving up their lives when that was all they could do, headed the list of killed in company C. Private Julius Furcht was killed and Isaac Arwine mortally wounded. W. S. Wisennand and John Cartwright, of Spring Grove, and A. J. Windsor, of Independence, also died of their wounds. Marcena Allen, of Littleton, and O. K. Engle, of Hazleton, died of disease a few weeks after the battle, no less victims of the war than if they had fallen in the thickest of the fight. Captain Bull, successor of Captain Hord, was wounded slightly, as were also Adjutant Scott, Sergeant J. P. Samp- son, Corporals E. G. Curtis and J. D. Sanders, with sev- enteen privates whose names are given elsewhere. "The Iowa troops claimed, at the battle of Pea Ridge, the position accorded to them in every contest in the west — the post of danger, the post of brave deeds, and the post of death." Lieutenant Colonel Herron, of the Ninth, was wounded arid taken prisoner. It was related of him that, though wounded and surrounded by his enemies, he seemed determined to die rather than fall into the hands of the rebels. He had already killed more than one of his assailants, and was making desperate efforts to defend himself with his sword, after he had been unhorsed, when his arms were seized and resistance made imjjossi- ble. A southern major saved his life by shooting an In- dian who was on the point of butchering him after his arms were bound with a handkerchief. Among other incidents of the battle, one showing the indomitable coolness of the youthful hero, E. C. Little, was related by adjutant Scott. Early in the action Ser- geant Litile, who was at the time about seventeen years old, had his gun taken out of his hand by a shell which exploded near him, whirling it so far from him that he could not recover it. Without stopping to waste words HISTORY OF UUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 113 or time he coolly possessed himself of another, and this, in a few moments, was ruined by a shot striking it. Out- wardly, at least, unmoved, he was not long in taking his place, again "fully equipped," and with this third piece, he went through the three days' battle without a scratch, though he received several balls in his clothing. DE.\TH OF LIEUTENANT JORDAN, OF THE FIFTH KECU.MENT. It will be remembered that company E, of the Fifth Iowa volunteers, was raised in Independence, and com- posed almost exclusively of Buchanan county men. From the time of its entering the service, the regiment had been stationed at various ]5oints in central, northern, and southwestern Missouri. In March, 1862, it was in- corporated with one of Pope's brigades then investing New Madrid. This place was held by a force of forty thousand rebels, behind a double line of fortifications, and was one of the links in that chain of defences which seemed to bind the Mississippi to the confederacy with bolts of iron. During the siege, fatigue and exposure, acting upon a frame already enfeebled by disease, pros- trated the gallant Jordan; and even while his friends at home were indulging in the fond hope that rest and care were doing a work of rapid restoration to health, a re- lapse bore him with fatal celerity beyond the reach of care and skill; and, in the midst of the rejoicing over the signal victory of our arms in Arkansas, and a signal e.xemption from loss of life among the sons of Buchanan, came the unlocked for announcement that he was dead. Let the tributes poured from hearts bleeding from a sense of irre|)arable loss, attest the sincere esteem — the admiring, affectionate regard, in which Lieutenant George C. Jordan was held by his comrades in arms, and by the friends of his early years in the community where, until he went forth at his country's call, had been his home. He was (it will be remembered), a business partner of Mr. Rich, of the Buchanan county Guardian. EDITORIAL TRIBUTE OF THE GUARDIAN, APRIL I, 1862. Our friend is gone ! We cannot realize it ! And yet we remember — when the first bright, warm sunshine of spring was flooding the earth, when everything seemed awakening into beauty and life, when hope was buoyant and our spirits bright and cheerful — A'e remember how suddenly there came a blow, blotting out the brightness, dashing aside hope and cheerfulness, and loading our heart and frame with a weight of sorrow unutterable. .-\nd we remember the atlas-load of agony thrown upon her who was all in all to him. And then comes a vision of him who has so long been our friend — the same slight frame, the same fair countenance, the parted lips wearing the genial smile we had seen so often, .^nd when we remember this, and feel the load of sor- row al our heart, and mark the we.alth of woe in our household, we know that he who has been our closest companion is no more. For thirteen years we have stood by his side — working hand-to-hand with him, eating from the same board, sheltered by the same roof, enjoying a more than brotherly confidence, knowing his every aspiration, almost his every hope. In our business the same kind of confidence existed. There were no accounts between us, but each shared the success and deprivations of the other. None knew better than we, then, the gen- erous hopes thai animated him — the brave spirit with whicli he was en- dowed, the purity of his life, the kindness of his heart, the fidelity of his friendship, the nobleness of his manhood. None know better than we how pure and unselfish the motive which led him to leave a wife and home he loved better than anything on earth, to go forth at his country's call, and lay upon her altar the sacrifice of his valued life. All that love and friendship could proffer, was offered to induce him to re- main at home, but he declared that he could never stand an idle spec- tator of the contest and be happy. He went forth in the discharge of what he deemed a sacred duty. How well he performed that duty we 15 know, for we have watched the tearful eye of his men, who have come back enfeebled by disease, as their grateful lips acknowledge the obli- gation of his kindness and faithfulness. He loved his men, and when we urged him but a little while ago, to get a furlough and come home, he wrote that he could probably get detailed for recruiting service ; but as it would take him sometime from his men [and at a time when there was much sickness in the regiment], he would not think of it. " I shall stand by the company" he said, and that ended the contro- versy. Alas that he should be the first that should fall ! Alas that the golden bowl of his life should be the first broken at the fountain ! Since the first of March, fatigue and exposure had worn upon him. Care and rest, however, brought recuperation. On the march to New Madrid, he improved and was daily gaining strength. Rut his regi- ment was ordered out to support a battery that was playing u[)on the enemy. Too weak to go, he was yet too eager to stay. In spite of the expostulations of his men, he went. To avoid the shells of the enemy the troops were ordered to lie down on the damp ground. He obeyed, caught cold, had a relapse, lingered a few days and died ; sinking away calmly and quietly without a perception of the loosening and breaking of the golden thread of his life — died with the green of spring carpeting the earth with beauty, the buds and blossoms opening around him, and when life and honor and usefulness must have seemed to be opening before him with a promise fair and bright, as that be- tokened by nature's reawakening — died as he always wanted to die, if the sacrifice was needed, in the harness of the faithful soldier, and the booming of the deep-mouthed cannon, and the crash of shells sound- ing in his ear. "We shall listen long and anxiously for his coming, while our hearts must grow sick as we remember that never more shall we meet his pleasant greeting. Shade of all noble virtues rest thou in peace ! " Dear friend ! brave heart ! hail and farewell ! " IN MEMORI,\M.* Tears for the dead, though unaiding, will flow, and grief for departed friends will be felt , and its poignancy is only the greater because it cannot unclose the portals of the tomb. This grief now pervades the whole community ; these tears bedew every eye. Lieutenant George C. [ordan is no more. In the bloom of manhood, and in the full use- fulness and efficiency of the noblest effoits for his country, he has laid down his life as a sacrifice for liberty, and the preservation of this re- public. .After the bloody and memorable battles of Pea Ridge and Fort Don- elson, battles which for courage and heroism will compare with any of Grecian or Roman history, and which the people of Buchanan county watched with an interest and anxiety indescribable, because they had precious and noble sons among those gallant troops- after those battles, when we learned that one out of every three was either killed or wounded, we waited with breathless suspense to know who were the brave men that had shed their blood to preserve our liberties, our honor and our nationality. The news came — the load of dread was lifted from our spirits. While many were wounded, but three of our beloved soldiers were killed , and among our fearless officers, none were slain. We exchanged congratulations with ardor, and the gloom was dispelled from all our countenances. We exulted in the indomitable courage and the unconquerable bravery of those whom our own county had sent to the field. .Alas ! this joy was of short duration. In the midst of our rejoicing, like a burst of thunder in a clear sky, the terrible news pervaded the community, that George C, Jordan was brought into tlie village a life- less corpse. It was even so. That noble heart had ceased to beat. His family, his friends, his country have lost him forever ; save as his example and his deeds live after him. Never, in this community, has a death produced such general and such profound grief. The aspect of our village was as if a great calamity had befallen it, and no coun- tenance but bore the marks of sorrow. The mournful topic absorbed all others, and all felt as if they had lost a son or a brother. Well did the departed deserve these tributes of respect, affection, and grief. Wherever he was known he was beloved. Kind, generous, intellit'ent, unassuming, free-minded, benevolent, and virtuous, he won all hearts and secured universal esteem. No wonder, then, that the pang was so great when he was lost to us. No wonder that we all felt that a good citizen, a brave soldier, a true patriot, had taken his de- parture. It is not too much to say that he has not left an enemy be- hind him. His life was a succession of worthy actions, and it may be emphatically said that he was incapable of an ignoble one. He was eminently just and honorable, of gentle deportment and engaging manners. Yet he had firmness when it was required, unflinching cour- *For the Guardian. 114 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. age where it was demanded, and, when duty called, a tenacity of pur- pose that was fixed as fate. We do well to weep for him. He deserves our tears, and our ex- pressions of heartfelt sorrow were simultaneous and spontaneous. The flags which were before waving so proudly for our recent victory, were weighted with the emblems of woe, and badges of mourning were dis- played throughout the village. Friends met and exchanged greetings in hushed voices, and it seemed almost a profanation that business should go on, when his great heart had ceased to throb — when he had been brought back dead. Notwithstanding high streams and almost impassable roads, and the great difficulty of diffusing intelligence, people from remote parts of the county flocked to the funeral. The citizens of the place vied with each other in paving respect to one so honored for what he was in himself and for what he had become in dying in so noble a cause. The funeral services were conducted by the Rev. Messrs. Boggs, Fulton, Sampson, and Caldwell. The funeral sermon was preached by Mr. Boggs, at the Presbyterian church, which was densely packed. The speaker was at times much affected himself, and tears and sobs per- vaded the audience. The discourse abounded in eloquent bursts of patriotism, just tributes to the virtues and unblemished life of the de- ceased, indignant rebukes of the treason which has produced such dreadful evils in our land, pathetic sympathy with surviving kindred and friends, and exhortations to imitate the noble conduct, the courage and patriotism of him for whom we mourned. Touching testimonials to the worth and excellence of Mr. Jordan, and respect for his memory, and grief for his untimely death, are found in the resolutions passed by his comrades in arms, regimental officers as well as members of his own company uniting in the warmest expres- sions of regard. These resolutions, which have been placed in our hands, are appended to this tribute to our departed friend. Farewell, noble and heroic patriot ! Your memory will live perpet- ually in our minds. And if his loss is so great to the community, what must it be to those who were nearest and dearest to him? On the lone- liness and desolation of the wife of his bosom, and the sad loss to his most intimate friend and associate in business, I cannot, dare not, touch. I feel utterly unable to describe or console their affliction. lean only commend them to the feeble and remote consolations of resigna- tion and time, and to the certain con\'iction that with such a noble and virtuous soul it must, beyond all peradventure, be well. S. J. W. T. In Camp, before New Madrid, Missouki, 1 March 21, 1862. ) At a meeting of the commissioned officers of the Fifth Iowa volun- teers, at regimental headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Mathies an- nounced the decease of Lieutenant George C. Jordan, of company E, Fifth Iowa volunteers. Whereupon Major Robertson was called to the chair, and Captain Sampson appointed secretary. On motion the chairman appointed a committee of three, consisting of Lieutenant Moriarty, Captain Lee, and Lieutenant Caswell, to draft resolutions of condolence, expressive of the sense of the officers of the regiment on the loss of our late associate and brother officer. Lieutenant Jordan. The commitee reported the following resolutions, which were unanimously adopted: Whereas, It becomes our painful duty to announce the decease of Lieutenant George C. Jordan, of company E, Fifth Iowa volunteers, who died March 20, 1862, in camp near New Madrid, Missouri, after a brief illness, with typhoid pneumonia, as a testimonial of the respect and esteem of the officers of the Fifth Iowa volunteers it is unani- mously Resolved, That in the death of the late Lieutenant Jordan we have lost a brother officer of unblemished character as a gentleman and offi- cer, whose kind disposition, unassuming deportment, and clear-sighted, intelligent discharge of every duty, rendered him beloved by his men, cherished and respected by all. While we deeply and sincerely deplore his loss, we bow with reverence and submission to the will of the Great Disposer of life and death, and say in our hearts: "Thou art the source and fountain of life — in thy hand are also the arrows of death. Thy will be done." Resolved, That the Fifth Iowa volunteers, in the death of Lieutenant Jordan, has lost one of its most accomplished officers, whose ability and patriotic zeal in the service of his country, high moral worth and unblemished integrity as a man, enshrines the memory of his virtues in our hearts, which we will ever cherish as worthy to be our example. Resolved, That the officers of the Fifth Iowa volunteers wear the usual military badge of mourning for thirty days. Resolved, That our unfeigned sympathies and condolence are ex- tended to the friends and relatives of our brother officer, and to his sorrow-stricken wife we send our heartfelt assurance of sympathy in this her great bereavement. W. S. Robertson, Chairman. E. S. Sampson, Secretary. New Madrid, Missouri, March 21, 1862. At a meeting of the members of company E, Fifth Iowa infantry, held in camp at New Madrid, Missouri, March 21, 1862, for the pur- pose of expressing their sorrow for the loss of their esteemed officer. Lieutenant George C. Jordan, and of extending their sympathies to his afflicted family and friends. Captain Lee was called to the chair, and Wilbur F. Kellogg appointed secretary. On motion Lieutenant W. S. Marshall, acting adjutant, \. B. Lewis and Cyrus J. Reed, were appointed by the chair a committee to draft resolutions expressive of the sense of the meeting. The following preamble and resolutions were reported and unani- mously'adopted: • Where.\s, Our much loved and worthy officer, Lieutenant George C. Jordan, has been suddenly taken from us by death whilst far from home and kindred, in the faithful performance of his duty as an oflficer and a patriot, enduring the hardships and braving the perils of the field; therefore Resolved, That we deeply deplore the loss of our devoted officer and beloved companion, whose brave heart and generous disposition had endeared him to us all. and to whose energy and perseverance as an officer, we are chiefly indebted for our merit as a company and our dis- cipline as soldiers. Resolved, That in his official career we have had a worthy example of every virtue that constitutes a true patriot, an officer and a gentle- man; that in his social character were combined a generous disposition, a sterling integrity, a purity of heart, and a nobleness of purpose sel- dom excelled; and that we will ever cherish the recollection of his many virtues as the most sacred tribute to his memory. Resolved, That in this our irreparable loss we recognize the ordering of Him " Who doeth all things well." and that we bow with reverence and submission to His divine will. Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with his afflicted wife and rela- tives in this their sad berevement, and assure them that their heartfelt sorrow is truly shared by us all. Resolved, That a copy of the proceedings of this meeting be sent to each of the county papers of Buchanan county for publication, and also that a copy be sent to the wife of the deceased. D. S. Lee, President. Wilbur F. Kellogg, Secretary. A most eloquent, though unpremeditated tribute to the memory of the lamented Jordan, was the departure of a band of sixteen men to join company E of the Fifth regiment, which occurred within a week after the scenes so graphically described in the eloquent "In Memoriam" of S. J. W. T. They were recruited in Independence, and the following is a list of their names: John W. Stewart, John C. McCray, "Wiliiam H. Wil- liams, Charles Brockway, H. J. Whait, S. E. Rowse, G. M. Watson, John H. Ginther, John Bain, F. M. Guard, Foster Harris, William E. Conway, John Minton, W. O. Morse, S. F. Turner, Daniel Beckley. Of this number, thus ready to step into the breach made by one fallen from the ranks of our country's de- fenders, John H. Ginther, a young man twenty-one years of age, and of a remarkably sound, robust constitution, died of typhoid fever at Camp McClellan, Davenport, while waiting for their outfit, prejjaratory to joining the regiment at New Madrid. In obedience to an impulse which must be shared by all who worthily appreciate the restored unity of our common country — the impulse to withhold no moiety of praise due to one of those whose lives were the price of our present peace and prosperity, we cannot think this HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 115 chaplet for the hero's brow complete without the added fragrance of an offering which cannot fail to reach the heart, because it is the language of a generous affection, inspired by many noble qualities. Were an apology demanded, it would be for its omission. New Madrid, Mo., March 21, 1862. Dear Sir:— Before this reaches you, you will have learned the sad intelligence that Lieutenant Jordan is no more. He died precisely at 12 o'clock last night. Painful as the news must be to his "dear ones at home, " and his many friends iu Independence, they are not the only ones who mourn his loss. A general gloom this morning per- vades the camp of the Sixth Iowa, We have just passed through one of the most affecting scenes which our regiment has ever been called to witness. A soldier's funeral is at any time a most solemn sight, as the escort, with arms reversed, and procession following in the rear, slowly wend their way with measured tread to the plaintive music of fife and muffled drum, with all the associate reflections of hardships, depriva- tions and perils, death in the field, far from home and friends, and the thought of loving parents, wife or family, ignorant of the scene which is passing, and still an.\iousIy hoping and praying for the return of one who shall never again gladden their sight— all these come crowding upon the mind. But the scene of to-day was one of more than ordinary solemnity. The character of the man gave importance to the occasion. Frank, generous and humane, and a man of sterling integ- rity and honesty of purpose, he had won the love and esteem of every officer in the regiment, while his unassuming manner, and his readiness to share the toils and deprivations of the most humble, endeared him to the men of his command, and made him esteemed and admired by all. He had distinguished himself by a willing, energetic application to the discharge of his duties, which resulted from no vain desire for honor or distinction, but from a conscientious sense of obligation. The same perseverance and industry that characterized his efforts in the organization of the company amid the difficulties and obstacles that were thrown around it, were displayed to the last, in his care for the wants of his men, and his diligent attention to their discipline and drill. The declaration made to the writer before leaving home that " he considered his hfebut nothing, if demanded in the service of his coun- try," and that "he would willingly offer it up if necessary in the dis- charge of any duty that might devolve upon him," was nobly verified in his subsequent career. His life has been offered up, a pure and will- ing sacrifice upon the altar of his country. He proved himself one of the rare exceptions, who under all circumstances and amidst trials and difficulties was still the same true, unselfish patriot, in whom perfect reliance and confidence were never found to be misplaced. With a small and delicate frame, but with a brave heart and iron will, he struggled resolutely against difficulties and dangers, until fatal disease had laid him low upon the bed of death, when he sank to rest, "not as the setting sun, behind the darkened west, but like the morning star, which gradually disappears in the bright sunlight of Heaven." We have paid our last honors to his mortal remains, but it is difficult to realize that he is gone; and though his gentle presence shall no more be greeted amongst us, the memory of his many virtues will remain en- shrined in our hearts, and be cherished with love and admiration. "Peace to his gentle shade." May his memory live forever. I remain , Respectfully yours, W. S. Marshall. THE SIMULTANEOUS RAISING OF TWO COMPANIES. The Spring of 1862 was signalized by brilliant suc- cesses on the part of the Federal troops in the west and southwest. But these were not achieved without a price, and many existing military organizations required to be filled up by new enlistments, in order to be certain of re- taining the advantages already gained. In June of this year a call was made for three hundred thousand men to be "enrolled without delay, so as to bring this unneces- sary and injurious war to a speedy and satisfactory con- clusion." It was soon announced that enlistments were going forward with much energy throughout the State, and Bu- chanan county, as heretofore, was not long in placing herself in the front rank in this prompt response to the call of the Government. Mr. J. D. Noble, commission merchant. Independence, was the first to initiate steps for raising a company, which met at once with encourag- ing success. Already midsummer, another harvest would soon be passed, when, with the bounty offered by the board of supervisors, and the advanced pay from the Government, the families of enlisted men could be pro- vided for. This liberality produced a marked effect in the rapid increase of volunteering in all parts of the county, as indeed wherever the policy was adopted; and thus enlistments were confidently expected to render drafting a dead letter. The good work was soon pro- gressing, not only at the county seat, but also at Quas- queton under the supervision of Mr. Whitney; and in Byron township a company was being raised by Jacob M. Miller. The fire of patriotism had not lost its ardor, and at the first breath it was again ablaze. Some of the most prominent business men of the county had soon given their names; the legal profession being represented by such men as W. G. Donnan and Jed Lake. We make the following extract from the Guardian of August 19th: The enthusiasm apparent at the time we went to press last week has continued, and has culminated in the enlisting of two companies of ex- cellent men from this county. The rolls of these companies show the names of some of the best citizens of our county, and better material for soldiers cannot be found anywhere. The members of both companies were at the county seat on Monday and Tuesday, eighteenth and nineteenth of August, with hundreds of their friends, thus giving the town another faint ripple from the utmost verge of that angry sea into which our unhappy country had been plunged. Again were the sad parting scenes re-enacted — the same clinging, tearful farewells on the part of those left, and most to be pitied — the same heroic mastery of self on the part of those who had given themselves to their bleeding country. The companies were both filled to the maximum number, and the character of the men was such as to promise the highest honor to the county, their State and to themselves. Captain Miller was elected by acclamation, but further organization was de- ferred by both companies until they should be in camp at Dubuque. The roster of company C, Captain Miller's, taken from the adjutant general's report, is here ap- pended: COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. Captain Jacob M. Miller. First Lieutenant Otis N. Whitney. Second Lieutenant William G. Donnan. NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. First Sergeant .Xaron M. Wilcox. Second Sergeant Wesley G. Smyser. Third Sergeant Charles W. Woolley. Fourth Sergeant Charies W. Evans. Fifth Sergeant Mark Brownson. First Corporal Joseph H. Blank. Second Corporal Daniel Anders. Third Corporal John G. Litts. Fourth Corporal Alonzo L. Shurtleff. Fifth Corporal Henry Silker. Sixth Corporal Thomas S. Bunce. Seventh Corporal John S. Frink. Eighth Corporal George Kirkham. ii6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Musician Sidney C Adams. Musician George W. Heatii. Wagoner Benjamin Miller. I>RIV.'\TES. William C. B. Adams, Sylvester Abbey, Samuel Beckley, John M. Blank, John Buck, Nelson J. Boone, Morgan Boone, Amos R. Blood, Sylvester W. Bovvker. Mathias Buro, Hamilton B. Booth, James Camp- bell, Columbus Caldwell, William Casebeer, Warren Chase, Charles Conlon, Francis M. Congdon, Dcvolson Cormick, Erastus Campbell, Alford Cordell, Moses Chase, Albert Cordell, Benton F. Colborn, Charles H. Coleman, William Crura, Henry E. A. Diehl, Levi H. Eddy, Hamilton Evans, William B. Fleming, Henry French, Jacob Glass, George G. Gaylord, Isaac Gill, James C. Haskins, Newton Hammond, Hiram H. Hunt, Michael Harrigan, George Hathaway, Ezekiel Hays, jr., Adam Hoover, Charles Hoover, William J. Hen- dricks, Clinton H. Losure, Harrison H. Love, Charles H. Lewis, William N. Loy, James A. Laird, Edward P. Lewis, Walter B. Lan- fear, William McKenney, Alvi McGonigil, Edward E. Miilick, John Mulick, Louis A. McWilliams, Bartimeiis McGonigil, Abraham S. Monshaw, John McBane, Charles W. McKenney, William Morgan, Stewart McKenney, Emanuel Miller, Warren Munson, Jose|5h Moore, Augustus P. Osgood, John Olar, Edward T. Potter, Austin W. Per- kins, George A. Patterson, William T. Rich, John Slavin, Philip C. Smyser, Benjamin .Sutton, Howard T. Stutson, Thomas Sproull, Henry H. Turner, Joseph Turis, John A. Tift, Myron H. Woodward, Eman- uel Warden, William ^L Winkley. It was mentioned as a matter of interest, that forty- nine of these men were single and fifty married. This roll, first copied from the Guardian, was afterward cor- rected by comparison with the roster found in the offi- cial report of the adjutant general. Captain Noble's company took the letter name C, in the Twenty-seventh infantry, and Captain Miller's became company H in the same regiment. The roll of Captain Noble's company (company C) though reviewed at the Guardian office, and acknowl- edged with the promise of an early insertion, through undesigned omission did not appear. 'J'he following roster is taken from the report of Adjutant General Baker, published January i, 1863: COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. Captain Joseph Noble. First Lieutenant Henry F. Snell. Second I^ieutenant Herman C. Hemenway. NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. First Sergeant James A. Poor. Second Sergeant Joseph F. Jackson. Third sergeant Enoch R. Fary. Fourth Sergeant Edward P. Baker. Fifth .Sergeant William H. Vanderbilt. First Corporal Albert M. Green. Second Corporal Charles H. Wright. Third Corporal Jonathan F. Gates. Fourth Corporal Lewis A. Main. Fifth Corporal Frederick Spragg. Sixth Corporal George Frink. Seventh Corporal William P. Warren. Eighth Corporal George N. Whaite. Musician Robert N. White. Musician Harry Green. Musician Oliver Bray. Wagoner Byron C. Hale. PRIVATES. Eli Anderson, Hiram Abbott, Emery S. Allen, Richard H. Andrews, Daniel L. Brisbin, Job Barns, Gilbert P. Brant, Eli C. Brown, William B. Burris, Warren Bouck, Henry M. Bailey, George W. Beaman. John Brady, Michael Butler, Lorin D. Carpenter, John S. Coats, Needham N. Crandall, Levi Durham, Electus D. Frizell, Erasmus B. Frizell, Zenas R. Fary, Frank B. Fredenburg, George H. Fuller, Joe! Fisher, James C. Glass, Harry Green, George W. Hilling, Abner B. Hoffman, Gilbert L. Hicks, Matthias^Hook, David N. Jewett, David F. Johnson, Martin T. King, Willard H. King, William S. King, John R. Laton, .Abraham Littlejohn, William H. Lender, Waller S. Munger, William B. Minton, Reuben L. Merrill, David McGowan, William Milligan, Carr W. Mosher, Joel D. Nourse, James H. O'Brien. Bezin Orput, Samuel V. Pelley, Gilbert R. Parish, Joseph Postel, Joseph Russell, James E. Robinsot:, John G. Rice. Henry H. Romigs, Elliot G. Smith, Joel S. Smith, Cyrus E. Smith, .Samuel H. Smith, Daniel S. Spragg, John W. Sanders, Edward H. Spalding, George H. Spalding, Ben- jamin .S. Sager, Lucien Stevens, .Albert Tennis, Sylvanus Taylor, N. D. VanEman, John D. VanCleve, Jesse Wroten, John NL Watson, Joseph A. Williams, Seth Wheaton, Thomas Watson, David E. Wheeler. Eri .\. Wilson, George Wille, James G. Warren, Abisha W. W'ashburn. Thomas Linn. CAV.ALRV. As an entire comjjany of this arm of the service was not raised in Buchanan county, it has been difficult to secure accurate lists of cavalry recruits. Frequent men- tion was made in the county jiress during the progress of the war of the presence of recruiting officers for dif- ferent cavalry organizations, as the the First, Fourth, and Sixth, and also of the departure of squads of enlisted men ; the following, however, is the only one met with in which the names are given, and these left the county seat early in September, 1S62, to join the First Iowa cavalry, viz : W. H. Mcgill, Alanson .Sager, William Foote, C. P«cock, Dewit Kelley, E. Lotterdale, D. Brown, C. Edgecomb, C. McGill, F. W. Paine, S. H. Rose, T. Flemming; J, Wentworth, H. C. Skinner, P. B. Turney, J. West, A. Palmer, Otter C. Anton, W. H. Baker, R. Kel- ley, H. P.Jones, J. Wadley, W. George, L C. Jones, Ludebeck Long F. Weik, W. G. Cummings, Levi S. Drunkwalter, John H. Williams, Charles Porter, Oscar Daniels, E. H. McMillen, Lyman Ayrault, Ed- gar Mills, M. D. Carpenter, Edward Brown, J. S. Thompson, Loy Hutchins, Howard Hall, E. L. Chickenbrend, G. EUworth, H. Bab- cock, John Furman, Stephen Burk, Hibby, George Carr, John Boehline, George H. Davis. But to return to the Buchanan men at Camp Franklin, to which rendezvous they were ordered by the governor of the State, Samuel J. Kirkwood, August 26, 1862, and mustered into the service of the United States by Cap- tain George S. Pierce, United States Army, at Dubuque, Iowa, October 3, 1862, under proclamation of the Presi- dent of the United States, bearing date July 2, 1862, taking their places as companies C and H, in the Twen- ty-seventh Iowa infantry. As related in the correspondence from this regiment, almost immediately upon being mustered into the service of the Government, its active service commenced with a march into the northern woods, attended with hardships which might well tax to its utmost the endurance of vet- erans. To some, it may seem trivial, after the lapse of nineteen years, to make mention of the kindly offices which were maintained between the " friends at home'' and those who had relinquished home; but who, for a short six weeks, were yet within reach of the love which soon, in vain, would yearn for the solace of relieving the privations so heroically borne, that at least they should never be forgotten. And when, too, it is remembered that the oldest survivor of those companies is not yet a very old man, while the youngest is still a young man^ who will doubt that to them, next to the enjoyment of fighting their battles o'er again, the pleasantest reminis- cences connected with their soldier life are those which recall the many evidences in their past experience, that their self-devotion to the cause of our country made HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 117 thLin objects of peculiar interest, and gave them a claim upon the sympathy and the gratitude of all true patriots. The cold, hunger, and e.xposure, followed by wasting dis- ease and death to many of these brave men, invest every circumstance connected with these last efforts to contribute to their enjoyment with an interest it would not otherwise possess. With these thoughts in our minds, what heart will not glow with a warm satisfaction at tiie glimpse of comfortable times at Camp Franklin, opened up by the following acknowledgment? Camp I-'ranklin, Dubuque, ^ September 10, 1862. j Editor Gu.-vrdian: — Permit us, in behalf of Captain J. M. Miller's company, to return our sincere thanks to our friends at liome who have furnished us so many "good things." We would especially remember Mr. Hoover for two pails of honey T. H. Bowen and others for a barrel of eggs, our sporting fiiends for nearly two hundred prairie chickens; and Mrs. Gill and others for a nice supply of butter. Communicated. THE EXCURSION. Later in tlie month an excursion to Camp was projected which proved in every respect highly successful. And here, it is with great reluctance that a record is made which may seem at first thought to detract from the prestige of the "Light Infantry," the recipient (about a year before) of a like compliment while at the same place, then called Camp Union. This first excursion was con- veyed to Dubuque by a train of nine cars, and its seven hundred excursionists were met at the depot by a fine band, and marched into the city, not with flags flying, but yet with colors hailed with ardeiit pride by chivalrous men the world over; not under artns, for the brave men at "Eagle Point" were, for the most part, already parolled prisoners, and were not likely to offer resistance to the invading force to which they had surren,dered at dis- cretion, and against whose mild sway they had no thought of becoming rebels. It is not to be supposed that this army from the dominion of home came empty handed, though this they might have done, without abating one jot the enthusiasm of their reception. Let no flippant, gossiping pen attempt to put into common phrase the cominunings of such a region — let us leave them the undisturbed enjoyment of that glorious autumn day, overlooking that wondrous panorama spread at their feet, which, intersected by the grandly flowing river, stretches away into the fading distance whichever way the gaze may turn. A year has passed and two companies of Buchanan county's best were awaiting orders at the same rendezvous, now Camp Franklin. Is it strange, now that battles had been fought, and some who took the parting hand then, were sleeping in southern graves,, that a deeper estimate of what was due to our heroes had been gained by the loyal heart of Iowa? The demonstration of 1862 was not confined to the immediate friends of the soldiers, but all claimed the privilege to do them honor. Twenty-one cars deposited their crowded inmates at the Dubuque depot — in all else this outpouring of patriotism was a transcript of the subdued enthusiasm of that of Septem- ber, 1 86 1. A few days later, having been mustered into the United States service, and having received their advance pay and a furlough from Colonel Gilbert, in view of their speedy transfer to the field, the Dubuque & Sioux City rail- road company called forth loud and hearty praise from the men of the Twenty-seventh, by putting on a train and bringing them through to Independence on quick time, thereby giving them the benefit of another day with the friends at home. The following week the regi- ment left their camp and State and reported at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Six companies were detached to accompany government agents to Millie Lacs for the transaction of business connected with the Indian agencies. During the absence of this portion of the regi- ment, it was transferred from the northern to the southern department, and the four companies still at Fort Snelling left immediately for Cairo. Captain Miller, of company H, left his regiment at Dubuque and visited home on a furlough to recruit his health impaired by exposure in Minnesota. Benjamin Sutton and Morgan Boone, of Independence were left in a critical condition at Fort Snelling, and Nelson J. Boone had been detailed to attend upon the sick. S. Abby was sick, and had gone to Milwaukee on a furlough, and John G. Litts was sick, but still with his company. And this is the record of one company after one month's service, of not exceptional hardship. Captain Miller allowed himself but a short respite, as the following notice, which appeared the week after his return, will show: Any persons wishing to send letters or likeness to their friends in company H, Twenty-seventh regiment Iowa volunteers, can have an opportunity to do so, by leaving the same at my residence, or at the book store of Rev. Mr. Sampson, Independence, until Thursday even- ing of this week. J. M. Miller. The following week, the death of young Sutton at Fort Snelling, was announced. He died of typhoid fever. Colonel Lake on his return from the Mille Lacs expedi- tion, finding Morgan Boone convalescent, came to In- dependence, bringing him, with Oliver Bray and" Joseph Russell of company C, seriously ill. Walter H. Munger, of company C, who was left at Anoka on the return march from the north, died at that place on the eighth of November. He received the kindest attention from the people, who took him to a private house, nursed him tenderly, and turned out en masse to do honor to his remains. One who speaks of him as his friend, pays this tribute to the fallen soldier: He was an honest, upright, tnithful man, and no one has gone into the army from purer motives of patriotism, or a nobler sense of duty. When we last saw him at Dubuque, he was full of life, energy and good feeling; but now, alas! he is in the silent tomb. May tht sod press lightly upon his bosom. THE LADIES .4ND THE .SOLDIERS. The lady friends of our boys in the Twenty-seventh sent to them, in care of Colonel Lake, three boxes weighing six or seven hundred pounds, filled with chickens, turkeys, preserves, cakes, cookies, and other good things, which will gladden the hearts of the brave boys im- mensely. God bless our patriotic ladies, will be their prayer, as it certainly is ours. — From the Buchanan Guardian. During the months of January and February, 1863, the deaths of five members of the Twenty-seventh regi- ment were announced in the Guardian. John McBane iiS HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. and John \V. Sanders died at Cairo, where they had been left in the hospital in November of 1862. Jacob Glass and William H. Leuder died with the regiment near Jackson, Tennessee, and C. W. Mosher, of Little- ton, a member of Captain Noble's company, died at Memphis. All were highly esteemed by their comrades in arms, as well as by their acquaintances at home. TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT A. B. LEWIS, OF THE FIFTH IOWA VOLUNTEERS, Vi^HO DIED AT KEOKUK FEBRUARY 25, 1863. Lieuten.int .Alexander B. Lewis has sunk into a soldier's grave. But last week we were all rejoicing in the assurance of his recovery and return to active duty. But alas! it was not to be. He was destined to leave his bed of pain, only to lie down in the narrow bed of death. Here, where the cords of sympathy, of friendship, of respect, of admira- tion for him ramified throughout our whole community, there is every- where pam. .Among his companions in arms, in whom his patriotism, his bravery, his nobleness of character, had induced a warmth of affec- tion more than brotherly, there must be the poignancy of grief ine.i- pressible. At his home, where the ties of kindred were strengthened by pride in his manhood and mental promise, there must be the very depths of woe. .Among the thousands of the noble and brilliant, who have given themselves up as sacrifices on the altars of country, few were more worthy than Lieutenant Lewis. Frank and social, he drew around him hosts of friends, while his mental abilities, his industry, his appli- cation, his ambition gave every promise of a successful and brilliant career in his chosen profession as a lawyer. But when the war came, imbued with as true a spirit of patriotism as ever prompted man to action, he without hesitation threw himself into the contest. He was almost the first to enlist in this county, and went into the ranks as a pri\ate soldier under Captain Lee. He soon, however, attracted the attention of Colonel Worthington, who made him sergeant major of his regiment, the Fifth, and afterwards, on the death of Lieutenant Jordan, procurred his commission as first lieutenant of company E, to the infinite satisfaction of the company, who knew that as far as a man could he would replace the noble friend they had lost in Lieutenant Jordan. At the glorious battle of luka, September, r86z, where the fifth made itself a most honored name. Lieutenant Lewis while fighting as each fought, like a hero, received a dangerous wound in the hip. From that time he lay upon a bed of suffering. He tried to reach home, but was only able to get as far as Keokuk. There he lay for months, suffering all that acuteness of pain possible to a sensitive, nervous organization, but bearing all with calmness, with true courage. On the twenty-fifth of last month he died, bringing home to us by his loss a new appreciation of the terrible price the Nation is paying for the great crime of slaveholding. He rests in the patriot's grave, sleeps the patriot's sleep — "Lost, loved, lamented." — Editor Guardian. FROM A COMPANION IN ARMS. After the intimacy that existed between us for the last ten years, my regard for him resembles more that of a brother than a stranger. For three years we sat together in the same class, met to- gether in the same societies, roomed and ate together, shared the toils and enjoyed with each other the pleasures of youth, and all the bright anticipations of the great unknown future thai lay before us. Together with hearts buoyant with hope, and with spirits light and free from care, we launched our frail barks on the ocean of life. In all places, on all occasions, and under all circumstances, he proved himself the same true and tried friend; a noble, proud spirited and honorable man. M'ith a full knowledge of the dangers and privations he was about to incur, we see him relinquishing the promise of distinction in his profession, the pleasures of home and society, and, refusing po- sition, taking his place in the ranks of that company to which he con- tributed so much labor and means, and in the welfare of which he felt such a deep interest. Together with Lieutenant Jordan, whose noble spirit preceded his to brighter realms, we see him labor day and night for the success of that cause in which his heart and soul was engaged. ■We follow him to the "tented field" and see him endure disease and pain until brought almost to the brink of the grave. Again restored to health and vigor, and chosen to take the place of the lamented Jordan, we see him discharging every duty of his office with promptness and fidelity; an honor to the regiment and the pride of his company. Much improved in health and appearance, after his severe illness, he continued in the faithful discharge of his duties up to that fatal day when his regiment was called upon to pass through the first ordeal of battle. From the early part of that day until evening, beneath the burning sun, through fields and swamps, and under the fire of the ene- my, he advanced with the line of skirmishers until he reached the bat- tle-field of luka. A few minutes more and everything was swallowed up in the heat of battle. Well do I remember the last time I saw him during that terrible struggle. I never saw him look so well as he did at that moment. A volley of musketry had sent a shower of bullets through our ranks, but he stood at his post with a proud and fearless bearing, calmly discharging his duty. Conscious of the danger he was in, but nerved by the justice of his cause, and flushed with the desire and assurance of victory, he defied the missiles of the enemy. .A half hour later, and what remained of the regiment, amidst clouds of smoke and in the shades of nightfall, emerged from the woody battle-ground and formed in line of battle in the open field. Companies reduced to squads began to count their loss and enquire for the missing. Among many others Lieutenant Lewis was absent. Many inquiries were made, but none there could answer. About nine o'clock it was ascertained that he had been wounded and carried to a house near by where he had received proper medical attention. The nature of his wound, and the manner in which he improved for a few days, gave hope that he would speedily recover. It, however, proved the prolongation of a life but for a few months of intense suffering. All that was mortal of him now slumbers in the tomb, but his spirit lives in the region of eternal bliss. It is not all to say that he lived and that he died, but it may in truth be added that he lived uprightly and died happily. — L^ieutenant Mar- shall. LATER BUCHANAN RECRUITS, ASSIGNED TO VARIOUS REGI- MENTS. The following list of recruits was published in the Guardian of March 15, 1864. The enlistments were made by Dr. R. W. Wright, and left Independence for Dubuque under his charge the week previous to the pub- lication of tlie list. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. Arthur Merriman, Twenty-seventh infantry; John Bessey, First cav- alry; L. Whait, First cavalry; J. B. Hill, First cavalry; Martin Steb- bins. Fifth infantry; John J. Miller, Fifth infantry; Harry Samuels, First cai-alry; Thomas W. Melody, First cavalry; Samuel Brayton, First cavalry; L. J. Hale, First cavalry; Robert J. Young, First cav- alry: Augustus l^itner. First cavalry; Solomon Rufe, First cavalry; Henry Cummings, First cavalry; Thompson Lewis, First cavalry, James H. Laughlin, Twenty-seventh infantry; Hiram M. Thurslon- Twenty-seventh infantry; William Plevert, Twenty-seventh infantry; Samuel H. Pierce, Third battery; W. .S. Wallace, Fourth cavalry, Theodore Powers, Fourth cavalry: John Donovan, Fifth infantry; Charles Gordon, Seventh infantry. LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. George W. Wells, First cavalry: Andrew Brownson, First cavalry; Daniel Swartzel. First cavalry; William Miller, First cavalry; R. W. Bodell, First cavalry; George W. Merkly, First cavalry; William J. Washburn, First cavalry: S. W. Harden, First cavalry; Amos Andrews, First cavalry; }. T. Washburn, First cavalry; B. H. Hall, First cavalry; Ralph Henningan, First cavalry; Silas Henningan, First cavalry; D. W. Ring, First cavalry. NEWTON TOWNSHIP. W. T. Wallon, First cavalry: Charles Bench, veteran, First cavalry: H. H. Ransey, Twenty-seventh infantry; Abraham Black, Twenty- seventh infantry; James A. Waldron, Twenty-seventh infantry, CONO TOWNSHIP. Charles G. Neucle, P'irst cavalry; S. Bourres, Twenty-seventh infan- try; A. Stanford, Twenty-seventh infantry; J. Booth, Twenty-seventh infantry. FAIRBANK TOWNSHIP. H. G. Balcom, First cavalry; S. C. Hines, First cavalry; H. S. Hop" kins. First cavalry; J. H. Kent, First cavalry; .Allen Brant, Twenty seventh infantry; S. W. Patterson, Twenty-seventh infantry; William E. Cairn, veteran. Twenty-seventh infantry. BUFFALO TOWNSHIP. William H. Sulton, First cavalry; Samuel H. Messinger, First cav. airy: Samuel Bullis. First cavalry: T. C. Canfield, Twenty-seventh in- fantry; George D. Smith, Twenty-seventh infantry. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 119 HAZLETON TOWNSHIP. D. A. Todd, Twenty-seventh infantry; A. D. Allen. Twenty-seventh infantry; H. D. Barry, Twenty-seventh, infantry; Henry Harpy, Twen- ty-seventh infantry; C. M, Wheelock, First cavalry; Rufus Bunce, First cavalry; Martin Hayes. Twenty-seventh infantry; R. Merril, sr., Twenty-seventh infantry; R. Merril, jr.. Twenty-seventh infantry. FREMONT TOWNSHIP. Peter Gelford, First cavalry; M. S. Mallory, First cavalry; James Flenning, First cavalry. SUMNER TOWNSHIP. Runsbe Metcalf, First cavalry. MADISON TOWNSHIP. Mort Smith, Twenty-seventh infantry; Gustavus Jackway, Twenty- seventh infantry; Benjamin Crocker, Twenty-seventh infantry. PERRY TOWNSHIP. Preston Reinhart, Twenty-seventh infantry. BYRON TOWNSHIP. Robert Buth, Twenty-seventh infantry. JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. J. F. Henderson. Twenty-seventh infantry; R. H. Wilson, Twenty- seventh infantry; J. Dawson. Twenty-seventh infantry. There were also eight men from Oran township, Fayette county. RETURN AND WELCOME OF THE VETERANS OF COMPANY C, NINTH REGIMENT. Company C, of the Ninth regiment, though not so early in the field as company E, of the Fifth (the latter leaving Independence early in July, 1861, and the for- mer only a month later), was, for reasons of military expediency, the first to be furloughed as veterans after the reenlistment under the orders of the ^^'ar Depart- ment, in the early part of 1864. Early in February, the "friends, countrymen and lovers" of the Buchanan boys in blue, began to be stirred by rumors that soon the heroes, toward whom all eyes were turned, would "come marching home." All this and the final outcome, is well set forth in the article given below, which appeared in the Guardian of Febru- ary 16, 1864. We give it substantially as it first ap- peared : "glorious RECEPTION OF COMPANY C, OF THE NINTH." For days our citizens have been on the tip-toe of expectation over the news that many of the gallant soldiers who first enlisted, were returning to their homes once more, for the purpose of recruiting and paying their friends a visit. The streets were full of rumors as to the time when they might be expected; but, at last, the telegraph settled the question with the assurance that company C, the Ninth Iowa, would be in our town on Saturday without fail; and everybody was crazy with joy over the welcome intelligence. They had started from Huntsville. Alabama; reached Cairo on the tenth instant, and arrived in Dubuque at three o'clock A. M. , on Friday, the twelfth. Here they met a glorious reception from the citizens, who prepared them a break- fast, dinner, and supper, in the best style, and laid before them the hospitalities of the city. Dr. Wame had gone down to escort the soldiers to Independence; and, as they were to come on the regular train of Saturday last, very little time was left our citizens in which to make the necessary prepara- tions. It was resolved to give them a dinner at the hall, immediately on their arrival; and soon all parlies were at work in earnest. .AH personal and political animosities were forgotten; the reader of the Herald and the admirer of Horace clasped hands in a fraternal grasp; old feuds and past differences were dropped by mutual consent; unity and harmony per\-aded all' classes, and the prevailing sentiment that animated the public heart was to give the boys a cordial, whole-souled welcome. Saturday morning in point of loveliness was all that could be desired. The atmosphere was almost of summer warmth, while a gentle and refreshing breeze blew softly from the southwest. The ladies, with their accustomed independence and assurance of leap-year privileges, took the lead; and soon the obedient lords of creation were seen flying hither and thither in the performance of duties connected with the carrying out of the programme of the day. Committees ad hifiiilcm, walked up and down the streets, peered into every nook and corner where "good things" might be found, ransacked the stores, and waylaid every luckless individual who was suspected of having withheld a half dime from the last assessment. Teams loaded with bo.\es, lumber, and baskets of provisions, jostled each other on their way to the hall— draymen, for once, were compelled to acknowl- edge that they had a surfeit of business; while unsuspecting farmers were amazed to see some Jehu jump into their vehicles and convert the same into baker's wagons. Hegee with his artillery was early at his post, amply provided with levers, swabs, and sledge hammers, with which to load; and soon the thunderous echoes of his piece proclaimed that the spirit of '76 was to be revived again. Large numbers of people in carriages, in wagons , on horseback, and on foot, began to arrive from the country: and by 12 o'clock M., Main street pre- sented an animated spectacle of moving humanity. The town flag was suspended from Morse's hall to the bell-tower; while at the Guardian office another was displayed, bearing upon its folds the following motto: " Honor to whom honor is due — Ninth Iowa, bully for you. " Numerous other flags were displayed with appropriate mottoes and devices. Suffice it to say that our town presented a very happy and picturesque appearance, and one tliat must long be remembered. Hand bills were distributed, by which the people were notified that the sol- diers were to be met at the depot, where a procession would be formed led by the band, to escort the veterans into town. As train time approached, the crowd moved to the station, and soon the platform and everp available inch of standmg room was occupied. The excitement was intense, but suppressed. Here waited fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, wives, with all the unrest of anticipated joy, for the return of those whose names were never mentioned without bringing a thrill of grateful pride, not only to their immediate friends, but to their countrymen everywhere. How slowly the moments flew ! Had some accident befallen the train? How eagerly every eve was Strained and every ear inclined, to receive the first token of its coming ! Hark ! a rumbling sound is heard; a white puflT of steam, like a mes- senger of peace, circles above the tree tops; the whistle screams; the bell rings; and, with a puff and a roar, the cars, with their precious and an.xiously-e.xpected freight, are at the depot. Hegee now opened with his ponderous artillery, and the echoes of the discharge had hard- ly died away, before it was responded to by the soldiers on board shouting as if in command: "Lie down, boys; the Rebs are firing on our flank !" To attempt a description of the scenes that now ensued would be impossible. Such meetings do not often take place, and the embrac- ings and hand-claspings were unlike those of the common, prosaic, every-day life. Captain Little— no one expected to see him with the company, but there he was, looking healthier and happier by far than when he went away. fCaptain Little had, but a short time previous, rejoined his regiment after a visit home, and in his impatience to be again at the front, had gone while crutches were still a necessity to him. — E. P.] And then the boys in blue, the boys of whose deeds we had read and wondered, the same gallant spirits who stood in battle- hne at Pea Ridge, .-\rkansas Post, Jackson and Champion Hill, filed slowly out of the cars and formed in company on the tracks, as regu- larly as though going out to the parade ground (although the crowd that surged around them sadly interfered with the command, "Right, dress I") "■Why, boys, how well you look ! " was heard from all sides; and, indeed, they were nearly all pictures of perfect health, though finely bronzed by a southern sun. The boys never broke ranks, but the out- siders, who had not studied Scott or Hardee, were utterly regardless of military etiquette, and rushed m upon them from all quarters; but the gallant fellows, inured to the task of overcoming every obstacle, worked their way through to the hall, and filed around tables that were fairly groaning under an endless profusion of delicately-prepared viands. . -At the close of the repast. Captain Little, in a neat little speech, extended the thanks of himself and company to the donors of the entertainment, after which three cheers were proposed and given "with the spirit and with the understanding," for company C, the Ninth regiment, and the Union. It was announced that company E, of the Fifth, would soon be in HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. our midst, and a cordial invitation extended to the guests of the day to participate in the festivities of that occasion. Company C now num- bers thirty-four privates, who have all re-enlisted; besides others in hospital and detached service, who are expected to do so." [There are, doubtless, some of the Ninth "boys" who have not for- gotten that, owing to the shortness of their own furlough, which ter- minated early in March, and the delay in the return of the veterans of the fifth, they were not permitted to participate in the reception festiv- ities of the latter, in accordance with the above invitation from their fair entertainers. — E. P.] WELCOME TO THE FIFTH. Soldiers OF THE Iow.\ Fifth: I am selected, on behalf of the citizens of Independence and Buchanan county, to greet you and wel- come you home again to the embraces of your friends and relatives. It is now almost three years since we passed along your lines, on nearly the same ground where you now stand; gave you the parting hand, dropped the silent tear, saw you aboard of the cars and away to the battle-field. Since that day, what changes have taken place ! What perils and trials you have undergone we all know well; and, be- lieve me, soldiers, we have not been unmoved spectators of 4II that has befallen you; and be assured that although we have been absent from you in body, we have been with you in spirit. Our sympathies were with you during your many marches the first winter from home; as you journeyed through rain and sleet and mud, nearly all over the trouble- some Slate of Missouri. We were with you, too. in the first great victory at New Madrid, and rejoiced with you over that great success. From New Madrid we followed you to the bloody and hotly-contested field of luka, and again at Corinth. We were with you in warmest sympathy in your many wanderings up and down and across the Mis- sissippi, in peril, not only from the lurking foe, but from death in many forms; and especially wa^ the heart of this people with you in the late and ever memorable campaign of 1863. We crossed the ri\'erwith you at Fort Gibson; we followed you in your rapid march through that State; we saw you filing in around Jackson, its capital; then at Black River Bridge and the fatal field of Champion Hill; then to Vicksburgh Itself, and one continued victory all the way around. And could you then, at the surrender of Vicksburgh, have heard the shouting and seen the leaping and weeping for joy, that was everywhere the sponta- neous expression of the great northern heart, you would have been sat- isfied, if never before, that the heart of this people was in the right place, and with you in all you were doing to save our unhappy coun- try. And let me here assure you, soldiers, that your victories are our victories, that your sufferings are our sufferings, that your country is our country; and permit me humbly to acknowledge the fact that to the soldiers of the Union we owe our national existence — yes, our con- tinued salvation as a nation; and you, soldiers of the Iowa Fifth, have stood as a wall of adamant between all we hold dear and the most un- relenting and cruel foe that ever drew the sword of war. And while we have enjoyed peace and plenty at home, you have stood in battle array against such a foe. that we might in safety enjoy the privileges handed down to us by our forefathers. There are no mealy-mouthed people among us now. Theie was a time when some of us would quake and turn pale at the announcement of a Union victory, lest slavery was in peril; but, thank God, that time is fpassed. Those people have disappeared; we are now united; we are now one — one in heart, one in mind, one with the soldiers for the suppression of the rebellion; and, soldiers, we say, now always, "Strike till the last armed foe expires," till the rebellion is crushed, till the country is saved. And let me. soldiers of the Iowa Fifth, revert to another short chapter in your history. I refer to the ever memorable, the ever to be remembered, march from Vicksburgh to Chattanooga, to relieve that division of the Union army. Hardly in the history of the world has been another such an undertaking performed with such alacrity and cheerfulness. We imagine, now, we see you on that march, on half rations, on quarter rations, then on less — half clad , bare-headed, bare- footed, sore-footed, tearing up your blankets and other garments to make moccasins for your sore and blistered feet and legs, and at the same time joyous, shouting, onward the "Battle Cry of Freedom." Then, after marching this incredible distance in so short a time, plung- ing at once into the thickest of the fight on Mission Ridge, hurling destruction and death like a whirl-wind among the ranks of the foe. Soldiers ! for these deeds we honor you, and teach our children to honor you, and will ever do so. Around our hearth stones shall your praises ever be sung. Again we welcome you home to the bosom of your families, the em- braces of your friends, to the hospitalities of the citizens and fair ladies now awaiting you at the court house. And here let me remind you, the ladies of our county have ever been thoughtful of you, and have 'continued to labor earnestly for your comfort; and thus will they do, for, be assured, if true patriotism is to be found, it is among the Amer- ican women. Soldiers, welcome home I welcome home ! The "veterans," numbering about thirty, had already re-enlisted, and had returned, after an absence of nearly three years, to spend a furlough of thirty days with their families. The citizens of the county seat, and the friends of the men from all parts of the county who met them at this place, united to make their reception an expression of the warm admiration which was every- where entertained for them. After the reception at the depot, and the address of welcome, they were escorted by a large concourse of people to the court house, where, as in Dubuque, a table had been spread and was served by fair hands ; where culinary art and refinement of taste had done their utmost to please the eye and tempt the palate. To honor the brave men, who were the guests of the people of the county, and to charm them into a brief forgetfulness of the hardships through which they had passed during those years of absence, was the one impulse that swayed the entire community. We copy from the Independence Conservative of April 12, 1864, the names of these returned heroes: Quartermaster C. Waggoner, Commissary C. Noble, Lieutenant W. S. Peck, Orderly M. S. Bryan, Sergeant William Bunce, S. C. .Allison, Joseph Anson, J. Donnivan, J. B. Gaylord. E. Chittester, J. G. Mc- Kenzie, P. Putnam. J. C. Perham, James B. Wolf, J. Rea. J. F. Phelps, M. Williams, J. Richards, F.Johnson, F. Paine, H. McQueen, H. Whaitc, C. Brockway, S. Rouse, H. A. Sprague, C. Brooks, R. Safford, W. H. Brown, T. Robinson. We are glad to append here the LAST MUSTER ROLL OP THE "INDEPENDENCE GUARDS." The veterans rejoined the brigade at Decatur, Ala- bama, May 14, 1864. On the thirtieth of July follow- ing, the non-veterans of the regiment were honorably mustered out of the service, and the veterans were after- wards transferred to the Fifth Iowa cavalry, in which organization it remained as company (J, Fifth Iowa vet- eran volunteer cavalry, until the close of the war. On the ninth of August, 1S65, the following names (we take them as we find them), formerly members of company E, Fifth infantry, were mustered out of the service, at Edgefield, opposite Nashville, Tennessee: COMMISSIONED OFFICER. Second Lieutenant William H. Peck. NON-COMMISSIO.MED OFFICERS. Sergeant William Bunce. Commissary Sergeant Madison J. Bryan, Corporal Moses H. Robinson. Corporal Edward Rhoderick. Corporal Heeley C. Sprague. Corporal Mahlon Williams. PRU ATES. William H. Brown, Charles Brockway, Elijah Chittester, John Donovon, D. Donovon, William F. Johnson. Henry McQueen, Peter Putnam, John Richards, Samuel E. Rouse, Thomas Robinson, Jerry Rae, Rufus W. Safford. Herman Sprague, Henry J. Whait. Commissioned officer i Non-commissioned officers 6 Privates 15 Total 22 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. ONE HUNDRED DAYS MEN WHY CALLED INTO THE FIELD HOW MANY RAISED BY BUCHANAN COUNTY. Under the head of one hundred days men, we are to speak of the last efifort, on the part of the Government, to add to the strength of the Union forces by enhstment. "In the summer of 1864" (says Ingersoll, from whose volume our resume of the history of those regiments con- taining Buchanan county companies is drawn,) General Grant in \'irginia, and General Sherman in Georgia, being actively engaged with large armies against the enemy, the governors of the northwestern States proposed to the General Government, to send into the field a con- siderable number of troops for a short term of service, who might relieve others on guard and garrison duty at the rear; and thus be the means of adding largely to the force of drilled and disciplined men at the front. It was thought that, of those who had served for some time in the army against the rebellion, but had been discharged for good reason, and of others who would like to serve for a short period, a large army might be speedily raised to our posts and take care of our communications in rear of the theatre of the war, and thus enable veteran soldiers of equal number to reenforce the armies actively engaged in the field. The proposition at first met with consider- able hostility from the authorities, but was at length adopted; the term of service being established at one hundred days. Governor Stone accordingly issued his proclamation, calling on tlie State to contribute, of its citizens, troops for the service proposed; and they responded by offering the Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh regiments, and the Forty-eighth battalion of infantry; in all three thousand nine hundred and one men. These troops came from all parts of the State, and were the voluntary offering of our people who gave them for the special service contemplated, without expectation of any credit on the general calls for volunteers. Few counties of the State responded to this last call more promptly or more liberally than Buchanan; furnish- ing, as she did, more than double her quota, had the aggregate been drawn equally from all the counties; or, had all the counties equalled her in the number furnished, the aggregate would not have fallen nuuh below double the number actually raised. The enlistments were mainly made in May ; many of the companies leaving for their rendezvous during that month, and being mustered early in June. Charles F. Herrick, of Independence, who had taken an active interest in the formation of the company, was elected captain; and, increased by the addition of some twenty men from Blackhawk county, the one hundred days men of Buchanan county left Independence for Davenport, on Wednesday the eighteenth of May. At Davenport they were equipped and assigned as company D, to the Forty-seventh regiment. The brief period of absence anticipated, and the nature of the service assigned to these men naturally detracted much from the intensity of apprehension which had been a feature of former leave-takings between the soldiers de- parting for the war and their friends at home. But though the time was comparatively short, a hundred mischances might befall; and though none could predict the terrible ordeal through which the fated company was 16 to pass, when the time of departure arrived the hearts of all followed the departing defenders of their country's rights; and, as heretofore, crowds of relatives and friends attended them to the depot and bade them "God-speed." John H. Leatherman, an old member of the Iowa Ninth, who was wounded at Pea Ridge, and discharged froin the service in consequence thereof, and who had re- enlisted in Captain Herrick's company, met with a serious accident, as the cars were moving away from the depot. He was waving his hand to his friends, when his arm came in contact with a grain-spout running out from one of the ware-houses near the track, dislocating it at the shoulder. But it would seem that the stuff of which heroes is made is somewhat tougher than the sinew that "strikes out from the shoulder" as Mr. Leatherman in- sisted on proceeding with his company. We copy, from the report of the adjutant general, the roster of the officers and Buchanan men of company D, Forty-seventh regiment. COMM[.SSIONED OFFICEK.S. Captain Charles F. Herrick. Captain Lewis S. Brooks F'lrst Lieutenant Lewis S. Brooks. Lieutenant Arthur E. McHugh. Second Lieutenant Arthur E. McHugh. NON-COMMISSIONIiU OFFICEKS. First Sergeant Sidney C. .'\dams. Sergeant Daniel W. Hopkins. Second Sergeant Daniel W. Hopkins. Sergeant John H. Leatherman. Third Sergeant John H. Leatherman. Third Sergeant John F. Clarke. I-'ourth Sergeant John F. Clarke. Fourth Sergeant Isaac E. Freeman. Fifth Sergeant William McKenney. First Corporal Augustus H. Older. Second Corporal James D. Hill. Fourth Corporal George B. Bouck. Fourth Corporal John Hook. F'ifth Corporal Orrville D. Boyles. Sixth Corporal Morton J. Sykes. Seventh Corporal Simmons P. Mead. Eighth Corporal George S. Jackson. Musician William M. McHugh. Musician Hamilton Taylor. Wagoner Thomas Lincoln. PRIVATES. Thomas Abbott, Lyman F. Bouck, Ralph R. Briggs, George 1'. Benton, Addison C. Beach, Jed Brockvvay, George Casebeer, Gustav Cairo, James A. Calvin, Howard M. Craig, Francis M. Fritzinger, Orville Fonda, Lewis H. Gehman, William H. Gaige, Dewitt Gurnsey, Stephen L. Greely, Henry Holnian, George L. Hayden, Henry R. Johnson, George T. King, Royal Lowell, lesse H. Long, Lansing D. Lewis, Frank Landerdale, Hugh McCullough, B. Franklin Mungcr, Theodore F. Messenger, William H. H. Morse, Tillman Ozias, Samuel E. A. Ripley, .Alexander Ramsey, David Sellers, .Alexander W. Spald- ing, Frank L. Sherwood, William S. Scott, William Stevens. Charles D. Thompson, William C. Vaneman, Alden R. Wheeler, Eliott Weatherbee. The Forty-seventh regiment was sent to Helena, Ar- kansas, where, as will be seen from the correspondence of Lieutenant Brooks, many contracted disease from which they died at that post or after their return to their homes in Iowa. The services of these men were of great value to the National cause, and they were acknowledged by the President of the United States in an appreciative order, couched in terms which must have been \ery grat- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. ifying to those to whom it was addressed, and which, we feel sure, will be read with deep interest by their children at the present day, for whom it is transcribed into these pages: Executive Mansion, i Washington City, October i, 1864. j Special cxtriitive order, returning thanks to t/ie volunteers for one hun- dred days, from the States of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wiscon- sin: The term of one hundred days, for which volunteers from the States of Indiana, Ilhnois, Iowa, and Wisconsin volunteered under the last call of their respective governors in the months of May and June, to aid in the recent campaign of General Sherman, having expired, the President directs an official acknowledgement of their patriotic sersices. It was their good fortune to render etiftcient service in the brilliant oper- ations in the southwest, and to the victories of the National arms over the rebel forces in Georgia, under command of Johnston and Hood. On all occasions and in every service to which they were assigned, their duty as patriotic volunteers was performed with alacrity and courage, for which they are entitled to, and are hereby tendered, the National thanks through the governors of their respective States. The Secretary of War is directed to transmit a copy of this order to the governors of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and to cause a certificate of their honorable services to be delivered to the officers and soldiers of the States above mentioned, who recently served in the military force of the United States as volunteers for one hundred days. Abraham Lincoln. THE FINAL TRIUMPH AND REJOICING. A few brief revolving months, crowded with brilliant successes, followed the return of the one hundred days' men ; and the great struggle, which had so long filled the land with mourning, was over. How suddenly were the sorrow and darkness changed to light and laughter. Youths and maidens, you whose fathers, mothers, and elder brothers it may be, passed through that time of fiery trial, ask them to describe to you some of those demonstrations of a joy that knew no bounds, which filled the universal heart when the announcement of Lee's surrender was flashed over the land. In the happy heyday of your youth, you shrink from the contemplation of the pain and sorrow that had gone before; try, then, to gain some adequate conception of the peril and an- guish from which your fathers and mothers were then delivered, by dwelling upon the intensity of their trium- phant rejoicing when the assurance came that war should be no more, and that the precious inheritance bequeathed by the founders of our beneficent Government was saved from the machinations of traitors, to be transmitted to their children. The joy was as all-pervading as the air or the sunlight. From ocean to ocean, everything that symbolized with exaltation and exultation was made the medium of expressing a satisfaction too great for expres- sion. When you have heard what was done in this hour of triumph at Independence, or any other place, be sure that the same or similar manifestations were being made everywhere. By midsummer of 1865 the disbanding of the troops commenced, and in a few weeks the defenders of their country in her sanguinary struggle for National existence, had returned to their homes. Everywhere were they received as heroes worthy of the highest meed of praise. As soon as suitable arrangements could be made after [he return of all the Buchanan soldiers, a reunion and welcome was tendered them by the citizens, on which occasion they were the honored guests of the people, and but one desire animated the entire population of the county, which was to give expression to the estimation in which the services of these heroic men were held by all true patriots. On the day appointed, Saturday, the sixteenth of September, which proved to be most auspi- cious, three hundred, of the four companies and subse- quent enlistments, were gathered at the county seat. Five thousand of their fellow citizens, it was estimated, attended in the capacity of hosts and entertainers. A triumphal arch had been erected with suitable mottoes and decorations, and the principal blocks on Main street were gay with wreaths and flags. Ladies joined in the procession which followed the brave three hundred bear- ing their battle flags. At their head was borne a beauti- ful banner, displaying the inscription, "thus we welcome our heroes home from the wars." '■'■Duke est pro patria mori." Among the distinguished guests from abroad, none were more welcome or more honored than Major General Vandever, the former gallant colonel of the Iowa Ninth. In the eloquent address which he delivered, he almost justified a slight change in the oft quoted line of the poet, which would make it read, "The tongue is mightier than the sword," A most eloquent and appropriate address of welcome was delivered by the Rev. J. M. Bogg, and was ably re- sponded to by one of the heroes of the day. Colonel Jed Lake, on behalf of the military. A feast, fit for the occasion, for the people's guests, was spread in Mr. Older's beautiful enclosed grove, where it was evident that every resource of the culinary art had been taxed to bury hard fare and hard-tack for- ever from the sight and memories of those whose deeds all delighted to celebrate. The delicate viands amply discussed. Mayor Woodward, as toast master, introduced many glowing gems of sentiment, which elicited noble thoughts clad in eloquent words — as their worthy setting. Our record of Buchanan county in the Rebellion, may be already too long — we are glad that the bulk of the matter contained in it is simply a transcription of the current war literature of the times, and we close with one of the sentiments offered at the soldiers' reunion and welcome in 1865, which, after a lapse of sixteen years, is still the aspiration of every patriot heart: The north and the south — may they be reunited by cords that no traitors hand can sever. HONORS PAID TO THE MARTYRED PRESIDENT. Here, as everywhere, the news of the assassination of the lamented President Lincoln, broke in upon universal and jubilant rejoicing. Main street had been made gay with flags in honor of the restoration of the National emblem to its rightful place over Fort Sumter, in obedience to the murdered President's order, and throughout the country, on the fourteenth of April, at 12 o'clock m., flags had been given to the breeze and cannon had thundered the Nation's joy. The flags still floated on Saturday morning, but the overflowing joy was changed to overwhelming grief The next issue of the city papers appeared with HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 123 columns draped in mourning and with full particulars of the tragedy which had shrouded the Nation in gloom. A meeting was called by authority of the mayor of Independence, D. S. Lee, esq., that the citizens might consult upon the proper action to be taken to carry out the recommendations contained in the proclamation of the governor of the State. Arrangements were made at this meeting of the citizens to observe the day set apart by the governor, the twenty-seventh of April, 1865, as a day of humiliation and prayer, in view of the recent great National calamity. It was also recommended that places of business should be closed on that day, and that the citizens refrain from all secular vocations and enjoyments, and meet to testify, by prayer and humilia- tion, the great grief felt at the loss of the noble life that had fallen — their profound sorrow at this great calamity to the country and to humanity. Preparations were also made for proper e.xercises on the day President Lincoln was to be buried at his old home, at Springfield, Illinois. The programme provided for the firing of cannon every half hour during the day, commencing at sunrise; the suspending of all business between the hours of 10 o'clock a. m. and 2 o'clock p. M., and the draping of all business houses and private dwellings in mourning. On Wednesday following the assassination, the day fi.xed for the moving of the funeral cortege from Wash- ington at noon, Judge Burt adjourned the court at half- past 1 1 A. M., in accordance with recommendations from Washington that such observance should be made all over the land. Owing to the limited time after the arrival of this rec- ommendation, no formal observance was made. By means of handbills, however, a large concourse of the leading citizens and ladies of the place was called together at the court house. The bell was tolled with "minute peals" fronr 12 to i o'clock, when the services at the court house commenced. Rev. Mr. Boggs of the Presbyterian church presided, and Rev. Mr. Fulton of the Baptist church opened the exercises with prayer. Rev. Mr. Eberhart, Baptist minister from Cedar Falls, was then introduced and enchained the audience with an eloquent address which was received with deep, silent, and tearful attention, broken only by occasional subdued but irrepressible applause. Mr. Eberhart's address was marked by "thoughts that breathe and words that burn," and none who were so fortunate as to listen to his eloquent and patriotic utterances will ever lose the remembrance of them. He was followed by brief and appropriate addresses from Rev. Mr. Fulton and Judge Burt. The Rev. Mr. Bambo, of St. James' Episcopal church, and the Rev. Mr. Boggs of the Presbyterian church preached memorial sermons on the death of President Lincoln in their respective churches on the Sunday fol- lowing his assassination, and memorial and patriotic res- olutions were passed by the various religious societies and social organizations of the place. On the fast day appointed by State authority, all places of business in Independence were closed, and a more than Sabbath stillness pervaded the streets. The union services which were held at the court house were attended by such a concourse as was never before seen in the town at a religious service. The tragic death of President Lincoln, who had so endeared himself to the American people, had deeply impressed all classes ; and every occasion was gladly embraced to do honor to his memory. AFTER THE RETURN. The following historical sketch from the Bulletin will be found interesting, and will explain itself: SKETCH OF COMPANY H, TWENTY-SEVENTH IOWA. QuASQUETON, August 14, 1865. Mr. Editor ; — In answer to your favor of the eleventh instant, de- siring a complete history of company H, Twenty-seventh Iowa infantry, I reply that my time is so occupied that I cannot furnish you with a full history of the company, but I will give you a brief sketch which you are welcome to do with as you please. Company H, Twenty-seventh Iowa infantry, was organized on the twenty-seventh of August, 1862, and mustered into the United States service on the twenty-ninth of the same month, at Dubuque, Iowa. [The list of officers is omitted here, being already given in the roster of the company, taken from the adjutant general's report. — E. P.] The company was mustered out at Clinton, Iowa, on the eighth day of August, 1865, numbering, all told, forty-two. The term of service w.as twenty-one days less than three years. The company has been in fifteen engagements, in which but one man, Charles Canton, was killed and seventeen wounded. Corporal Low, and Edward E. Mulick, color bearers, were severely wounded at Pleas- ant Hill, Louisiana, April 9, 1864, and fell into the hands of the rebels. John Buck, died at Moscow, Tennessee, July 22, 1863, from an acci- dental gunshot wound received while on picket duty. Twelve died from disease, as follows: Joseph H, Black died in convalescent hos- pital, Memphis, Tennessee, December 4, 1864; two days thereafter his discharge papers were received; Charles Coleman died at Independence. Iowa, October 14, 1862; Isaac Gill died at Brownsville, Arkansas, Sep- tember 8, 1864; Jacob Glass died at Jackson, Tennessee, February 15, 1863; George Hathaway died at Holly Springs, Mississippi; Walter B. Lanfeer died at Cairo, Illinois, December 8, 1863; John McBain died at Mound City, Illinois, December 9, 1862; Joseph Moore died at Jackson, Tennessee, March 14, 1863; Bartemas McGonigil died at Jackson, Tennessee, March i8, 1863; John Older died at Memphis, Tennessee, May 12, 1865; Benjamin Sutton died at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, October 28,- 1862; John A. Tift died at Memphis, Ten- nessee. November 30, 1862. There were forty discharged previous to the mustering out of the company. George G. Gaylord was discharged to enable him to ac- cept a commission as lieutenant in a battery of heavy artillery. Our surgeon, Sylvander W. Bowker, was discharged at Jefferson Barracks September 24, 1864, and died two days thereafter while in the hospital. Four, Matthew T. Brown, Jeremiah Irwin, Isaac T. Lee, and Christian Waller, the only drafted men in the regiment, were discharged in June, 1865, their term of service expiring September 30, 1865. The remainder were discharged for physical disability. Thirty-two were transferred; thirteen of whom, being recruits, were transferred to the Twelfth Iowa Infantry. Two, Charles H. Lewis and Dr. H. H. Hunt, were transferred to the non-commissioned regiment staff, and were soon after discharged to enable the former to accept a commission of first lieutenant and adjutant, and the latter to accept a commission of assistant surgeon to the Twenty-first Iowa volunteer infantry. The following is a list of officers, non-commissioned officers and privates who were finally mustered out of the service: COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. Captain O. Whitney. First Lieutenant W. G. Donnan. Second Lieutenant G. W. Smyzer. NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS. First Sergeant Charles W. Evans. Sergeant James \. Laird. Sergeant Daniel .Andrews. Sergeant Emanuel Miller. I 24 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Sergeant Henry E. A. Diehl. Corporal Harrison H. Love. Corporal William Morgan. Wagoner Benjamin Miller. PRIV.\TES. William C. B. Adams, Samuel Beckley, ]ohn M. Blank, Hamilton B. Booth, Francis M. Congdon, Columbus Caldwell, William Case- beer, William Crum, James Campbell, Albert Cordell, Devolson Cor- nick, Moses Chase, Hamilton Evans, William B. Fleming, Michael Harrigan, Adam Hoover, Charles Hoover, jr., James C. Haskins, George Kirkham, William J. Hendrick, Charles W. McKinney, Alvi Megonigal, Edward E. Mulick, Augustus P. Osgood, Austin W. Per- kins, WilHam T. Rich, Philip C. Smyzer, Alonzo Shurtliff, Henry H. Turner, Joseph Tures, Myron H. Woodward. The company has furnished eight commissioned officers — Jacob Mil- ler, captain to April 9, 1863; O. Whitney, captain at the time the com- pany was mustered out of the United States service; W. G. Donnan, first lieutenant; George W. Smyzer, second lieutenant; C. H. Lewis, adjutant; Dr. H. H. Hunt, assistant surgeon Twenty-first Iowa infantry; George G. Gaylord, lieutenant of artillery; and Lieutenant A. M. Wilcox, whose resignation was accepted to enable him to accept the commission of captain and commissary of subsistence of United States volunteers. As near as I can estimate, from the data I have on hand, the com- pany has travelled by steamboat over eight thousand miles, by railroad two thousand miles, and marched three thousand miles. The company, with the regiment, has visited the capitals of seven different States, and three times have built comfortable winter quarters without being per- mitted to occupy them, except for a few days. It has never been sur- prised on picket or whipped in battle; has burned a fair proportion of cotton; and its doings will compare favorably with any other com- pany in the legiment, or among General .^. J. Smith's guerillas, in the number of pigs, sheep, turkeys, and chickens it has, from military ne. cessity, appropriated to personal use. I am, very respectfully yours, O. Whitney. A RESUME of the history of the three regiments, Fifth, Ninth, and Twenty-seventh, which contained the four companies raised in Buchanan county, being selections and adapta- tions from three chapters of "Iowa and the Rebellion," by Lurton Dunham Ingersoll, published in 1866. FIFTH INFANTRY. The companies which formed the Fifth Iowa volunteer infantry were organized in their respective neighborhoods immediately after the receipt of intelligence of the fall of Fort Sumter; but the General Government, not then ap- preciating the magnitude of the conflict which was to ensue, gave no authority for their regimental organization till some time afterward. The companies were enrolled in the counties of Cedar, Jasper, Louisa, Marshall, Bu- chanan, Keokuk, Benton, Van Buren, Jackson, and Ala- makee, but other counties contributed to swell their numbers. They were organized into the Fifth regiment, and as such sworn into the service of the General Gov- ernment at Camp A\'arren, near the city of Burlington, on the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth days of July, 1861, at which time the command numbered nine hun- dred and eighteen robust men. William H. Worthington, of Keokuk, was appointed colonel; Charles L. Mathies, of Burlington, lieutenant colonel; William S. Robertson, of Columbus city, major; John S. Foley, adjutant; Charles H. Ranson, surgeon ; Peter A, Carpenter, assist- ant; Robert F. Patterson, quartermaster; and Rev. A. B. Madeira, chaplain. At the time of his appointment as second in command of this regiment. Lieutenant Col- onel Mathies was serving as captain of one of the com- panies of our First regiment, then making forced marches from Boonville to Springfield, Missouri. The other offi- cers were taken directly from civil life. The Buchanan county company took the letter of the alphabet corresponding with the order in which the coun- ty is named in the above list, and was known as company E. Remaining at Camp Warren, in the performance of drill and guard duties, about two weeks, the regiment proceeded to Fort Madison by steamer, and thence to Keokuk by rail. From this point, though not yet fully equipped, but using in part arms furnished by the city, a portion of the regiment, under Lieutenant Colonel Mathies, was engaged in an expedition into northern Missouri against the rebel leader, Mart Green. Colonel Moore had already routed the forces of Green, who was understood to be in retreat southward. Hoping to inter- cept and capture him, Colonel Mathies made a rapid march toward Di.xie with his fresh recruits; and, though unable to overtake him, they achieved the glory of a first experience in real campaigning — bivouacking during the night in an open field, and receiving for their breakfast a peculiar cracker, which, though possibly not entirely dis- tasteful as a novelty and as a part of their initiation into the art of war, became, from too great familiarity, most undeniably prosaic, under the name of "hard-tack." The detachment returned to Keokuk the following day, and proceeded by steamer to St. Louis, reaching there on the twelfth of August. At Jefferson barracks the men received their arm,s, and having been ordered to Lexington in company with other troops, commenced their voyage up the Missouri without loss of time. Three days afterwards, when some forty miles above Jefferson City, the troops upward bound were met by a regiment of three months' men whose time had expired, and from them received such urgent repre- sentations of the inadequacy of a force being sent into a country literally overrun by guerilla men and beset with masked batteries, that Colonel Worthington decided to return to Jefferson City and await further orders. Here, in response to his telegram to General Fremont, he was ordered to disembark and go into camp. A few days later, at Camp Defiance, the first instalment of the Gov- ernment uniform was received, as also cartridge boxes, canteens, camp equipage, etc. From this time until near the middle of October, when the march on Springfield commenced, the headquarters of the regiment were sometimes at Jefferson City, some- times at Boonville, while much of the time was spent in the field, moving in various directions, a detachment be- ing kept for many weeks at the railroad crossing at Osage, some ten miles south of the capital, to protect a valuable bridge. During this time a detachment under Colonel \\'orth- ington proceeded by steamer to Boonville, seized the confiscated stock of a shot tower, and other property, including a printing office, bringing the same to Jefferson City, with the specie from Boonville bank. Another ex- pedition ascended the river some thirty-five miles to Rocheport, and, in conjunction with several companies under Colonel Worthington, advanced from different HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 125 points on Columbia, the object being to capture a body of rebels collected there under Major Harris. No enemy was found, and the regiment marched across the country to Jefferson City, having gained at least some wholesome experience in carrying knapsacks on .the march. Drilling and camp duties filled up the time until again, on the fourteenth of September, the regiment moved up the Missouri by steamer to reenforce a small body of home guards at Boonville, who had been attacked the day before by a considerable force of rebels under Colo- nel Brown. On the arrival of the regiment, on the morning of the fifteenth, they were met with the gratify- ing intelligence that the home guards had repelled the attack, killing and wounding some sixty of the enemy. Colonel Brown being among the killed. Ten days were spent here, adding to the duties of the camp, drill, and scout, much hard labor in improving and completing the fortifications which had been commenced by the lament- ed Lyon early in the summer. On the twenty-fifth the regiment moved up to Glasgow, where there was an easy crossing of the Missouri, to prevent the passage of forces to join Price, who had captured Lexington a few days before. This duty done, they returned to Boonville, where the regiment remained until the march toward Springfield commenced. During the Springfield campaign the Buchanan men were attached to Colonel Kelton's brigade, in General Pope's division, which made a rapid march over wretched roads to Springfield, and returned to Syracuse, reaching there November 17th, having marched more than three hundred miles. During the remainder of the winter, Colonel Worthington was in command of a brigade with headquarters at Otterville, Lieutenant Colonel Mathies, with seven companies at Boonville, quartered comforta- bly in houses, and three companies at Syracuse, in an encampment of tents, patrolling the railroad day and night, until the close of January, 1S62. On the first of February the three companies from Syracuse joined the other companies at Boonville. A week later the regi- ment crossed the Missouri, and after a day or two, took up the line of march for St. Charles. The weather was bad and the roads worse, but the march of one hundred and fifty miles was performed in ten days. Crossing the Missouri again, the regiment proceeded at once to St. Louis by rail. Reaching St. Louis, the men marched from the depot to the river, and were soon on their way southward. Landed at Cairo, remained a few days, then ascending the river debarked at Commerce, some thirty miles above Cairo. Here they received new tents, but halted in them but one day, marching on the twenty-sixth to Benton, nine miles distant, where the army of the Mississippi was concentrating under Pope. The march on New Madrid was commenced on the first day of March, the Buchanan troops being in the First brigade; Colonel Worthington commanding, Second division, Gen- eral Schuyler Hamilton. The army came in sight of New Madrid at noon of the third, the march having been over roads obstructed by the enemy, through swamps and drenching rains. In the operations which succeeded against New Madrid, Island No. 10, and (after the brilliant success at these places) against Fort Pillow, the Fifth Iowa took an active part. Included in the onward movement by (ieneral Pope to reenforce Hal- leck at Corinth, our friends were embarked in a leaky steamer for Cairo, but making an exchange at that place, went on up the Ohio and Tennessee without note — worthy incident, and debarked at Hamburgh Landing on the twenty-second of April. In the dull duties of this slow campaign and in the occasional reconnoissances which, under the direction of division commanders, relieved the monotony of the snail-like advance, our regiment bore its part, with be- coming resignation in the one case, and with distin- guished valor in the other. On the twenty-second of May the regiment and the Nation met with a heavy loss in the accidental death of Colonel Worthington. Meantime, the regiment moved slowly from Farming- ton toward Corinth, which was evacuated by the rebels on the morning of the thirtieth of May, and entered the same day by General Halleck. A pursuit was at once instituted by Pope's division, but the Iowa Fifth, though one of the best marching regiments in the command, was delayed by rivers and creeks, the bridges over which had been destroyed, and by other obstructions, so that its progress was exceedingly slow, as the following state- ment will show: It marched but five miles on the day of the evacuation, but eight the next, and then, halting a day or two to receive Whitney rifles in exchange for its old arms, moved a dozen miles to near Rienzi, and the day afterward to Boonville, Mississippi, eight miles fur- ther south, where it went intg bivouac and there re- mained until the tenth of June. From this date, the time passed in marching and countermarching, drilling being the principal duty, until, on the fifth of August, the division marched to Jacinto, where it remained till the day before the battle of luka. Meantime Major Robertson had resigned. Lieutenant Colonel Mathies had been promoted to the colonelcy. Captain Sampson to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and Cap- tain Banbury was promoted to the rank of major. The part of Iowa troops in this battle need not be re- peated here. The regiments which had particularly distin- guished themselves were the Sixteenth and the Fifth. "The glorious Fifth Iowa" says Rosecrans, "under the brave and distinguished Mathies, sustained by Boomer with part of his noble little Twenty-sixth Missouri, bore the thrice repeated charges and cross-fires of the rebel left and centre with a valor and determination seldom equalled, never excelled by the most veteran soldiery." The Fifth Iowa, General Hamilton says in his official report, "under its brave and accomplished Mathies, held its ground against four times its number, making three desperate charges with the bayonet, driving back the foe in disorder each time, until, with every cartridi'e ex- hausted, it fell back slowly and sullenly, making every step a battle-ground and every charge a victory." And the correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial says that, "most of our troops engaged behaved in the most gallant manner; particularly the Eleventh Missouri and Fifth Iowa. These two regiments stood the brunt of 126 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. the battle, as their lists of killed and wounded testify." Colonel Mathies, in his report, states that high praise is due to all his officers and men, without exception. "In commanding my regiment before the enemy, he says, "I was nobly assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Samp- son on the right, Adjutant Patterson, acting major, on the left, and Lieutenant W. S. Marshall, acting adjutant, all of whom behaved most gallantly, repeating my com- mands, and steadying and cheering on my brave boys throughout the engagement." For his own gallant and meritorious conduct. Colonel Mathies was afterward promoted to the rank of a brigadier general. Of the four hundred and eighty-two officers and men of the Fifth Iowa, who were engaged in the battle, more than two hundred and twenty were killed and wounded. Three days after the battle, the regiment reached its old camp near Jacinto, and there rested (if working upon fortifications can be so called) during the remainder of the month. On the first of October it marched to Corinth, and though, on the first day's battle which soon followed, it was so posted as not to be brought into ac- tion, it was engaged on the fourth day, from early in the morning till the defeat of the enemy about noon, but be- ing posted behind natural defences, it suffered but a trifling loss, though rendering valuable service, especially in the repulse of a charge on the Eleventh Ohio battery, which it was supporting on the left. To repel it, one regiment marched on the double-quick step to the threat- ened point, fired four volleys into the enemy, and drove them off in admirable disorder. In the pursuit of the rebels, after their terrible defeat, the regiment made some rapid marches, and returned to Corinth, going into camp on the evening of the eleventh, the men worn out with fatigue, many of them entirely without shoes, and scarcely one with suitable clothing. Here a brief season of rest was granted, before the regiment was again engaged, this time in conjunction with (General Grant's forces organiz- ing to take Vicksburgh in the rear. No good, but much suffering resulted from this campaign. From the first of February, 1863, to the second of March, the division. General J. F. Quinby's, remained in camp near Mem- phis, a single day's scout, so far as the Fifth was con- cerned, bemg the only interruption of its quiet. On the second of March the regiment commenced its work in the Vicksburgh campaign; and, from that time till the capitulation of Pemberton, more than one hundred and twenty days afterward, its history forms a creditable part of the memorable events of that period, crowded with the most momentous achievements of the war. After the fall of the gallant Boomer, Colonel Banbury, pro- moted, took command of the regiment, and Adjutant Marshall was promoted to the rank of major. In the campaign under Major General Sherman, which followed the capture of Vicksburgh, the brigade to which the Fifth belonged, performed valuable service, and was handsomely complimented by that general in his official report of the operations which resulted in driving Johnston out of the State, and in bringing the whole of it under the power of our armies. In the marches and countermarches of this active campaign, the Fifth Iowa encamped two different times on the memorable field of Champion Hills, remaining there after the retreat of Johnston, from the seventeenth to the twenty-second of July. It then proceeded by leisurely marches to Vicks- burgh, and encamped within the works on the twenty- fourth, where if remained, in the performance of light garrison duties, for nearly two months, in common with the whole division. On the twelfth of the following September, the division moved to Helena, Arkansas, for the purpose of reenforc- ing General Steele. That officer, however, had captured Little Rock on the tenth, and needed no more troops. While these troops were awaiting transportation back to Vicksburgh, General Rosecrans met with the reverse at Chickainauga. General Sherman commanding the Fif- teenth corps, was ordered to reenforce the army of the Cumberland; and, that he might do so the more promptly, the division of the Seventeenth corps at Helena was exchanged into his command, in place of one of his divi.sions near Vicksburgh. The Fifth accord- ingly moved with the division to Memphis by river, and thence by rail to Corinth, reaching that place of varied associations on the afternoon of October 4th, — just one year from the great victory which it had helped to win. Here it was employed for a month in rebuilding the rail- road toward luka, and in other ways preparing for the march to Chattanooga, which began on November ist, and ended on the twenty-fourth, with the division, now the Third, Fifteenth corps, in face of the enemy on Missionary Ridge. In the remarkable contest which ensued, called in history the battle of Chattanooga, which was in fact a series of grand combats from the banks of the Tennessee to the tops of mountains above the clouds, our regiment well performed its part near the northern extremity of Missionary Ridge. Here, near Tunnel Hill, frowning with rebel batteries, the regiment fought the afternoon of the twenty-fifth, but was overcome near evening by an overwhelming force of the enemy. Many were captured, including Major Marshall and Adjutant Byers. The colors also fell into the hands of the enemy, whilst the men who escaped, passed through a shower of balls, and were heedless of the rebel yells to "halt." The regiment went into the action with two hundred and twenty-seven men and twenty-one officers, and lost in killed, wounded, and captured, one hundred and six, of whom quite a large proportion were captured. Colonel Banbury thus closes his official report: I can not feel justified in closing this report without bearing testimony to the uncomplaining manner in which my brave men have performed the hard labor, and endured the severe deprivations of the campaign just closed; especially during the week ending November, following immediately upon the long fatiguing march of over two hundred miles. They were up at midnight of the twenty-third fortifying, and manoeuvr- ing for battle all day of the twenty-fourth. On picket-guard in the face of the enemy on the night of the twenty-fourth, fighting the enemy on the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh {without rations or blankets, shivering around their camp fires during the nights, and marching through rain and mud during the days), and returning to camp— twenty- two miles — on the twenty-eighth. All this in the Qead of winter, and without a murmur. When the regiment on the third, fourth and fifth days HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 127 of December marched to Bridgeport, Alabama, many of the men had nothing but parched corn in their haver- sacks. The command remained at Bridgeport, which is in the extreme northeastern part of the State, until the twenty-second, when it marched to Laikinsville, forty-five miles distant. Having halted there a day or two, it moved a few miles south to a mill, and remained there on guard duty, and engaged in the milling business for a week. On the seventh of January, 1864, the line of march for Huntsville was taken up. The command reached that place on the ninth, and there spent the re- mainder of the winter. Whilst at Huntsville, about one hundred and fifty members of the regiment, being the most of those present for duty, reenlisted under the orders of the War Department for the formation of an army of veterans. The history of the veterans from this date has already been given in connection with the account of their recep- tion on their return to Independence in April, 1864. The history of the gallant Fifth Iowa infantry as a dis- tinct command, virtually closed when the non-veterans were mustered out on the thirtieth of July, 1864. The term of its service was therefore, a little over three years. During this time it had marched, on foot, over two thousand miles in the States of Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, participating in Fremont's campaign of one hundred days in southwestern Missouri in the fall of 1861 ; in the campaign against New Madrid, Island No. 10, and Fort Pillow, in the siege of Corinth, in the battle of luka, and that of Corinth soon afterward, in the campaign in central Mississippi under General Grant, the Yazoo Pass expedition, in the grand campaign against Vicksburgh, in that of Chattanooga, closing an eventful, honorable history with its ranks so thinned that it was compelled to yield up its separate organization — retired from the records of the war for the future, but with a past so well secured by many glorious services, undimmed by the shade of any unworthy act, that its memory will be kept green among our people till luka and Chat- tanooga shall have passed from their recollection, and much of the noblest heroism of the war have been for- gotten. NINTH INFANTRY. In July, 1861, on the day of the battle of Bull Run, the Hon. William Vandever, then a representative in Congress from the second district of Iowa, which at that time embraced the northern half of the State, went to the Secretary of War and tendered a regiment of volunteers, to be recruited and organized by himself in his district. His proposition was accepted at once by Mr. Cameron, and Mr. Vandever speedily returned to Iowa and went energetically to work in the matter. Early in August the first company went into rendezvous at Dubuque, and in a few weeks the regiment was fully organized. It was mustered into the service on the twenty-fourth of Sep- tember, with the following oflScers: William Vandever, colonel; Frank J. Herron, lieutenant colonel; William H. Cayle, major; William Scott, adjutant; F. S. Win- slow, quartermaster; Benjamin McClure, surgeon; H. W. Hart, assistant surgeon; Rev. A. B. Hendig, chap- lain. Company C, Buchanan county. Captain J. M. Hord. The regiment remained in rendezvous but a day or two after being sworn into the service. From Dubuque it went directly to St. Louis, where, at Benton barracks, it went into camp of instruction. By the middle of October its camp was advanced to Pacific City, on the Pacific railroad, and the duty of guarding the southwest- ern branch of that road, between Franklin and Rolla, was assigned to it. Here, during the next three months, all of the troops composing the armies of the west, so designated for convenience and not officially, were pre- paring for that grand forward movement, which, com- mencing soon afterwards, swept with irresistable force, not often long retarded, over the whole domain claimed by traitors, and at last hurled them to destruction. Many of the Union troops engaged in this glorious work, in aid of its complete accomplishment, marched, skir- mished, fought the entire circuit of the confederacy; and among these, the Iowa Ninth holds honorable rank. On the twenty-second day of January, 1862, the vari- ous companies of the command left their camps along the railroad and joined the army of the southwest, con- centrating at RoUo, under Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis. Marching to Lebanon, some sixty miles south- west of Rolla, a week was there spent in organization and preparation. The army was composed of four divisions: the first, commanded by General F. Siegel ; the second, by General A. Ashboth ; the third, by Colonel Jefferson C. Davis; and the fourth, by Colonel E. A. Carr. The troops were from the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. Colonel G. M. Dodge, Fourth Iowa, commanded the First brigade, Fourth division, con- sisting of his own regiment, the Thirty-fifth Illinois and the First Iowa battery. Colonel Vandever was in com- mand of the Second brigade, consisting of the Ninth Iowa, Twenty-fifth Missouri, Third Illinois cavalry, and Third Iowa battery. Two battalions of the Third Iowa cavalry, Colonel Bussey, were also in the army, but not assigned to any particular division, so that all the Iowa troops participating in the campaign were in Colonel Carr's division. Thus organized, the army marched after the rebel Price, and on the fifteenth of February entered Spring- field from all sides, hoping to find the enemy there; but Price shrewdly "allowing" that it "wouldn't pay," was rSpidly making his way to a warmer climate, though Curtis had succeeded in making that of Southern Mis- souri "too hot" for him. General Curtis marched in pursuit, and for several days the retreat and pursuit were equally rapid. Carr's division, containing the Iowa troops, had the advance, and skirmishing daily was the rule until Price was joined by McCuUoch, eighteen miles south of the Arkansas line, at Cross Hollows, and the southward movement was continued by the rebels. Gen- eral Curtis took possession of advantageous ground at Cross Hollows, and determined to await an attack. It was in one of the skirmishes during the pursuit at Sugar creek, near the boundary, line between Missouri and 128 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Arkansas, that the Ninth Iowa was first under fire. The command behaved like veterans on this, to them, im- portant occasion, charging and driving before them a rebel force outnumbering their own, after receiving with- out flinching the fire of a battery of artillery and its in- fantry supports. For convenience of forage and subsistence, the different divisions were posted at considerable distance from each other, but not beyond the reach of mutual support in case of the approach of the enemy. Colonel Carr's division was at Cross Hollows, headquarters of the army. On the fourteenth of March, Colonel Vandever, with a picked portion of his brigade, consisting of a battalion of cavalry, a section of the Dubuque battery, and a large detachment of his own regiment, moved from the camp of the division and marched fifteen miles in the direction of Huntsville. The command reached that place on the afternoon of the next day, and found it to be a dilapi- dated village which had just been abandoned by a body of rebel cavalry. From the bewildered citizens informa- tion was received ot the advance of the rebel army, now under the command of Major General Earl Van Dorn, and heavily reenforced. Colonel Vandever received this information with the utmost apparent indifference, and allowed his command to remain in town some two hours, while he appeared to be attending to matters which naturally fell under his attention as a Union officer. Toward evening he leisurely marched his force out of town, and pitched camp some miles distant. During the night a courier arrived witli dispatches from (Jeneral Curtis, confirming the intelligence of the afternoon and ordering him to march with all possible dispatch to Pea Ridge, where the army was being concentrated for battle. To avoid the rebel army. Colonel \'andever was com- pelled to take a route which involved a march of forty- one miles, and across the pathway lay the White river and other streams of smaller size, which had to be forded. To add to the difficulties of this forced march, snow fell during the night, making walking most disagreeable and laborious. At 4 o'clock on the morning of the sixth, the little column was in motion, and steadily the march con- tinued — tramp, tramp, all day long was the only sound that was heard, and that was heard as regularly as the ticking of a clock. Not a moment's time was lost throughout the day. At 6 o'clock in the evening, having marched for fourteen consecutive hours, the command reached the army. The famous march to Talavera of Wellington's light division was no more remarkable than this, in which some of the sons of Buchanan county took jjart. Napier enthusiastically relates how that division, which had been trained by Sir John Moore himself, crossed the field of battle after its great march, in com- pact order, and immediately took charge of the outposts. The column under Colonel Vandever fought throughout a pitched battle of two days' continuance, immediately after its great march. The army under General Curtis numbered ten thou- sand five hundred men, cavalry and infantry, with forty-nine pieces of artillery, including four mountain howitzers. It is perhaps impossible to give the rebel numbers with any exactness, authorities differing widely on this point. Pollard, the rebel historian, admits that they numbered sixteen thousand — but their own officers admitted to Captain McKenney, of General Curtis' staff, that they numbered thirty thousand; and this accords with the estimates current at the time, which made the rebel force engaged three times that of the Union. Of this battle our author says: "Whether considered in reference to the skill with which the troops were manceuvred, or the valor with which they fought, this must be placed among the most memorable and honor- able victories of the war. The field was far removed from General Curtis' base of supplies; in a country much better known to the enemy than to him ; that enemy outnumbered him, I think, three to one. Yet he defeated him so thoroughly and absolutely that his scat- tered squads were driven in panic for leagues — far away to the south — like leaves before a tempest. Among their killed were Generals Mcintosh and McCuUoch, while Generals Price and Slack were severely wounded. The American Almanac and Annual Record puts the en- tire rebel loss at one thousand one hundred killed ; two thousand five hundred wounded, and one thousand six hundred prisoners. Our own loss, in killed, wounded and missing, numbered one thousand three hundred and fifty-one." General Curtis, in his official dispatch, very justly says that "Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and Missouri, may proudly share the honors of the victory which their gal- lant heroes have won over the combined forces of Van Dorn, Price and McCulloch at Pea Ridge, in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas." His detailed report of the battle closes in language which all must feel to be that of just eulogium, and not of mere formal compliment. "To do justice to all," he says, "I should spread before you the most of the rolls of this army, for I can bear testimony to the almost uni- versal good conduct of officers and men, who have shared with me the long march, the many conflicts by the way, and the final struggle ' at the battle of Pea Ridge." The part borne by Iowa in the struggle was most con- spicuous. The commanding general was from our State, and any description of the battle must be most lame if it does not show him to have been a consummate tactician and obstinate fighter. Colonel Dodge and Colonel Van- dever commanded the two brigades which stood the brunt of the battle, which were handled with the most admirable skill and coolness, and which fought with a valor never surpassed in the history of wars. "The Fourth and Ninth Iowa," says General Curtis, "won im- perishable honors." There were innumerable acts of special bravery performed by Iowa troops during the battle; and there never was an engagement, perhaps, in which good conduct was more universal. General Curtis especially commends Colonels Dodge and Van- dever, while these colonels, in their official reports, give long lists of regimental and company officers who dis- tinguished themselves for coolness and valor, "while all did well and fought nobly." HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 129 In fine, all the Iowa troops behaved with that high degree of valor which distinguished their conduct throughout the war, and their losses were more severe than those of any other troops. The casualties of com- pany C, the Buchanan county company, were as follows: Killed — Lieutenant Nathan Rice, Private Julius Furcht. Wounded — Sergeant Jacob P.Sampson, Corporal Charles C. Curtis, Wagoner David Creek, Privates Isaac Arwine (mortally), George M. Abbott (mortally), Jesse Barnett, L. n. Curtis, John Cartwright (mortally), J. E. Elson, C. A. Hobart, Stephen Holman, Orlando F. Luckey, James Leatherman, Philip Riterman, Russel Rouse, Samuel Robbins, ^Villiam Wisennand (mortally), Adonain J. Windsar (mortally). Having buried the dead and cared for the wounded, the army moved from Pea Ridge a few days after the battle, and, encamping in the vicinity of Bentonville, had there a short rest. After this our regiment took up the line of march with the army, and moving through a part of Missouri and across Arkansas, arrived at Helena about the middle of July, after a campaign of unusual hardships. At Helena the regiment had its first and last permanent encampment, and there it remained in quiet for a period of five months. The history of the regi- ment up to this time had been one of almost constant activity, of movements in the face of the enemy; of severe marches, terminating in a sanguinary battle. It had been impossible, however, to give that attention to drill and discipline which had been desired by the offi- cers. There was a fine opportunity now to make up for any deficiencies in these respects, and it was improved by both officers and men, so that, when the regiment again commenced its active operations, which continued with but short intermissions of rest, it was one of the best drilled and best disciplined regiments in the service. The fame of the army which won the victory of Pea Ridge, soon spread over the country and over Christen- dom. The Ninth received a most gratifying evidence of their own good name and fame, whilst at Helena, in the presentation to the command, by the hands of Miss Phoebe Adams, in behalf of a committee of ladies of Boston, Massachusetts, a stand of beautiful silk colors, elaborately embroidered in gold. Miss Adams presented the magnificent gift with the pleasing assurance that it was a testimonial of the appreciation on the part of many of the ladies of Boston of the conduct of the regiment in the battle of Pea Ridge. These colors were guarded and cherished by the command with religious care and afTection. After they had been borne many long miles and on many a proud field, riddled and torn with balls, and covered with a thousand scars of battle, they were presented by the unanimous voice of the regi- ment, one to the original donors, and the other to Brevet Major General Vandever, the old commander of the regiment, whom the men of his original command never ceased to hold in the warmest esteem. The regiment having been assigned to Thayer's bri- gade, of Steele's division, joined the army under Sher- man, which moved down the Mississippi to attack Vicks- burgh. In the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, where the '7 Fourth Iowa gained such unfading laurels, and where many Iowa regiments were engaged, the Ninth was under fire during the greater part of the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth of December; but was not itself actively engaged^ except for about half an hour on the latter day. The attempt on Vicksburgh by Chickasaw Bayou having failed, the army slowly and sorrowfully reembarked and steamed down the dark sluggish waters of the Yazoo to the Mississippi, and to Milliken's Bend, where Major General McClernand assumed command. During the year just closed, the Ninth had lost, by death, discharge, and otherwise, three hundred and twenty five men, and had gained, during the same period, fifty-six by enlist- ment so that, when it commenced the year 1863, it numbered seven hundred and twenty-six, rank and file. The regiment commenced the new year by taking an active part in the brilliant campaign of Arkansas Post, which resulted in the capture of a large number of pris- oners, and an immense quantity of supplies and arms. From this point the troops again embarked, and, moving down the Arkansas and Mississijipi, disembarked at Young's Point, Louisiana; Steele's division moving down and going into camp below the mouth of the canal, which had been dug the year before. Here, near Young's Point, the army lay encamped many weary weeks, which formed the darkest era of the whole year to the troops who endured it. The encampment was a vast swamp. In front was the Mississippi, flowing moodily by, ever threatening to burst from its banks and engulf the half submerged army. Beyond, and in plain view, were the hills of Vicksburgh with their frowning batteries. From the oozy encampment vapors and fogs arose, which caused the sun to shine with a feeble, sickly power, whilst much of the time it rained, day in and day out, without cessation. The army was like an army of drowning rats. The troops sat gloomily within their tents in sullen silence, or moved about from place to place in the performance of necessary duties, like soulless, voiceless animals. Driven from one encamjjment to another, and to another, and still another, till the army at last "roosted on the levee of the Mississip[)i." The men moved with a list- less indifference, plainly showing that they cared very little whether their camps and lives were saved or swept away together by the floods. Death was holding high carnival in every encampment, and acres of graveyards were soon visible in these most dismal swamps. The dying increased as the flood increased, till at length the dead were buried on the levee, whither the army had been driven. There they continued to be buried till, it is not too much to say, the levee was formed, near its outer surface, of dead men's bones, like the layers of stones in a work of masonry. When, after more than two months' stay in this vicinity, the army moved away, it left the scene of its encampments, the Golgotha of America. Major Abernethy, in speaking of this period in the history of the Ninth, says the ordeal of these unpropitious months was the more grievous, because it had all the evils of the battle-field, with none of its hon- ors. And, as it was with the Ninth, so it was with the arge army of which it formed a part. I 13° HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Meantime, Colonel Vandever having been promoted a brigadier general, Captain David Carskaddon was elected and commissioned in his place. The first active cam- paigning in which the regiment was engaged after Col- onel Carckaddon took command, was in the expedition of General Steele into central Mississippi, by Greenville, which consumed about a month. Returning, the com- mand encamped for a short time at Milliken's Bend, and then joined the grand campaign against Vicksburgh. Leaving their tents standing, one regiment put themselves in light marching order, and, on the second of May, started for Grand Gulf, as fully inspired by hope and enthusiasm, as they had been depressed by despondency and sorrow, two months before. Rapidly marching by Richmond to the landing opposite Grand Gulf, and there crossing the river, the division joined the corps, and marching on Jackson, took part in the capture of that capital. Then facing about, it moved in the direction of Vicksburgh; and, on the eighteenth, took position on the right of our lines before the enemy's works. On the nineteenth there was an irregular assault, in which our regiment lost a number of killed and wounded; among them Captains Kelsey and Washburn, and Lieutenants Jones, Wilbur, and Terrell, killed. The position of the regiment during the siege was a good one, well covered by the crest of a hill, strengthened by works, but the rebel sharp-shooters occasionally picked off a man, never- theless. The regiment lost, during the siege, from the eighteenth of May to the fourth of July, one hundred and twenty-one in killed and wounded. But even now there was no rest for the weary troops. Before daylight, on the morning after the capitulation, the expeditionary army under Sherman moved after Joe Johnston, and, following him to Jackson found him there strongly intrenched behind heavy works. In this campaign the Ninth fully participated; and, after its successful termination, went into camp in a beautiful grove near Big Black river; and here, not far from the scenes where, for so many months, nothing but the wrinkled front of grim-visaged war had been seen, had a long period of rest. But it was not one of enjoyment, for, added to the discomforts of the hot weather, the effects of the confined life during the siege began now to be visible on the troops, many of whom became sick outright, and others unfit for service. During this period General Steele, commanding division, and General Thayer, commanding brigade, were ordered to another department of the army, being succeeded by General Osterhaus in command of division, and by Colonel J. A. Williamson, Fourth Iowa, of the brigade, which was com- posed of Iowa troops, and which remained under the com- mand of that accomplished officer throughout the cam- paigns of Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Savannah ; at the close of which last, being appointed to the rank which he had so long and so honorably actually filled, he received orders which called him into another field of usefulness. On the twenty-second of September orders to move were received, and, before night, the regiment was in the cars moving to Vicksburgh. Moving by steamer to Memphis, and by train thence to Corinth, after some de- lay occupied in the repair of the railway, and some skir- mishing with the enemy under Forrest, the march to Chattanooga was commenced ; and, on November 23d, after a march of three hundred miles, the regiment pitched its tents at the foot of Lookout Mountain. Twenty-four hours later it was taking gallant part in the "Battle Above the Clouds," under the dashing General Hooker. The enemy evacuated Lookout Mountain on the night of the twenty-fourth, and, on the following day, the battle of Mission Ridge took place. So far as our regiment was concerned this was rather a contest of legs than of arms; the enemy running to escape, and our troops to catch them. And thus, for miles on the summit of the mountain, they had a running fight, which closed with the enemy being captured in large numbers, and the rest fleeing from the field. The regiment con- tinued in the pursuit, under Hooker, to Ringgold, where the enemy made a stand, and for some time contended with no little success against our arms. The Ninth joined in the charge up the hillsides on the twenty- seventh, but the enemy had now become exhausted and discouraged, and retired without serious opposition, leav- ing us in full possession of the position. The loss of the regiment, during the three engagements, was three killed and sixteen wounded. From Ringgold General Osterhaus marched to rejoin Sherman, from whom he had been separated by reason of the accidental breaking of a pontoon bridge over the Tennessee; and, the junction having been made, the division marched by Chattanooga, Bridgeport and Steven- son, to Woodville, Alabama, and went into winter quar- ters but a few days before the close of the year. New Year's day was spent by the regiment in reenlist- ing. The number of men had by this time been re- duced to about five hundred, of whom all were not eligible as veterans under the rules of the War Depart- ment. Nearly three hundred reenlisted, and the Ninth became a veteran regiment. The consequent privilege of a furlough was granted, and the veterans returned to Iowa early in the following month. On arriving at Du- buque they were met by the citizens of that hospitable city en masse, and welcomed home with a cordiality which must have been in the highest degree gratifying. Their reception here was a magnificent ovation, worthy of Dubuque and of them; and, best of all, it did not end with speechifying, but with a supper in comparison with the luxuries of which, those of the Georgia prom- enade were flat, stale and unprofitable. Moreover, fair hands, which would not have condescended to wait upon the princes of the best blood of Europe, gladly waited on these war-worn heroes. As the men went to their homes in northern Iowa, they were everywhere met with as warm and cheerful a reception as is within the heart of man to conceive, or his hands to bestow. And thns the thirty days' respite from the toils and hardships of war, passed like a brief dream, too peaceful and happy to last. The men, at the close of their short furlough, accom- panied by many recruits, went by railway and steamer to HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 131 Nashville, whence they marched to Woodville, arriving on the tenth of April, 1864. Here twenty days were spent in procuring supplies of clothing, equipage and arms. The old Dresden rifles, which had done such execution from the beginning, were returned to the Government, and new Springfield rifled muskets drawn in their stead. Though the regiment had been pre- sented by the ladies of Boston with another magnificent stand of colors, to replace those worn out in the service, these were now kept rather for ornament than use, and a stand of regulation colors drawn from the Government, were carried in the line throughout the subsequent career of the regiment. On the first of May Colonel Carckaddon, just re- turned from sick leave, in command, took line of march for Chattanooga, and at once entered upon the campaign of Atlanta. For the next four months the regiment par- ticipated in all the labors, marches, skirmishes, battles, and sieges of this great campaign, in which the Fifteenth corps took part. It marched, during that campaign, a distance of four hundred miles, much of it by night; built forty different lines of works; crossed three large rivers and many streams of a smaller size, in the face of the enemy; and took honorable part in the engage- ments, many of them heavy battles, of Resaca, Dallas, New Hope, Big Shanty, Kennesaw Mountain, Chattahoo- chee River, Decatur, Atlanta, Jonesborough and Love- joy. In two of the severest of these conflicts it had the rare pleasure of fighting behind entrenchments, suffering but little loss itself while inflicting terrible punishment upon the enemy. There is no doubt that the regiment, in the course of the campaign, placed many more rebels hors dc combat than the command itself numbered. The losses of the regiment were fourteen killed, seyenty wounded, and six captured. A tabular statement of the casualties in the regiment, during its term of service, furnished by Lieutenant Colonel Abernethy, shows that in its various engagements, numbering more than a score of battles, the Ninth Iowa lost eighty-seven officers and men slain, forty-six wounded mortally, three hundred and sixty-four wounded, and ten captured by the enemy, making a total loss during the war, on the field of bat- tle, of five hundred and seven. With the termination of the campaign, the regiment went into regular encampment, with the expectation of having a considerable period of rest. The same ex- pectation was shared by the generals, as an order was issued permitting five per cent, of the men to be fur- loughed, which order was soon countermanded in con- sequence of the interruptions of our communications and the threatening attitude of the rebel General Hood. Our regiment joined in his pursuit, breaking camp for that purpose early in October, and in one month made a march and countermarch of three hundred and fifty miles without having seen anything of the rebel forces but their heels. But before this march commenced, the original term for which the regiment entered the service expired, and the nonveterans, numbering more than one hundred, were honorably discharged. During the march on Savannah, the regiment was com- manded by Captain M. Sweeney, company B, who con- ducted it through that excursion without the loss of a single man. .-Xfter a few weeks' halt at Savannah, the regiment sailed to Beaufort, South Carolina, where it awaited the completion of General Sherman's prepara- tions to march through the Carolinas. Here Colonel Carckaddon returned to the regiment and was honorably mustered out of service by reason of expiration of term. He had faithfully served his country for more than three years. The command of the regiment now devolved upon Major Alonzo Abernethy, one of the most modest, as well as most meritorious of Donna's field officers, pro- moted from Captain of company F, in place of Major Granger, who died in the hospital at Nashville, Tennes- see. The march northward began on the twenty-sixth of January, and on the nineteenth of May our regiment pitched its tents on the heights of Alexandria, in plain view of the dome of the National capital. It had, on this, its last, campaign, marched through many miles of swamps, built many miles of road and many miles of intrenchment, especially near Bentonville; participated in the dangerous movement which resulted in the capture of Columbia, for which achievement the Iowa brigade, under Colonel Stone, received the personal compliments of General Howard, and fought with bravery wherever there was fighting to do. At Columbia, the regiment drew rations for the twenty days' march to Fayetteville, North Carolina. They consisted of one half pound hard bread per man — neither more nor less. Nevertheless, the command found plenty of food and fared sumptuous- ly every day. This was different indeed from the parched corn era of Arkansas, or the week of rice diet in the swamps, near Savannah. Taking part in the great review of the twenty-sixth of May, the regiment moved into camp near Crystal Springs, a short distance north of Washington, whence, early in June, it proceeded to Louisville, where it was mustered out of service on the eighteenth of July, 1865, then numbering five hundred and ninety-five officers and men. From Louisville the regiment moved by rail to Clinton, Iowa, for final payment. The regiment brought from the field four flags, of which two — the National colors and the regimental blue — were placed in the office of the State adjutant general. One bearing the names of the principal engagements in which the regiment had taken part — Pea Ridge, Chicka- saw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Jackson, assault and siege of Vicksburgh, siege of Jackson, Brandon, Cherokee, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Resaca, Dallas, New Hope, Big Shanty, Kennesaw Mountain, Chattahoochee river, Atlanta (July 22nd and 28th), Jonesborough, Lovejoy, Savannah, Columbia, Benton- ville — was deposited with the State Historical society. The fourth, voted to the regiment at the northern Iowa sanitary fair, held at Dubuque, in May, 1864, was re- tained by the regiment to be disposed of as the regi- mental association, formed at the disbandment of the command, may direct. And thus endeth the history of the Ninth Iowa volun- teers. When their distinguished career was closed, and 132 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. their banners furled, they returned to their homes with the gratified homage of the State upon which they had conferred so much honor, and which will ever and anon unfurl those banners, to read the proud blazonry, in colors of living light, of their unsurpassed achievements in the war for Union and liberty. TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY. The Twenty-seventh Iowa volunteers had nearly as varied an experience, in the matter of climate, as the distinguished explorer after the remains of Sir John Franklin, who received his orders to the polar regions whilst bathing in the gulf of Mexico. The Twenty- seventh performed its first active service in northern Minnesota, in about the latitude of Quebec; and before it closed its career of usefulness and honor, its hardy troops liad made a voyage on the gulf, from Balize to Mobile bay. They had seen the Mississippi river where it looked like an insignificant stream; and again where, having received the waters of a continent, it swept by many channels into "the far-resounding sea." The regiment was recruited in the northern part of Iowa, from the seven counties comprising the Third congressional district. The different companies went into camp of instruction at the Dubuque rendezvous in the latter part of August, where, in Camp Franklin, near that city, they were engaged in taking the usual lessons in the military art, until the third of October, when they were mustered into the service of the United States as the Twenty-Seventh Iowa volunteer infantry. The rolls at that date bore the names of nine hundred and fifty-two enlisted men and forty officers. The command, thus fully organized and in the service immediately commenced battallion drill; and thorough discipline, the result in part of the high character of the men comprising the companies, was at once inaugurated, though the time for preliminary training did not long continue. Within a week after entering the service, the regiment was ordered to report to Major General Pope, commanding the department of the northwest, to take part in the campaign against the hostile tribes of Indians who were, at that time, threatening the frontier generally, and were especially waging their savage warfare, indis- criminately murdering men, women and children, in Minnesota. The Twenty-seventh regiment hastened to the assistance of General Pope, moving by transports to St. Paul, and going into quarteis at Fort Snelling, near that capital. Shortly afterward Colonel Gilbert was or- dered to Mille Lacs, a village on the lake of that name, a hundred and twenty-five miles north of St. Paul, there to superintend a payment of annuity to certain Indians. Taking six companies of his regiment. Colonel Gilbert marched rapidly northward, over roads cut through a wilderness and made almost impassable by the autumn rains, performed the duties assigned him, and returned to St. Paul on the fourth of November. In the meantime, Colonel (soon after brigadier gener- al) Sibley had defeated the Indians in a severe encoun- ter, and they were reported so far subdued that only Minnesota troops would be required in that department. While Colonel Gilbert was absent on the march to Mille Lacs, Major Howard, commanding the four companies stationed at Fort Snelling, received orders to report with his detachment at Cairo, Illinois. Upon his return, Colonel Gilbert received similar orders, and immediate- ly proceeded to Cairo, going to Prairie du Chien, Wis- consin, by river, and thence by cars, by way of Chicago. The united command remained but a few days at Cairo. Embarking on transports, it proceeded down the river to Memphis, where it reported to General Sherman, and, on the twenty-second of November, went into camp near the city. A few days later, the regiment was assigned its place in General Sherman's force, about to move as the right wing of General Grant's army, on the expedition into central Mississippi, to take the stronghold of Vicksburgh by that way. Before the regiment started on this march, the men complained loudly of the quality of their arms, which were old Prussian muskets, poor at best, and many of the pieces absolutely unserviceable. They had been promised better arms, and, as they were about entering upon a campaign which they had a right to sup- pose would be both active and dangerous, they thought it high time that the promises should be fulfilled. Colo nel Gilbert had the tact and nerve satisfactorily to silence all complaints, so that when the march began, every man and ofificer able to go was in his place. In this campaign, the regiment marched to the Tallahatchee river, and was assigned the duty of guarding the Missis- sippi Central railway between tliat stream and the town of Waterford. When news of the capture of Holly Springs by the rebels was received, six companies of the regiment (in- cluding a portion of the Buchanan county men), with other forces, marched on that place. But the rebels having left the place immediately after the destruction of the cotton and government stores, they returned almost immediately to the vicinity of the Tallahatchee, and soon after joined the army in its march back to Tennessee. The regiment went into camp at Jackson, and, on the last day of the year, being a part of the brigade under command of Colonel Lawler, marched in great haste eastward to reenforce General Sullivan, then fighting the rebel Forrest beyond Lexington. The reenforce- ment marched rapidly through the cold and mud until midnight, and then bivouacked without shelter of any kind or protection from the bitter weather. On the morning of the new year, the command was aroused by an early reveille, and, without even a hasty plate of soup for breakfast, started on the chase after the rebel troop- ers, who had been whipped the day before by Sullivan, and were now beating a retreat in the direction of Clif- ton, a town on the Tennessee river about twenty-five miles south of west from Lexington. To thai point the Union troops were moved in hot pursuit, but arrived too late to prevent the passage of the rebels. They then returned to Jackson by Bethel. The roads over which our regiment marched were horrible; the men were entirely without tents, and many of them without HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 133 blankets, and the weather was most inclement. The command was without rations, except such as Quarter- master Sherburn procured by buying corn of the inhab- itants and grinding it into meal at the mills near the line of march. Thus the men were enabled to get a meal of "corn-dodgers" a day, faring almost as miserably, notwithstanding the efforts of the staff in their behalf, as our prisoners at Libby, in Richmond. The conse- quences of this march of only about one hundred miles were suffering, sickness and death. The regiment re- mained, during the rest of the winter and till beyond the middle of April, 1863, at Jackson. Until spring fairly opened, the camp was a scene of constant suffer- ing and almost daily death. The surgeon's call was at- tended much of the time by more men than that for dress-parade. Every company lost men by the score, and several officers were compelled to resign in order to save their lives. In fine, the consequences of the march to Clifton and return may truthfully be said to have been a greater loss to the regiment than the loss it sustained in all its engagements with the enemy — not excepting the bloody field of Pleasant Hill, where the command was among those "immortal few" regiments which formed the shield for the army under Banks, and saved it from inglorious defeat and destruction. About the eighteenth of April the command moved from Jackson to Corinth, held that post during the tem- porary absence of General Dodge's forces, till the close of the month, and returned to Jackson. The campaign' against Vicksburgh, under General Grant, was now fully inaugurated, and whilst many Iowa regiments were ac- quiring renown in the active operations of that campaign, others were performing less brilliant but not less valuable services, in guarding our lines of communications, and in preventing a rebel incursion across the frontier into territory which had been wrenched from rebel authority by the victories of 1862. Among the latter was the Twenty-seventh. The regiment was posted in detach ments at various places on the railway, not far from Jack. son, Colonel Gilbert being in command of that post. The colonel here won the high commendation of Gen- eral Oglesby, commanding the left wing of the Sixteenth corps, for his wise and energetic administration, which was distinguished for the unrelenting system whereby rich rebel inhabitants were compelled to contribute to the support of indigent Union people who had been driven from their homes and sought protection within our lines. On the fourth of June the regiment moved by cars to La Grange, and thence by march to Moscow, where, and in its vicinity, it spent two months in the performance of duties similar to those it had performed at Jackson. The monotony of camp life was frequently interrupted by the attacks of guerilla men, but upon the whole, the period was one of general and uninteresting quiet. Officers and men chafed under the enforced inaction, and earnestly wished to be taken directly against the enemy. Marching orders were received on the twentieth of August, and their wishes seemed in a fair way to be grati- fied. Joyfully the regiment broke camp and marched to Memphis to join Colonel True's detached brigade, which went to the support of General Steele, then moving on Little Rock, Arkansas. The command w-ent by trans- ports from Memphis to Helena, whence it marched by Clarendon to Duvall's Bluff. There it joined the army under General Steele, and with it took part in the cam- paign which resulted in the capture of Little Rock, on the tenth of September. This campaign, though highly creditable to General Steele and the troops under his command, being sandwiched between that against Vicks- burgh and that which sent the rebels whirling out of Tennessee, it did not receive the eclat which otherwise it would have received. The regiment remained opposite Little Rock about two months, on guard and picket duty. Colonel Gilbert, the most of the time being in command of the brigade. On the fifteenth of November he moved his command by rail to Duvall's Bluff, and, going thence by steamers down the White and up the Mississippi river, reported to General Hurlbut, commanding the Sixteenth corps, at Memphis, near which city our regiment went into quarters and there remained until near the close of January, 1864. Though the regiment did not actively take part in any battle during the year 1863, its losses were considerable, the great majority taking place during that period of suf- fering already described. By death, discharge, and trans- fer to the Invalid corps, since called Veteran Reserve corps, the command lost one hundred and eighty-eight men during the year. Before it left its quarters in Mem- phis, which was before its term of service was half ex- pired, it had ceased to bear upon its rolls the names of two hundred officers and men, which were on them at the organization of the regiment. Of these sixty-four had died during the year 1863; one hundred and eight had been discharged for disability, and sixteen had been transferred to the Invalid corps. On the twenty-sixth of January, 1864, the regiment went aboard of transports and moved down the river to Vicksburgh; and, as a component of the Second brig- ade. Third division. Sixteenth corps (Colonel W. T. Shaw, Fourteenth Iowa, commanding brigade), it took a part in General Sherman's grand raid across the State of Missis- sippi to Meridian, often skirmishing with the enemy, but never having the opportunity fairly to fight him, and re- turned to Vicksburgh on the fourth of March. Halting a few days at Vicksburgh, it next moved by transport with General A. J. Smith's detachment of the Sixteenth corps, to take part in the Red River expedition under Major General Banks. In many of the skirmishes and general engagements of this unfortunate campaign, our regiment took part. In the battle of Pleasant Hill, in particular, where a brigade, composed almost exclu- sively of Iowa troops, rolled back the tide of disaster which might otherwise have engulfed the whole army, the regiment was long and heavily engaged. "In look- ing at that battle from the standpoint of actual observa- tion," says a correspondent, "it would seem as if Gen- eral Banks, alarmed at the disaster of the preceding day, had concluded that some portion of the army must be sacrificed for the preservation of the remainder; and 134 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. as if the grim old Shaw and liis Iowa brigade (for it was composed of Iowa troops, except the Twenty-fourth Mis- souri, which was partly made up of Iowa men) were se- lected as the victims. The old hero, with a command of less than one-tenth of the force in the field, met with fully one-half the entire loss of the day, losing nearly one- third of his entire command in killed and wounded, but saved the army, and covered its retreat that night and next day to Grand Ecore. Colonel Gilbert was wounded in the hand during the afternoon, but remained on the field throughout the engagement. Lieutenants Frank A. Brush and S. O. Smith were severely wounded and taken prisoners. Lieutenant Granger was also wounded. Captain J. M. Holbrook, though twice severely wounded, led his men with great gallantry. He lost an arm from one of his wounds, but will never lose the admiration of his men and fellow ofificers, who fought with him on that day of carnage." On the retreat from Grand Ecore to Alexandria, the Twenty-seventh Iowa, as a part of the forces under Gen- eral Smith covered the retreat of Banks all the way, dur- ing which time it had several brisk engagements with the enemy. On the last of April it moved to the rear of Alexandria, near Governor Moore's plantation, and was there engaged in continuous skirmishing with the enemy for some ten days. Alexandria was burned and evacu- ated on the thirteenth of May. The enemy constantly annoyed the retreating column, and at Marksville a sharp engagement, lasting two or three hours, took place, in which the Twenty-seventh was under fire, but suffered no loss. The battle of Bayou de Glaize, or Yellow Bayou, as it is more commonly called, was fought on the eighteenth of May. The engagement, which the rebels admitted resulted in the severest defeat, for the number engaged, which had befallen them west of the Missis- sippi, continued nearly five hours, during the whole of which our regiment was actively engaged, and suffered a loss of four killed and thirteen wounded. With the day after this combat closed a campaign which was as remarkable for its ill success as any of the war, but which exhibited the courage and indomitable obstinacy of our troops — fighting by detachments, "on their own hook," without a general capable of manoeu- vring the whole army — in the highest possible degree. On this day the regiment fired its farewell volley at a few rebels hovering near the scene of the previous day's fight, and crossing the Atchafalaya, moved to the mouth of the Red river. The command here embarked on steamers, went up the river to Mcksburgh, and there went into camp for a few days' rest. On the fourth of June it again left Vicksburgh as a part of the forces under General A. J. Smith, to dislodge the rebel Marmaduke, who, taking advantage of a bend in the river similar to that at Vicksburgh, was blockadmg the river at two points, close to each other by land, but many tmies as far apart by water. By means of batteries posted at Point Chicot, Greenville, about half way be- tween Vicksburgh and Memphis, he was doing much damage. He could attack a fleet passing up or down the river twice from nearly the same line, fronting in different directions. General Smith, disembarking his forces at Sunnyside Landing, on the Arkansas shore, on the sixth, marched through a drenching rain and attacked Marmaduke, delivering his attack so suddenly and ener- getically that the noted trooper was soon routed, and the blockade of the river raised. In this spirited affair, in which the losses were about one hundred and twenty-five on each side, Colonel Gilbert commanded the brigade. His regiment, being on the left of the line, where there was but little firing, met with no loss. Again the regiment went into camp at Memphis, whence it moved, with the rest of the command, toward the last of the month, on the Tupelo campaign, through- out which Colonel Gilbert commanded a brigade, and his regiment bore its full share of the labors, skirmishes, battles, and hard marches of the expedition. In the bat- tle of Tupelo, fought from 6 o'clock in the morning till about noon of July 14th — a contest remarkable among the battles of the war for the disparity of losses to the contending forces, the Unionists sufifering compar- atively little, whilst inflicting immense loss upon the en- emy — the Twenty-seventh was heavily engaged, as it was also at the battle of Old Town Creek, the next day. The loss of the regiment in both engagements, was one killed and twenty-five wounded. Returning from this successful expedition to Memphis, where a rest of nearly a fortnight was enjoyed, the regi- ment next joined in the Oxford expedition under the same commander; and, after considerable marching and some skirmishing with the enemy, but no battle, it re- turned to Memphis near the end of August. Early in the following month the command moved with General Smith's army to Cairo, and, after a short stay, to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. The twenty-fifth regiment was ordered to Mineral Point, to meet the ■ rebels under Price. Thence, after a slight skirmish, it was ordered to De Soto, toward St. Louis, and soon af- terwards to Jefferson Barracks. Thence it marched with other forces in pursuit of Price, starting October 2nd. Major General Curtis, of Iowa, had the honor of again defeating and demolishing his old enemy. Price; and the Twenty-seventh, with the rest of the command, returned to St. Louis, arriving on the eighteenth of No- vember, having marched nearly seven hundred miles in forty-seven days. It was a campaign of forced marches. On the twenty-fifth the regiment moved again with General Smith's forces, by transports to Cairo, and thence to Nashville, Tennessee, where the command disem- barked on the first of December, and was ordered to the front, three miles from the city, to oppose the rebels under Hood, defiantly moving against the capital. Gen- eral Smith held the right of Thomas' forces, and the Twenty-seventh was on the extreme left of General Smith. On the fifteenth, Thomas moved from behind his works, and attacked the enemy in his chosen, fortified position, bringing on the battle of Nashville, which, con- tinuing two days, was one of the most remarkable and glorious victories that ever crowned the American arms. In this engagement the Twenty-seventh, Lieutenant Col- onel Jed. Lake commanding (Colonel Gilbert being in HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 135 command of a brigade), took a prominent part, entering the rebel works as soon as any troops on their part of the line, capturing guns and prisoners, and doing its whole duty with a bravery and efficiency unsurpassed. The regiment was the pivot of General Smith's army, which, making a grand left wheel, swung round the ene- my's left flank, fighting splendidly all the way, capturing every fortification in its front, several lines of works, and large numbers of prisoners. Colonel Gilbert and his brigade won great edat; and, not long afterwards, the colonel was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. The regiment joined in the pursuit of Hood and marched southward as far as Pulaski. From thence it proceeded to Clifton, on the Tennessee, arriving on the second day of January, 1865. During the year just closed there had been many changes in the regiijient. A number of officers had resigned, whilst the command had lost by death, discharge, and transfer, more than eighty of its members. It had also received quite a large number of recruits, so that it had on its rolls the names of about eight hundred officers and men. After a short stay at Clifton, the Twenty-seventh em- barked on steamer and moved up the river to Eastport, where it went into encampment. Nothing noteworthy occurred during their stay here, save a reconnoissance to luka and return. The ninth of February the tents were again struck and the troops embarked for New Orleans. Moving down the Tennessee, the Ohio, and the Missis- sippi, the command disembarked at Chalmette, a short distance below the Crescent city, on the twenty-first. Having remained in camp a fortnight, it again embarked and sailed down the river and across a part of the gulf of Mexico to Dauphin Island, Alabama, on the sands of which it went into encampment March 8th, to await the concentration of troops for the campaign against Mobile, under Major General Canby. On the twentieth the regiment moved by transports across Mobile bay, and ascending a river flowing in from the east some twenty-five miles, disembarked, and on the twenty-fifth was marching northward, with the troops com- posing the Thirteenth and Sixteenth corps, moving against Mobile. The march was enlivened by skirmishes, and made laborious by what General Sherman would call villainous roads. Reaching Sibley's Mills, the regiment remained guarding the flank of our army investing Forts Alexis and Spanish, till the second of April, when it was sent out with the brigade. General Gilbert commanding, on a reconnoissance, with the object also of opening up communication with Major General Steele, about to in- vest the works at Blakely. It was on this march that General Gilbert narrowly escaped death from a torpedo, which was buried in the road, and which was exploded by his horse tramping over it. The incident is thus re- lated by the correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette: I had just crossed the brook when a loud explosion on the opposite eminence, and at the head of the column, attracted my attention. I supposed the enemy had opened on us with artillery, and that Captain Rice would soon have an opportunity to try the range of his guns. Pushing forward to the point where the explosion had taken place, I saw a group of excited officers and men collected around General Gil- bert. Several members of his staff were there with faces scorched by heat and partially blackened with powder. Their hats and uniforms were covered with sand. One horse lay dead beside the road, his belly torn open and his bowels frightfully protruding; another, standing by, had one leg broken and mangled, and was quivering with agony; two or three other animals were more or less injured. Immediately in the road, close by a pine stump, was a large hole, from which had been scooped apparently a couple of bushels of sand. The cause of the noise 1 had heard was now evident. \ torpedo had exploded in the very midst of the group composed of the general and his staff, just as they had commenced to move forward, after a temporary halt upon the brow of the hill. The general's own animal had exploded the infernal machine with his hind feet. A stunning report followed, and the whole party were at once shocked, confused, and enveloped in a cloud of dust. The horse upon which Lieutenant L. G. Stevenson, Fifty-eighth Illinois, was riding was almost instantly killed, and the lieutenant extricated himself with some difficulty from beneath the dying animal. Lieutenant Eisenhart, Twenty-seventh Iowa, aide-de-camp to General Gilbert, had his horse's leg broken, and was himself hurt and disfigured by sand and powder diiven into his face. The horse of Lieutenant George Childs, Tliirty-second Iowa, A. A. Q. M., was badly injured, and himself scorched and stunned. Others were slightly hurt; and others still (among whom your correspondent was conspicuous, although at a considerable distance when the explosion took place) were badly scared. General Gilbert, I am glad to say, was entirely uninjured, al- though the sand was driven with such force against his horse as to start the blood all along his sides. You may be certain that, in our further movements that day, there was an air of caution and circumspection not frequently observed. General Gilbert moved with General Garrard's divis- ion to the left of General Steele, now besieging Blakely. The regiment did excellent service during the siege — skirmishing by day, extending the parallels by night, all the while under the fire of the enemy. These opera- tions lasted until April 19th, when, with one company on the skirmish line, the others in the main line of assault, the regiment. Major Howard commanding, joined in the charge, before whose impetuous onset the rebel works and garrison fell into our hands, and the great rebellion fell into irretrievable ruins. In this fine success General Gilbert's brigade captured eight pieces of artillery and six hundred prisoners, with a loss to itself of less than thirty men, killed and wounded. General Gilbert, for his gal- lant, skilful conduct of this brilliant operation, was again recommended for promotion, which, no doubt, he would at once have received, but for the cessation of hostilities. He was brevetted a major general soon afterward. In a few days the brigade was released from the duty of garrisoning the fort, to which it had been assigned, and joined the Sixteenth corps, marching on Mont- gomery. This march, of two hundred miles, was rapidly performed, and the regiment went into camp at the old rebel capital on the twenty-seventh. Here the command remained, awaiting orders for muster out more, than two months. The twenty-third of June, General Gilbert is- sued an elegant farewell order to his troops, and departed for the north, bearing with him the benediction of all his old comrades in arms. The regiment, having mean- while transferred its recruits to the veteran Iowa Twelfth, departed on the sixteenth of July; and, moving by Selma, Meridian and Jackson, to Vicksburgh, there took steamer, homeward bound. It was disbanded at Clin- ton, Iowa, in the early part of August, Lieutenant Col- onel Lake's farewell address being dated the eighth; and the members of the Twenty-seventh separated after journeys and marches of more than twelve thousand miles, guarding their ever unfurled colors through sun- 136 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. shine, and storm, and battle, never once furling the hon- ored emblem of our nationality, till the power of that nationality had been everywhere restored by means of the valor and endurance of the patriotic volunteers, such as composed this, command. LITERATURE OF THE WAR — SOLDIERS' LETTERS. Buchanan county was exceptionally fortunate in the literary, as well as military, character of its soldiers. VVe fearlessly challenge any county history, published since the war, to show a collection of war letters at all com- parable with the following, either in quantity or quality. Some of these letters would do no discredit to Russell, or any other war correspondent that ever followed an army. But it is their chief glory that their authors went to the field not to write, but to fight. Like ,^'^neas, Xenophon and Cresar, they told of scenes — "all of which they saw, part of which they were." CORRESPONDENCE OF THE GUARDIAN — LETTER NO. I. Camp W.\rrkn, July 19, 1861. Dear Gi'ARDI.\n: — Leaving Independence on the twelfth instant, wearrived at Burlington on the following Sunday, and were immedi- ately marched to the camp, which is about two miles from the city, on the fair grounds. There are three regiments encamped here — Colonel Lanman's, Colonel McDowell's, and last, though not least. Colonel Worthington's, the Fifth. I think our regiment will compare favorably with any that has been raised; and, when fully uniformed and drilled, will be unsurpassed. The men composing the regiment are mostly from the northern counties; and, among the officers, are some veterans of long ser%ice and experience. Our colonel is a graduate of the Lexington, Kentucky, military academy, and is a gentleman as well as a soldier. In a few days we hope to move to another ground, where bathing and washing will be more convenient than at present. The regiments are quartered in huts, each hut containing bunks for one hundred men and a small hut immediately in the rear for the officers. In the morn- ing, at 5 o'clock, the reveille is beaten from the colonel's quarters, when the companies "fall in " for roll call, after which the men break ranks, and wash and clean up the quarters. Next conies breakfast call, and the companies are again formed and marched in two ranks to breakfast. The dining-room is a rather extensive one. There are about fifteen long tables, each capable of standing one hundred men. Each man has a tin plate, cup, and knife and fork. The fare consists of coffee, without milk or cream, bread, and meat for breakfast; the same for dinner, minus the coffee, and adding bean soup; supper the same as breakfast. Drilling is going on constantly. There are officer drills, company drills, and squad drills. Each company in our regiment drills four hours a day in company, and the officers are drilled each day by the colonel. The first two or three nights the weather was pretty cold, and our men, having no blankets, suffered somewhat; but yesterday the wel- come intelligence came that some four hundred blankets had arrived, and were to be immediately distributed. We obtained sufficient to make the men comfortable, and hope to obtain the balance before long. As soon as our arms and tents arrive we are to move and en- camp in good shape. On our route hither we were well cared for. Messrs. Allison and Conger did everything in their power to make the boys comfort.able; and, on our arrival here, the captain of a company which had preceded us, whose name I did not learn, generously gave, up his dinner table to us. On the whole, I think our boys are doing well. They are improving in drill, and are in good spirits. Some few have been ailing, caused principally by change of water; but at present there are only two, I think, at all sick, and there is no doubt of their early recovery. As soon as we "get into the hang of things," 1 will try and keep you posted in regard to our movements. LETTER NO. II. Camp 'Warren, July 24, 1861. Dear Gu.aruian: — Since my last letter nothing of consequence has transpired, with the exception of the change in the citing department. The men now receive their rations, and cook them themselves. The way we manage this is as follows: Every morning, at 5 o'clock, our orderly reports to the quartermaster's department, and draws for the use of the company the following provisions, being reckoned as one hundred rations: One hundred and twenty-five pounds of fresh beef, eight quarts of beans or ten pounds of rice, fifteen pounds of sugar, one and one-fourth pounds of candles, four pounds of soap, one gallon of vinegar, and two quarts of salt. These rations are for one day, and are delivered to the cooks who superintend the cooking of them. Each man is expected to take his turn as cook. The cooks for the present week are Messrs. Bunce and Francis, and no better ones could be ob- tained. No complaints have been made since they commenced, and they should feel well satisfied that such is the case. After a meal, the dishes are to be washed; and this is performed by squads, who take turns according to their number. Every other day we have to furnish from nine to fourteen men for guards around the camp. They repair at the call to the place where the guard is formed, each detachment as it arrives taking post on the left of the preceding one, in open order. After the whole guard is formed, which consists of ovei one hundred men, they are inspected by the non-commissioned officers and the ranks closed, and marched to relieve the old guard, who are drawn up at the guard, house. As they arrive they take post on the right of the old guard, and the new officer of the guard and the old officer of the guard advance and salute. The new guard is then divided off into three reliefs, and the first sent to relieve the sentries. The men are relieved in succession, commenc. ing at the guard-house, and going around the entire camp. The meals for the guard should be sent to the guard-house at a time when they are relieved, or they stand but a poor chance of getting anything to eat. There are in this camp three regiments; whether full or not I have not ascertained. Two companies came in this morning. Several of the companies were not full on their arrival here, and it created a great deal of trouble. I should advise no company to go into camp unless they have the full complement of men. It is the height of folly to expect to fill up in the river towns on the way. Some of our men have no change of shirts, and it would conduce to health, cleanliness, and comfort if these could be furnished. I hope the citizens of Buchanan county will send enough to make up the bal_ ance. 'V\'e ha\'e been well provided for by them — better, I think, than any company in the State, and we shall never forget their kindness and thoughtfulness. The disastrous news of the defeat of McDowell has caused a general feeling of sorrow; but, in my opinion, it will only cause a renewed en- ergy to manifest itself, and a firmer determination to push forward our columns, and bring the war to a speedy close. God grant that it may be done with the least possible bloodshed. But let the Government be sustained, though it be at the cost of millions of lives and treasure. I understand that the Sixth regiment is now organized. The colonel, McDowell, who, by the way, is a brother of General McDowell, now in Virginia, is a courteous and whole-souled gentleman, as you know; and, what is of more importance at this time, a competent oflicer. If our friends wish to send us the "good things," tell them they will be received most thankfully. I can assure you our company is the most orderly on the ground, as the report from the guard-house daily shows. I will write as soon as anything transpires. LETTER NO. III. C.\MP 'W.VRREN, July 28, 1861. Dear Guariii.-\n: — Hot, dry and dusty. Not a particle of moisture have the clouds distilled for the past two weeks; and the earth, parched and burnt, sends up volumes of dust to fill the eyes, ears, clothing, and obstruct the respiratory passage of the pedestrian. With a strong wind from the south, the nuisance acquires a tenfold intensity. Noth- ing escapes it — books, papers, blankets, and the whole paraphernalia of camp furniture speedily assumes a grayish hue. The cooks, poor fel- lows, hang down their heads in a state of perfect despondency; for the choice soup, over which they have made such great preparation, is apt to be very strongly seasoned with a substance unknown to Mrs. Leslie or Delnionico. Really, it would be quite a privilege if the God ^Eolus would withhold his gentle breezes during dinner hour, and give us a chance to eat without swallowing an unlimited quantity of dirt at every meal. But there is nothing like campaigning to give a good appetite: and though there might have been some fastidious individuals at first, with squeamish stomachs, they can now walk boldly up to the hos- pitable board, and bolt their food with the gale blowing its biggest guns. We have already eaten our peck of earth, and shall make quite a hole in another if we stay here much longer. But we are gradually HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 137 petting habituated to our new mode of life, and find that many evils with which we were threatened, have no existence but in the imagina- tion. The greatest difficulty we have experienced is to overcome the sense of loneliness one feels when separated from the gude folks at home. But we shall enjoy their society all the better when we return. Nearly all the party have regained their buoyancy of spirits, and are ready and eager to get sight of a secesher. Whether the wish will be gratified very soon or not, remains to be seen. On Friday, the twenty-si.xth instant, our regiment was reviewed by the governor, who expressed great satisfaction at our appearance. It was quite an imposing sight. Immediately behind us were drawn up the Si.xth and Seventh regiments, in battalion, extending in long parallel lines from north to south, and commanded by their respective colonels. The governor passed in front of each battalion, receiving the military salute, which was maintained by all until he had passed the distance of six paces. -As soon as the review was completed, the parade was dis- missed, and the companies marched to quarters under the command of their sergeants. There are so many flying and contradictory re- ports iu camp, that it is safe not to place too much confidence in any of them. The latest one is that the colonel will march us to Keokuk as soon as our tents and blankets arrive. Quite probable; for our crowded condition here renders a removal to some more advantageous place highly desirable. New companies are arriving continually. One from Eddyville came last night. The Seventh regiment now lacks but one company of their full complement, and that will be here shortly. With such a crowd in camp, you may be sure we have lively times. The most interesting spectacle is to see the scramble every morning and evening at the commissariat department for rations. Here struggles a soldier with a heavy quarter of beef. There another is smiling with delight at having procured his regluar supply of coffee and sugar — an- other more fortunate than the rest, has mounted the shoulders of his comrades, and, thrusting his mess-kettle in at the door, yells loudly for beans. None are compelled to wait long, and everything passes off with the best of humor. Indeed, taking into account the number of per- sons here assembled, of different tastes and dispositions, 'tis miraculous that there has not been more rows and fights in general. I have not yet heard of a single instance. Liquor is strictly prohibited from being brought upon the ground, a most beneficent and salutary measure; for with the dreaded firewater free for all to partake, we should have a pandemonium in earnest. There are several beautiful residences near our camp, occupied by some of the oldest and most respectable families in the State. One, a large brick mansion situated about a mile west of us, is a model in point of external decoration. Flowers of the rarest and most beauti- ful hue, fill the air with their fragrance, while apple and pear trees bend beneath their load of luscious fruit. It is a general stopping place for our company; and, by some means, we chance to be great favorites with its inmates. This, I suppose, may be attributed, in a great measure, to the efforts of a young ma.i in our behalf, who. becoming tiled of the hum and roar of camp, went up there one sultry afternoon to write some letters. By what means he succeeded in ingratiating himself and company, none can tell; but certain it is that we were treated the next day to a couple of pailfuls of iced buttermilk, with the promise of hav_ ing more whenever convenient. Our reputation is established, in camp and country, as being quiet, orderly and chivalrous; and I hope that we may maintain it. While I write, "Old Sol" is darting down his fiercest rays, render- ing our tent of boards anything but a cool place. O, for just one good blast from the north pole, to revive drooping nature, and freeze up a few of these accommodating musquitoes; which magnanimous insects are ever ready to greet your ears w ith a serenade, the moment the shades of night begin to fall. Last evening we were full of expectation. A large, portentous cloud arose in the northwest, which seemed to promise rain. After remaining stationary for awhile, and tantalizing us with its broad proportions, which contained the liquid fountains we were ihirst- ing for, it slowly passed over to the east, giving to the parched and burning earth beneath it, "nary drop." I have finally come to the conclusion that rain is not necessary to the maintenance of animal or vegetable life, and that washing the face and hands is a superfluous act, which can be dispensed with without injury to the health or beauty of any person. Most of the boys have gone to church, leaving me and three or four others, to guard tent and write letters. As to me, I feel satisfied with a discourse I heard yesterday. The speaker, an intelli- gent minister belonging to the Seventh regiment, took his position near the door of our tent, and was listened to for nearly an hour by the men, with rapt attention. The exercises closed by the singing of Old Hun- dred, that grand, majestic anthem, which to me never sounded so well before. Tears were in the eyes of many as they caught up and swelled the noble strain, and thoughts of friends and dear ones far away came over my mind thick and fast, as when a child I had listened to the same plaintive air in the village church of my eastern home. News has just arrived that General Lyon has made a requisition upon the authorities of this State for troops — but how shall we be able to comply without arms? Yours truly, C. J. R. LETTER NO. IV. Lamp Warren, August 2, 1861. Mr. Editor. — Still in the same old quarters, hotter than ever, and the dust gradually on the increase. Muttered grumblings, low and deep, are heard among the men, at the not very pleasant prospect of being confined here two or three weeks longer, with a scarcity of water, and nothing of an exciting character to do. Last Monday was a period of great excitement. We had just re- turned from company drill, ready to hear and believe anything that promised to break up the monotony of this eating, sleeping, drilling life, when we were informed that the colonel had given us orders to be ready to march for Keokuk by four o'clock the next morning. To say that we were pleased would be using a very tame expression. The guards fairly shouted in the exuberance of their joy, and commenced packing up their "duds" in double-quick time. Those who had been at the trouble of putting up shelves, as a depository for various arti- cles, were but too glad to take them down again, consign the whole within paper wrappers, and label them for Keokuk. But alas for the uncertainty of human expectations! The fates had ordained that we should not leave this camp, with its beautiful surroundings and clouds of dust so soon. Besides the beef contractor has still some pretty tough specimens of superannuated cattle, which, when served up for the table, demand our utmost energy and perseverance to conquer ; and it will not answer to leave an unsubdued enemy in the rear. On the evening parade the colonel stated that it would be impossi- ble to make the necessary arrangements for marching in so short a time, but that we should probably leave in a few days. In the mean- time we are to drill, and arrive at as great a degree of proficiency as possible. We shall have no time to spare ; for, judging from present indications, we shall soon be called into active service. The guns have not arrived, but they are daily expected. Report says they are to be rifles. Wednesday, the thirty-first, was a gala day in camp. The sun rose in all his brilliancy, and the drums beat their liveliest reveille from the colonel's quarters. Fligs innumerable waved from tents, and officers arrayed in blue broadcloth with shining buttons, tripped quickly to and fro. Something unusual was on the tapis — perhaps an unruly secesher had been caught, and was about to be made an example of, or a homesick youth had broken guard, and struck out with his "tallest licks" for home— but no; a party of excursionists from Mt. Pleasant, situated about twenty-five miles west of here, had come with the amia- ble intention of paying us, benighted heathen, a visit. Through the gate and over the ground they poured in a long continuous stream of young and old, short and tall, men and women, girts and youths. Some carried on their arms huge baskets, which our voracious appe- tites, sharpened by the weir and tear of masculine beef for two weeks, readilv detected as conveying odors that could proceed only from fried chickens, currant jellies, and other nice "fixins." Of course the wind could not resist so tempting an opportunity to blow, and blow it did, with a force and fury which that venerable personage, "the oldest in- habitant," never saw surpassed. Dust rolled triumphantly through the passages and into the tents, converting the immediate whiteness of the ladies collars into a pepper and s.alt mixture, and interfering, in a most audacious manner, with their favorite hoops. Faces, which but an hour ago could rival the lily in purity, were reduced to a dubious gray . while silks and satins no longer gleamed and rustled in the sunshine. "Ah I then and there was hurrying to and fro, And gatherings of distress" — not to the battle-field, however, but to the old fair building, there to mourn, and counsel themselves over the wreck of dilapidated hoops, broken parasols, and the mutability of things in general. I kindly of- fered to assist a rosy damsel with her shawl, just out of pure benevo- lence, you know, but her " lovyer, " a great strapping fellow, looked daggers at me, and intimated that my services were not needed. Con- cluded that they weren't, and "sloped." But, despite these inconven. iences, they appeared to enjoy themselves, and in their interest in their soldier friends, crumpled muslin, soiled silks, and all other discomforts were forgotten. It was a joyful meeting between many — mothers em- 138 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. braced sons, and pulled out, from the deep recesses of their pockets' many a little keepsake, from the household pets at home. Fathers tried to preserve their selfpossession, but the moistened eye and husky voice betrayed them. Sweet angels in calico would recognize among the soldiers a cousin or a brother, and rushing forward with a cry .of delight, bestow on them a hearty kiss. And lovers there were, who exchanged any quantity of !es doiix _iv«-v— and why not? " It is ever the bravest in war, who are fondest and truest in love." This was the hardest of all to bear. Our boys could take the double-quick for half a day, and never tire ; sleep on straw, and rise in the morning ready to do or dare as much as any other men ; but to see so many bright eyes and smiling glances, and know that none of them were intended for us, was too much for our nature. At least, so I felt, as I sought my bunk and vainly endeavored to compose my mind to read a tract which some anxious friend had left me, entitled: "The way to do good." Read for a while and came to the conclusion to go and divide my to- bacco among the boys, as most of them were out, and 1 wanted to do a little good. But we, too, had been remembered, and were not, after all, the neglected and dejected company we imagined. One of the boys rushed up to me, half frantic, with a splendid cake in his arms, to which was appended a note, requesting him to distribute it among the guards. Yes, the good folks of Independence had again taxed their generosity, and here were the fruits. Butter and cheese, cakes and pies, and other things too numerous to mention, were brought to light. Last, but not least, came tobacco ; and the way the boys shouted and poured forth thanks, was a convincing proof that they had no particular ill-will toward the donors. We had a royal dinner for that day, at least. Cake and cheese were placed at each plate, with now and then a dish of yellow butter. The sergeants kindly vol- unteered to act as waiters, and when everything was ready, and the word given to charge, you ought to have seen the firm and intrepid manner in which they came up to the board and demolished the eata- bles. Many thanks, also, for the papers. They were as refreshing as a shower upon the desert. Even the love stories of the Ledger proved quite interesting, and served to wile away many an hour. .Anything in the shape of reading matter is acceptable. Five deserters were arrested the other day, and brought into camp. There were two sergeants, two corporals, and one high private. They escaped from the second regiment now stationed in Missouri. They were securely bound and taken to the guard-house. I was unable to learn their names, but they were fine, intelligent looking men. They complained bitterly of hard fare and harder treatment. The example appears to be infectious. Two of our— I wont say men— gave us the slip last night. A squad was detailed to search for them, but returned with no tidings. Telegraphic dispatches have been sent, and the po- lice are on the alert. I have not time or space to go into particulars. Their names are Sanford Hamilton and Wesley Williams. • • Yours, C. J. R. LETTER NO. V. BUKI.INGTON, August 3, 8}< P. M. Friend Rich: — The Fifth regiment started this evening at dark for "Dixie's Land," and at this hour we are in Burlington, awaiting a boat to convey us thitherward. I seize the present moment, simply to inform you of the fact, not intending to write you a lengthy letter. At 2 o'clock this afternoon we received marching orders, since which time the camp of the Fifth has been a scene of unusual hurry and bustle. Upon receiving thcabove orders the tents of the Guards rang with deafening cheers, which increased in intensity up to the time of leaving Camp Wairen, at which time the camp presented a scene of the wildest enthusiasm that I ever witnessed; and this not only in our own regiment, but through the Sixth and Seventh, which, at our departure, saluted us with the most deafening cheers, heartfelt wishes for our success, and earnest desires for a speedy reunion with our columns in a more southern clime. We expect to stop at Keokuk for two or three days, or possibly one week, but not longer; when we are to advance into Missouri to take the place of the First Iowa regiment, whose term, as you are aware, has almost expired. In proficiency of drill we are, of course, far inferior to the First, but as to patriotism and ardent devotion to the cause in which w^e are engaged, that is excelled by none in the service. Our "boys" are in excellent spirits, and are only anxious to push forward the work which we have so much at heart — the crushing of the rebellion. There are only two cases of slight indisposition in the company, and all are with the regiment except two, viz: Sanford Hamilton and Wesley Williams, of Spring Creek, who yesterday basely and cowardly deserted the company— of whom more anon. The company learned with regret of Captain Lee's sickness, and all join in wishing him a speedy recovery and early reunion with our ranks We yesterday received the splendid present of luxuries from the ladies of Independence; but, in the hurry of to-day, have failed to acknowl- edge the receipt of the same. It will be attended to at our earliest leisure. Meantime tender to the liberal donors, grateful and sincere thanks from the Guards. Very truly, your friend, A. B. L. LETTER NO. VI. Keokuk, August 4, 1861. Deak Gu.^KDl.^N: — In my last I stated that our regiment had just received marching orders for Keokuk. Many of the boys were dis- posed to consider it a hoax, as we had been deceived' so often before. But it was true, and at eight o'clock p. M. we struck tents and left Camp Warren for Burlington, where we were to take boat for Fort Madison. A large amount of our equipage, consisting of cartridges, uniforms, etc., had already arrived, and before that and the rest of our baggage could be conveyed on board, it was twelve o'clock. Two large barges w^ere attached to either side of the steamer, and the troops filed on board, filling the boat from stem to stern. Reached Fort Madison at half past three A. M., and took the cars. The train was so heavily loaded that it was next to impossible for the engine to move it. Finally succeeded in reaching Keokuk without any serious acci- dent or loss other than our breakfast, and went into quarters. We are now stationed in a large store room, with good conveniences for cook- ing, and manage to make ourselves comfortable. The boys were over- joyed at leaving Camp Warren, and appear to be well suited with their present quarters. The sixth regiment arrived last night. The kindest courtesy is extended to us all by the citizens. A report was circulated yesterday that a party of secessionists have caused trouble on the Keokuk & Des Moines railroad, eighteen miles from here. They are getting quite troublesome in the northern part of Missouri, and it is probable that we shall be called there as soon as our guns arrive, which will be by the first of the week. Weather is excessively hot, but I have not heard of much sickness among the men. In great haste, yours, ■ C. I. R. LETTER NO. VII. Keokuk, August 7, 1861. Since my last, we have had a slight touch of grim old war, but have passed through the ordeal safe and unharmed, and are ready to report all what we did or saw on the momentous occasion. Rumors to the effect that a large party of Missourians had assembled for the purpose of making an attack on Athens, a small town on the Keokuk, Des Moines ».^- Missouri railroad, had been some time in circulation, but were generally discredited. On Monday, the fifth instant, news came that severe fighting was going on, and that the Union forces were hard pressed and required help. We had as yet received no arms, but suc- ceeded in procuring the loan of some old cap-lock muskets, which were kindly lent us by the State until we could get rifles. By 9 o'clock nine companies from the Fifth and Sixth regiments were on board of the cars and steaming away for the land of Secessia. Many citizens, some with double shot .guns and revolvers, accompanied, also a brass band. We were cheered tremendously at starting, and on the route maidens fair smiled upon us. Old ladies tottered to the doors and waved their night caps, or any other articles that they could get hold of, vigorously, while cheer upon cheer, caught up and prolonged by a thousand throats, were wafted over the waters of the Mississippi. We passed up the valley of the Des Moines river, through a low and broken coun- try, but sparsely timbered and poorly watered, and but little of the land in a state of cultivation. . . . Not a farmer did we see in the fields, not a carriage upon the roads; but, in lieu thereof, sentries and squads of cavalry. At every turn it looked warlike. Ar- riving within two miles of .\thens, the train stopped and the five com- panies of the Fifth regiment, with citizens, left the train, while the com- panies belonging to the Sixth proceeded at once to Athens. We forded the Des Moines at this point, and marched up the left bank, while the Sixth was to outflank the rebels if possible, attacking them both in front and rear. We had gone but a short distance when we were met by a party of horsemen, who informed us that the Missourians, sixteen hundred strong, under the lead of McGofiin, it was supposed, had at- tacked them at 4 o'clock that morning, but had been repulsed by Col- onel Moore, and were then in retreat towards the south. Lieutenant Colonel Matheis, who had command of one division, gave orders for immediate pursuit, as the seceshers wers supposed to be encamped at HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 139 no great distance. We marched five or si.x miles, and finding no traces of them, bivouacked for the night on a smooth, open prairie, and awaited new developments. Here we learned from reliable author- ity that the rebels were si.\teen miles distant, and in full retreat. As most of their force was mounted, it was folly to think of continuing the pursuit. In the morning we returned to .Athens and rejoined the Sixth. Here we saw- many evidences of the fight that had taken place. . . The Si.xth regiment will remain here for a time. The Fifth returned to Keokuk, and will probably start for St. Louis in a few days. I find I have omitted many important particulars, but have no time to write further. Respectfully yours, C. J. R. LETTER NO. VIII. On Board STE.'VMiiR W.\r E.\gle, ) August 14, 1861, opposite St. Louis. ) Editor Gu.^RDIAN:— Left Keokuk on the steamer Di Vernon Sun- day morning, the eleventh instant, for St. Louis. There were five com- panies of men, and one hundred mules on board, the latter bemg des- tined for baggage service. Our trip down was as pleasint as could be e.\pected, though the crowded condition of the boat did not offer many comforts. The hard sea biscuit and raw ham galled the conscience of many of the soldiers. In the evening we had a violent shower, the rain pouring down in torrents, running in miniature floods from the quarter and forecastle decks, and completely deluging many a luckless fellow, who was awakened by a stream of water pouring around his ears. Owing to the low stage of the river, our progress was but slow, being compelled to take a sudden turn every few moments to avoid some treacherous sandbar. Reached St. Louis the ne.xt day, and in- stead of being marched to quarters, as we expected, were immediately transferred to the Jennie Dean, a Government packet, and started for Jefferson Barracks, twelve miles below, where we remained all night on board. The next day we landed on the river bank, with the expecta- tion of staying a couple of weeks, at least. But no; we were ordered to hold ourselves in readiness for marching at a moment's notice, and this morning took to the water once more for Boonville. Looking over the Daily Bulletin, a secession sheet, I saw this morn- ing a notice of a great battle fought in the southern part of this State, in which the Federal forces were reported completely routed, and Gen- eral Lyon killed. We hardly believe it as yet. Should it prove true, however, the most of the troops in the northern part of the State, with the exception of the Fifth regiment, will be withdrawn to support Gen- eral Sigel. General Fremont is now at St. Louis, and is using the most vigorous measures. Our boat is dismantled of all her furniture, and everything put in order. The officer of the day has just come into the cabin, saying that we are bound for Lexington, distance three hundred and fifty miles from here. . . . The boys are all well — everyone. Mail just going, so good bye. C. J. R. LETTER NO. IX. Jefferson City, Missouri, .August i6th, ) On board the steamer War Eagle. J Friend Rich: — . . . This is our third day out, and we are still steaming over the turbid waters of the Missouri. Of all the dirty, ill-looking streams I ever saw. this is the worst. A pailful of water will de- posit a sediment an inch in depth. We are compelled to use it, however, for drinking and culinary purposes, and in justice, I must say that it is far better than it looks. It is healthier and pleasanter to the taste than that furnished by its illustrious brother, the Mississippi. The banks in places are low, and fringed with a thick undergrowth of vines and willow bushes, which make a jungle almost impenetrable for man or beast. In other places the banks rise in rocky bluffs to the height of a hundred feet or more from the surface of the water, and are covered with a heavy giowth of cottonwood and sycamore trees, which are the principal timber. The chief towns between St. Louis and Jefferson City, are Washing- ton and Harmon, each containing between four and five thousand white inhabitants, and any quantity of negroes. The latter class, as far as I have seen, appear to be well dressed and to enjoy a certain degree of independence, for which they may thank Claiborne Jackson, and others of a like stamp, who, in seeking to pin them forever to a southern con- federacy, have brought in a set of fellows to aid the Goveminent in their unconditional liberation. Said an intelligent darkey to me the other day : "We hab easier times now, massagwine to give us our freedom be- fore we be contrabens. Uis chile fights for de Union, you see." And away he went humming the "Star Spangled Banner." Many of them since the war began are thrown out of employment, and hang heavily upon the hands of their masters, who would be heartily glad to dispose of them if they could. A good, whole-souled Christian slave trader in St. Louis has an advertisement in to-days paper, in which he kindly offers to sell a couple of fat, bacon-fed niggers at a loss of forty per cent., stating as his reason for so doing, that business of an imper- ative nature demands his immediate presence south. The Missouri & Pacific railroad here follows the river for the whole dis- tance, and must have been constructed at great expense, there being heavy grading and blasting through solid rock. Three different bridges have been burned by the secessionists on this route, but they are now all rebuilt stronger and more substantial than ever, and guards are stationed at the distance of every mile. At the towns we passed, the "Stars and Stripes" were waving, and cheers for the Union were given. All appeared overjoyed at the appearance of our troops, while not a single representative of Jeff Davis appeared. Union men are becom- ing inspired with confidence in the power and determination of the Federal Government, and the reign of tyrants and terrorism that has hitherto held the good and loyal citizens of the State in restraint is drawing to a close. The disunionists either leave or preserve a respect- ful silence. Many of them are still in St. Louis, but the presence of General Fremont with a large military force, and the fact that he has proclaimed the city to be under martial law since the fourteenth instant, has had a most salutary effect. I caught a glimpse, and a glimpse only, of the general while we were lying at St. Louis. He was sitting in a carriage, watching the embarking and departure of the troops. I was not near enough to get a distinct view of his features, but contented myself with gazing long and fixedly upon the stovepipe hat that graced his head. Much grief is manifested at the death of General Lyon. His noble efforts in behalf of the Government, and the wisdom he displayed in preparing the campaign, have enshrined his memory in the heart of every patriot citizen. Instead of becoming discouraged at our recent defeat at Springfield, for you can call it nothing else, the War Depart- ment is making more gigantic preparations than ever. It is hkely that General Fremont will start soon with a fleet of gnn-boats down the Mississippi to Bird's Point, while General Siegel and other com- manders will cooperate from different portions of the State. LETTER NO. X. Jefferson Citv, August 17, 1861. Bright and beautiful is the opening day. and the sun, as he gently rises from behind the bank of fog that is curling upward in fantastic wreaths from the bosom of the broad Missouri, lights up with a mild radiance hill and valley, and falls with a golden lustre upon the cupola of the capitol, from the dome of which is suspended in proud triumph the stars and stripes. ... The principal objects of inter- est in Jefferson City are the capitol and penitentiary buildings. The former stands upon a high bluff, commanding a fine view of the sur- rounding country, and is built of limestone. The Second lUinois brig- ade is quartered there with two pieces of artillery. The long and lofty senate chamber no longer echoes the sounds of violent political discus- sions, the rustling of papers, and the beat of the speaker's mallet. They have given way to the tramp of the sentry, the click of the mus- ket, and the ringing sound of the bayonet. In the rooms once occupied by the tr.iitor Jackson and his confreres, plotting the dissolution of the Union, are now quartered the volunteer defenders of their assailed '°""''>'' Sunday, August i8th. Started this morning for Lexington, but had proceeded but a short distance when we were met by the steamers McDowell and White Cloud, having on board the Fifth Missouri regiment. They had been fired into about two miles above, and one of their number killed. After a short consultation our boats returned with the others to JeB'erson City, where we are now stopping. The young hero who was " off for the war " already in the harness. LETTER NO. XI. Camp Douglas, Chicago, August 17, 1861. Friend Rich; — Everybody now-a-days is supposed to be interested in the welfare of "our boys, " and everybody wants to know all about them. There are, of course, two sides to a soldier's life, and when a glowing picture is painted there is a natural curiosity to see the con- trasting shades. As I am not under restrictions, I shall endeavor to 140 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. present the truth unvarnished. Let me say, at the start, that a soldier in camp has no time to pohsh his letters, and were I not aware of the charity of your readers, I should hesitate to comply with your request to write occasionally for the Guardian. I have now been in barracks with the Douglas brigade two weeks. How 1 came here need not be detailed. A personal iiarative is not my object, and would not interest your readers. This regiment, called by license the Douglas brigade, has been collecting for several weeks, and comprises at present nine hundred men. These are divided into four- teen companies, only a few of which are full. The smaller companies will probably combine, and the regiment be fully organized next week. Our camp is beautifully situated in an oak grove, three and a half miles south of Lake street, and near the lake shore. We are quartered in rough board shaiities, having two rows of bunks, one above the other on each side, each shanty large enough to accommodate a full com- pany. The bunks are hlled uith good, sweet hay, and for those of us accustomed, from choice, to lie on the floor during the summer months, are positively luxurious. I have no complaints to make of our quar- ters. We have been furnished with warm blankets, and no one need suffer from exposure. I will here state that the regiment is organizing under the auspices of the General Government. The requisition for arms and uniforms was made some time since, but we have not been able to discover much of what the papers term "characteristic energy," so far as supplying them is concerned. We have received our blankets, and shoes for those entirely destitute; but we otherwise present every characteristic of the "ragged regiment." We hear rumors that our uniforms are about to be contracted for in Chicago, which does not look like an immediate provision. The boys are very patient, how- ever, and I am surprised that there are so many noble souls here. As a general thing the boys seem inspired by a devoted patriotism, and conduct themselves accordingly ; but it must be confessed that there are here a large number who are actuated by baser motives ; and it is among these that the grumblers are almost invariably found. We have plenty to eat. To be sure the coffee is sometimes dis- covered to be compounded of burnt beans, acorns, and vanous other untropical ingredients, and the bread is occasionally a little sour, but we all know it to be the fault of the virtuous contractors, and not of our officers, and so we grin and bear it. One great fault in the com- missary department of the army generally is the failure to supply fresh vegetables in line place of some of our salt meat rations. We cannot even get good potatoes, and are hereafter to be confined to regular rations, which consists of meat, bread, rice or beans, sugar, coffee, soap, salt, vinegar and candies. The above list includes all our allow- ances, with the exception of a little pepper and wood. We are not even to be allowed, as heretofore, to trade off a portion of our villain- ous salt pork for molasses and sugar. We expect the scurvy in a few days, but we shall endure it all without grumbling — if we can. The temptation is certainly very strong when one is fortunate enough to get a pass for town, to spend one's money simply to get a change of diet. But I expected all this, and have no fault to find so far as I am concerned ; but it makes my heart ache to see men suffering from sick- ness caused by the want of food which could be provided without ex- pense to the Government; for we would willingly give half of our meat rations for good new potatoes alone. This letter is already too long, and I will close with the statement, that the name of this regiment seems not to have been taken into consideration at all by the men en- listing. I suppose there are as many known as Republicans as there are of Douglas Democrats composing it. We are all of one name — Americans. J. L. LoOMis. LETTER NO. XII. Jefferson City, August 27, 1861. Friend Rich : — In your last issue, that is, the last received here, I noticed among the telegraphic items a statement in regard to our being fired into while coming up the river. This is a mistake. The much-looked-for pleasure of smelling " Secesh" powder has not yet been given us. After travelling nearly, or quite, one thousand miles, and enduring some, at least, of the privations of a soldier's life, we have yet to tell that we have had ' 'nary scratch" of "real fun." How soon we may is uncertain, but the prospect is good at present. The mistake above mentioned occurred on this wise; While on our way up the river, about fifty miles above here, we met two steamers carrying the Fifth Missouri regiment of three months' volunteers, whose time was out and who were going home. They said they had been fighting all day, the rebels firing from the timber which lines the shores, and running away on any landing being made for the purpose of en- gaging them. The Fifth Missouri lost one man killed .and four or five wounded. Not having any artillery, our officers deemed it best to return here and send to St. Louis for some. On arriving at this place the next morning (Sunday, i8th), our orders to proceed to Lexington were countermanded, and we have remained here since. Tents have been distributed to six companies of our regiment, E being one of the lucky ones. The other four are quartered in houses. The health of all is good, and we are as happy a set of fellows as you would find on a summer day. Postage stamps are in great demand, many of the boys being utterly unable to obtain any, and therefore can not write to the "girl they left behind them." And, in fact, I should be very unwilling to narrate the manner in which I drew the one which will ornament the outside of this letter. Nothing is ever stolen, begged, or borrowed here, but if a man wants anything which is comeatable, he is sure to "draw" it. The blankets furnished us are very warm and comfortable, but no protection against rain. Indeed, the principles of capillary attraction are not better illustrated by the sponge. Money is generally looked upon as filthy lucre, unworthy the notice of "brave soldiers." We have to-day drawn each a pair of new pants, a cap and a canteen. The pants and cap are blue, and a fair specimen of swindling contracts. The giay ones are generally much the worse for wear, and will soon be laid aside. I shall not part with mine without regret, they being a perpetual reminder of scenes gone by and friends far away. But my letter is already too long — so long I fear you will not find space for it. But if you will publish the part of it relating to the kill- ing, you will much oblige all of us, as we wish it to be distinctly under- stood that we are all here. O. J. M. Fuller. LETTER NO. XIII. Camp Os.^ge, Missouri, August 31, 1861. Editor Guardian: — Fortune favors the brave, they say, but I am consoled in the thought that there are exceptions to the general rules, or 1 should not have been placed upon picket guard to-day, to with- stand the scorching rays of the sun. Companies B, C, E, and F, o' the Fifth, are at this post for the purpose of guarding the Osage bridge, which has been twice burned by the secessionists. The bridge is a noble structure, a quarter of a mile in length, well worth guarding. The otherportion of the regiment is at Jefferson City. We left there on Wednesday, the twenty-eighth, with three days' rations, and expect to return to-morrow, as our time will be out and some other companies will be called in our place. At the risk of being called particular, 1 will say that this is a miserable hole, where grim-visaged musquitoes be- set us at every turn, and an army of fleas are in league with Claib Jackson in trying to drive us from the land. There is only one redeem- ing feature here, and that is the fruit, of which there are great quantities. .\pples, peaches and pears are not considered a luxury with us. There can be no secession force near here, as the country has been thoroughly traversed by scouting parties. Yesterday I was out on a scout under Corporal Woodruft'. We went up the Missouri several miles, to the timber, to the plantation of an old secesher. Came in contact with his orchard, but not with him. The orchard, of course, was a part of Secessia, and putting a large quantity of apples under guard, was doing our duty. We saw one of his negroes who was mighty free to express his opinion on the impending ciisis. He said he was thirty-five years old; had lived where he was ever since he was born, and withal appeared to like to be a nigger. The boys are in excellent spirits, and, with two or three exceptions, are all well. Tuesday Uncle Sam furnished us pants and caps toward our unifoim, which was very much needed by some of the companies. The Fifth regiment receive their pay to-day or on Monday next. Yours, etc., S. A. Reed. LETTER NO. XIV. Camp Defiance, Jefferson City, Missouri, September 7, i86r. Friend Rich; — A copy of the Guardian, dated August 27th, lies before me, and you may be sure its contents were read with pleasure. Nothing is sought after with more avidity by the company than a perusal of its columns; and it becomes almost necessary, at times, to have a guard stationed over one in order to keep it. By it we learn that Captain Hord has left with a gallant company for the seat of war. May they ever sustain the high expectations that have been formed of them; and nobly vindicate the cause of truth and liberty. . Camp life, as well as every other, has its different phases or classes of society. First, there's your sober, sedate peace-loving fellows, who HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 141 smoke their pipes, read papers, nnd spin mojt intermii.able yarns of an evening, by the niess-fires. They are quite sensitive in regard to forming new associations, and allow none but a favored few to come within their circle. Between meals, the time that is not consumed in reading and smoking, is usually devoted to inventing some new and savory stew, where\\i[h to tempt their own appetites, or gain the ap- probation of some commissioned officer; number two are perfectly con- tented to take things as they are, and never trouble themselves to go beyond the list of luxuries provided for them by the commissary gen- eral and sutler. To wash their faces, comb their hair, and groan for the sight of an orchard tilled with peaches and apples, is their principal employment when off duty; number three differ from both of these. It is immaterial to them whether they eat more than once a day or not, while washing and other refining processes are by universal con- sent regarded as barbarous piactices, and never to be indulged in, ex- cept when the colonel foolishly insists on their performance. Their acme of human felicity is attained when in possession of a pack of cards, a plug of tobacco, and a five cent ante. This class is generally styled the fancy me=s, and though many of them are whole-souled fel- lows, they are generally let alone by all those who wish to get the best end of a joke. . . . To be sure, the inmates of sundry hen- roosts, cry out for vengeance against them, but the broth of their con- fiscated and slaughtered companions has served to invigorate the weakened frame of many a homesick fellow, and it certainly must be right in the sight of all who like to see foraging done up on the square. August 28. — Four companies of our regiment received orders to march down to the Osage, eight miles below here, to guard the railroad bridge, which had been threatened by the rebels. We went aboard the cars and reached our destination at 12 M. Our arrival released a detachment of the Illmois Irish brigade, which had been on duty at this point, and they returned to town while we pitched our tents, cooked dinner, and detailed guard as soon as possible. An attempt, which was partially successful, was made by Jackson's minions last spring, to burn this bridge. Eighty feet of the western end of the bridge was de- stroyed, and the telegraph wires torn down its entire length. The bridge is now rebuilt, but m a rtide and imperfect manner, and is hard- ly safe for a heavy train. I have read of many bad, mean-looking places, heard stories of others, dreamed of some, and seen a few, but nothing that imagination can conjure up, or memory recall, compares with the sot distant town of Osage. . . .As for the few peo- ple who are compelled by poverty to live here, they bear the indelible marks of fever and ague. They would come into camp, bringing small quantities of corn and potatoes, which were eagerly exchanged for coffee and sugar. . . . Young men from eighteen to twenty years of age, do not know the first letter; for schools appear to be un- known. , . Quite an incident occurred on the night of the twentieth ultimo. The discharge of a sentinel's gun was heard, fol- lowed by the cry of "corporal of the guard, No. 9." All haste was made for the spot, where the sentry was found with his right hand hanging shattered by his side. He stated that a person approached hiin from the railroad track, and on being challenged, drew a revolver and fired, and then ran into the bushes. Search was made but no man was found. Five days was the time assigned to us for our stay at Osage, and on Monday we returned to Jefferson City, and were immediately placed under marching orders; but no one knew our destination. Our knap- sacks and clothing, which had that day arrived, were distributed among the companies. The coats or blouses are black, with brass buttons, and single breasted; pants blue, and warranted to lip well; the cap is black and sm.all crowned. I understand that these are only intended for a fatigue suit, and that the regular military uniform will be gray. Each man was directed to supply himself with five day's rations, which, with our knapsacks , canteens and cartridge boxes, would make quite a re- spectable load for a mule. I could not refrain from laughing at some of the boys who had stuffed their knapsacks full of every conceivable thing that they would ever need, and went staggering along under the enormous weight. Dr. M., in particular, had his knapsack swelled to aldermanic proportions, and at sight of the bulky mass the sweat started from every pore; but he bought that he should get used to it. Owing to the lateness of the hour when we returned to camp, the numerous offices to be per- formed, and the insupportable heat, it was nine o'clock p. M. before we left the grounds for the boats, two miles distant, and our orders were were to be ready at eight. We were to embark on the steamers Satan and War Eagle for some point up the Missouri. The night was Of pitchy blackness, the roads rough, and the knapsacks tremendous heavy. Our march to the boats was anything but agreeable, but, reaching them about 10:15 P. M., we filed on board, five companies on each, A heavy thunder shower arising and the rain pouring down m torrents, the boats were made fast to the shore and remained until morning. The boys got what sleep they could in the interim by bunk- ing down on deck, and into every corner and cubby hole that was free of access. So tired were they that, once couchant, all human threats and persuasions were unavailing in geUmg them up again. Once a troop of cavalry horses was actually led over a squad of eight, who slept on, regardless of hoofs, threats, and expostulations. The day dawned at last, and we were on our way up the river. The trip was as pleasant as could be expected, though the scenery was rather monotonous — nothing but the low, level banks on either side, covered with brush, with now and then a rocky bluff. Arrived at the town of Rocheford, a small place situated below Boonville, at 5 P. M., and after a little delay the troops were landed. The Satan had stopped below to intercept all communication in that direction, and had sent a part of her troops ashore to approach the town from the opposite side, while we were to march straight through, and rejoin the other compan- ies at Columbia, the county seat of Boone county, thirteen miles dis- tant. The colonel here impressed a number of horses and wagons into the baggage service, and, i believe, took one or two prisoners. No hostile demonstrations of any kind were made, but the inhabitants particularly the ladies, looked daggers. They evidently considered us as belonging to another race, and our unceremonious advent into their very midst was not calculated to gain their warmest love. It was re- ported that a strong body of rebels was stationed at Columbia, and would probably cause us a little trouble. Our division, consisting of five companies, was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Mathies, and took the main road, while Colonel Worthington, with the rest of the command, took another to the right, with the view of surrounding the enemy, should there be one, and falling upon the town of Columbia as the common centre. By 8 P. M. we commenced filing out from the town of Rocheford, and took up the line of march. The recent rain that had fallen had swollen the streams and rendered the mud of almost fabulous depth. Up one hill and down another, through bogs, holes, ruts, and ravines, we stumbled, without even the faint glimmer of a star to light our path, or a sound to cheer us, except now and then a bray from the weak lungs of some antiquated mule. Knapsacks, that had been filled with varieties suflScient to set up a Dutch pedlar in bus- iness, began to grow intolerably heavy, and haversacks loaded with crackers and meat were voted a nuisance before we had well begun our march. The baggage wagons were crowded with soldiers who were too tired to walk further, and had thrown themselves upon the tender mer- cies of the surgeon. .As for your humble correspondent, he was revolv- ing mentally the difference between the real and the ideal of a soldier's life, envying the folks at home their warm beds, and heaping any amount of anathemas upon Missouri roads. I was aroused from my reflections by the voice of Lieutenant Jordan, shouting, "Keep to the left, boys, keep to the left !" Being naturally of a very inquisitive turn of mind, I wanted to see what was at the right— and the next moment found myself sinking in a hole that would compare favorably with the Slough of Despond, and still going down. By the most vigorous ex- ertions I succeeded in extricating myself, and struggled out upon the bank where I was greeted with a shout of uproarious laughter by the tender-hearted boys. Here we were overtaken by Sergeant Peck and a squad of ten men, who had been detailed to remain behind and act as guard. The good man in his anxiety to catch us had been practicing the double-quick every step, and himself and men were puffing and blowing like por- poises. The delicate feet of the sergeant, only eight inches by fifteen, were loaded with mud enough to start a brick yard, and he was free to ■admit that he thought this a little worse than hunting .Mexican Greasers. Owing to the bad condition of the roads, we went but a short distance further, and bivouacked. Wrapping up in our blankets, we sank down upon the ground, and were soon in a deep sleep, from which we were aroused by the cry of "Fall in." The grey light of the morning was fast appearing, and, by ten A. M., we were in sight of the spires and white houses of Columbia. This is the most tasteful place we have seen in northern Missouri, being situated in a beautiful farming country, and laid out with considerable taste. Instead, however, of meeting an armed foe. with glistening bayonets, the women and children came pouring out in great numbers, and we were smiled upon in the most flattering manner by the beautiful damsels. Secession has quite a number of votaries here, but through humane motives, no doubt, they refrained from appearing. We were marched up and quartered on the State university grounds. The building of this institution is quite fine a brick structure, in the Doric style of architecture. Here the pants made for us by the ladies of Independence, were jerked out of various 142 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. knapsacks, and distributed to tlie "Union Home Guards," who, though neither wounded (unless by the smiling eyes aforesaid) nor half dead, were in pressing need of the garments bestowed. Only one ac- cident happened during the expedition: and that, it is hoped, not a serious one. A member of the Home Guards w'as shot through the shoulder, while leaning on his gun. The wound was promptly dressed, and the wounded man is doing well. Reached Jefferson city again, Friday, the si.xth mstant, and found all well. Morgan Holmes, all honor to his culinary skill, had prepared for us a splendid supper, to which we did ample justice. More Anon. C. J. R. LETTER NO. XV. Camp Worthington, ) Jefferson City, Mo., September lo, 1861. f Raining! All day the dull leaden clouds have been gathering in the southwest like a mighty host, ready to pour down their chilling contents upon us. Under such circumstances the most desirable virtue a person can possess, is patience. No matter if the water does loin across the floor of his tent in small rivulets, converting his comfortable bed of straw and leaves into a steaming mass, it must be borne, and borne heroically. To be sure the soldier is apt to look out into the gloom, and contrast his present situation with that of those who are enjoying the comforts of home, which he, through motives of patriotism volun- tarily resigned, and lo wonder if the happy faces and warm hearts clustered around the fireside of home, have a thought to bestow upon him. Certainly there must be something in the sound of the rain pattering on the tents very suggestive of feelings like these, for many have abandoned their usual pastime of card-playing, and have betaken themselves to silent reflection, or singing sacred songs. A singular little world is this same camp of ours. On a fine day, with the trees waving in the breeze, and the gorgeous sunshine pouring a flood of light over the landscape of hill, valley, and tented field, all is mirth and jollity. Flags are flying in all directions, and files of soldiers, in gay uniforms, and with countenances beaming with content, are striving with a generous emulation to give animation and enjoyment to the in- spiring scene. But let Dame Nature relapse from this genial sum mer mood into one of these sighing dismal autumn rains, and its effect will soon be noted in the darkened brow of the soldier. He no longer has that reckless or don't care sort of appearance, but his manner, as he meets his comrade is warm and feeling. With an.\ious solicitude he inquires about tbe state of his health, and shows a deep interest in the latest news from home. Recollections of letters hitherto neglected and- unanswered, come over his mind, and it will be strange if he does not proceed to his quarters, draw out the old knapsack for a writing desk, and commence inditing a missive to the friends at home. If the orderly's box is not filled by the morrow's noon, it will be because there are no pens and paper to be found. One necessity exists in the most of our western regiments, which should be supplied; that is, the want of some person capable of im- parting thorough moral and religious instruction. He should be, by natural sensibilities, as well as by education, fitted for the post, and should devote to it his highest and noblest energies. The chaplain should be of a practical turn of mind, ready at all times to associate himself with the ranks of the privates, and to pour words of consola- tion and Christian hope into the ear of the sick and weary sufferer, who, removed from all friends, and perhaps from former associates, and beyond the pale of woman's angelic influence, is longing for some kindly word of sympathy. Let him be free to reprove the profligate and abandoned, whose example, unchecked by a warning word, may lead scores of young men, previously well educated by fond and faithful parents, to the lowest depths of degradation and misery. One word from a minister who. by his daily life illustrates what he professes to teach, will have more restraint upon the evil passions of such men, than all the fears of a corporal's guard. In this advanced stage of the world's history, with the many examples that have been set before us it ought to be understood that army life is very demoralizing, and that many powerful influences emanating from the Christian mind and press, must be set to work to counteract the host of vices that creep by in- sensible degrees into camp. . " . Of course, the chaplain must have the sympathy and support of the officers of the regiment in his behalf. On them, and them alone, rests the responsibility: and they should be held by the world strictly accountable for the conduct of the army. When the officers are in the habit of using profane oaths, and obscene language, nothing but a storm of the most horrid vitipura- tion and abuse is heard from the ranks. . . . The first great maxim that should be observed and enforced in military life, is cleanUness. A large body of men, when left together without some controlling spirit to induct it into a rigid system of order, is apt to be- come very negligent. Wednesday, nth. Orders have been given, I understand, from General Fremont, posi- tively prohibiting all information in regard to the numbers and move- ments of troops stationed here. So, for the present, you will have to rest contented with what news you can receive from priyate sources, and wild telegraphic dispatches. It is rumored that Jackson is ap- proaching with a large army, and that he boasts of his intention to eat his dinner here, a week from this date. Said dinner may not prove very palatable, but, of course, he will order his own seasoning. But three of the guards are now in the hospital; the rest are aU enjoy- ing themselves finely. Our present location for camping is very good, being situated two miles from the city, on a piece of meadow ground slightly sloping to the east. I think we shall be quartered heie for some lime to come. Two members of our company have been honor- ably promoted. H. S. Marlin, M.D., of Barclay, has received the post of assistant surgeon to one of the regiments stationed here; and Lieutenant Marshall has been appointed to the captaincy of company I, in place of Captain Langg, who is sick. This latter, it is probable, will be temporary. . . . There go the drums beating for roll call, so good night. C. J. R. LETTER NO. XVI CORRESPONDENCE OF THE GUARDIAN. Headquarters Fifth Iowa Regiment, ) BooNViLLE, MissoL'RI, September 15, 1861. j If recollection serves me rightly, I predicted quite confidently in my last letter that we should remain at Camp Worthington for some time. Every tiling had been arranged, messes divided off, time set apart for company drill and inspection, and a course marked out which seemed to promise rest from more active service. But, on the morning of the thirteenth instant, orders came for us to hold ourselves in readiness to march at a moment's notice ; though for what point we were ignorant. Some, relying on the demand which has been made from the east for ten regiments from the western divis- ion, asserted that we were to go immediately to Washington; others declared that we were bound for St. Lewis, while one individual of gigantic frame and nose of flaming hue gave us as his private opinion publicly expressed that the regiment was destined for Boonville via Patagonia — that the rebel generals Price and Rains had an enormous battery a few miles below on either side of the river, and that we should all get sent to Satan's dominions. Having thus delivered himself on the vexed question he proceeded to refresh his creature wants from a huge canteen that hung by his side, the contents of which, if subjected to chemical analysis, would have been found to contain one gill of water to three quarts of whiskey. The morning of the fourteenth came and with it a violent rain storm. Mud was soon at a discount, and clean pants and diy feet a novelty. The reveille was beat at three o'clock in the morning, when all turned out, ate a hastily prepared breakfast, struck tents, shouldered knapsacks, and fell into ranks with alacrity, impatient to board the good steamer War Eagle and away for our des- tination, wherever it might be. The rain still kept pouring down in torrents, wetting many a luckless fellow to the skin, and causing us all to look anxiously for an ark of safety. At last the storm cleared aw.ay; the muttering thunder died in the distance, and Old Sol favored the half drowned earth with his genial rays once more. At 8:25 A. M. we started; and after rounding a long sandbar the prow of the boat was turned up stream, which said we were bound either for Boonville or Lexington. We had gone but a short distance when we met the steamer Sioux City, freighted with furniture of every description, and having a number of families on board. A shot across her bows from the twelve-pounder soon brought the damsel alongside, when all sorts of inquiries were made concerning the movements of the rebels. They stated that Boonville had been attacked on the previous morning by a force of eight hundred men under the command of Colonel Brown, but that the Home Guards of Boonville, only one hundred and fifty strong, had repulsed them with great loss to the rebels. General Price, with sixteen thousand troops, was advancing rapidly upon Lexington, while Rains with another large division was marching to Glasgow with the intention of cutting off all communication between Lexington and Jefferson City. They were quite sanguine in the opinion that we should have some hot work to do; and giving three hearty cheers we parted. Nothing worthy of note transpired, and at midnight we made fast to the shore opposite to the fair grounds of the far-famed town of Boonville. This morning, after partaking of a hearty breakfast con- sisting of coffee and crackers, the company was marched ashore and HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 143 quartered in the fair building. Tine fair grounds, comprising from twenty-five to thirty acres, rise with a bold and regular slope from the river bank, and after attaining quite an elevation descends quite as regularly on the other side. On the top are situated the intrench- ments, constructed of earth and built in the form of an elongated square with obtuse angles. Prior to our arrival not a single piece of artillerj- graced the works, a defect which is now somewhat remedied by our Iwelve-pounder. This kind persuader is placed in an embras- ure of the northeast angle, commanding the range of all the ap- proaches, and describing the arc of a circle that will sweep the town itself. The battles of yesterday was quite a serious affair, resulting in a repulse of the enemy, with a loss of twenty-six killed; while the number of wounded is not accurately known. The Home Guards lost but two killed outright, and si.x wounded, two of whom have since died. Colonel Brown and his brother, captain of one of the companies, were shot while gallantlv endeavoring to rally their troops. The contest did not last over fifteen minutes, but was sharp and decisive. . . . The fire of the Union men was hot and deadly — the discharge of mus- ketry unceasing; and when the rebels saw their leader fall they fled in confusion. The following description of the battle was given by one of the sergeants : "We war not e.vpectin' the enemy quite so soon; and when I seed a lot of the sneakin' whelps a crawlin' behind that house thar" — pointing to a large brick building — "I began to feel a little streaked. At the same time another gang of 'em was comin' through the orchard, while the colonel was tearing along in the most obstreperous manner, right in front. They didn't come in large num- bers but small squads, and kept dancing about like ducks in a gale of wind. We never waited fur orders, but poured in our fire as fast as we could, and I tell yer stranger, it wasn't slow. Every time I pulled trigger I thought of Betsy and the children at home, and Old Abe. Right whar you see them two trees standin' together Colonel Brown was shot, and about five rods to the left his brother fell. One of our best men was killed right here. Ho had just gave a cheer for the Union, and was drawin' up his gun to shoot, when a ball struck him in the forehead. But they paid dear for his death, I reckon." Wednesd.w, i8th. "Say, Massa, hab you a position in the Iowa Fifth?" "I believe I have that honor, uncle." "Well, dese people roun' heah fraider ob you dan de berry ebil one hisself. When dey hears ob you comin dey jes packs up an' travels for dey say dar is no use fighlin' a lot ob fellers dat won't run." "What makes them fear us so much? " " Dunno; but eber since dat fight in Springfeel, dey rather meet most anybody dan de Iowa regiments." "When did you get away from your master?" " Night afo' las' Massa say he gwine to knock me in de head 'fore I fall in de bans ob de aberlilionists; an' I thought I'd hunt my pussunai convenience." ' 'But ain't you afraid he'll catch you again?" "Not as long as I'se wid de I'wa boys'" The facility with which the gallant confederates get out of the way upon our approach gives some coloring to the statement of my contra- band brother. We are now quartered quite comfortably in tents on the fair ground. Company C has gone nine miles above here to assist the Irish brigade? who had a slight skirmish with the rebels the other night , and were ap- prehensive of an attack from a larger force. . . . The Indiana Eighteenth and Twenty-second regiments arrived here yester- day. If reports are to be relied upon, the secessionists are concen- trating all their energies for an attack on this place or Lexington. I will want but one decisive battle to still rebellion forever in this section. C. J. R. LETTER NO. XV 11. Camp Douglas, Chicago, September 20, 1861. Fhiend Rich,— During the progress of this war, much has been said about the propriety of appointing civilians to high military posi- tions. So pliable had the public become, under the manipulation of skilful and unscrupulous politicians, that their willingness to risk the lives and reputations of our soldiery in the hands of men, who, how- ever expert they may have become in the arts of wire-pulling and log- rolling, could not properly load a musket, should be no matter of sur- prise. But experience is teaching us different ideas of military science, and people are beginning to understand that adaptation will, in part only, supply the place of a scientific education in the art of war. Snob politicians are no longer toler.ated, and first class lawyers can no longer be considered as necessarily first class commanders. \ little experience serves sometimes to convince lawyers themselves of this fact, as has been demonstrated in our own regiment. The first regiment of the Douglas brigade was organized on the twenty-ninth ultimo. David Stewart, a talented lawyer of this city, and mainly in- strumental in the organization of the brigade, received a complimentary election to the colonelcy; but, not being a military man by education, he had the good sense to resign, at the same time recommending Cap- tain W. H. Webb, an officer of long experience in the regular army, for the position. Captain Webb received a unanimous vote, and his election has given unbounded satisfaction to the men, and has inspired them with a confidence they could not have felt under the command of any civilian. Mr. Stewart was elected lieutenant colonel, and G. W, Roberts, major. With these officers the men are ready for any reason- able undertaking, and we are all determined to gve an honorable ac- count of ourselves. I have been trying to analyze the material in this camp, and have separated it into three distinct and nearly equ,al classes: First, those who enlisted from a love of adventure, or for the purpose of obtaining a lazy livelihood; second, men of moderate intelligence, who hastily comprehend the meaning of this contest, and choose to be on the right side, but are here mainly because it is the fashion: third, the real no- bility of the land — men with large hearts, wholly devoted to their coun- try, and with arms nerved by the inspiration of duty and honor. The first class comprises nine-tenths of the grumblers — the other tenth be- long to the second — and to its ranks may be traced nearly all derelic- tions of duty, such as failure to appear at roll calls, drills, etc. It has been observed, however, that their seats at the table are seldom vacant, although they are constantly complaining of every ailment in the calen- dar, from a sore toe to general debility. They are, in short, a good- for-nothing set of drones, and could well be spared from the regiment. Efficiency does not altogether he in numbers. Those of the second class will make passably good soldiers; though their efficiency will depend much upon their humor. Should every- thing go to their liking; should their officers suit them and their rations be well served, they would be reliable in an emergency; otherwise they could not be depended upon, though they would scarcely prove mutin- ous, unless under the strongest provocation. But the life, soul and support of the regiment rests with the third class. .Actuated by the deepest sense of duty, and inspired with an almost religious zeal for the sacred cause, they are ready to meet every priv'ation, and to overcome every obstacle. Without them, the regi- ment would be worthless; with them, it will return from victorv with the beautiful colors, presented this day, unsullied by a stain of dis- honor. I suspect that the divisions above noticed will apply to our army gen- erally. It is not composed entirely of disinterested patriots; and a thorough extirpation of weeds, cutting it down at least a third, would just about double its efficiency. There are a thousand things in camp life to write about — matters in- significant, perhaps, in themselves, but invaluable as an inde.x to the general character of our people; but I will not intrude much further upon your space, so valuable in these exciting times. The amusements practiced in camp, are not particularly elevating or invigorating. Card playing is the staple, and seems to be with many a passion amounting to folly. Its effects are seen in their disinclination for duty, and restlessness under restraint. Card playing, equally with whiskey drinking, unfits men for military service, and should be equally inhib- ited throughout the army. There is, however, little drunkenness in our camp. Of course, the sale of liquors upon the grounds is prohibited, and it is only occasionally, when his habits are known, that a drinker is passed outside the lines. We pride ourselves on this feature of camp discipline, and also on the good behavior of our men at the chaplain's service. The regiment is soon to remove to Missouri, and I may have some- thing of more interest to communicate. j. l. loomis. letter no. xviu. Heaoql'.vrters Fifth Iowa, Boo.nville, Missouri, 1 September 22, i86t. ) * * * I can not describe the misery and confusion that everv-- where prevail. Law and order are abolished, and a miserable horde of Ishinaelites are roving the country, burning bridges, stealing prop- erty, and slaughtering or driving away all those who are suspected of having the least particle of love for the Union. Too cowardly, or too sensible of their inability to meet the Federal troops in a fair engage- ment, they are content to lie in wait, like the cunning savage, and strike a blow at some unguarded point. 144 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. On the eighteenth instant, companies E and H r;turned from a suc- cessful scouting expedition, fifteen miles up the river. The spoils brought into camp consisted of a gang of six negroes, and property to the value of five thousand dollars. I was prevented by sickness from' accompanying the p.arly ; but, from accounts related by the boys, many rich scenes must have occurred. Company E was commanded by Lieutenants Jordan and Marshall, who were nothing loth to give the men a touch of adventure. . . . What if the shoe did pinch, or the knapsack hang heavily, all was sure to be compens- ated for when resting from their toil in the house of some broad plan- tation. . . . One of the scenes of the drama was the taking of a horse and carriage from a couple of strong-minded ladies. They were grandly dressed in silks and satins, and made no pretence of concealing their hatred of "old Abe" and his soldiers. They had overtaken the company on the main road, and were permitted to ride quietly along till they arrived at their own residence. The soldiers then politely informed them that the horse and carriage must be delivered np as contraband property; that having reached their home they could have no further use for it, while, on their part, it would prove very ser- viceable in conveying knapsacks and tired soldiers. At this stage of aff.iirs an old lady appeared at the gate, protesting vehemently that she had used both parties alike, and she thought it mean, yes, outrageously mean, to be treated so. As for the young ladies, they poured down the vials of their wrath in rich profusion. It rained, hailed, snowed and lightened all manner of choice expletives, but no one was hurt. Two soldiers were detailed to take charge of the property in dispute, and it is to be hoped, that when next these ladies rode, they were, if occasion required, civil, even to Federal soldiers. . . . Time would fail me to relate all the ad- ventures that befell the boys. How Sergeant Peck succeeded in get- ting his small feet planted under a table and eating until the mistress of the house stood aghast at the prospect of a famine; how orchards were entered, and the golden fruit confiscated for present necessity, while well-filled haversacks provided against future need. All these, and more, are stored up in retentive memories, to be related by the boys when safe at home by their own firesides. A fatal and most disgraceful blunder was made by members of the Indiana Eighteenth, on their way to Lexington. The steamer had been made fast to the shore, and scouting parties thrown out, when two of these met, and, through mistake, fired into each other, killing and wounding quite a number. The whole affair was the result of mismanagement on the part of the lieutenant colonel, who was in com- mand, and who could not be persuaded that the firing did not proceed from rebels in ambush. Had it not been for the captain of the boat, this valiant specimen of a Bakertown militia captain would have re- treated, leaving three hundred of his own men, scattered on shore in different directions, to shift for themselves. If such officers could be remanded to the sphere in which it is possible they made a respectable figure, it were better for them and the army. . . . Every- thing passes off smoothly in our regiment. The commissariat depart- ment is well supplied with an abundance of meat, coffee and sugar, more than is used, which enables the men to dispose of the surplus for vegetables. We are attaining a good degree of proficiency in com- pany and battalion drill, and gradually becoming accustomed to the regime of the camp, and necessary sanitary regulations. On the twentieth instant reports came that the bridge spanning the Lamine river, nine miles above, had been burned, and that a body of rebels were encamped in the vicinity. Five companies from our regi- ment were called upon, and ere five minutes had elapsed from the first roll of the drum, they were ready to march, company E being the first in line. Many of the boys had left their dinners warm upon the table, and had tallen into the ranks, not without a sigh of regret on the part of those who had been at the trouble of procuring potatoes and other delicacies. It was 12 o'clock precisely as we passed out of the en- campment, and struck the main road leading to the bridge. The division was under the command of Major Robinson and .Adjutant Foley, who are well qualified and possess the unbounded confidence of the whole regiment. The country is hilly and badly cut up into deep ravines and gullies, and in places heavily timbered Many fine private residences abound — models of taste and elegance — invariably surrounded with groves of maple or butternut trees, and with nice, smooth-shaven lawns extending in front. At the rear of the family residence are situated the whitewashed cottages of tue blacks, always clean and neat ; and still further back the orchards, bending be- neath their load of luscious fruit. Missouri may safely challenge any State in the Union, as far as the raising of fruit is concerned. The fabled gardens of the Hesperides could not equal an orchard we stumbled into while out on a foraging expedition. Great, rosy-cheeked peaches, pendant from branches bending to the ground, while ap- ples! — well, there is no use talking; the earth was fairly covered with them for rods around ; and, for once, you felt that the folks at home might envy the soldier boys. ... A dense cloud of smoke directly in front, showed plainly where the work of destruction had been consumated. A tew miles farther — our march being at a quick step, pausing now and then for rest and water — and a sudden turn in the road revealed to us the black and smouldering ruins of the bridge. The torch of the incendiary must have been applied early in the forenoon, for the frame work was all consumed, and there remained only the three grim, silent, stone abutments. It had obviously been burnt for the purpose of preventing communication between Lexing- ton and Jefferson City, it being the programme of the secessionist to hem in and secure this place and Lexington, and then turn their united forces on Jefferson City, which they are anxious to take the present month, in order to pass an ordinance of secession declaring the State of Missouri free from the parental authority of Uncle Sam, and en- titled to pass her own laws and regulations. . . The banks of the Lamine river resemble those of the Osage, being fringed with a thick growth of dwarfish timber, and affording a safe asylum to multitudes of nameless insects. As to the few people who manage to eke out here a scanty living, they bear a close resemblance to all other Missourians of the same class; being dressed in butternut colored pants, loose frock coat and broad brimmed hat, and possessing a cadaverous cast of countenance. We stacked arms and proceeded to gather up materials for dinner, but with rather poor success, as none of the baggage wagons had arrived. Toward evening a woman came to the guard's quarters, bearing upon her arm a large basket well filled with meat, potatoes and warm biscuit. It was soon surrounded by a hungry, clamorous crowd, humbly entreating for a small piece of crust. . . . Lieutenant Jordan and company were de- tailed to act as outside picket guard for the evening, and set out on their wearisome tramp. Nothing of importance transpired; no traces or signs of an enemy being seen. Brother Sam, aided by the nimble fingers and willing heart of Corporal Woodruff, succeeded in drawing a fine bowl of butter from an isolated spring-house, which helped amazingly in setting out our breakfast table the next morning. No one asked any question, but all felt inspired with veneration for the magic virtues hidden in that one small word "draw." The next day we were ordered back to quarters. It is probable that the bridge was fired by a small party that could place itself immediately out of danger. Its destruction can result in no great inconvenience to the transportation of troops, as they have kindly left us the Missouri river, and a ferry a few miles above in possession of the home guard. Twenty-fourth — Startling news reached us last night to the effect that Colonel Mulligan, of the Irish brigade, and an Illi- nois cavalry company, stationed at Lexington, had surrendered to the rebels under General Price. Lane, with his six thousand reinforcements, was too late to render assistance, and after a contest of five or six days the Federal forces, having exhausted their amunition and suffering for water, were compelled to submit. Great loss of life on both sides. Of course the greatest excitement prevails now, and the most extraordinary exertions will be made to retrieve the lost ground. By this disaster the strongest entrenchments and most complete military stores on the river are turned against us ; and all this happened when the Iowa Fifth, the Indiana Eighteenth, Twenty-second and Twenty- seventh regiments were only forty miles from the scene of action. Lexington will be made a grand military depot, from which rebej armies can be fitted out to descend the Missouri, cutting off our sup- plies Irom Jefferson City and completely corralling us. This is a grand scheme of the rebels — they have had a mortal hatred of this place ever since their deleat by the Union home guards, and they are determined to have it at all hazards. If so, they will have a fine chance to dis- play their agility in scaling breastworks, for we have a splendid line on the most advantageous ground, four feet high, and ten feet in thick- ness. Four steamers are now lying at the landing, and another fleet is expected this evening. The Indiana Eighteenth regiment left for Georgetown to-day. about forty miles south of this. To-day noon, six of the border ruffian rangers, whose regiment is stationed seven miles above, arrived in camp. They stated that the story about the capture of Lexington was all false, and that Lane, with fifteen hundred men. had cut his way through to the relief of Mul- ligan, while the rebels are cornered on every side and can't run. Our regiment is now under marching orders, probably for Lexington, where the courage of the boys will be no doubt tested. C. J. R. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 145 [The glaring contradiction in regard to the burning of the bridge over the I^amine, which will be noticed in reading letters Nos. XVIII and XIX, suggests several serious questions, as: Which of the writers was the more voracious? VVho burned the bridge? Was the bridge burned? Why was the bridge burned? etc. His- tory is said to repeat itself; so also does it illustrate itself. Some light may be shown upon the last of these questions (the first three being measurable), by the fol- lowing incident of the late war, known to have occurred at Chillicothe, the old capital of a state, young in years, but old in renown: Morgan's raid had thrown the southern portion of the above mentioned State into a condition of constant ex- pectancy. Morgan and his troop were on the outskirts of every considerable town in the whole breadth of the land; from the furthest east to the Queen City of the west. Home guards rode through the streets every- where and with gauntleted hand shook defiance at the bold intruder. At the old capital a picket guard was stationed near a splendid bridge, which had cost the municipality many thousands. Some horsemen were seen in the distance — the guard set fire to the bridge, beneath which murmured a silver, shrunken stream eight inches deep, and dashed into town shouting, Morgan! Morgan I The horsemen, some neighboring farmers, who had thought to ride into town and get the latest news, asked innocently, as their horses hoofs were cooled by the laps- ing waters: "Why was the bridge burned?" And, now that we look at it, telling the story is not answering the question, which, for aught w^e can see, must go down through the ages, vainly questioning. — E. P.] LETTER NO. XIX. C.vmpLyon, Boonville. Missouri. September 22, 1861. Friend Rich : — Having drawn one more stamp, and fished up a sheet of paper, I thought I would drop a line, just to let you know we are all alive and well. One of our boys received a letter from home a few days since, informing him that he and two other of the boys had been killed, and several wounded in a fight with the rebels. But as they show no sign of being kilt, we await confirmation of the report. We arrived at this place one week ago to-day, at i o'clock A. M. News reached us that the Union Home guards were being cut to pieces. On arriving here we found the facts to be, that on the Friday before there had been a hard fight between one hundred and si.xty of the guards and eight hundred rebels with a loss of forty killed and several wounded. Colonel Brown, commanding the rebels, and his brother, a captain, were both killed. The guards had the advantage of a small earthwork, built by General Lyon after his victory here. One of our boys asked a member of the guard why the rebels did not storm the works. He replied in effect, that there was such an incessant hail of shot, that they kept behind the trees in an opposite grove. We are now pleasantly encamped on the battle ground, amidst a fine gro\e of butternut and walnut trees. Tuesday morning companies E and H were ordered to march with two days' rations. News had come in that the rebels were trying to burn the bridge over the Lamine, nine miles west of us. Away we went in high spirits. But we were again doomed to cruel disap- pointment, for, on reaching Sulphur Springs, two miles beyond, we found that the rebels had been gone fifteen minutes, and they being mounted, pursuit was, of course, useless. . Friday noon, while sitting in my tent trying to write a letter, I was interrupted by the beating of the long roll, and the fall- ing in of men. A report had come that the enemy was approaching from the direction of the Lamine. Word was given that the first five companies out would be sent to meet him. Company E was the first on the ground. Four others were soon in ranks, and we started at a rattling pace. When about one mile out, we halted and loaded. Our ■7 good-natured major now rode along the line saying: "Now, boys, keep perfectly cool, don't break ranks, and don't waste one iota of powder. " .\11 being ready, scouts were sent out on each side of the road, and we again moved forward. When about two miles from the bridge, a courier met us with the information that Price's army of twelve thousand men was only a few miles across the river. Acting upon this advice, (he major sent several mounted men forward to burn the bridge. Preparation having been made many days since, this was easily done, and, a short time after we arrived, the noble structure, which, a few days before, we had made a forced march to protect, was one smoking mass of ruins. The march of nine miles was made in two hours, which we think was pretty good time. I forgot to mention that the most of our men came off without their dinner. As soon, therefore as we camped, this became the all-absorb- ing question. But the boat is getting up steam, and I must close or lose the chance of sending this. I meant to have told you about draw- ing the hoe-cake, the scene in the milk house, the mysterious disap- pearance of the jar of butter, coupled with the condition of Corporal Ws. haversack, and of the visit to the peach orchard; but the Satan will not wait. We returned safe and sound the next day. and are now ready for the next job. Our fair patrons at home are ever remembered with gratitude, and they may rest assured that the thought of them will make the weakest strong. With kind remembrances from all, to all, 1 remain. Yours, etc., O. J. M. Fuller. LETTER NO. XX. Gl.^sgow, Missouri, September 29, 1861. ) He.\dquarters Io\v.\ Fifth, j Our regiment left Boonville on Wednesday, the twenty- fifth instant, and arrived at this place on the following day. Came up the river on the War Eagle. But little sickness e.xists in the regiment, and all are quiet and orderly. E. J. R. LETTER NO XXL Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Mis.souri, \ October 3, 1861. j Friend Rich: You doubtless have correspondence from Benton barracks, but your readers may be interested to know what is thought of the Iowa Ninth by disinterested spectators. Belonging, as I do, to a regiment recruited mostly from Illinois, I have better opportunities to hear impartial judgments than members of the Independence com- pany. I have heard but one comment, and that of entire commenda- tion. We have been quartered here for ten days, and have witnessed the arrival and departure of many regiments, but none to equal Colo- nel Vandever's. I have had occasion before to feel proud of Iowa, as the State of my adoption; but especially now of our own county Bu- chanan. Her part has been nobly performed. .\ little figuring will convince any one that in numbers she has far exceeded her proportion; and, in the efficiency of her men, probably no county in Iowa excells her. Her first company will, doubtless, soon have an opportunity to test its quality, as, at last accounts, it occupied the advanced post of Glasgow, on the Missouri. Let us hope that the Fifth may deserve equal glory with the gallant First, and the Ninth greater than both. But what queer, tall, brass-emblazoned black hats the boys are sport- ing ! Already we have nick-named them the " Hawkeye stovepipers," and we only wish the enemy may wear "the like" when within shoot- ing distance — a better mark could not be provided. Brass bugles and eagles are all very fine, but precious heads ought not to be made prom- inent targets without cause. Altogether, the regiment seems to have been as well provided for as any other western troops — far better than many. Our regiment— that is, the First regiment of the Douglas brigade, now classed as the Forty-second Illinois— left Camp Douglas and Chi- cago without one feeling of regret. Every day here increases our sat- isfaction with the change. Strange as it may seem, our commissary arrangements heie, almost in the enemy's country, are vastly superior to those of Chicago. There it was impossible to obtain vegetables or anything beyond the old army rations; here we have the new army ra- tions and are enabled to exchange for vegetables of every description. We are living luxuriously now. but the boys of the Irish brigade tell a different story of their fare further west. We shall make the most of our ."■ew days of grace here. But, after all, this detention here is not grat- ifving. We are anxiously awaiting our arms. Companies A and B are already provided with Colt's revolving rifle, a splendid arm; but the rest of us (our's is company G) expect the regulation rifled mus- kets, manufactured at Springfield. They are certainly a simpler and 146 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. lighter gun than the revolving rifle, and their range is two hundred yards longer. I understand that a movement is on foot in the Iowa Ninth to provide themselves entirely with the Colt gun, the cost to be subtracted from their bounty, they of course to retain the gun after the close of the war. The experience of the French, the most accom- plished and the most scientific fighters in the world, has taught them that the simplest gun of the longest range is the most effective in active warfare. It is to be feared, therefore, that the Ninth will have cause to regret the step should the effort be successful. Benton Barracks afford splendid accommodations for the thousands of soldiers quartered here for the completion of their organization and equipment. The magnificent parade is just receiving its finishing touches, and is said to have no superior in the country. Brigadier General Curtis, of our own State, is in command, and is universally esteemed. There are piobably ten thousand troops in this camp alone. It would be folly (if not treason) for me to give any estimate of the number within the line of fortifications that surround St. Louis. We certainly feel perfectly secure. Universal indignation is expressed among the soldiers at the villain- ous efforts of Blair and his adherents to procure the removal of Fre- mont, who has the entire confidence of the .Army of the West. A few days will show that hopes in him are well founded. We are satisfied to serve under John C. Fremont, and our cry is : "Death to sleepless and meddlesome politicians." J. C. LooMis. LETTER NO. XXII — NINTH IOWA REGIMENT.* Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri, ) October 5, 1S61. J Friend Rich: — Thinking that perhaps a few lines from this camp would not be uninteresting to some of your readers, I take it upon myself to give you a short account of our company. Since we left Dubuque we have seen rather hard times. We left there with five other companies on board the Canada. As we were very much crowded, and had hardly half enough to eat, the situation was well calculated to beget homesickness. But when we left the boat and marched through the city of St. Louis without a single cheer, it was as solemn as a funeral. We finally got to the camp, which is in a most beautiful situation, and are now in very good barracks. We have si.t cooks to prepare our victuals, and, of course, live on the top shelf Five or si.x men are furnished daily by our company to act as guards. Nearly every day men are killed here. Three men were sent to their eternal home yesterday — one was shot, one was stabbed, and the other was thrown from his horse, or supposed to be. The first two were killed by a member of the Irish brigade that surrendered at Le.xing- on, and he is now under arrest. We have received our uniforms at last, and the most of the company needed them badly. Our coats, or rather blouses, are of dark blue and rather short; our pants are light blue, fitting to a charm; hats of the most beautiful style, black, one story and a half high, with a beau- tiful leather. By the way, the report that the Ninth regiment were all killed com- ing down the river, must be false, although it was current when we got here, for 1 believe we are all right. We have not yet received our guns, but expect some in a day or two, to practice the manual of arms with. We are anxious to try our pluck on the battle-field, but there is no doubt we shall have enough to do yet. There is a report that the enemy is within thirty miles of here, but little confidence is placed in it, as the air is full of rumors. Some twenty-two thousand men are here now, while more are coming every day. Regiments are also constantly leaving, having completed their equipment. The weather has been very pleasant until to-day, but now it is raining very hard. Our company is the color company of the re- giment, company C. This is all that would interest our friends at this time, and if you think it worth publishing, please do so. Yours, etc., E. C. Little. LETTER NO. XXIII. Camp near Boonville. Missouri, ) October 5. 1861, headquarters Fifth Iowa regiment, j We left Glasgow for this point on Wednesday last, and arrived here at 8 P. M. the same day. It appears that the colonel entertains fears of being cut off from supplies by some of Price's wandering hordes, who, since the surrender of Lexington, fill the country in all directions, and thought it more prudent to drop back and rejoin the main body, prior to making an advance movement. *From another correspondent. Glasgow is an isolated place, destitute of defences of any kind, and nothing would have been easier than for the Secesh to have surrounded and held us at their mercy. But, in justice to the town, I will sav that, so far as kindness and liberality are concerned, the people are above reproach. The fire of liberty still burns brightly in the breasts of many, and they are not backward in expressing their love for the Union, at every opportunity. . . . The Ninth Missouri and Thirty-seventh Illinois regiment. Colonel White, are stationed here. The Illinois re- giment is well uniformed, their guns are of improved pattern, but they are poorly disciplined. They have been but six weeks in service, and need practice. .As for the Missourians, they have seen, judging from appearances, hard service. Their uniforms are old and soiled — guns of an inferior quality, while the utmost confusion reigns in the subsistence depart- ment. General Pope arrived here, with his body guard, to-day. The command of the post has devolved temporarily upon Brigadier Gen- eral Kelton, who is an energetic, eflficient officer, and much respected by all. You have heard, ere this, of General Fremont's departure from St, Louis. He brings with him an army second to none in the field. Despite the number of his personal enemies among his former political associates, the hearts of the loyal citizens here are with him, while the conduct of Blair and his supporters is condemned in the strongest terms. There is no doubt that Price has evacuated Lexington, with a part of his command, at least, for some point southward, perhaps Georgetown. Trouble is apprehended, for we leave for that spot to- morrow morning. A dispatch has just arrived, stating that Sigel had encountered Price and repulsed him, but it needs confirmation. C. ]. R. LETTER NO. XXIV. FROM THE NINTH IOWA.'* Camp Herkon, Franklin, Missouri. October 14, 1861. Mr. Editor: — Last Friday afternoon. October 11, we left Benton barracks and marched through St. Louis to the Fourteenth street depot of the Pacific railroad company. Bouquets and cheers were showered on our regiment in the streets of St. Louis. After waiting a couple of hours until the train was made up, and the stores, including ten days' rations, were loaded, we moved forward. The train consisted of twenty-fi\'e cars, and proceeded rather slowly to this point, ninety-eight miles from St. Louis, where we arrived at 10 o'clock at night. Thanks to the moon, we were enabled to pitch our tents on the new camping ground the same night. Our camp is situated on a gently sloping ground on the southeast side of the small town of Franklin, called also Pacific City. .As the tents are new, and the camp itself is laid out as near as possible according to the ' ' rules and regulations of the United States army," the appearance of the sam; from the foot of the hill, or from the town itself, is rather pleasant and picturesque. The days have been rather warm and very bright since we arrived here. The nights, however, are cold and frosty, and the dew heavier than I have ever seen before. Last Sunday, while at the depot, a train from St. Louis came in carrying Simon Cameron, the secretary of war; the adjutant general, Lorenzo Thomas, and their suite, on their way to meet General Fremont, at Tipton. A very humorous scene occurred while the train was waiting. As Mr. Cameron stepped out upon the platform he saw some four or five of our boys near him, and addressed one of them jokingly, "Do you belong to Vandever's regiment?" "Yes, sir." ' 'Are they all as good-looking fellows as you are?" the secretary asked. The soldier thus addressed, E. C. Little, of Buchanan county, answered in a dry, humoious way, " We are the worst looking of the whole lot, but I guess they anyhow look about as well as you do." This was received with a hearty laugh by the by- standers, in which the secretary and his friends joined. Mr. Cameron reentering the car. General Thomas told the boy that he had been ad- dressing the secretary of war, which information did not move the boy at all. He continued standing with folded arms, the only one looking serious in the whole crowd. Presently the secretary returned and said, "Why. boy, you ought to be mide captain. What is your name?' "Never mind about my name," was the answer; but the secretary in- sisting upon knowing it and his place of residence, he said in the same cool, humorous way, "My name is E. C. Little, and I come from Buchanan county, Iowa, if you ever heard of such a county. They say it is called so after President Buchanan, but he is no relative of mine." This brought them all down again; but they gave it up entirely when he added in the same dry way, "I guess my folks live up tV.ere yet, and if you come up that way you had better call in and see them." * Correspondence of the Dubuque Times. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 147 I am telling you this incident because I saw some of the gentlemen of the party making notes of the scene, and it probably will appear m pnnt somewhere else ; and. as I stood next to the inperturbable boy, and heard the conversation, I looked upon myself as a perfectly relia- ble reporter. We left a few sick at the hospital at Benton Barracks. Captain Harper, from Jones county, remained behind to attend to them. I am sorry to report that one of the sick, thus left behind, has since died of typhoid fever. His name is Amor Winsiow, of Scotch Grove, Jones county, and he belonged to Captain H.irper's company. A small de- tachment of our regiment is guarding a railroad biidge, half a mile west of us ; but beyond this everything seems as peaceable as at Old Camp Union. There may be a good deal of seceshdom around us. but if there is, it appears to keep as prudently silent and invisible as at dear old Dubuque itself. ScRIBBI.KR. LETTER NO. XXV. Camp Near Booneville, Missouri, October i6th. Our marching orders, of which I spoke in my last, were counter- manded on Monday, the seventh instant, and we still remain here. A violent storm from the northwest, however, as usual brought with it marching orders, and we are once more in readiness to sail out for some point unknown ; probable Georgetown. Price is reported to be within twenty-five miles of the latter place, with an army of thirty thousand men. This notorious personage has the marvelous faculty of honoring twenty different places with his presence at one and the same time. * ■ To my mind it is quite certain that we shal' meet no larger force of the enemy for sometime in these parts. Price's army at Le.xington was composed of a heterogeneous mass, w^hich dis- persed itself over the country, the moment the conflict was over, only to organize when summoned to the attack of some weak point. Well, this is one of the days, decidedly. How the rain dashes and splashes on our frail tents, shaking the foundations thereof, and caus- ing the votaries of Mars within to quake with fear and dismal forbod- ings. Our lodge presents a picture worthy the pencil of an artist. By my side Sam is snoring in blissful unconsciousness, while the rest of our comrades in arms are disposed in the most picturesque attitudes. At length Sam awakes, opens wide his small mouth, yawns, and, as clearer consciousness dawns, e.xclaims, "wonder if I can't get my squash on in time for dinner." While speaking he slowly unfolds his blanket, and displays a fine .specimen of that vegetable, which he had in camp parlance, drawn, from a neighboring garden. ' ' How are you going to cook it?" "Well, I s'pose in the usual manner, and, in the usual mannei, let you fellows eat it." "I think, Sam, you had better lie down and take a nap. You hav'nt slept but fourteen hpurs, and must be sleepy. As for squashes, we have plenty of 'em (tho' too green to cook) without going so far." "It's a wonder that you've not been picked," retorts the squash hunter, as he adjusts the blanket around his shoulders, and settles down to another snooze. Friday. — Still at the old quarters, havmg delayed marching on account of the rain and the bad ro.ads. The camp is in a flurry of excitement. The mail and paymaster have just arrived from Jefferson City, on the steamer Northerner, bringing plenty of news. No one can imagine with what eagerness the letters were seized, and their contents de- voured. To be sure, they were all old, but none the less welcome. We have had no late papeis for three weeks, and have been reduced to the most deplorable shifts for re.iding matter. Our letters showed that all were well, aU thriving, all wishing for our success, and safe return, aiid after reading them over and over again to see if there was any obscure expression that had escaped us, we went to supper, feeling better. The captain's wife and Lewis, who had been a long time con- fined in the hospital, came up to-day. Lewis is improving, and I hope that he may soon be able to bear his new fledged honors, for it is un- derstood that he is to be appointed sergeant-major. Mrs. Lee will re- turn home, and will probably be the bearer of this and other letters. We all hate to have her leave, for the whole company are in love with her quiet, unassuming manners and noble grit ; for she would stick by the company through thick and thin, if possible. May success attend her. The boys are half crazy at the prospect of receiving a little money. The colonel is in a quandary, and favors the expediency of paying off part at a time, so as to have a guard for the other half How many good dames will be gladdened by the sight of a little money from ab- sent husbands. Here comes one rushing up in breathless haste. — "Boys, 1 am going to sen^ mine back by Mrs. Lee, every cent of it. If I should full into the hands of the secesh, I don't want them finger- ing it out of my packets." We shall not go to Georgetown, but to Syracuse, twenty-five miles distant, and are to leave as soon as paid off. C. J. R. LETTER NO. XXVL Harlan Barracks, t Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, October 18, 1861. ) Friend Rich:— Knowing that your readers feel some interest in the men enlisted in the army, from Buchanan county, I take the liberty to give you some of the details of an incident with which some of the Buchanan boys and myself were connected. Night before last, as three of our men were riding into camp from town, with one Bob McCuUoch, an altercation occurred between them, commenced on his part, by call- ing them d — d Lincoln men— rugger sted/ers, and ending by his driving them out of his wagon, and chasing them with a volley of stones; the boys suffering an ignominious flight, rather than quarrel with a citizen of the vicinity. But learning afterwards that he was a noted seces- sionist, and the nephew of General McCulloch, of the would be " con- federacy," they became clamorous for his arrest. Accordingly a detail of twenty men was placed under my command, by Captain Peters, with orders to arrest him, and bring him into camp. We marched to his residence, a distance of about four miles, and si- lently surrounding the house, placed guards in a close cordon, and thought the bird safely caged. But we were doomed to disappointment, as we learned from the family that McCulloch had gone to one of the neighbor's, and their description of the locality of the neighbor's house was not remarkably lucid. Learning that one of his boys, who was at the stable when we arrived, had made a hasty exodus through the timber to the west, I detailed a squad of men to guard the house, and with the rest of the party gave chase to the boy, whom we met at the dis- tance of half a mile on his return. The country, in that vicinity, was thoroughly ransacked, but without success. Concluding, and rightly, as was afterward proven, that the boy had met the father and given him the alarm, we returned to the house, and withdrew the guard; but, with skilful manoeuvring, placed a concealed picket in a situation to com- mand the approaches to the house, and give notice of the buzzard's return to his roost. We then, apparently, marched back to camp. Ill reality, however, we sought a heavily timbered defile and bivouacked. About an hour after, another detachment arrived iVom camp, sent by Captain Peters and Captain Rector, whose company quarters adjoin ours, to reinforce us and learn the cause of our prolonged absence. It was finally decided to return to camp, leaving our watch on duty. While eating breakfast we received notice that our game was housed. We marched back, you may believe, in high spirits; but alas! only to meet a repetition of our failure. One of our guards had imprudently, and against positive orders, allowed himself to be seen by the family, and again the bird had flown to the woods, and nothing was left for us, but to return to camp, hanging our heads, (instead of the traitors) with shame and vexation at our want of success, and bearing the taunts >-l triangles. But, as usual, no enemy was to be found. So much for our first attack. We are happy to slate that none were killed on our side, and shall pro' ibly be able to state the number missing on the other side ne.\t week. Our men exhibited the best courage; not a man held back, but all were ready for the fight. Mr. Voung, in his hurry, forgot to take out a paper he kept in the muz- zle of his gun to keep out the dirt, but put in the charge and rammed the whole down together. Of course he did not shoot anybody, and in that he w'as not peculiar. R. W. W. LETTER NO. XXX. C.^MP Herron, Ninth Regiment, Iowa Volunteers, 1 October 24, 1861. j Friend Rich :— Thinking that a few lines from this, the land of secesh and the home of the homely, might perhaps not be uninteresting to the readers of your excellent paper, I will note down a few items and incidents which are common and peculiar to a soldier's life. We left Benton barracks on the morning of the twelfth, and took the cars at St. Louis about 3 o'clock p. M., for Camp Herron, arriving here about 10 o'clock at night. The road was very rough and uneven, and having probably the hea\ iest load the old iron horse ever drew, he travelled at a snail's pace, and we were somewhat astonished when we were in- formed that we were only thirty-seven miles from St. Louis. Along the line of the load the country is very broken and uneven, with timber in abundance: while here and there could be seen farm houses that beto- kened thrift and prosperity, with a plenty of fruit, that recalls scenes that have tr,anspired in youth among the hills of the old Granite State. Camp Herron is situated between two bluffs that rise in splendid mag- nificence, the tops enveloped in dense ague fogs, while along their sides are huge rocks, enormous stumps and clumps of bushes. The boys are enjoying themselves, passing away the leisure time in approprKiting apples and other delicacies belonging to those whose loyalty is not above suspicion, and in scouting by parties of three or four up to fifty, according to the game we are in pursuit of. Five of our companies are stationed along the railroad, guarding the bridges from rebel incendiaries, and visiting those who are known to be enemies to their country. The sergeant that guards the bridge a mile from the camp arrested two last week, and brought them into camp. 1 had the pleasure of assisting in their capture, and, as pursued and pursuers were mounted, we had an exciting time. But finally they were headed and taken into camp for inspection. The colonel dismissed one of them after administering the oath, but the other is still a prisoner. We have seven of the "critters, " and the number is still increasing. I would like to give you a description of a regular secesh, but that is an impos- sibility—to do him justice would be out of the question. One who has been here any length of time can tell one, almost to a dead certainty, by their downcast, forsaken, yellow, and jaundiced countenances, occa- sioned in part, no doubt, by their close proximity to the Iowa Ninth, knowing, as they must, that the day of retribution is at hand unless they repent. They have none of that noble manliness that can stand before the world and say, " I am an American." I am one of a party that is going out to-morrow, and 1 think we shall have some sport before we return. There are a considerable num- ber of home-guards in this vicinity, and also a good many Missouri boys who are in the service for the war. I have conversed with quite a number of them, and they say we are too easy with those taken pris- oners. They think death, for traitors against such a government as ours, is far better than they deserve. The Union men see and feel the effects of this monstrous rebellion, and a great many have been forced to join the army to save themselves from the cowardly rebels. The army, they say, is the safest place for a Union man. There was an alarm last night, occasioned by some of the guard imagining that they heard or saw some one in the bushes near by where they were stationed. They discharged their pieces at the imag- inary something, gave the alarm, and in a very few minutes every com- pany was drawn up in line of battle, ready to meet the enemy. It turned out to be a false alarm. The only spy that could be found was an unfortunate hog, on a nutting expedition. This was quite early in the evening, and everything went on smoothly again until about i o'clock at night, when the guards raised another alarm. The lieutenant of the guard took a number of the men and went out to reconnoitre. They had not advanced far when they beheld a few rods in advance a crouching figure, ready to pour death, destruction and ounce balls into their ranks. A halt and the stern demand, "Who is there?" brought no response. The question was repeated, but the intrepid scout was not to be intimidated. A shot from the lieutenant's revolver sped on its deadly errand ; they rushed forward boldly to capture the prisoner and conduct him to headquarters ; but, strange to tell, he was still un- moved. The gallant officer of the guard had plumped the centre of a big black stump ! It was the last alarm of the night. The boys are all an.xious to get their new arms and try themselves. We are getting tired of the old revolutionary fusees that we have now. The only capacity in which they excel is that of killing at the wrong end. One poor volunteer had his shoulder dislocated, was knocked down, and kicked three times after he was down. .Another had one side of his face bruised; and quite a number have been jarred until their noses bled, while the catalogue of minor mishaps is endless. But this is not the worst aspect of the case. We can outlive all such catas- trophies as these; but if we ever get into battle with them, the first fire we make will place us in position to be shot in the back by the rebels. We can put up with almost anything, but the idea of being turned right about face at every fire is too much; and, besides, it is a manoeu- vre the Iowa Ninth has not yet learned. We have splendid weather, warm and pleasant in the day-time, but cool at night. 1 received a Guardian day before yesterday, and it was quite a luxury to hear the neW'S from so near home. H. P. W. [The following are extracts from private letters from Lieutenant Jordan, of the Fifth regiment, written dur- ing the march southward to join the main force under Pope, destined to attack Price. — E. P.] LETTER XXXI. Camp near Quincy, Missouri, October 26, 1861. Dear Rich: Ever since we left Boonville we have been on the tramp, marching each day from ten to twenty miles and camping at night. We are now, as near as I can find out, about twenty miles east of Osceola and seventy-five miles north of Springfield. We be- long to Pope's division. Second brigade. Davis' division is encamped near us. We suppose that Fremont is fifteen or twenty miles south. With great mortification and indignation, we hear that Hunter is to supercede him. The entire army has confidence in Fremont, and there is no doubt that in a tew weeks, if left alone, he would defeat Price, and put an end to the war in this State. But the rotten politi- cians must have their way. I am afraid, if Fremont is superseded, that this army will rapidly become demoralized, and perhaps be beaten by Price. The country through which we have passed the last few days is mis- erable. A few log houses, tenantless, the remains of slaughtered ani- mals, and the debris of the campingregiments, are only and everywhere to be seen. This whole region has the appearance of being very thinly settled by half-civilized "pukes." We passed through the town of Warsaw, yesterday, and such a town ! but they are all about alike in this part of the Slate. The places of business are all closed, and a Sunday-like silence reigns supreme. A few straggling or sick soldiers and some slovenly-looking women and children, comprise the inhabi- tants. The north part of the State is quite different. Toward Colum- bia the people are educated and refined, and live luxuriously. It will take years for Missouri to revive from the disastrous eflfecls of this war. To-day is Sunday, a fine day, and we strike tents in about an hour. We have, alltogether, seventeen sick, fourteen of whom are scattered along at the difterent hospitals between here and Jefferson City. Carl White is under the weather, and 1 suspect has the measles. Quite a number of our men have them — got them from Indiana, the Twenty- second, nicknamed "paw-paw." I suppose you heard about the paw- paw battle, when they killed their own major and fifteen or twenty of their own men; and then reported that they had an engagement with the enemy. Our regiment is being rapidly reduced by sickness, 15° HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. consequent upon sleeping on the danrp ground with only one thin blanket. Almost all of us have severe colds. I have a rubber blanket, and every morning, when I get up, the under side is so wet the water will run off from it. Marshall has been appointed brigade qu^irter- master, rank of captain. Lewis is sergeant major: Dr. Martin is sur- geon of the " Hickory County brigade." . We have just pitched our tents again, about two miles west of our camp last night, on the headquarters of Hogel's creek, on a fine prai- rie. The weather is fine; hot in the middle of the day, comfortable at night. Previous to our last advance we had crackers, but now have flour; and as it is impossible to make bread, we mix it with water and fry cakes, which are very indigestible. The colonel is trying to get some ovens to bake bread in, and if he does, it will make it all right. What we need most is postage stamps; we can not get them here at all. The regiment has just got a new suit; and, in a short time, we are to get our overcoats and another blanket, so that we shall be well provid- ed for. LETTER NO, XXXII. Springfield, Missouki, November 4, 1861. . . We have been on the tramp ever since I wrote last. I have been up the past three nights. On Saturday last I was detailed with twenty men and six teams to go after flour. The distance was six miles, so they told me. I started at 2 o'clock, travelled the six miles, and found that the wheat was not threshed. We then had to go two and a half miles further, to where the wheat was, get it threshed, and go fifteen miles further to mill. We got to the mill at 10 o'clock )he same night, irtiloaded our wheat and filled up with flour, and the next morning started for camp. When I got to the camp at Humansville, I found only some four hundred sick men. The troops had started about two hours after I went to mill, on a forced march to Spiingfield. 1 rode on, and reached this place yesterday at 2 o'clock. My seventy- five miles ride on horseback, not being used to it, has left me mighty sore. There are about fifty thousand troops here, and there was an engagement yesterday between our ad\'anced guard and some ' "secesh" as we came into Springfield. Fifteen of our Fremont body-guards were killed, and about fifty Secesh. The camp is full of rumors. We left our tents and baggage behind, and came through in double-quick, as we he.ird there was a general engagement. We are encamped in some brush, without tents or knapsacks. The buys have just received two days' rations of fresh beef, and the only way they have of cooking it is to put it on a stick and roast it in the blaze. They make coffee by putting it in a tin cup and holding it on the fire until it is boiled. The rumor is that Price's picket is about six miles off, and advancing, but I do not believe a word of it. I expect we shall start to-night for Arkansas, but we have no orders to march yet. There are here infan- try, cavalry, artillery, lancers, guides, sappers and miners, and all de- scriptions of arms in the service. There are some one hundred and twenty pieces of artillery. If we could but make Price stand and fight, it would put an end to the war here; but I do not think he will. We hear to-day the worst news we haye heard since the war com- menced. Fremont has been superseded. He passed through our camp to-day on his way to Washington. Everyone, from general down to private, deplores his removal; and curses, loud and earnest, can be heard on all sides. He has the confidence of the entire army. The political knaves, high in the Government, will have to answer for it. We have in our company some eight men sick with the measles, but so far the company has not lost one by death. LETTER NO. XXXIII. C.4MP Herron, He.\dqu.^rters Io\v.\ Ninth, ) October 30, 186 1. [ . . . It gives us courage to see the hosts of patriots that are rushing in to save this unfortunate State from the coils of the serpent treason. The cheering news reaches us every day that the Union cause is triumphant throughout the State. Quartermaster Winslow is in New York after our Enfield rifles or Minie muskets, and also to make provision for paying the soldiers. And we know that when he comes, he comes with what he went after, or the red-tape and shoulder-strap com- mission will get a blessing. He is a man of the right stamp. He will do his whole duty without fear or favor. . . . We are still at Paci- fic City, forty miles west of St. Louis, and hope to get away soon. We have a number sick with typhoid fever and diarrhoea. Marcus Scott, of company H, died on the twenty-eighth. His brother came from Marion and took his body home in a metallic coffin. John F. Drips is very low with typhoid fever, also a yuung man named Frank- lin. The following are the sick of company C: R. Y. Bain, P. Riterman and R. E. Freeman — the two latter are getting better; D. 'V. Coe and Stephen Holman, also of our company. Holman has the measles, Coe bilious fever; the latter very sick. We are having a re- gular time with mumps and measles. The boys fear the mumps more than they do the rebels; the rebels run away from us, but the mumps won't. The Independence papers are anxiously looked for every week by the "infants." If one comes into camp you will see a dozen after it, and one of the number becomes the reader, until all get the news. It seems like meeting an old friend to get a paper from home. We are all in good spirits, and gelling ready for any emergency. The boys are practicing on wild turkeys at present, and there are plenty of them here. Captain Pow-ers' company killed a deer the other day, two miles from their camp, which made a fine treat for them. . . . R. W. W. LETTER NO. XXXIV. Camp Herron, Ninth Iowa Regiment, 1 P.\ciFic City, Missouri, November 24. 1861. ) Friend Rich: — . . . The greatest mystery of all is why our guns do not arrive. They have been looked for with the greatest im- patience for a number of weeks. Quartermaster Winslow arrived last Wednesday, and stated that they would be here in a couple of days but we are still waiting for them. Colonel Vandever, commander of this post, having learned that a very fine secesh flag, which had waved defiantly in the village of Manchester, distant from this place twenty- three miles, was secreted in that vicinity, dispatched Lieutenant Bull, on the fifteenth instant, to effect its capture. He selected fifteen men from company C, and your correspondent was cne of the lucky ones. ^Ve left camp at 5:30 P. M. , and took the evening train in a few minutes for Merrimac, where we were to leave the cars and perform the re- mainder of our journey on foot. At this point we were joined by the home guards stationed there, and soon performed our three mile march to Manchester. Surrounded the house of Esquire Barry, who has been foremost in the secession movements of that strong secesh town, and who was reported to have the flag in his possession, he was politely re- quested to resign its custody to the representatives of Uncle Sam. The 'squire protested against this imputation ; declared that the flag was not there, and that he knew nothing of its whereabouts. His lady admitted that she had for a time kept it secreted in a box in the garden, but as it was likely to spoil, she took it up, dried it, and it was taken away by some ladies Hving "a great way off," whose names she re- fused to give. Finally, after a thorough, but fruilless search of the house, and after the lieutenant had placed her husband under arrest, and was making preparations to take him to headquarters, the wife, (probably hoping to save her husband) acknowledged that a certain widow Stewart had taken the flag from there. Esquire B. was escorted to the station by four men, and the rest of us were led by our gallant lieutenant to the house where the flag was secreted. The house was surrounded and the flag demanded. The lady would like to know who informed the lieutenant that the flag was in her possession — she was willing that we should search the house, which was done, but no signs of the treasure were visible. The lady then thanked the officer for the gentlemanly manner in which the search was conducted, saying she supposed he was satisfied. But he shook his head and said that he still thought the flag was in her possession, and that it would be better for her to produce it at once; but if she would not, as unpleasant a task as it would be, he should arrest her, and take her to headquarters at Franklin. Accordingly two men were despatched for a carriage. This was but a feint of the lieutenant's to scare her, and insure the giving up of the flag. The men waited a few rods from the house — the oflicer waited for the delivery of the flag, and the lady was preparing appar_ ently to go. Finally she asked if any indignity would have been shown her, had she produced the flag, and was assured that there would nOf have been. Again she asked who informed him the flag was there; and when told that Mrs. B. was our informant, she said, "Captain, you are a gentleman, and I will deliver you the flag." She went to a bed that had been fruitlessly searched, took a quilt, and, with the aid of her girl, soon had it ripped open, and there lay the flag which, pre- vious to the advent of our troops in the neighborhood, was floating over the town in triumph. It was a fine one, twenty-one feet in length and nine feet wide. It had been placed in her care by Barry's folks for safe keeping, as she was a widow, and they naturally thought she would not be suspected. The flag is now in Colonel \^andever's charge, as is also Esquire B. , who is awaiting his trial. We have received our overcoats, and also our pay up to the last Of October. The great western army is moving this way and will be in St. Louis in a few days. George Sellars, Pete Putnam, and three or four others, of Captain Lee's company, who have been in the hospital HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 151 at St. Louis, were here the other night in pursuit of their regiment. They expected to meet it at Tipton yesterday. They reported their company in good health when they left. Our own boys in the hospital are getting along finely, with one or two exceptions. E. C. Little. LETTER NO. XXXV. Headquarters Fifth Iowa Regiment, ) Springfield. Missol'RI, Novembers, 1861. ( Mr. Edito^: — Seated by the threshold of Captain Lee's tent, in- haling the fresh, morning air, on which is borne the melody of innumera- ble brass bands, mingled with the plaintive bray of mules and shouts of angry teamsters, I propose a pensive hour to spend communing with the Guardian. . . . On Tuesday, the first instant, our brigade left Humansville at 2 p. m., and took the main road to BoUvar. Prior to starting, our gallant colonel rode along the lines, and assured us that we would have a long march, scant fare, and almost certainly a hard fight. We had not asked him where we were going and for this he complimented us; said it was not his duty to tell; hoped that we would sustain our reputation for courage and discipline, which had gone abroad far and near, and concluded by saving that the report which the brigade should give of itself, would depend upon the action of each man in its ranks. . . We marched nine miles that night, and camped by a small stream, built fires and lay down to catch a little rest. The air was quite cool, and, in the morning, we found a heavy coat of frost on our blankets. Were soon under way and reached Bolivar at noon, where we took dinner. The town was a scene of desolation. The next day, when about fifteen miles this side of Boli- var, we were met by a messenger, carrying dispatches of great im- portance, for we were halted by the roadside, and ordered to cook dinner (having had nothing warm for twenty-four hours), and prepare to march all night. Knapsacks and every thing that would impede us in travelling, were to be left behind in charge of the teamsters. At 5 P. M. the cavalry company advanced, our regiment closing in immediately after, the Ninth Missouri next, and the Indianians bringing up the rear. The whole line extended a distance of more than three miles, and presented a sight really grand and imposing, as it wound over bluffy heights and through deep ravines. We were on a spur of the Ozark mountains, which lies just northward from Springfield, in a suc- cession of long, broken ranges. We kept on until 10 o'clock without halting, when we were met by another courier, who stated that General Fremont had been superseded, and anew condition of things inaugurat- ed. Messengers were sent back to prevent the further advance of supply trains and baggage wagons. We were ordered to camp by the road- side. As fortune would have it, the place chosen for our location was on a steep hillside, covered with brush. Into this we went, crawling, dodging, twisting, stumbling, giving vent to all manner of angry ex- clamations, and ready to cry out in bitterness of spirit. " Ye took us to Athens, to meet the foe that was not. Ye compelled us to wade through mud to Columbia, 10 encounter some abuse and a host of musquitoes. Ye fooled us at Lamine, and now instead of the battle ye promised, we are forced in an inglorious manner into the brush." The next morning we were assured that we should go on to Spring- field at all events, and after a fatiguing march reached there on the third instant. The country around Springfield is rough and broken, but poorly cultivated, well timbered, well watered, and affords good facilities for grazing, The inhabitants area mixture of Irish, Scotch, and Dutch descent, speaking a variety of languages, and possessing principles, manners, and customs wholly dissimilar to ours, and shock- ingly barbarous to the quiet, suggestive^?), quid-loving yankee. Quite a number of Kentuckians and mongrel southerners manage to eke out a scanty living on the profits arising from the sale and hire of niggers, which, with them, is a laudable speculation. The fields, orchards, and gardens of the town have suffered severely since the war began, while many of the houses are tenantless. Naturally it is a pretty place, and was once the centre of a flourishing trade. On the second morning after our arrival, we had an opportunity of seeing a company of Lane's renowned Jayhawkers. They are from the frontiers, regular pioneers and trappers; dressed in a loose hunting- frock, black hals with feathers, and moccasons. They are armed with Sharp's carbines, capable of doing good execution at two hundred yards, knife, sabre, and Colt's revolver. Altogether they are a formida- ble set of fellows, and will do to match against anything McCulloch can produce from the prairies of Texas. But the most interesting spectacle of all was to witness the departure of Fremont with his body-guard, which occurred on the fourth instant. Ever since the news of his supersedure reached the public here, the people have been in a state of excitement, bordering on insanity; and this increased as the time for his departure approached. Tiie first intimation of his coming was the music of the band float- ing out on the early morning air. and soon the road and every avenue around the camp, was lined with an eager crowd of spectators, anxious to catch a glimpse of the general. Soon the cortege came in sight, and in the following order: First the band, preceded by an aid-de- camp, with a drawn sword; second, the body-guard. These are most- ly half-breeds, from the Delaware tribe, straight as arrows, defiant, self-possessed, and haughty in demeanor, and evincing the most perfect discipline. There was nothing gorgeous, no flimsy glitter or tinsel about their arms or equipments, but everything looked as though it was meant for service, had seen service and could do more. They were mounted on Indian ponies, with thongs of dried leather for bridal reins, and all had Mexican saddles. Next came the general , dressed in the garb of an ordinary citizen, and mounted on a gray horse. As I stood near the road-side, and the train moved slowly, I had a good chance to see his features. His countenance was pale and care-worn, with silver threads mingled witli hair once of raven blackness. The whiskers, with which most of the pictures represent him, had been cut off, with the exception of a slight moustache. His eyes are keen, bright, almost looking you through. He saluted us all in the kindest manner, and with such familiarity, gentleness and solicitude of expres- sion, that all felt like rushing forward and seizing him by the hand. Many of the soldiers wept like infants, and all was solemn, silent and sad as a funeral. Last of all came the baggage-wagons, followed by the soldiery, in some places amounting almost to a mlitiny; and it will, I fear, result in the most disastrous consequences to our cause. You have heard of the fight which took place here, a week ago to- day, between Fremont's body-guard and fifteen hundred secesh, posted in and about the town. The action commenced four miles north, on the road from Boyd's, and after the first fire and charge, was a running fight the whole distance. After the affair was over, the bodies of one hundred and fifty rebels were found in the road and bushes; while the guard lost but seventeen killed. It was a brave exploit, but rather pre- mature. Had the mnjor followed out his instructions, and waited for the reserve force under Fremont, to come up, the town could have been surrounded, and the whole nest captured. As it is. they lost a large amount of clothing, military stores and ordnance, which they can ill af- ford to spare. If the numerous reports can be credited. Prices army is now in a sad condition, disorganized, and destitute of resources. The general opinion among military men is that the war in this secliorr can not last much longer, but will be confined mainly to Kentucky and the eastern department. Generals Siegel, Sturgis, Lane, Montgomery, McKinstry, Pope, and Kellon, are all here, with their respective di- visions. Lane appears to be the most honored by the majority of citizens and soldiers. He is about as ugly a man as you will often see, thin and wiry in form, with shaggy, portentous eye-brows. He is a strict disciplinarian; but, at the same time, uses every means condu- cive to the health and comfort of his men. As to the others, there is nothing more than ordinary about their general appearance. Pope has too much of a rowdyish air and swagger to impress one verv favorably. Kelton is quiet and unobtrusive in deportment, reticent, and master of his own tboughtsand movements. Our regiment is now assigned to his brigade, which consists of the Iowa Fifth, Missouri Ninth, and Illinois Thirty-seventh. The other two regiments, by priority, would be the Indiana Eighteenth and Twenty-second; but so much hatred is evinced toward the paw-paw fighters, that it is doubtful whether they can be worked in. Our camp is half a mile north of the town, in a field once used as a meadow. Around are scattered a few trees and brush, sotne half dozen houses, tenantless. and directly in front a tavern with creaking sign, windows smashed in, and the doors streaked and smeared with the accumulated dirt of twenty years. A few rheumatic chairs stand out on the porch, inviting the weary limbs of the pedestrian to a deceitful repose — these are some of the attrac- tions of an inn bearing the name, "Pleasant Retreat." The weather is mild and beautiful, and we have some splendid moon- light evenings. On such occasions the lovers of the terpsichorean art are apt to congregate together for a social dance on the smooth turf, in front of the tents. A musician's balcony is improvised by turning a barrel on end, and a band, by placing a negro with a cracked fiddle thereon. To be sure, no method has been devised by which lady part- ners, ice cream, and bon bons can be improvised; but what of that? The participants seize each other with something less of the grace and gentleness which characterized their movements when gliding over the floor of Morse's hall with the fair damsels of Independence, nor do " eyes look love to eyes," or lips whisper fond devotion in quiet corners; 152 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. but the dance, notwithstanding all these abatements, which might to some appear like the play of Hamlet with the part of Hamlet omitted, passes off right merrily. The set finished, partners are seated, pipes and tobacco handed round, and the probabilities of our ever having a fight or seeing home again discussed in a cloud of smoke. And then we have some good singing from a lot of fellows in company B. Now and then brother Sam drops in, and takes up the refrain, and such a voice! Of Prices movements nothing certain is known. Many think he is doing his best to form a junction with Pillow, and transfer the seat of war to Kentucky. Our whole force here is si.xty thousand, principally from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa. For pro- visions, this vast force is dependent upon supply trains from Otterville, which is the western military depot, and the road between that point and Springfield, is crowded at all times with wagon trains. Osceola, si.vty miles north of here, was laid in ashes two weeks ago, by Lane's jayhawkers. It was a severe measure, but the e.vigencies of the case required it. Property was destroyed to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars. John Minton, once a resident of Buchanan county, was present, and related to me the whole engagement. One hundred of the rebels were killed and a large number taken prisoners. Osceola had always been a secession stronghold, and lichly deserved its fate. I see by your correspondence that Mr. J. L. Loomis, whom I saw at Warsaw and Springfield, is disposed to award the palm to the Iowa Ninth. Upon what grounds I do not know, as he had not seen our regiment at the time the communication was written. Gen- erals Pope and Kellon both declare that our regiment is not surpassed or equalled by any in the western division, and that is considerable for them to admit. As for company E, we still hold our own. Many of the men have been sick with the measles, but are now getting better, with the exception of Scott Cushman. Only one of our number has been sent to his long home — Charles Marsh, who died m hospital at Jefferson City, He had relatives living near Independence. Yesterday we received our overcoats, which must prove \'ery service- able — if this warm weather does not continue. How the good people of Independence would stare to see company E marching down Main street, knapsacks on their backs, and arms a port, dressed in their long blue oi.'ercoats. Not a day passes, but some fond reminiscence of times gone by is thought of. Whatever may be our present status, as compared with others, may our duty to our country be so faithfully discharged, that if permitted to return, we may not be ranked second to any company that ever left the patriotic county of Buchanan to quell the rebellion of 1861. LETTER NO. XXXVl. SvRACUSR, Mis-ouRi, November 22, 1861. We left Springfield on the ninth instant, and arrived here on the eighteenth. Our destination is St. Louis, and we are now wailing for cars to convey us to Benton barracks, where w-e shall probably go into winter quarters. All is quiet here. Everyone is wailing to hear some- thing, nobody knows what, and so we live m expectancy. November 27th. Still at Syracuse. " I say, cook, the orders are to prepare two days' rations, and to be ready to start by six o'clock to-morrow morning," shouts a chief to his mess, as he ruslies down the alley; "the captain has just told me so. So pick over your beans, boil the meat, brown the coffee, divide the crackers, and stir around." "Where are we going?" " That is more than I can tell. The colonel has never made me his confidant since I appeared before hnu with that big rent in my trousers. But then, probably we are bound for Fort Leavenworth, to go into winter quarters; or, if not there. Cape Girardeau. St. Louis, San Fran- cisco, or New Orleans." We have been lying here, with the expectation that something would turn up, for some time. Camp gossip has not been idle, and the most improbable stories are circulated. . . A messenger arrived here to-day, staling that the town of Warsaw was reduced to ashes, and thai the rebel pickets were within fifteen miles of Sedaha. The latter repoit is discredited, while the former may be true. The Federals had seized a large amount of property belonging to secessionists, and declared it contraband ; but, rather than have it fall into their hands, the owners may have burnt it. It is hardly probable, however, that Price would make an advance movement that would expose his rear and flank to Lane and prevent supplies reaching him from the Arkan- sas border. . . . Colonel Worthington has been appoint- ed brigadier general over his brigade, in place of Kelton. who has resumed his old post of assistant adjutant general at St. Louis. This gives universal satisfaction. Indeed all the field officers of our regi- ment are worthy of promotion. Thursday, 28th. To-day we were ordered to move. Got under way at 8 A. m., and took the road for Otterville, en route, as many thought, for Sedalia. Had nearly reached the town when the order was countermanded, and we are now back on the old cimping ground, but how long we shall remain here is uncertain. Some of the boys are suffering from colds, which is not to be wondered at, for they sleep every night on the damp ground, with nothing but a little straw and thin blanket under them. By the by. this is Thanksgiving day with you. Wonder if the ladies of Independence are fixing up any extras. We are going to have a cake of Indian meal baked in the ashes. Think some of sending a piece through to your town by express. Sam has just come in ; says there isn't half enough for the mess, so you must not let your mouths water" in expectation of the delicacy. C. J. R. LETTER NO. XXXVl I. Camp Herron, Pacific, Missouri, November 27, 1861. Friend Rich: I thought I would endeavor to fulfill my promise, made to you before leaving Independence. My time and attention have been very closely occupied, since the luwa Ninth left Camp Union, Dubuque; but I will try to give you some of our doings and experiences. . - . When we arrived at Benton Barracks, there were some seven thousand troops there, including ihe Iowa Tenth and the Douglass brigade, a Chicago regiment. This last named is a fine regiment, both as to officers and men; but I think the Iowa Ninth has a finer set of men than any regiment I have yet seen. After being quartered at St. Louis for two weeks, we received marching orders for Pacific City; and, on the same day, we had some old guns sent up from the arsenal for our use. Two-thirds of them were not fit for any- thing but old iron. Some of themen were very much opposed to taking them, and felt very bad over it when they were compelled to comply with the laws laid down in the Army Regulations. There are about one hundred and fifty sick in the regiment, about four-fifths with measles. We have not lost a man with the disease, and none seem to be dangerously sick. We have had five deaths only since the regiment was organized; four from typhoid fever, and one from general debility caused by hard drink. This, I think, is not a bad showing for a body of eleven hundred and twenty-five men. There has not been a death in the Independence company, although it has had its share of sickness. Sergeant Bain is the only one of the com- pany seriously sick at this time, and he is in a fair way for recovery, as the surgeon told me to-night. I certanily hope this will be the case, for he is a fine young man. The regiment was paid off early in the present month, and I can assure you it was a day of great rejoicing. There was not a company in the regiment that did not send to parents, wives and friends from a thou- sand to twelve hundred dollars. I think that speaks well for the Iowa Ninth. ... On the same day that the paymaster came around, the boys' new overcoats arrived, and were distributed immediately af- ter the payments. They were very much needed, for the nights were quite cold, and standing guard with nothing but a thin coat on, and a small blanket over the shoulders, was not as comfortable as with a good overcoat. The regiment is well provided with clothing now, through the exertions of our colonel, aided by the quartermaster, F. S. Winslow, from Anamosa. Ever since we arrived here, our regiment has been divided up into detachments. Companies \ and F are six miles from this place, on what is called the southwest branch of the Pacific railroad, which leads to RoUa. Companies B and G are stationed twelve miles down the road, at Mozelle. The rest of the companies are located at this place; and, if we don't get orders soon, it is the intention of the com- manding officer. Lieutenant Colonel Heiron, to set the men to build- ing log houses for barracks. It is getting slightly cold lodging in tents, as we had some hard frosts last week. Most of the officers brought sheet-iron stoves for their tents, which can thus be made quite comfortable so long as the fire is kept up; but in fifteen minutes after they go to bed the fire is out, and the tent as cold as though there was no stove in it. I sent you a St. Louis paper, with Lieutenant Bull's exploit; it was beautifully managed by him. He makes a splendid officer, and is worthy of a much higher position than he now occupies, and I hope soon to see him in a higher command. Colonel Vandever is at present absent — goes to Dubuque to visit his HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 153 family, thence to Washington. He is an officer to be proud of, and every man in the regiment feels a pride in having such a colonel. He will probably be away two or three weeks. There are at this camp some twenty-two thousand, and, by order from headquarters, Colonel V'andever is placed in command of them. The Missouri regiments are very inferior in discipline, drill and equipments to most of the western troops. Carousing and going home on furloughs are favorite recreations with them ; but a general order, just issued, puts a stop to that game. Xo enlisted men are al- lowed furloughs, or commissioned officers leaves-of-absence. except they are granted by M.ijor General Halleck, commanding the depart- ment. Lieutenant Colonel Herron is a most gentlemanly and efficient officer, and well aoapted to the position he occupies. There is no doubt as to his bravery, for he was tried in the battle of iSpringfield, where he was in command of a company, and behaved nobly. . . . The general opinion seems to be that an early move down the Mis- sissippi is the ne.vt thing on the programme — the sooner the better for us. Xo doubt you have heard that all the troops are ordered back from the southwest portion of the State, and are now lying m camp near Rolla and Sedalia; there being about thirty thousand at the two places. As for Price, he is reported here one day and there the next, so I won't pretend to tell you where he is. Doubtless in one of the above- named places, unless he should have gone somewhere else. Dr. Wright's wife and Mrs. Hord are staying here with their husbands. Mrs. Hord lives in the tent with her husband, and seems to enjoy it. Yours truly, WiLLi.\M Scott. LETTER NO. XXXVIII. Hk.\dql'.^rteks FrFTH Regiment. ) Syracuse Missouri, December 7, i86i. ) The Illinois and Missouri regiments are to leave to-day for their new quarters, wherever they may be. A brigade stationed at Tipton, six miles north of here, has been ordered to Fort Leavenworth, while the Iowa troops, with the exception of the Xinth and Fifth, rendezvous at St. Louis. • • ■ Military discipline is gradually becoming more strict and vigorous in all the departments. ' The orders from General Halleck in regard to citizens entering the lines is vety strict, but not particularly enforced. Every day droves of country people arrive, bringing pies, cakes and vegetables, which they offer and are permitted to sell within the lines. The only safe guard required by any spy, to obtain the most complete knowledge of our situation and defences, would be a pie under one arm, or a pailful of nutcakes. Al- ready intelligence as to our numbers and position, have been conveyed to the rebel commanders, and without doubt by these means. Still we feel perfectly secure, and they are welcome to the dubious consolation of knowing ; for, like a strong deal in the hands of your antagonist, the more they see, the worse they hate us. Reports of Price's movements arrive continuallv, but the most of them are discredited. His recent pathetic proclamation, wherein he states so touchingly his tale of dan- gers, trials and unrequited patriotism, is hardly strong enough to draw the most rabid Missourian from his home, to brave the thunders of fed- eral cannon. \"ague generalities, gorgeous rhetoric, and studied du- plicity, are his principal arguments ; although he tells them he must have fifty thousand men, but forgets to state for what purpose. Sunday. 8th. — Terrific news arrived in this morning's Democrat, and the whole camp is in a state of commotion. The prob- abihty of the truthfulness of these statements is increased, from the fact that large portions of our troops are moving westward ; the rear guard and baggage wagons of a perfect host being now in view. The intelli- gence conveyed by a special couriei to the general's headquaiters, is as follows: " Rains has encountered Montgomery, southwest of Sedalia, defeated and taken him prisoner. McCuIloch, with twenty thousand men, has surrounded Siegel, at Sedalia, and cut him off from hope of reinforcements. Price at the head of sixty thousand men, is marching direct for St. Louis, by way of Rolla, while Cairo and Paducah have been evacuated by the Federal troops, who with seven gunboats are hastening to the assistance of St. Louis. " Be patient dear friends and wait for further developments. Perhaps the grand army of the west may yet get into a little scuffle. Sunday, we have an inspection of arms, clothing and quarters. The guns must be well scoured, the cloths brushed, the blankets and knap- sacks folded and put away in the tents, hands and faces washed, hair combed, collars turned down and coats buttoned ; in short, everything about tight. We will suppose the company drawn up for inspection, when somethiug like the following takes place : Captain. — ".\ttention company — prepare for inspection of arms— to the rear, open order. march." At this command, the company being drawn up in two ranks, the front rank stands firm, while the* rear rank steps back the distance of four paces, the bayonets are fixed, rammers drawn and in- serted in the bore, when the soldier resumes the position of ordered arms. The major, captain, or whoever the inspector may be, then steps in front of the soldier, who brings up his piece briskly with his right hand to the height of his chin, and then brings it forward hori- zontally. The inspector seizes it at the small, and commences a strict examination. If the condition of the gun is not satisfactory, it is re- turned with the command, "Go to your quarters, clean that gun well and report to me in an hour. " If this is neglected, the insubordinate gets a birth for the next twenty-four hours in the guard house. Lieutenant Jordan retains the high opinion first formed of him, and is conceded by all to be one of the best qualified officers in the regiment. We were paid off again to-day, the wages amounting to eighteen dollars and fifty cents per capita. The boys are talking of making up a package and expressing it through to Independence. I saw Dr. Martin to-day. of the Hickory Batt.allion. He is in fine health and spirits. His regiment is now stationed four miles from us, south- west of Syracuse. C. J. R. LETTER NO. XXXIX. Smithson, Missouri, December 16, 1861. Friend Rich:— . . In these border States the right policy will accomplish much more than large armies. I am confident that no other man. save General Fremont, could have inspired the con- fidence already entertained by the soldiery in M.ajor General Halleck. I except General Fremont, for no commander ever possessed the affec- tion and confidence of his army more completely than he, and the in- dignation at his removal was unbounded. It is now conceded that, at Springfield, the dissatisfaction at one time amounted almost to mutiny. Still more intense is the universal detestation toward Fremont's vilifiers. They have abused and misrepresented him in every manner that intense hatred and jealousy could suggest; they charge him with crimes that would damn a saint: they talk of his imbecility and inattention to his ' duties; they assert that his army was badly organized, badiv armed and equipped, badly clothed, worse fed and very inadequately provided with means of transportation; and that, as a consequence, upon the recent expedition to Springfield, the soldiers suffered untold horrors. Of course the country at large cannot judge correctly of the truth or falsiiv of these charges. The experience of those immediately connected «ith the Springfield movement is probably better evidence in the matter than the lying accusations of malignant enemies. The Forty-second Illinois regiment formed a part of the e.vpedition to Springfield. Our march from Warsaw was a forced one, and we ex- perienced all the discomforts incident to such an emergency. We were awaiting the arrival of our teams from Tipton, with provisions, when we received orders for an immediate and rapid advance to Springfield. Of course, we were obliged to leave our tents and camp equipage, with the exception of a few cooking utensils, which were piled upon crazy ox-wagons. Thus, deprived of all these appliances for comfort, which serve to mollify the fatigues of a forced march, it may well be supposed that we suffered fully as much as any regiment in the expedition. For- tunately, the weather was most favorable. The days were pleasant and comfortable, though the nights were quite chilly, and the only serious discomfort, aside from the suffering natur.ally resulting from long and rapid walking under a heavy burden, was occasioned by sleeping in the open air, exposed to heavy dews and the cold night winds. To be sure, we were on half rations, a portion of the time, but there was no great suffering on that account. Under the most favorable circum- stances a march of eighty miles, performed in three days, would ocia- sion great fatigue, and cause the weak-kneed and weak-willed to fall by the wayside. .All things considered, where was the particular cause for grumbling, orfor accusing J. C. Fremont of inefficiency on our ac- count? It was only an incidental circumstance, (or which he was not accountable, that we, with several othei regiments, were just then with- out our tents; and I can testify that, during a tour of observation through the several camps around Springfield, I neither saw nor heard anything to justify the bitter and extrav.igant accusation of such sheets as the Chicago Tribune, and such ambitious politicians as the big and little Blairs. ... It was not Fremont's fault that all the regiments were not provided with rifles or rifled muskets. He did even'thing possible in this direction, and is not responsible for the shortcomings of the Government. I presume it will not be contraband information to state, that many of the regiments have only the smooth-bore muskets. In this respect, however, we are doubtless as well off as the enemy. If Fremont's troops were at any time on short la- '54 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. tions, it was directly the fault of his subordinate ofificers; and wlien reg- imental and company officers are required to pass through no examina- tion whatever, as to their fitness, inefficiency must prevail, and does, to a frightful extent. Right there is our failing. Give us good officers and we will dare the devil. The Forty-second is now stationed at Smithton, four miles west from Otterville, and sixteen from Tipton, where the Fifth Iowa is stationed. Our regiment is at present detached, but we expect soon to be united with the Second regiment of our brigade proper — Douglas brig- ade — which is now at Benton Barr.icks awaiting arms. The Second has a representative from Independence in Mr. Norton. . • Your correspondent, "C. J. R.," asserts that I am "disposed to award the palm to the Iowa Ninth." without having seen the Fifth. He must have misapprehended my language; but now, having seen both , I can assert with the utmost assurance, that I am not a proper judge of their relative merits; but I do affirm, with- out fear of offence, that they are the two best regiments I have seen. The Fifth has been noted among the regiments now in central Missouri, for its soldiery qualities. I have heard its praises on every hand. I recently saw in Otterville, Messrs. Marshall, Waggoner and Woodruff — all in their full flush of robust health, and evidently none the worse for the responsible positions to which their talents have already pro- moted them. Still higher honors await them all. An extensive move- ment westward has just been made; we have rumors of fighting, and are an.xiously awaiting more definite and reliable reports. ]. L. LoOMIS. LETTER NO. XL. From the same, December 25, 1861. Friend Rich : — Vandalism has justly been charged upon Price's army, and like accusations have been brought against us. The truth in reference to this matter may, perhaps, as well be told now as after the war. Of course I shall only speak as to what has come within the range of personal observation. It is probable, however, that the ex- perience of our division has been substantially the same as that of the whole army in Missouri, or indeed of any or all the military depart- ments of the country. During our march to Springfield, in October and November, our commissariat was not administered with the liber- ality which had previously characterized this department of the service; and, as a consequence, the boys were accustomed to cast about for the means of making good the deficiency. The means adopted were not always "regular" — such for instance as breaking for every orchard on the road, without reference to the proclivities of the owners, and ap- propriating any loose travelling property that fell in their way, etc., etc. These practices were followed from no desire to pilfer, but simply to satisfy a craving for a different or more plentiful diet. Again, if a neighboring hay or grain stack was discovered, the men were morally certain to appropriate sufficient to keep them well off the damp ground at night. Was this a very heinous offense in time of war even though not regular i It was certainly somebody's business to supply these necessaries ; and if, from the necessities of the case, supplies could not always be at hand, the other method became, it seems to me, a neces- sity. I do not deny that a fabulous number of chickens, geese, pigs, etc., were put hors du combat — the happier memories of my own stomach would rebel at such a denial — but I do assert that the soldiers were, in the main, actuated by no other motive than that of self-pres- ervation. . . . Previous to our return from Springfield, General Turner had been assigned to the command of our division, and it was observable that thereafter a change came over the spirit of our actions. We have been better suppjied with rations, and it is expected of us in return that we observe the proprieties implied in mine and thine most scrupulously. In the track of an army on the march, how- ever, there will invariably be more 01 less petty pilfering. Our enemies will call this vandalism, and make a mountain of a mole-hill. When our regiment was ordered to Smithton we took possession of the vacant buildings, and have been fitting them up for winter quarters. In doing this it has been necessary to demolish some of the smaller buildings to procure the required lumber. Whenever stray stoves, counters, desks, chairs, etc., are found, there are no scruples in regard to securing them, and the company that takes the most is the "best fellow." It will be difficult for the north at large to realize the effect of this war upon the border. Here in Missouri, Iowa's next neighbor, were the whole tale told, you would scarcely credit such things of Ameri- cans. And now I am not alluding to the desolation that must follow in the track of large armies, but to deeds that result from embittered feeling between those once friends, but now ranged under opposing banners in a deadly partisan warfare. To casual observers, such as soldiers must necessarily be, the effect is most apparent in towns. In- stance this village of Smithton. It sprang up on the completion of the railroad to Sedalia, increasing from nothing to a population of some three hundred, with several large stores and hotels. Last spring, on the breaking out of the Rebellion, it was one of the most promising of the new railroad towns; now it is the camping ground of a thousand men in arms, sent to protect a few trembling loyalists from their self- banished neighbors. Of the many thriving business firms but one re- mains, and that is mainly sustained by soldiers' custom. The vacant stores and dwellings are transformed into comfortable soldiers' quarters. As with the towns, so with the country. Who can tell of the hopes blasted, and the many homes made desolate, and their once prosperous inmates miserable? Who will write of all the dark deeds of crime, the robberies and murders committed injthe shade of the concealing woods, or under the cover of night? Truly, every man's hand seems raised against his neighbor. Our regiment is in mourning for our colonel, William A. Webb, who died last evening. With him departed the life and soul of the Forty- second. This is a sad Christmas indeed for us. As a soldier and a man he was honorable, generous, and brave. He was universally be- loved by his men. What more can be said of a commander? J. L. Loom IS. EXTRACTS. *The renowned Sergeant P. went out with a patrol squad the other night, and had a narrow escape from being mortally wounded "in the neck," as also the whole party. Having surrounded a suspicious-looking fellow, they demanded his surrender ; when, to their amazement, he pulled out a long bottle, and proposed a truce. In the end four of the party were laid prostrated — and the prisoner got away. . . After all, Christmas passed off quite agreeably ; citizens and soldiers mingling with each other hospitably in emptying wine and beer barrels. We have seven rebel prisoners in the guard-house, the most of them taken with shot guns and bowie knives, on their way to join Price. They are a poor, deluded, ignor- ant set of ragmuffins, unable to read or write; who imagine that the people of the north are regular Ostrogoths, wearing the skins of wild beasts, and living on mare's milk. . . . Pope's capture of the rebel train from Lexington is rather a damper on secession sympathizers, but affords great congratulation to Unionists. C. J. R. LETTER NO. XLI. Camp Hekron, Pacific, Missouri, ) December 21, 1861. f Fkiknd Rich: — I see by some of the papers that our regiment is supposed to be on Price's trail ; at least we are marching to each of the cardinal points of the compass at one and the same time. Our friends will take notice that, much to our regret, we are still at Pacific City. Snow fell to the depth of three inches last night— the first snow of the season, except a hltle flurry a week ago. Some ol the rebel prisoners asked our boys if it was not ccld in our cloth tents these cold nights. The boys told them that it was not cold enough in Missouri to affect a live patriot, while the camp fires of liberty are burning in his breast. While treason is feeding upon husks, and shivering without shoes or blankets, we are well clothed, well fed, and well paid, with plenty to spare m our father's house. . . . What do you think of the boasted confederacy, when they refuse to take their own scrip ; while, at the same time, they take Uncle Sam's currency with- out asking any questions? The truth is they have no confidence in their cause or scrip. Price can't get his fifty thousand men. Those who enlisted first have " fought, bled and died" a few days, and now are returning home, and would be glad to act as doorkeepers for Uncle Sam, rather than enjoy the pleasures of treason any longer. They be- gin to have a better appreciation of the strength of our Government. Some of the largest slaveholders here are the most severe on the seces- sionists. If it were left to some of them, they would hang every rebel in the country. Colonel Manpin, of this county, was one of the first to raise the Stars and Stripes and to rally around him a band of true patriots, to defend the cause of the Union. If General Lyon had not promised Price and Jteckson that they should be protected on their way ~ The tetter from the regular correspondent of the Guardian, a member of the Iowa Fifth, announcing the return of that regiment from Syracuse, where we last heard from them, to Boonville, though received and noticed in the editorial column, December 31st, was not, for some reason, published. A few short ex- tracts are here given from the letter following the one omitted, dated Boonville, December 26. — E. P. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 155 from St. Louis to Jefferson City, after IhM itiemorable compromise. Colonel Maupin would have taken them from the cars at this place and hung them to the nearest tree. He told them in St. Louis at the time, it was all a ruse to get time to mature their treasonable plans — and so it proved. They commenced burning bridges as soon as they got away from St. Louis. Colonel Nfaupin was a member of the legisla- ture, and knew all their plans. He regrets very much that he did not take them from the cars and hang them (so do I). If he had the brave hero that they so basely betrayed, might at tliis time have been leading us on to victory. Our gallant colonel (\'andever) is in Washington, at- tending the Thirty-seventh Congress. We miss him very much, but we know wherever he is he will be found true to the cause of his country, whether in the halls of Congress or on the battlefield. He has the confidence of his regiment, and our prayer is that he may be permitted soon again to rejom us. I would not neglect to speak of Lieutenant Colonel Herron, who takes command in the absence of the colonel. The regiment is highly favored in having a man of his ability to lead it. We are much attached to him. He is a gentleman in every respect ; courteous to all, never abrupt in his commands. Red tape has little influence with such men as Colonel Herron. He can treat a private well, and preserve his dignity at the same time. He stands high in the esteem of every one, and is truly worthy of our highest regard. I might speak of others, but let it suffice to say that no regi- ment in the volunteer service is better officered than the Iowa Ninth. The boys think everything of their new guns. They are the improved Minnie musket. Our boys have tried them, and think them good for a secesh at half a mile every time. The battery are drilling every day. They have si.v brass pieces, two of them tw-elve pound howitzers, and four four-pounders. They make a fine appearance on drill. The pro- cession consists of fourteen si.\-horse teams, with cannon and caissons, one man on each near horse, the rest riding on the caissons ; this is on the march. The men all dismount as soon as the line of battle is formed, each springing to his place at the gun. The command is given, and each fire m turn ; the horses and fore wheels being detached as soon as the line is formed. On each of the pieces is the foUowmg inscription: ' Where is Jeff Davis?" We hope their voices maybe heard down in Dixie. We all want to see Jeff, and the prospect is favorable now, that we make him an early visit. Captain Washburn is the hero of the Ninth at present. He started out on a scout a short time since, with ten of his men, and two guides, and returned after a tramp of fifty miles, with nineteen prisoners, thirty horses, wagons, guns, etc. He was within three miles of the notorious Freeman's camp, and feels confident that, with fifty men, he would have taken the whole camp (that is if he could catch them). His guides tell me that the rebels always begin to retreat when the Iowa boys start after them, and thmk if we had a few more such men as Captain Washburn, they would soon rid the country of these lawless jayhawkers that infest it. We are all getting out of patience, and were ic not for so many sick in the hospital, there would be a move made to do something. We have at present one hundred and seventy-five on the sick list, nearly half of whom have had measles and mumps. The rest are intermittens, pneu- monia and typhoid fever. Tlie measles have proved fatal in many in- stances in consequence of carelessness after convalescence. Twenty of our noble young men are gone. "They sleep their last sleep, They have fought their last battle ; No sound can awake them to gIor>* again." They have gained the victory; if not on the battlefield, they have endured more suffering, and have died at their post like brave soldiers. . . . Our friend, R. E. Freeman, of company C, was buried on the thirteenth of December. I never shall forget the feeling that came over me when he was brought from the barracks to the hospital. I saw that his time with us was short. He reached out his emaciated hand to me, and, while the tears rolled down his sunken cheeks, he said, " doctor, I am so glad to see you ; can't you help me? I feel so bad." I told him we would do all we could for him. I immediately placed him in a clean bed, and made him as comfortable as possible. This was Wednesday evening, the eleventh. The next morning he seemed to rest better, and said he hoped he would soon be able to go home. A minister from Marion happened in to see the sick, and speak a word of encouragement to the brave sons of Iowa. He spoke with Reuben, asked him if hejfelt that he could put his tnist in the Saviour, to which he replied, "Yes, I love the Saviour, and am sorry that I have not loved him more." We knelt down by his bedside while the minister offered a petition for the re.5toration to health of the young soldier. But I must close this mournful sketch, simply saying, give me death on the battlefield, rathcring than a lingering dise.ase and death in camp, away from home and friends. R. W. W. LETTER NO. XLH. From the Same, Camp Hkrkon, December25. Our "Merry Christmas" this morning is an order to march. Every- thing is in confusion; all are packing up and getting ready to start. The sick list has diminished rapidly, and many would go that are not able, if allowed. Your humble servant is detailed to stay with the sick. -Adjutant Scott has just called to bid us good-bye. He thinks it may be two months before we are all together again. All the stores, bag- gage, artillery, and all the rest of the fixings, are loaded on the cars for Rolla. One regiment of cavalry has just passed on its way to Rolla, and others are expected to follow the Ninth Iowa to-day. We were standing in the door of the hospital with our better half, to see our brave boys leave for the seat of war. All seemed delighted with the prospect of doing something for the country — but again they were doomed to disappointment. A man comes running and tells us the order to move is countermanded. Another says they have taken Price and all his men prisoners, and we are to be discharged froin service — that the war is ended. The first report is true— we are to remain in statu quo till further orders. All the men have gone to their old camp- ing grounds, and have commenced putting up more barracks for win- ter quarters, and matters are getting so arranged as to make it look a little like home. The sick make frequent expression of their gratitude to the aid so- cieties, for the many comforts they continue to receive. The ladies of Independence are often spoken of, when the sick soldier rests his weary head upon the nice soft pillows, and reads upon his quilt or sheet, "Ladies' Aid Society, Independence." Tears of gratitude are often seen upon manly cheeks, and a fervent "God bless the ladies of Buchanan county," is upon the pale lips of many sufferers. They are always first in every good cause ; may they still continue their good work in the cause of their country. We still lack many things to make the sick comfortable— especially jelhes and other delicacies for the con- valescent. We have an abundance of the substantials— bread, meat, potatoes, rice, coffee and sugar. The hospital fund also furnished a little means for the purchase of eggs, butter, milk, etc. But I have written now more than you will want to publish, so I will close by wish- ing you all a happy new year. R. W. W. LETTER NO. XLVIII. Camp Herron, ) Pacific, Missouri, January 18. 1862. J Friend Rich:— It is Saturday evening, and thoughts of home and friends in old Buchanan come crowding thick and fast before my mind, in pleasant remembrance, almost making me, I was going to say, a' little homesick. But that is not it. What I was trying to arrive at was this: that as I had nothing in particular to do this evening, I thought I would write a few lines for the Guardian. But I must con- fess, to begin with, that news, for these times of "wars and rumors of wars" is most lamentably scarce. We are waiting patiently for the time to roll around when there will be something done by the Ninth Iowa that will be worth writing about, though that will certainly not be until we are removed from here. Indications now point to an early movement. The companies that were posted at different points along the railroad, have been called in, and are now here. Since our pack up, and failure to go to Rolla, we have been quartered in barracks, built to accommodate one company each; but, since these companies came down from the railroad, we have been a little crowded, as they were divided around among the other companies. We are enjoying ourselves however, resorting to everything that tends to hasten the hours along. Lately we have organized a debating society, which is both interesting and beneficial to all who engage in it. We have been waiting impatiently for the past ten days for the soldier's friend, the paymaster; but as yet we see no signs of him. We are hoping that if the "needful" is really getting exhausted, we shall hear of a forward movement soon, and I most earnestly trust we shall. Why this back- wardness and delay? Are we waiting for disease to thin our ranks and paralyze our energies ? Or are we waiting to enable the enemy to fortify and make themselves impregnable? Orto give England another opportunity to make a demand upon us more humiliating than the one already granted. It would seem so, and she will do it, if there is not soon a move made, and that with such overwhelming power as will raze to its foundation this monstrous rebellion which we are now con- tending against. 156 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. I understand that there is an effort being made to put the Ninth in Lane's division, and if that is accomplished, it will be something that will suit the boys; for we all believe that he will do something when he gets started. The soldiers of the Missouri regiments are deserting in large numbers. Squads of our men have been sent out several times in pursuit of them. The deserters will be courtmartialed, but what the sentence will be, I cannot tell. We have one prisoner here, taken as a spy by the Ninth, and the sentence of death has been passed upon him, and it has been sent in to General Halleck forapproval. If heapproves it. the sentence will be carried mto effect. I suppose many of your readers are not familiar with the modes of punishment that are meted out to those who have wandered from the paths of rectitude, duty and military discipline from our own ranks. There are different grades of punishment, according to the enormity of the offence. For instance, if one of the boys happens to slip the guard at night, as is often the case, and is caught, his knapsack is filled with his clothes and blanket, he swings it on his back, shoulders his gun and marches "on the color hue" four or five hours. If one of the boys gets a little boozv, as is seldom the case, he has the honor of riding the " regmiental horse." as it is styled. He is about seven feet in lieight, with four legs all of a size, body about si.K inches in width, and is ridden without saddle, bridle or stirrups. One poor fellow, for sleeping at his post, was sentenced to pick his kn.ips.ick and gun and march around a circle about two rods in diameter, so many hours a day for a certain length of tiine; to suffer ten days' close confinement; to be fed upon bread and water; and, to cap the climax, to forfeit one-half of three months pay. So much for sleeping at his post in the enemy's country. H. P. W. LETTER NO. XLIV. Syracuse, Missouri, January 20, 1862. Friend Rich:— All is quiet with the Filih as yet. That magnificent forward movement, looked for so eagerly, is not ordered yet. I cannot think that the Fifth will be excluded when the day arrives, but there is no confidence among the soldiers that it ever will arrive. If militaiy editors can bring the war to a close by their bombastic harrangues, it is all right. If it is not closed by legislation, thousands of poor soldiers must lay down their lives yet. The remark is often made that during a war more men die of disease, than on the battlefield. From my own observation I can certify to the veracity of this statement. Let one visit the graveyard at this place, who doubts it — the long rows of new graves attest the fact. Could those fond mothers, who have near and dear ones in the army, behold the deserted look of this graveyard, I fear they would censure the officers more generally than they have done heretofore. Even the slightest pretence of a funeral ceremony is not observed in most cases, but the soldier is borne silently to the grave by his comrades. The hospitals here and at Centerville, have been severely criticized; but it has been to little purpose, judging from their present condition. The word hospital fairly makes one shudder, and none will consent to go there, only as a last resort. The sick in this place are mostly from the Indiana regiments; only three companies of the Fifth are here. I am assured that there is at Boonville a much larger proportion of our men on the sick list— company E, we are told, reports only twenty-five men for duty. Here we are still living in Fremont's tents, in which we have constrncted sod chimneys, which make them very comfortable. A cracker barrel forms the top of the chimney, which not unfrequently takes fire and routs the inmates pell mell. The colonel keeps no guard around us, and gives the boys the privilege of going where they please, so long as they behave them selves. _ S. A. Reed. LETTER NO. XLV. Headqu.\rteks Fifth Iowa Regiment. ) BooNViLLE, Missouri, January 24, 1862. ) Friend Rich:— The appointment of Lane has created considerable surprise and dissatisfaction here. It is feared he will adopt a system of warfare injurious to the interests of the Government, and force a good many persons who now occupy neutral grounds into the secession ranks. Ask a slaveholder who he hates and fears most, and he will tell you Jim Lane. And I fear that Lane, while at the head of his troops on a former occasion, did allow them to pillage to a greater extent than was necessary. This turning a large army loose upon a section of country already impoverished, and giving them to under- stand that they are to forage, cut and slash as they please, is not very pleasant to reflect upon, and the chances are that the enemy, instead of becoming humiliated and saddened, will be inspired with enthusi- asm to fight ten times harder. ... A dignified and hon- orable warfare should be pursued under all circumstances. [It is quite evident that some of the members ot the Iowa Fifth had found the "neutrality" and hospitality of Boonville slaveholders rather confusing. They left home with the motto, "He that is not for us, is against us," inscribed upon their banners. E. P.] The monotony of our life has been somewhat disturbed by the recent battle of Silver Creek, an account of which I presume you have seen, and the influx of a number of prisoners as one of its fruits. One detachment of eighty was brought to the city under a strong escort, and placed in the jail until arrangements could be made fur sending them to St. Louis. It is hard to conceive of a sight more humiliating and touching than a gang of men huddled together like sheep in a slaughter house, awaiting their fate with the most stoical indift'erence. and to know that these poor deluded mortals are our own countrymen. Many of the prisoners were young — mere boys, in fact, totally unfit to endure the rigors of a military life, who had been induced to take the fatal step without the least reflection. Some have been sent back to their mothers, with a strong injunction to remain under their protecting wings for a year or two at least. . . . Going down the street a short time ago, my attention was arrested by seeing a large man, of aldermanic rotundity, standing on the sidewalk, and recount- ing to an imaginary crowd, his grievances. "I came to this city, gen- tlemen, for the purpose of hunting np my nigger. He ran away from me some time ago. and I spect he's in among the Iowa troops. He's nearly white, got a piece of his left ear bitten off, and is a great hand to pray. He'll beat half the ministers, now, telling about the kingdom, and I want to keep him on that account. No one can say that I mis- used him. He's heaiii some o' these abolition stories, and put out. Now, if any on ye will tell where that nigger is, and he'p me to get him, I'll treat ye to all the peach brandy ye can drink. I've got some that old Noah helped put up himself." The last I saw of this gentleman, he was standing on the sidewalk praising up the institution of slavery, Abe Lincoln and the Iowa boys to the skies. There has not been much trouble about slaves escaping, and when they are found within our lines, "they are generally returned on application being made for them. This seems rather hard, but it is the best course that can be pursued. The only troops now here are a detachment of cavalry, the Home Guards, and our regiment, with the exception of three companies at Syracuse. Last night I received a letter from E. C. Little, of Captain Hord's company, stating that their regiment was under marching orders for Rolla. Lieutenant Jordan and myself have concluded to try our hand at editing a paper, a copy of which I send you. '\^'e are all anxious to see Orderly White again, and hope that he will grace the hospitable board of mess No. i with his presence ere long. Yours, truly, C. J. R. [The following extracts from a private letter from Or- derly Sampson, of company C, Ninth Iowa, e.\hibiting, as they do, the spiiit which animated out heroes, are of great value. E. P.] letter no. xlvi. On the left b.^nk of the Gasconade. ) Thursday. January 30 1862. J It is now after 7 o'clock P. M., and most of the regiment are over the river, but the transportation is now being brought over. It has been a tedious day for us. However, I will commence back a day or two. We left Rolla early on Tuesday morning — marched about nine miles, the latter two or three in the rain, the mud being very deep all the way. About 3 p. M. we halted in the muddiest place you ever saw. We pitched our tents and shovelled out some of the mud ; opened ditches to carry off some of the water; and cut poles and brush to spread our blankets on. During all this time it rained very hard, drenching us all completely. By a late hour we managed to get dry enough to lie down, and I must say slept very well. When we got out in the morning, the ground was covered with about two inches of snow, and it continued to snow quite hard. We struck our tents, intending to push forward and cross the Gasconade: but, after marching about two miles, found that we could not cross the river on account of its rising. So we pitched our tents again, but on better ground than be- fore. Here we made ourselves quite comfortable, and were ready the next morning to advance across the river. There are still about three inches of snow, but it is not quite so cold as yesterday. We found the river about three and a half feet deep, and about fifty rods wide. We could not ford it, but found an old flat-boat which would hold abou^ thirty men, and on this we all passed over, and are now trying to get HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 157 the teams and wagons over. The tents and provisions being in tlie wagons, many of the companies are still in the open air around their camp fires. The scenes of this day are not to be described by me. for I am not capable; but you may be sure it is very rough. No serious accident has happened however, though it is evident we have had three days of as rough marching, and poor camping as we shall be apt to see. Our wagons are still over the river, but we have succeeded in get- ting the officers' tent and one other, and the wherewithal for a cup of coffee, with a little meat and hard bread. Nearly all the men stand it well, and if you could hear the cheering, singing, talking, laughing, and jesting, you would not think them unhappy. We commenced crossing the river at 11 o'clock A. M., anJ it will be 11 or 12 to-night before all will be over. Well, we (Lieutenant Bull, Lieutenant Rice, Mr. Young and myself), are comfortably fixed in our tent — a fine fire in the stove, and beds made on the ground. Lieutenant Rice met with quite a serious accident. One of the men came in with a cup of hot coflee, and dropped it on his foot. As he had removed his boots, he «ill not be able to walk for aivhile — the stocking retaining the hot coffee, made a bad burn of it. Well, the past three days have reminded me of what we have often read of revolutionary times. It has been rough indeed (not quite equal to the roast potato diet of the Revolutionary heroes — otherwise the lieutenant's accident would not have happened). But it is a fact that such things are not so bad to go through, as it seems to read and think about. "We are now really advancing toward Springfield, and now that we are across the Gasconade shall get along pretty fast. J. P. S. LETTER NO. XLVU. [Had there been really any danger that the "penny wise and pound foolish" policy deprecated in the an- nexed letter, would be adopted, nothing, unless the hearts of those in power were harder than a nether millstone, could have been wanting to defeat the mtasure, but this graphic description of the power of music to rekindle the enthusiasm of the overtaxed soldiery. — E. P.] Camp Worth, Smithton, Missouri, January 28, 1862. Friend Rich: — It h.is been proposed to dispense with regimental brass bands. The wishes of the soldiers are entirely against such a step. The proposition originated in a desire to curtail expenses, but it may well be questioned whether such action wou'd not. in the end, prove to be false economy. Hand-to-mouth economists, are proverbial- ly short-sighted, as well as small-souled. They comprehend none but the immediate and most superficial effects of a given cause. Wrapped up in their one idea, their monomania beclouds their faculties and renders legitimate reasoning an impossibility. In the present case they say: " Bands cost a great deal of money: they are not essential in the contest with the enemy; they may afford the soldiers some amusement, but they are expensive, extravagant, and are too costly." Little do they understand the effect of band music upon the minds, morals, and physical condition of the troops; nothing can so invigorate the drooping energies on the fatiguing march; nothing so cheering in the hour of despondency. Our regiment boasts one of the best bands in this department, and often, when wearied by long, laborious marches over rough roads, after sleepless nights, footsore, with every limb and joint aching; joyous, animating strains revivified our failing spirits, galvanizing every muscle into renewed life and exertion. A forced march, peihaps, or one through rain and mud, has tested the endurance of the hardiest; but night approaches, and the regiment reaches its uimping ground. Anns are stacked, knapsacks are hastily thrown off, and the exhausted soldier drops to the ground, softer now than the eider bed of noble or prince. So sudden is the collapse, one might almost believe that, but for the burdens he bore, he would have fallen out of the ranks miles back — he cares not that the cold damps of his earthen couch may strike a chill to his very bones, and thus lay the foundation of disease and death — heedless of everything save his over- powering fatigue, he resigns himself to sleep. A few, more hardy than their companions, scalier themselves to procure wood, and water for the invigorating coffee. Here and there around the blackened camp- keitles the fires spring up, their cheerful crackling alone disturbing the gloomy solitude of the wood. The sleeping soldier dreams. He is far away, northward, basking in the sunshine of that fairest spot on earth, sweet home. He is happy once more — he is in fairy land. Low, sweet strains of music reach his ear — nearer, licber, louder they swell. Is it enchantment? He awakes. The band is playing our National airs, ever welcome, ever thrilling to a soldier's heart, and never failing to arouse all his patriotism and give him a new inspiration. The peace- ful moon is looking down through the lacework of vines and branches upon the reclining forms beneath; the camp fires are reflected back from burnished bayonets. .Ah! this is not home— no bayonets there — and the vision vanishes. But the music which had been a part of his brief happy dieam, is filling the lealy aisles of the wood with inspiring melody, and as his eye takes in the scene around him, he is thrilled with the romance of war. He is a new being— rising, though perhaps with a shiver, yet not too late to escape the baleful effects which might have followed his heavy sleep, he gazes around him. What a magic change has been wrought in the camp! Ail is now warmth, and life and action. Willing hands supply the waning fires with fuel, and the cheering flames leap heavenward. A warm nourishing supper is soon prepared, and eaten with a keenness of relish, known only to soldiers. Still the band plavs on. Dry leaves and twigs aie collected, blankets are unrolled, and all is ready for wholesome slumber. The band ceases —cheer upon cheer from the grateful hearts of the soldiers rends the air, and soon all is quiet. Ye powers that be, will ye drive your willing slaves over long hilly roads, day and night, through storm and frost; half starve them when ye list; pull them down with hard work, and worst of all, give them no oppor- tunity to accomplish their end — to whip the enemy. Will ye do all this and then take from them what, of all the various adjuncts of their wearing lives, they most highly prize, their bands? Do ye think to economize by thus aiding in the destruction of what little esprit dc corps your soldiery may possess? Know ye not that a strong arm without a will, is powerless? Have ye no music in your souls? J. L. Loom IS. LETTER NO. XLVIII. Headquartkrs Fifth Iowa Regimrnt. ) BoOiNViLLE. Missouri, February i, 1862. ( Friend Rich: — . . . This morning Colonel Worthington, who has been recently appointed brigadier general, under the late order of General Halleck, to cooperate with Lane, arrived at this place, and also the other three companies from Syracuse, with M.ijor Robin- son and Quartermaster Palterson. The boys all look healthy, and are overjoyed at meeting their comrades once more. General Worthing- ton's brigade now consists of the Iowa Fifth, Illinois Forty-seventh and Ohio Ninth regiments, besides a squadron of cavalry and what is known as Constable's battery, from Ohio, reported to be the best in the west- ern military service. .W\ this force is now on the way here, where they will form and be ready to march by the fifth of the present month. The troops from Ohio and Illinois are crack regiments, well disciplined and equipped. Wednesday morning. February 5th. This morning the streets are alive with soldiers, running to and fro in all the excitement, hurry and hubbub preparatory to a start. Con- stable's battery and the Ohio and Illinois regiments are being trans- ported over the river now, and we are to leave tomorrow. Orderlies carrying dispatches are dashing along at breakneck speed, and teams from the country, loaded with all sorts of produce, throng the market places. The boys are laying in large quantities of stationery, pens, ink, etc. I am sorry to say that quite a number of our regiment are sick, and are to be sent back to Syracuse. Our friend Oscar Fuller, though con- valescing slowly, is to be left behind. Mr. Woodruff, who has returned home (to enter the military academy at West Point), will give vou all the company news. C.J. R. LETTER NO. XLIX. Camp NEAR Lebanon, Missouri, February 9, 1862. Friend Rich :— It has been some time since I have had an oppor- tunity to communicate to you any of our movements. We left Pacific City on the night of the twenty-first ultimo, and arrived at Rolla next morning, a distance of seventy-five miles. We were stationed there until the twenty-eighth, when we started for Springfield. The first day of our march it rained, and the ne.xt night snow fell to the depth of four inches, which made the remainder of our march very uncomfortable. The greater part of two days was consumed in crossing the Gasconade, which was accomplished with one flat-boat, the water being too high to admit of fording. The third night after leaving Rolla we camped on the west side of the river, twelve miles from Rolla, and a rough time we had. We marched from eight to seventeen miles per day. and arrived at this place on the fifth instant. Were reviewed by Gen- eral Curtis, after which we pitched tents in a meadow, and are here iS8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. yet, awaiting orders to move toward Springfield, which orders, from present appearances, must come soon. We are preparing for a forced march, and that on half rations. Springfield is some sixty miles dis- tant, and we are to make it in two days. General Siegel and Ashboth are here with about fifteen thousand troops, and General Davis is moving this way from Sedalia with six thousand more. The battle which is pending is to be a hard one if Price makes a stand, and it is reported that he is building fortifications twelve miles this side of Springfield, with a force of from fifteen to twenty thousand. Others say he has only fifteen hundred— it is hard to get at the truth in the matter. There are eight or ten batteries here drilling daily, two of them from Iowa. The Iowa Fourth and Eighth regiments are also here. The paymaster arrived yesterday, and is paying the Ninth to-day. Company C have just received theirs, but we have no good chance to send It home. We left twenty-five men in the hospital at Pacific, in the care of Dr. Wright and Assistant Surgeon Hart. They, how- ever, have been ordered to join the regiment, as one surgeon is not enough if we should be engaged in battle. Captain Hord left the com- pany at Rolla. He resigned because he could not get money to send to his family. Lieutenant Bull is now in command, and a noble officer he is, taking a great interest in everything that concerns the welfare of his men. At Rolla he was ordered to report to General Curtis, as a member of his staff, with one hundred and forty-five dollars per month, a horse, and servants. But when he heard that Captain Hord had re- signed, he said he would not leave the company — he would not desert the boys whose entire confidence he has. Military honor alone is not what he is after. We are to be attached to General Curtis' brigade. He compliments the regiment highly, and company C is not behind, although rather small on account of having so many sick in hospital. Most of the movements are kept secret, and it is not easy to say when we shall leave here; but it is generally understood that it is the general's inten- tion to take Price by surprise. . . . Lebanon is, or rather has been, quite a village. It is situated on a hill, and the location is beautiful; but nearly every building in it is used now either for a hos- pital or a horse stable. Everything looks very desolate, both in the towns and country through which we have passed. Later. — We hear that General Siegel is now moving towards Spring- field, and is in our neighborhood. E. C. L. LETTER NO, L. [The months of impatient waiting, so trying, but doubtless as necessary as trying, to our troops, had at length come to an end. Stirring events, in rapid succes- sion, broke up the protracted encampments of the Iowa Fifth and Ninth, and brought these regiments, pining for action, face to face with the enemy. Put to the fiery tests, as was the Ninth at the terrible battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, their courage was proven to be of the most heroic quality. But the long letters, which betok- ened leisure and a willingness to vary the monotony of camp life, were for a season intermitted. The following is a private letter from Adjutant Scott, of the Ninth, kindly furnished to the Guardian, in the absence of let- ters from the regular correspondent. — E. P.] Headquarters Ninth Iowa Regiment, four miles from ) Bentonville, Arkansas, February i8, 1862. J My Dear Wife: — We arrived here yesterday morning at 11 o'clock. The enemy's rear guard, of the two thousand men, made a stand for a short time, and we had quite a little brush. They had a six-gun battery, with which they opened fire on our cavalry. In one hour after the first firing commenced, the Ninth came up, and we were immediately formed in line of battle. The Dubuque battery formed on the left of us and opened fire, and the rebels fired some twenty shots of canister and round shot in reply. Then they immediately began to retreat, and were charged upon by our cavalry a distance of a mile. Our cannon were mounted at once, and pushed forward after them. They planted their battery again on a rise of ground, and opened fire once more. We replied with our battery, the Ninth forming on the right of the guns. Several of their shells burst near us, some passing over our heads. Two horses of our battery were killed by the bursting of a shell, and one wheel was broken off the gun. In the cavalry charge there were four men killed on our side and nine wounded. Four of the wounded died last night. The secesh are armed with all kinds of arms, old rifles, double-barrel shot-guns, etc. The road -all along from their first stand to their last was strewn with such arms. Our men picked up no end of them. Clothing such as blankets, coats, pants — and even one lady's muff — were picked up. In a distance of half a mile there were not less than twenty-five horses killed. We have found the bodies of five, and taken six wounded prisoners. One man, who was taken prisoner, was run over by one of their guns at the time they were leaving — the wheel passing over his body and feet, and mjuring him severely. He said they took twelve dead bodies away on their guns, and would not wait to pick him up. Half a mile in advance of us is a house with a white flag, and inside everything is covered with blood, but no one is there. The ground chosen for fighting by them was very thick with brush, consequently it gave them, with their shot guns, an equal chance with us, for it was impossible to see more than ten rods. We arrived in Springfield on Thursday last, and found that Price had left the day before with his whole force. On Friday morning the orders were to go forward after him. and at 9 o'clock the whole army was on the march. We passed over the battle-ground at Wil son's Creek, where Lyon and the Iowa First fought Price. We got to Dug Spring, twelve miles from Springfield, about dusk, having come twenty-four miles — as the most of our division had marched from twelve miles north of that place. A messenger soon came in from our ad- vance, saying that they had come on Price's pickets, and were driving them in, so we were ordered forward four miles further, got in about 9 o'clock, and had to bivouac all night without tents. Our teams did not get in until 2 o'clock A. M., when we got some hot coffee and some- thing to eat. Some went to sleep on the ground, others sat up around the camp fires — among the latter was your correspondent. At five o'clock we were again on the march; our advance kept driving in the enemy's rear guard all the time. Night before last our cavalry charged upon their pickets for three miles, and drove them right into their camps, killing five or six. They wounded a lieutenant of the cav- alry, stripped off his coat and taking his watch and two hundred and forty dollars in money, they left him. Springfield was almost entirely deserted when we got in, and all along the road, as we advance, the people leave their houses and scamper off, takmg what they can in their hurry. It is a perfect stampede. There is no mail from here, so that many letters cannot be sent at present. This is to be sent by Gen- eral Curtis' messenger. LETTER NO. LL Sugar Creek, Arkansas, March, 10, 1862. [The glorious yf/^^/.? of the "little brush" mentioned by Adjutant Scott is also communicated in a private letter from Orderly Sergeant Sampson. — E. P.] Dear Father: — We have been in a very severe battle, in which two hundred and forty-five of the Iowa Ninth were killed, wounded, or missing. Mostly, I am glad to say, wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Herron is wounded, and a prisoner. But the enemy is defeated wi^h great slaughter. On the seventh we went out and took our position, and our regiment, with three others, kept fifteen thousand in check all day, but the fighting was terrible. Our whole loss was on that day. The ne,\t day both armies were concentrated in force, and we cut them to pieces badly, and drove them with little loss on our side. The loss in company C, is Lieutenant Rice and Julius Furcht, killed; Isaac Arwine, mortally wounded; Captain Bull and several others wounded, some pretty seriously, but most of them only slightly. I will give you a list of the wounded, with a statement of the condition of each, soon. I will merely give you the names this time, as I have them on a piece of paper. I think braver men never came into action than the Iowa Ninth, from the colonel to the weakest private. I saw no signs of cow- ardice on the field, and our guns told with terrible effect. You may not hesitate to state that the Iowa Ninth have done much — yes — all that men could do, to sustain and add to the already high honors to which the troops from that State have attained. You will, doubtless, have full particulars of the battle long before this will reach you, and yet vou will be glad, I know, as will be all the friends of the company, for something direct from us. You may feel assured that all not men- tioned in my report are safe. As to myself I am not hurt. My head is a hltle sore from the effects of a spent ball striking me above the ear just hard enough to knock me down. I am spending my time now in seeing to the sick, or rather the wounded. Captain Bull is now on one side of me and Adjutant Scott on the other. Captain's is a flesh wound HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 159 in the thigh, adjutant's a bruise upon the ancle, neither serious. I know the anxiety of the friends at home must be intense, from the time the first news reaches you until you get more particulars. All but eight of our company, who were left in hospital in Pacific, arrived here last night, all looking well and in good spirits. None have died since we left there. I would like, if it were possible for me, to give you a de- scription of the battle, but it was an affair of too much magnitude for me to describe. General Siegel is greatly praised by everyone. We feel that it was only by his bravery and strategy that the field was won. The force of the enemy was about thirty thousand, while ours was from twelve to fifteen thousand. Respectfully your son, J. P. Sampson. The following is the list accompanying Mr. Sampson's letter: Captain H. C. Bull, wounded; Lieutenant N. Rice, killed; Corporal J. D. Sanders, wounded; Corporal C. G. Curtis, wounded; Private Isaac Arvine, mortally wounded; Private G. M. .Abbott, wounded; Private Jesse Barnett, wounded. Private L. D. Curtis, wounded; Pri- vate James Cartwright, wounded; Private J. E. Elson, wounded; Pri- vate Julius Furcht, killed; Private David Greek, wounded; Private C. A. Hobart, wounded: Private Stephen Holman, wounded; Private John Leatherman, wounded; Private O. F. Luckey, wounded; Private Phihp Riterman, wounded; Private William Whisennand, wounded; Private A. J. Windsor, wounded; Private Russel Row'se, wounded. Private Samuel Robbins, wounded. LETTER NO. LIl. [The following letter, though not descriptive of move- ments participated in by Buchanan men, was written by a Buchanan man; and as its intrinsic interest is such as to make it quite independent of the accident of its origin, the collator is released from all obligation to justify its insertion. — E. P.] Columbus, Kentucky, March 8, 1862. Friend Rich: — The telegraph has informed you that on the evening of the third of March, a detachment of the Second Illinois cavalry took possession of Columbus, together with its deserted defences, and that, upon the following day, tlie occupation was completed in forces There were positively no incidents of interest connected with this movement. Just imagine a fleet of four gunboats and three transports moving down the Mississippi from Cairo, of a cold March morning, with about two thousand troops, and quietly landing them at a half- deserted, muddy town of fifteen hundred inhabitants, and you have the whole picture. We had aboard our transport. New York artists and correspondents, who will doubtless furnish extensive representations and descriptions of the fortifications to the metropolitan papers, giving a much clearer idea of them than 1 can do, and 1 shall therefore confine my observations to matters which will probably be omitted by them. The Twenty-seventh, Forty-second, six companies of the Fifty-fifth Illinois regiments, and two companies of Zouaves, were the troops landed here on the fourth instant. The Fifty-fifth has since left, and the balance of the Illinois cavalry has arrived, together with two bat- teries of artillery. Thus there is now in occupation of this stronghold of rebeldom a force of not more than twenty-five hundred, all told. Our regiment (Forty-second Illinois) is on the bluffs within the lines of intrenchments; the rest of the force occupy the town which lies upon the flat beneath. The fortifications are left uninjured, but completely disarmed— not a gun in position. The stores and armament were also carried away. The heavy guns were dismounted and thrown into the river. The bar- racks were mostly ruined by fire, though in some cases nearly whole regiments left their quarters uninjured. The extent of the rebel force here has not been overestimated; it must have amounted to nearly thirty thousand. I am informed that most of the immense labor on the fortifications was performed by a force of not more than sixteen thousand, and that the work was done by the soldiers, and not by negroes. I have been much interested in wandering through the deserted quarters of the different regiments. Even ruins speak volumes. These quarters were built in every conceivable style, but very comfortable, especially those of the extreme southern regiments. The Louisiana boys evidently suffered much from the effects of this vigorous climate. Many of them lived in mere dens, dug in the sides of the steep ravines, and covered with mud, without a window, with a door just large enough to crawl through, but with an ample fire-place which was put to a good use. Imagine a thousand of the illustrious cane ohivalry, emerging, at the tap of the drum, like moles or gophers from their holes in the ground, to the defence of their beloved "institution." Were these the dragon teeth spoken of in classic story? But their glory has departed, and so have they. The troops occupying this point, were mostly from Kentucky, Ten- nessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and .Arkansas. Previous to our arrival here I had heard much of the propensity of the rebels for liquor, but had doubted whether it were possible to exceed some of our troops in the rapid consumption of stimulants. I doubt no longer. The spirit of secessia has departed in more senses than one, but the skeleton re- mains. Bottles here, there, everywhere; bottles inside, outside, around doors, under windows, under stairs; in dark holes and corners and in open daylight —in the Rev. Bishop General Polk's headquarters, and in the lowest private's den — a small universe of bottles, as though rebeldom had been holding a grand winter carnival over its coming ruin. It is probable that the rebels have fared even better than we, so far as their commissary was concerned. There are no indications any- where that they were short of supplies of any kind. Nor did they lack the luxuries, as the thousands of oyster, sardine and preserve cans scattered everywhere attest. These statements may surprise some of the more radical of your readers, who are accustomed to flatter themselves with the idea that the rebels must be in a very suffering condition — on the borders of starvation, etc., but the illusion ought to be dispelled at once. We of the north have been in the habit of underrating vastly the resources of the south. Both sides have a great deal yet to learn of each other. Much will be accomplished in this direction, by this very war, which is in other respects so calamitous; and the parties in it, will each retire from the conflict with more liberal, truthful and enlightened ideas con- cerning the other. On Wednesday we had a little picket affair. A small force of the enemy's cavalry appeared in sight of camp, driving in our pickets. A few shells from one of the gun-boats sent them scampering, with a de- tachment of our cavalry in full chase. Nothing of the enemy has been seen since. I apprehend we are in no great danger, for the rebel generals were on|y too glad to get well out of the traps so skillfully laid for them. ). C. LooMis. LETTER NO. LIII. Steamer Antelope, Mississippi River, 1 March ij, 1862. f Friend Rich: — Our boys long prayed for action, and now we are likely to have enough of it. Never was a regiment more delighted than was ours on the evening of the fifteenth, when we received orders to get ready immediately to leave Columbus, and the announcement that we were bound "down the river," was hailed with shouts of delight. We suddenly acquired new skill in packing knapsacks, tents came down with a rush, the sick became mysteriously convalescent, and before we had recovered from our transports, we were winding down the steep bluffs on our way to Dixie, real Dixie. No more resting on the con- fines, no more waiting for the "anaconda," so completely bound up in red tape, but a real onward and downward movement! Of course, we were in high spirits— for the Forty-second. We were not too excited however, to court "Nature's kind restorer" and within an hour after embarkation, the decks of our pre-.Adamite steamer were covered with sleeping "Vandals of the North "—a freight more precious than they ever carried before the war. The first gray streaks of the morning found us in the Grand Expedi- tion which was lying quietly just above Island No. ro, a few miles above New Madrid. The estimates of the number of guns upon the island, which is apparently very strongly fortified, vary considerably, but there are probably from seventy to one hundred, some of which are of very large calibre. There is also a powerful battery on the main land, just at the bend in the river, commanding the river northward. The Federal naval fleet consists of seven gun-boats and nine mortar floats, the latter carrying each one immense thirteen-inch mortar. The infantry force of this expedition consists of Wisconsin and Illinois regiments, a company of cavalry and two batteries of artillerv. all under the command of Colonel Bufort, of the Twenty-seventh Illinois. i6o HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. LETTER NO. LIV. New Madrid Missouri, March 24, 1862. Friend Rich : — Whatever of interest or importance attaches to New Madrid, considered as a military or strategical point, is no doubt al- ready familiar to your readers. Sickness and other causes have prevented me fiom writing for some time, and at present our company, and indeed I might say the whole regiment, are in the deepest despond- ency at the untimely death of our gallant Lieutenant Jordan. The blow was so sudden and unexpected, that we can hardly realize, as yet, that he is lost to us. Punctilious in business, untiring in his efforts to promote the health and comfort of his inen, kind, brave, and patriotic, he stood high in the esteem of all as an officer and a man. On the march from Boonville to St. Charles he overtaxed his strength and laid the foundation of that fearful disease, typhoid pneumonia, which ulti- mately swept him into the grave. On the last day's march from Sikeston to this place, he insisted on leaving the ambulance and travelling with the company, as the prospect for a fight was good, and his adventurous and daring spirit would not allow him to remain be- hind. Fatal error! for from that day he grew worse, appetite and strength failed, and he was finally taken to the hospital. Whi e there he was surrounded by everything that the kindness of loving friends could suggest, and the regimental surgeons were untiring in their ex- ertions to afford him relief. Some one or more of his company were constantly at his bedside, and to one who was bathing his feverish tem- ples, he remarked: " I may die, but I mean to keep up good spirits. " On the morning of the nineteenth I went over to the hospital, and found that he was sinking rapidly. His sufferings at times were acute, but he bore up under them with the calmest resignation. At 12 o'clock on the night of the twentieth instant, the king of ter- ror came, and the man who had led us in our long campaign through Missouri, participating in all the hardships and exposures of our marches and counter-marches, and infusing into his men a share of his own courage and patriotism, yielded to the summons, and departed to that better land, where the petty toils and strifes of this ephemeral life of ours are unknown. There was something of romance and pathos in the gathering of company E around the camp fiie for the purpose of testifying in a series of resolutions the high regard which was entertained for our late comrade, the lamented Jordan. In a strange land, far from home, we were met to bestow our meed of praise, and leave some token by which the absent friends might know that we were not insensible to the merits of the fallen. [This letter contains a lengthy description of the at- tack on New Madrid by the brigade to which tiie Fifth Iowa was attached — the unexpected termination of the siege by the evacuation of the town and forts and their occupation by the Federal troops under General Pope. We give some extracts from the closing portion of the letter.— E. P.] On the morning of the fourteenth instant General Hamilton's brig- ade, composed of the Fifth and Tenth Iowa and two other regiments, moved forward for the purpose of supporting our battery by the lower fort. It was 3 o'clock in the morning, with rain falling at intervals, accompanied with flashes of lightning and low rumbling thunder. Many a soldier left camp feeling perhaps, that he should never return again; and doubtless many tender missives were written to be for- warded in case the writer should received his qiac/Ks. Occasionally the flashes of lightning would reveal groups of infantry, cavalry and artillery by the roadside, silent as statues, moving slowly forward through the mud and darkness. 'We were now within lange of the enemy's guns, and every exertion was made to get us concealed in the rifle-pits before daylight. These pits were nothing more than a kind of trench dug at the base of the declivity, retreating to the west; and by the time we arrived there the rain had tilled them half full of water. Here was a delightful state of affairs. To sit there twenty-four hours in a doubled up posture was bad enough, but to be compelled to paddle around like muskrals was more than the patience of the boys could stand without some show of flinching. "Get in, boys, lay low. shells will be coming over here directly." thundered the colonel. And in they tumbled, officers and privates together, while behind orderlies could be seen running off' the horses, and hospital stewards were carry- ing stretchers here and there to be ready to receive the dead and wounded. Here we all waited in the keenest anxiety for the booming of the first gun, which was to usher in the conflict. The day had dawned, but imagine our surprise when a soldier appeared shouting in aloud voice, "New Madrid is evacuated." We did not, we could not believe it. "He means that New Madrid is evacuated," said the colonel. And it was true; pickets and skirmishers coming soon con- firmed the announcement. The rebels, in anticipation of our attack (and perhaps still more in anticipation of those "coming events which cast their shadows before" in the fall of their stronghold at Colum jus) had fled during the night, and abandoned all. A cavalryman seized the colors of the Iowa Fifth and planted it on the battery. Not a rebel gun-boat or river craft of any kind was to be seen, and soon the stars and stripes were waiving over the deserted breastworks. Such was the haste of the valiant Southrons that they had forgotten to take in their pickets, and three of them were found asleep in a tent. They were a little astonished when they found that the works had changed hands. From the official reports, which your readers have doubtless seen, you can learn the amount of property, stores, etc., seized. The rebels left candles burning in their tents, biscuit half baked in the ovens, clothes, guns, everything. The lower fort mounts fourteen guns, nearly all of the larger calibre and most perfect finish. Traces were here percepti- ble of hot work of the day before. One columbiad was partially dismounted, while a twelve-pounder piece had been struck in the side by one of our large balls, and deeply indented. All the guns had been spiked, but through the exertions of Colonel Bissell, of the engineer regiment, they were in readiness again in an hour. The upper fort mounts four guns, and is surrounded by a deep trench, outside of which is an abatis to obstruct attacks from a storming party of infantry. Inside of these works were found a qutntity of tents constructed after the Sibley patent, suflicient for tliree thousand men. Half barrels of flour, sugar and molasses were scattered in all directions. Whatever the condition of the secesh may be in other respects, they are far from starvation. The citizens of the town had taken refuge in the fort, and French bedsteads, easy-chairs, gilt mirrors, sofas, centre-tables and other appli.inces of luxury and wealth were to be met with on every hand. If the earthquake of 1812 destroyed the old town of Madrid, the rebellion of 1861 has more than rivaled it in the demolition of the new town. The vandals burned whole streets of the finest residences, and laid splendid orchards flat with the ground to get a range for their guns. A large seminary had been turned into a hospital, and the walls of some of the rooms had been adorned, evidently by native artists with designs representing the Republican leaders. In one Old Abe is seated on the hobby-horse Slavery embracing .'Reward lovingly; underneath is written, "Abraham Lincoln, the first tyrant and despot, who sought to overthrow American independence and subjugate south- ern freemen. " The Fifth regiment was quartered in some houses which, fortunately for us, had escaped destruction. Con.pany E had the good fortune to have allotted to it a very nice, tidy house, with capacious rooms, and furnished with fireplaces. Fires were soon built, the coffee kettle hung over the cheery blaze, and everything available brought into requisition for a glorious square meal. A stalwart Iowa boy finds a jar of honey in an obscure corner, and is bearing it off in triumph, when a lieuten- ant sings out, "Hold on. there, don't eat that; it is poisoned." "Wal, it may be," says our hero, "but I've got an antidote agin pizen. and I can't bear to see such things around in the way." .And off he goes in great glee. The rebels found time before they left to pitch a light field battery into the river, and Colonel Bissell. with his engineers, has been busy in getting out the caissons, but has not succeeded yet in finding any of the cannon. .According to the most reliable estimates the confederate force here must have been at least twelve thousand strong. General McCown was in command, and if they had been so disposed they could have sustained a hard siege. . . . We are awaiting the denouement of affairs at Island No, 10. The firing of our mortar fleet is plainly heard. Part of our division has moved down to Point Ple.nsant, and are erecting some heavy works there. Telegraphic communication is opened to Sikeston, the nearest railroad station, and dispatches can be sent direct to St. Louis. C. J. R. LETTER NO. LV. New Madrid, Missouri. April 11. 1862. Dear Guardian : — We are all very busy, and expect to leave here next Sunday. You have heard of all our recent triumphs; how the gun-boat Carondelet ran the blockade, despite the stream of shot and shell that was poured upon her ; and also how the transports succeeded in getting around by the chute. \\\ this has been accomplished. Last Monday Hamilton's division crossed the river, and proceeded HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. i6i by the land route to Tiptonville. While on the way we were informed that Island No. lo had been evacuated, and that Payne had cut off the retreat of six thousand rebels, taking them prisoners, .^^t Tiptonville we found the prisoners— a hard-lookmg set, ignorant, dirty, and ragged. Some rich scenes occurred, which I will descnbe when 1 have more time. Throughout the whole of Tennessee the rebels are panic- stricken, and many of the prisoners are better contented with their present situation than any Ihey have been in since the war began. Said a rebel captain to me : "We are not fighting for slaveiy. It is a terri- torial question with us. You people at the north want to carve us ou; into new States, and that we wont submit to." Quite an original idea, I thought, and one that Wendell Phillips never thought of. • We have taken a number of heavy siege guns, destroyed three rebel batteries, with smaller arms — from the old flint-lock musket to the Sharpe rifle — without number. The importance of these recent victories cannot be overestimated. The river is now open to Federal vessels to Fort Ran- dolph, and craft of every description are crowding down the river. We are now in a painful state of suspense about the battle of Corinth. The general impression is that Grant has been defeated. The whole army here is soon to move southward. We have been much interested in the Guardian of April ist, and all feel much indebted to S. J. W. T. for his eloquent tribute to the memory of our departed friend and comrade. Lieutenant Jordan. The meir.bers of our company are well, and sick- ness in the regiment decreasing. Adieu, C.J. R. LETTER NO. LVI. From the Xinth, in c.\mp .\t Galena, Missouri, ) .^pril Q, 1862. I I should have written to you before, but on the morning of the fifth we were suddenly ordered to march. We knew nothing of our desti- nation, but soon found ourselves moving eastward. At Cassville, we left the Springfield road, taking a southeasterly course. We have marched over a rough, mountainous road crossing the Ozark river, and after meeting many hindrances from streams, etc., last night found us standing in the rain in the town of Galena, waiting for our team train to come up, which did not arrive until after dark. Our camp is on the right bank of the James river, which wee.xpect to cross to-day; and as the river is quite rapid, it is a very difficult feat. We shall make a bridge for the infantry to pass on by driving the wagons in for abut- ments. The point we are making tor, and the object of this move through such a rough country, are matters about which 1 can give you no information. As we passed through Cassville, we learned that Lieutenant and Mrs. Wright were within an hour's ride of that place. The expressions of the men upon hearing this would have done you good. They all look upon him as one of their best friends, and they think there are fe^v such women as Mrs. Wright. \o lady could be more warmly welcomed into the company. They overtook us the second night from Cassville. I cannot better express to you the feelings of the company than bv stat- ing the fact that, the next day, those present of our company made up a purse of ninety-three dollars for the doctor and his wife, each man being eager to do his share, and giving with the greatest cheerfulness. It was presented in consideration of what the Doctor and .Mrs. Wright have done, and are still doing, for them, out of the abounding kindness of their hearts. Yesterday, the ambulances having been sent back to Cassville for some purpose. Mrs. Wright had to ride in one of our wagons, which had the misfortune to upset. .Almost miraculously, she escaped without serious injury, and appears quite well this mornino-. J. P. Sampson. LETTER NO. LVI I. Steamer Memphis, .April 16, 1862. Friend Rich: After the surrender of Number 10, I had an op- portunity of visiting it, thus satisfying a curiosity heightened by the indolence of a twenty-five days' siege. The island covers about three hundred acres, and was owned by a wealthy planter, who, of course long since deserted it, leaving his buildings and extensive stores of com to become the prey of ruthless invaders. The residence is near the centre of the island; and, a little to one side, is a beautiful peach or- chard, now in full bloom. It is just here that the effect of our shells is most apparent; vast excavations where they fell, jagged pieces of the destructive globes scattered everywhere, trees upheaved, or immense limbs torn off, a general scattering of everything movable, all attest their destructive power. Still, the batteries which are situated on the river bank escaped material injury, or, if injured, had been perfectly repaired at the date of our occupancy. The prisoners asserted sloutlv that only two men were killed on the island during the whole bom- bardment. The garrison consisted of only three hundred men — the main force being upon the Tennessee shore — and as they could see the approaching shells, it is quite possible that they became adepts in hunting their holes. The batteries were found not to be as strong as had been supposed. They were principally at the head of the isLand, and mounted, in all, eighteen guns, rating as follows: Ten smooth thirty-two's, three rifled thirty-two's, one of which had been burst, and one rifled twenty-four. There were, besides, five thirty-two's not mounted. Only three of the guns were spiked. Two-thirds of the prisoners were Irishmen, who had been pressed into the service, and consequently were without heart in it. They stated that when the gunboats ran the blockade, many of the guns were purposely elevated so as to carry over. This may be an invented excuse to hide their miserable gunnery. The transports of the expedition are now lying ten miles above the first Chickasaw Bluffs, upon which. ire. foVtilications more or less for- midable. But little firing has been done on either side at this point. Of course we know nothin^of the I plans of, attack, but the work is evidently to be accomplish^ principally by strategy, as at Number Ten. L'nbounded confidence is felt bjr the soldiery jn the engineering ability and generalship of Flag Officer* Sgpte and General Pope. Meantime, it is somewhat gigjifying to know th5l we are only seventy- five miles above Memphis. y. L. Loom IS. LETTER NO. LVIIl. Steamer Emilie, April 17, 1862. Friend Rich: — On the evening of the 12th instant, Hamilton's di- vision embarked on board the steamers lying at New Madrid, and were soon steaming southward, with the avowed purpose of paying Fort Pillow a visit. Point Pleasant, Tiptonville, and landings of inferior note, were soon passed. .At nearly all these points the rebels had erected batteries which they supposed would be an effective bar to any federal flotilla that might be venturesome enough to attempt the pas- sage ; but the gunboats have upset all their calculations. The battery erected opposite Point Pleasant, had been completely demolished. One howitzer had been knocked by a shell clear from the carriage, and lay down the emb.ankment, its muzzle buried in the dirt. The timber around looked as if a violent hurricane had passed, leaving nothing in its track but splintered trunks and torn and twisted branches. Appar- ently the whole country is deserted, not a man woman or child of the white genus being in sight, while their dusky servants, now tenants-at- will of tlie mansions, appeared at the doors, waving vigorously their turbans, or whatever articles of apparel they could get hold of. The wide waste of muddy waters, bordered with their fringe of silent cot- tonwoods, the cornfields with their prostrate fences and untilled soil all go to form a scene of indescribable loneliness and desolation. Stand- ing on the deck of a steamer one appears to be floating over the country. Far as the eye can reach, at some points, the land is covered with water, and still the leaden sky pours down more rain. Some of the timerous ones on shore are suggesling the propriety of buildin'^ an ark, while others assert that the Mississippi is leagued with the federal government, to wipe out the southern confederacy, filling up as it does, every old bayou for them to run their gunboats around in. and wash- ing away the secesh forts. There is no denying that the high water has been favorable to the fleet, while it has retarded the movements of the land forces. The lowest point reached by our boats is one hundred and sixty miles below Cairo, opposite Manson, and eight miles above Fort Randolph. Here the steamers were made fast to the shore, and reconnoissances ordered to. ascertain the strength and position of the enemy. All active operations are made impossible by the high water. From below Tiptonville to this place, there is not a single point where troops can be landed. In view of this a retrograde movement has been ordered and the whole fleet, as I write, is steaming back to New Madrid again. Much excitement exists in regard to the battle of Pittsburgh Land- ing, and many censure Grant for what they are pleased to call "his carelessness." The enemy has fallen back to Corinth, and all accounts represent him as preparing for a tremendous fight, with a force, some say, of eightty thousand. Corinth is to the rebels a very important strategetical point. It controls their line of communication between the -Atlantic and the gulf seaboard. Apnl 17th, 6 P. M. — Reached New Madrid last night and waited for the rest of the fleet to come up when we continued our progress up the river. Had a fair chance to view the enemy's works at Island No. 10. It seemed impossible for any force ever to have taken it, but it lost its value when the gunboats were below it. .April 18th, 6 a. m. — Reached l62 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Lairo last night, and shall soon be on our way for the Tennessee river. Other troops have taken our place at New Madrid. Our friend Oscar rejoined us yesterday, looking quite well. The boys are making up a package of things for Independence. C. J. R. letter no. lix. From the Fourth C.walry, } Springfield, Missouri, April lo, 1862. j" Since my last we have had a little excitement here. Twice, within a week, we have been called out in the night, expecting an attack. On Friday night last we received news that some one thousand of Price's cavalry had crossed White river at Forsyth, and were marching on this place, with the i.itention of surprising us, which they would have succeeded in doing, but for the sudden rise of the river making it un- fordable. So much time would necessarily be consumed in ferrying the force, that the .surprise was abandoned. This was two days before we heard of it and the distance only fifty miles; so that, but for a lucky shower, they would in all probability have succeeded in wiping out this post, as there are no troops'ifcl^e except our regiment and three com panics of the Iowa Tliir was taken, and also that General Grant had whipped Beauregard, in Tennessee, and we had a grand parade in honor thereof I hear also that General Curtis is marching to Forsyth, and will probably go down White river in search of Price, he being, it is supposed, somewhere in that direction. It is a positive fact, however, that there is never absolute knowledge of his position until the battle commences. He can raise an army, or put one out of sight, by some "hocus pocus" that is altogether unaccountable. One thing is certain, these butternut-clad devils are harder to subdue than anything east of the Mississippi. They will continue to fight for three years after peace is declared — may not hear the news even in that time. They are mostly mounted, and can move with great rapidity. Each man takes six day's rations on his horse, which consists of a sack of corn meal and a piece of bacon, no tents or baggage of any kind, and he is prepared for a march of from one to two hundred miles. I do not believe we shall move from here in two weeks, as it is impossible to get forage below this, and by that time, grass will be abundant. Peach trees are in blossom, and leaves putting out finely; although it has been a very cold, backward spring, and last night we had a heavy white frost. G- B. P. LETTER NO. LX. Davenport, C.\mp McClellan, April 22, 1862. Friend Rich: — There has been a great excitement in camp to-day, occasioned by the appearance of a steamer coming up the river with three hundred and fifty prisoners on board. Their destination is Prairie du Chien. One poor fellow died while the boat was stopping at Davenport. His name I did not learn. It is entirely a melancholy sight to see a man lie down in death while a prisoner in a strange land, and yet how many of our brave men have met the same fate. Yesterday we were called upon to stand around the death-bed of our friend and companion in arms, J. H. Ginther. He died of typhoid fever, after an illness of only eight days. The first few days of his ill- ness he endured much pain, but his last hours were calm and peaceful, and his last words were of the loved ones at home. Deeply do we sympathize with his bereaved parents and friends, and with sad hearts we bid a long farewell to him that is gone. Our men are all well at present, except Mr. Stuart and Mr. Harris, both of whom have been dangerously ill, but are now recovering. The recruiting officers of the Fifth regiment are all here, and we expect to start for Dixie day after to-morrow. Companies are leaving here daily for the seat of war, and each company is anxious to be the first to leave. George N. Watson. LETTER NO. LXI.* Cassville, Missouri, April 7, 1862. Last Tuesday about half of the men we have here started for a point about thirty miles distant to break up a jayhau^king band of desperadoes, and on Friday evening a messenger came in after more help. Our men had been fighting two days, and had taken ninety prisoners: but they were getting short of amunition and in danger of being surrounded by the rebels. Yesterday morning all the men that * Extract from private letters written bj' a member of Captain liuell's com. pany, Ninth Iowa. could be spared went out, and what the result will be time will show. Some farmers, who came in last night, said they heard cannonading yesterday morning, which nmkes us the more anxious, because we know the reinforcements could not have reached our boys. Later. — Three of the cavalry scouting party have come in. They say our men had repulsed an attack made yesterday morning, and are still in pursuit. These three were fired at when coming in, by nine rebels, only a few miles from here; but the odds were so great that they spurred on into town. These guerillas are getting very bold, but I think we shall soon be out of this place. The quartermaster has had orders to press every team that he can find into service, and send the sick and wounded away as fast as possible. Fifteen teams were started to-day. Our ambulence went yesterday with four men. and the doctor thinks we shall go to the regiment in a week or ten days at the farthest. Monday morning. — Great rejoicing here yesterday afternoon. Our scouts came in. They have been out six days, and have been skir- mishing every day since they left, and have been in one of the worst nests of cut-throats in Missouri. They brought in ninety-one prisoners, and lost only two men killed and one wounded. Our force numbered only two hundred, and it took half of them to guard the prisoners, who were constantly trying to get away; because, according to Gen- eral Halleck's order of March 26th, they are subject to be hung. We got a horse and gun with almost every man taken. It is believed there are from seven to eight hundred of the gang, about half of them Indi- ans. Our men killed two of the red skins. Two men, who have been acting as guides in our army, left here last Wednesday to go to their families, not having heard from them for some time. They got home, and while putting their horses in the stable some rebels came out of the brush, took them off about two miles and shot them. This is the way things are carried on here now, and still our government officers are taking such men as these every day, swearing them and letting them go. April i2th. — The army has left and is making its way to the Missis- sippi, and we are living here in suspense. There are all sorts of re- ports every day about the Indians and Texas rangers coming in here. To-day the report came that fifteen hundred rangers were to attack our town to-night. It makes no little excitement. . . . Some of our teams were out foraging yesterday, and one got behind, v^■hen nine rebels came out of the brush, unhitched the horses from the wagon and, taking the two drivers, left. The men were taken three or four miles and then made to take the oath and set at liberty. They got back to camp to-day. This is another specimen of the kind of warfare carried on here. They will come into town and be the best Union men you ever saw, find out when a team is going out into the country, go and get some of their neighbors, lie in wait at a convenient spot, and nab it. Our boys are getting along nicely. N'alentine Gates is better. We are having an easy time now soldiering. We do not have to stand guard nor cook. We haye two cows here, and have milk for supper almost every night. Monday morning. — We are all alive this morning, so you see there was no truth in the report we heard yesterday. I will close with the remark that our officers and army are too easy with these plagucy But- ternuts: we ought to wipe out every one of them. .-V mail is going out this morning. James Sparling. LETTER NO. LXII. Camp near Pittsburgh Landing, April 30, 1862. Friexd Rich: — . . . It is very difficult to form a cor- rect estimate as to the number of troops under the command of Gen- eral Halleck at this place, but it can not be far fiom one hundred and twenty thousand, and in telling this I presume that I shall not be im- parting forbidden information. The forces are disposed in the form of the arc of a circle, General Grant's division occupying the centre, upon the main road leading to Corinth; General Buell's the right flank, ex- tending to a small town eight miles from the enemy's nearest lines; and General N'elson's brigade the left flank, resting on the town of Ham- burgh, four miles above Pittsburgh. Pope's division lies immediately behind these, as a reserve. General Mitchell still holds his position on the Charleston and Memphis railroad, cutting off all communication in that direction. Last night General Payne's division was thrown forward on the Cor- inth road, so that from the centre of our position to the enemy's out- posts, the distance cannot be over four miles, and daily skirmishes occur between the cavalry on either side. A vast amount of labor is necessary to repair the roads, build bridges, etc., etc., and a week or two may elapse before a battle will occur. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 163 t'AMP ABOVK Hamburgh. Pope's Division, May 4tli. Yesterday our former camp, near Pittsburgh, was broken up, and the whole division moved six miles in a southwest direction, being now on the extreme left, and five miles from the west bank of the Tenne- ssee. A sharp artillery duel came off last night, resulting in the cap- ture of one of the rebel batteries. Small scouting parties are taken daily, who represent the greater mass of Beauregard's army as being in a very demoralized condition, especially with the Tennessee and Kentucky troops, many of whom have been impressed into the service. It is also currently reported and believed in camp that Beauregard, de- siring to reciprocate our wish for an early engagement, has made an advance, and is now engaged throwing up intrenchments. A battle must come off soon, perhaps to-day or tomorrow. Sunday appears to be the fighting day, and our regiment is now under orders to move at half-past 9, with three days' rations in their haversacks. Discipline is very strict, and every precaution taken to prevent surprise. Roll is called five times a day, the men being required to fall out twice at seveille and tattoo on the color line under their arms, where the num- ber of men and guards of each company are reported- to the adjutant. Besides this, there is an inspection of arms and cartridge boxes after every meal, and woe to the luckless wight who hath not his forty rounds. The life of the soldier in presence of the enemy is far from being one of inactivity, and he is perpetually performing some duty that is sug- gestive of bloodshed. For instance, he is addressed by his officers on thiswise; "Soldiers, you are soon to enter upon a great battle; cool- ness and deliberation aie indispensable; under all circumstances don't get excited; shake the powder down well, and fire low. One wounded man is worth a dozen killed. " Think of me hearing such language as that, who, nine months ago. was in the quiet wheat fields of Iowa, with thoughts intent upon the raising of crops and securing a comfortable home. . . Our camp is now placed near the line of the two States, and twenty yards from the log on which your correspondent sits takes you into Mississippi. Away down in Dixie, among tangled underbrush and cane brakes, with far-stretching cotton fields and umbrageous woods, where mosquitoes, frogs and lizards abound — away down in the land of chivalry, poetry and romance, where the winds blow soft, laden with the perfume of flowers, and where earth's richest productions grow spontaneously. What a land, what associations ! What tremendous lizards ! A couple of them are gamboling near my seat, turning, twisting and doubling over each, other with the celerity of the most accomplished acrobats. They are very affectionate, and consider it their special privilege to ensconce themselves in the folds of the sleeping soldier's blanket. Just above the camp is a farm, whose owner enlisted in Beauregard's host just for five days — the time considered sufficient to wipe out the vandal Yankee from the sacred soil. Unhappy man ! Yesterday he was captured by a band of audacious cavalry, and sent to St. Louis a prisoner of war. As he passed by his farm he saw the corn and cotton fields where of old trembling slaves bowed subservient to his will, dotted over with federal camps, while to the corner of his house had been fixed the tel- egraph wire to convey the news of federal triumphs, and cannon gleamed beneath his orchard trees. The few families left here are of that class who are too poor to get away, and are much to be pitied. Industry is paralyzed. The men are in the army, the children are ragged, and stand in little groups by the doorway, looking out at the soldiers with great, frightened eyes — in the background stands the mother, pale and careworn. Coff"ee is worth one dollar and twenty- five cents per pound, and flour is not to be had at any price; and the women and children are compelled to live on corn meal made into cakes, without saleratus or salt — even the hard crackers of the soldier they esteem a great luxury, and a gift of them is never refused. Sunday, 10 A. M. The boys have been in readiness over an hour, and now the order to move is countermanded — the roads not being in readiness. True to former precedents, it has commenced raining, and the watery deluge comes pouring down on our Sibley with a vengeance. The rebels have destroyed the bridge across Ball's creek, which will delay our move- ment a day or two. C. ]. R. LETTER NO. LXIII. Extract of a letter from Lieutenant Wright, of the Iowa Ninth, to Rev. Mr. Sampson, dated — B.VTESVILLE, ARKANSA.S, May 9, 1862. After a long and severe march over the Ozark mountains, we rest a short time, waiting for the First and Second division to cross the river. Most of them are already over, and we have orders to be ready to cross to-night. We left Cassville on the fifth of April, and reached Bear creek on the fifteenth, a few miles from Forsyth. The country from Cassville to the latter place is the worst I ever saw. The country is much better after leaving the Ozark Ridge, and contin- ues to improve as we approach the While river. There is also a great diff'erence in the character of the people. We seem to be getting more amongst white folks. When we came into Batesville, the people were taken entirely by sur- prise, except a few Union men who were apprised of our coming. The advance guard came in upon them on every road, so there was no chance of escape. Colonel Coleman happened to be on the opposite side of the river, but a company of his men were playing cards in the court house on this side and were captured. The citizens seemed well pleased, and began to look to the Federal arm for protection. Some say they would like to have the "fuss" settled, but they don't like to have the south whipped. There is a report amongst the citizens here that the governor sent to General Curtis last night a proposal to sur- render the State to the Federal Government. Surrender or not, the State capital w-ill be ours ina few days. I forgot to say that our ad- vance had a httle bit of a skirmish on. SnAring the town, with Coleman's men. A few shels from one of our iTi£r*i "nnn made them ske- daddle, nor have they been heard of^HcdSRSome of our cavalry are in pursuit of them. You will be surprised to lea'fn that the Union sen- timent is stronger here than in any county through which we have passed. Old men threw up their hats at the sight of the old flag, and thanked God that they were once more free men. One man com- menced to dance when the band played " Yankee Doodle." He had been arrested once for whistling "Yankee Doodle" and "Hail, Co- lumbia," and this by a people who persuade themselves they are fight- ing for liberty. Your son left us at Ozark. He felt very badly to be left behind, but it was better for him to stay near Springfield, where he would have good care, than to be left any other place on the road. We hope that he is better, and will soon be able to join us, as he is much missed by his comrades in arms. We also sent two of the Farry boys and Thomas Cress to the hospital at RoUa. The rest of the company are well and in good spirits, except Sergeant Davis, who has been quite unwell for some days, but is rapidly improving. R. W. VV. LETTER NO. LXIV. Camp at Boonville, Mississippi, June 7. 1862 Friend Rich: — My long silence has consigned me to your list of occasional; but there has been really but little of special interest to write about in the slow, regular advance of the army from the Ten- nessee river. Nearly every day has had its skirmish of greater or less extent, resulting sometimes in the enemy's favor, oftener otherwise. The last grand advance in the investment of Corinth took place on the twenty-eighth ultimo. It was contested vigorously, but unsuccessfully, at nearly every point. General Pope's wing did the heaviest fighting and suffered the most severely. . . . Our troops saw but little rest on the night of the twenty-eighth. A continuous line of rifle- pits was to be dug in our new position, and sunrise of the twenty- ninth showed everything complete. All day the enemy was ex- pected and we were anxious to receive him ; still, no fighting of mo- ment occurred in our division. In the afternoon the Forty-second was taken out to support a battery of Parrot guns which was playing upon one of the enemy's forts. The fire was briskly returned, but without any damage to us. Early on the morning of the thirtieth, our regiment and the Thirty-ninth Ohio were ordered to advance. Hurrah for a skirmish! was the thought of every one of us. But we passed on through the woods without sight of a single foe. Suddenly the truth broke upon us — Corinth evacuated ! We pressed forward to the abat- tis of fallen timber, which, through continued harping, had become a bugbear to our imaginations. It would not have delayed an Iowa assaulting party fifteen minutes ! And that single little breastwork yonder is called formidable! Are these your boasted defences, Corinth? Who has been fooled this time? Would it not be a good plan for our generals to organize an efficient corps of scouts, or — spies, if you will call them such? To one who has seen the defences of Columbus, those at Corinth seem contemptible. As we neared the breastworks, the colorbearers of the two regiments pushed forward on the run for the honor of planting the first flag. The colors of the Forty-second won, also a few moments later — the honor of being the first to float over the village of Corinth. But how barren seemed the triumph 1 We would have preferred to fight the rebels, then and there. A few families remained at Corinth. They stated that the evacuation had been in progress several days, and that eighteen regiments had left 164 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. only the night before. The pursuit commenced the same evening, the Forty-second leading the van of Pope's army, as it has continued to do to the present. We marched eight miles to the first brfdge de- stroyed by the enemy in their flight. It was situated in a ssvamp. cov- ered with a dense growth of timber. The rear guard of the rebels was stationed with a battery just beyond to delay our passage, and it was not until the night of the thirty-first that the way was clear for our en- gineers to rebuild the bridge. The next morning we marched into Danville, an insignificant village ten miles south of Corinth. Continu- ing the pursuit, we rebuilt ruined bridges, and camped at Rienzi, five miles from Danville. On the second instant we entered Boonville, a station on the Mobile & Ohio railroad, twenty-one miles from Corinth. We are still at this point, with the probabilities against any forward movement at present. On the third we reconnoitred in force, driving the rear guard of the enemy before us, but returning the same day to camp. Here we are lying without tents, the most of us without even a blanket— we were ordered to leave knapsacks behind— exposed to the caprices of the weather, and wondering in our innocent hearts what is to come next. We would like to do something, certainly. The coim- try through which we have passed is beautifully undulating, and covered with a heavy growth of o'^i- maple and beech timber. It is very thinly settled by a very miseralDfe-pepple, and our most profound aspiration at the present moment is to get out of it just as soon as the interests of our cause will permit. J. L. LOOMIS. LETTER NO. LXV. FROM THE NINTH. Camp on Red River, Arkansas, May 28, 1862. Friend Rich: — We left our camp near Batesville on the seventeenth instant, and arrived here upon the twentieth, Upon our arrival we learned that Colonel Osterhaus' division, which is in advance of us, had been terribly annoyed by the enemy on the opposite side of the river. On one occasion the enemy captured a foraging party of fifty men and a number of wagons, belonging to the Seventeenth Missouri. When the men surrendered the rebels said, "We take no prisoners, "and be- gan to shoot the men down, killing about twenty, and wounding the remainder. Only one escaped to tell the sorrowful tale. This has aroused the Germans, and whenever they capture a rebel they kill him if possible. Their leader is reported to be G. A. Hicks, of this State. They are broken up into small parties and go in for plunder more than anything else. They can annoy an army in this way, by being on the lookout for small detachments, and cutting off every wagon or horse they happen to meet with. The bridge being again completed, a heavy reconnoissance was made yesterday. It was supposed that the enemy's camp was at a small town called Searcy, four miles from our camp. The town was surrounded and several prisoners taken, but the camp was not to be found. We found Searcy to be a very pleasant village of about one thousand inhabitants before this war, but not more than one- half that number is here at the present time. Two fine churches, and one or two fine school-houses or seminaries were in the place, besides many excellent dwellings, and the entire aspect of the place was more like civilization than anything we had seen in the State. The object of the expedition yesterday was principally to collect forage. Red River is navigable to this point, the stream being not very wide, but very deep. Our men have built a floating bridge, which is very handy for the boys in crossing. We are now one hundred and fifty miles from Memphis, and sixty miles from Little Rock. We are brig- aded with the Iowa Fourth cavalry, and the brigade is commanded by Colonel Porter, Colonel Vandever being absent. The Ninth is com- manded by Captain Carpenter, of company B, he being senior captain of the regiment. Lieutenant McKenzie is acting adjutant. The weather is very warm, and we suffer from heat. We have been rather short of provisions for some time, but a large ox-train came in this morning, which had been on the road since the twentieth of March. They brought us a fresh supply of hard bread, some that the Government had on hand at the end of the Mexican war (I should think), and are now sending it out here for us to devour. Coffee we have in abundance. I have seen some statements in print that the Iowa Fifth had only four crackers a day. In our march from Hunts- viUe to Pea Ridge, a distance of forty-one miles, all that we had to eai on the morning that we left Huntsville, was one cup full of meal pud- ding, and the forty-ore miles was made in one day. We arrived in camp on the night of the fifth of March, and next morning were order, ed to the field of action. You may know that many of the boys were not able to leave their tents, but, as there was a fair prospect of a fight, all but one or two went out. All that day we had nothing to eat, and nothing until next morning at 2 o'clock, and then we had some bread mixed up soldier's fashion. When we were at Forsyth we had no flour, no meal, no hard bread— nothing but shorts (that is what they call it), and that was so very short, that we had only half rations of it_ nor were the shorts eked out by meat. You imagine that it was rather tough to live in this manner, but we had been taught by our officers that good soldiers would not grumble, and so we were contented. May 31st. Captain Bull and Adjutant Scott arrived on the twenty-ninth, looking very well. The captain has nearly recovered from his wound, but he limps a very little yet. The adjutant has also recovered, and we are very glad to have them again with us. . . . Last night we received a mail, the second which has reached us this month. The letters were dated back to April, yet we were glad to hear from home and friends. Everything is one month old before it reaches us, and I think if General Curtis had encamped on the shore of the Red Sea, instead of sitting down in this outlandish and out of the world country, we should have been in the way of getting the news at least semi-occasionall}~, with some regularity. But the older the news, the more eagerly it is looked for; and, old or new, news is always welcome. E. C. Little. LETTER NO. L.XVl*. Camp near Rienza, Mississippi, July 8, 1862. Friend Rich: — We have had two deaths lately in our company — Jackson Rice and F. M. Walker. Both had been ailing for some time, and were thought to be getting well, but they died very suddenly, and in a somewhat similar manner. Mr. Rice lived southwest of Inde- pendence, (in Jefferson township); was young and spirited, and a very prompt and valuable soldier. His death is a sad loss to the company, and was mourned by all. He is buried on the top of a beautiful shady knob, just back of our camp, near Corinth, and the grave is marked by a plain neat head board. Walker died at the post hospital at Farmington. The doctor thinks he died of sun stroke. There are about twenty-five dollars extra duty money due him from the quarter- masters department, which I will get for his widow, as soon as it can be obtained. For the last ten days we ha\e been moving about from place to place, without any apparent object. Started to Holly Springs; went as far as Ripley, forty miles from Corinth, were ordered to return for the pur- pose, we have since learned, of going to Richmond; came part of the way back ; order countermanded, stopped at this camp and remained a day or two; went forward a mile and a half; bivouacked a day or two there; returned here, and have been bivouacking here for two days. Thermometer stands (or would stand, if there were any in the country to stand) at about one hundred and five in the shade. At least we think so. We shall soon be paid for four months, and the boys will no doubt have quite a pile to send home. -As regards war matters in general, I have no time to attempt to give an opinion at present. Give my regards to all my old friends. I hear that times are beginning to improve in Iowa— glad of it— there is loom for great improvement, but you have all reason to be thankful that you are not in this God-forsaken region. Yours respectfully, W. S. Marshall. LETTER NO. LXVH. From the Ninth. An extract from a private letter appeared in the Guardian, late in July, with the following editorial note: We are greatly gratified, after the various rumors that have floated about relating to General Curtis' army, to have direct intelligence from it. The wife of Lieutenant Wright arrived here yesterday, having left Helena on the sixteenth. The host of friends which Mrs. Wright has made by her self sacrifices for the good of the men of her husbands company, will be sorry to learn that she is quite feeble, not having recovered from a serious illness. It is to be hoped that rest and old associations will bring rapid recuperation. Mrs. Wright brought letters from Lieutenant Sampson to his family, from which we extract a few items from the last, dated: In C.\mp, Ten Miles Northwest from Helen.\, | Arkansas, July i6, 1862. j After one of the roughest and most fatiguing marches we ever had, we arrived here day before yesterday. We left Jacksonport on the fifth, and have marched from ten to twenty miles per day. The weather ''Extract from a private letter from Captain Marshall, quartermaster Fifth. of the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 165 has been very warm, and, during the first part of the inarch, very dry and dusty. We have suffered much for want of water, Many of the wells were filled up or destroyed by secesh upon our approach, and after camping, wearied and foot sore, we have had to go as far as two miles and a half for water. The rebels laid every possible obstruction in our way — felled all the timber they could across our path, and did all in their power to annoy us. But thanks to a kind providence we are now near civilization. We are out of the wilderness, and strange as it may seem, the men are in excellent health and spirits. Only one death has occurred, and that from sunstroke, and but few seem to be any worse for the rough march. . Sergeant Curtis arrived here yesterday, so that we heard from home once more. .\11 the men of our company are well or on the gain. King is getting quite strong; Rich is also gaining fast; Gates has been unwell, but is much better. W. C. Gillian arrived yesterday, and tells us that Lukey and Rouse are at Helena. LETTER NO. LXVIII. C.\MP Ne.\r Courtland, Alab.\ma, July 30, 1862. Friend Rich: — The monotony of camp life, under the most favor- able circumstances, soon becomes irksome. .An inglorious rest of five weeks succeeded our unsuccessful pursuit of the enemy from Corinth. We did not need it, and were restless under it; although we tried to persuade ourselves that it would be impossible for us to operate effect- ively against the enemy during the heats of July and .August. General Halleck's movement against Corinth was not e.\haustive, reports to the contrary notwithstanding. The trench digging probably killed nobody, and surely the gghting was not like that before Richmond. As for our regiment, we were more inclined to fight, on the fourteenth day of June, when we went into camp at Big Springs, Mississippi, than ever before, and we rested uneasily under our oak shades until the order was received on the nineteenth instant, to prepare for a march. There has been much an.viety at the north to know the effect of the extreme heat of this latitude upon our soldiers. It has been generally supposed that it would be impossible for them to manifest much energy before the cooler days of autumn; but the recent movements of Mitch- ell. Buell, and others, prove quite the contrary. It is my opinion that active operations, properly managed, are more conducive to the health of the army, even in this latitude, than is inactivity in the camp. This was most strikingly exhibited on our march to and from Springfield, Missouri, last fall. We had the most favorable weather, but the com- mander of our regiment foolishly and boyishly drove us into racing with the regiments with which we were immediately connected. The result was. we attained the reputation of being the fastest walkers on the road, but at the dear cost of loss of health to many a poor fellow who would otherwise have been this day an efficient soldier. It was not the distance marched, but the manner of marching it, that pro- duced such unhappy results. The want of judgment manifested by some of our supposed efficient generals, in these matters, is quite astohishing. We were ordered, and wisely, to start at half-past five o'clock A. M. , of the twenty-first instant. Our preparations were made accordingly, and at the appointed hour we were ready; but, for some unaccountable reason, we did not hear the command, impatiently waited for, "fall into line," until about 9 o'clock. The force consisted of two brigades — nine regiments and two batteries — constituting the first division of the "army of the Mississippi." The weather was exceedingly warm, and the delay in starting threw our march into the heat of the day. The consequence was the loss, from the Tenth and Fourteenth Michigan regiments, of six men. who were overcome by heat before i o'clock P. M. .At that hour we had made eight miles, and were all, ready to '-give out." Halting till 5 o'clock, we proceeded four miles further, and camped for the night. Had we started at the hour indicated in the first order, those victims of a lack of energy would have been spared — our troops would have marched from 5 till 9 A. M.. rested till 5, and completed the dity's work in the cool of the evening. On the second day we marched very slowly, resting during the heat of the day, and reaching luka, a pleasant summer resort, four miles west of the .Alabama line, before dark. We were becoming rapidly accustomed to the heat, so that, on the twenty-fourth, we made twenty-two miles, much easier than we had the first eight of the march. We were now four miles from Tuscumbia, .Alabama, a fine town on the Memphis & Charleston railroad. We had passed from a Missis- sippi wilderness to the beautiful valley of the Tennessee. .Around us was a beautiful undulating country, ornamented with the elegant resi- dences of the rich planters. Evidences of former prosperity were everywhere visible; but how sadly has war changed the face of the loveliest landscapes! Immense cotton fields on every hand lie fallow — com has dethroned the old king; but he wields the scepter with a feeble, trembling hand. The next day we entered Tuscumbia. Quite a number of troops were already quartered here, and more were left from our division. .Activity prevailed, but it was the activity of war. .About noon news came that a band of guerillas had torn up the railroad track and burned one of the bridges between Tuscumbia and Decatur, capturing and dispersing our small guard at the bridge. The non-arrival of the eastern train confirmed the rumor, and our regiment was put aboard a train, and sent to hold the doughty warriors in check. An additional force of infantry and cavalry was dispatched at twelve o'clock the same night to assist in scattering the guerrillas, who were of course already, after their manner of warfare, well out of harms way. They accom- plished their object, in obstructing communication, but did not choose to wait for the superior force they knew would soon be upon them. They make a brilliant dash, working perhaps immense injury, and are quickly off to their mountain retreats, where it is vain to follow. To end this kind of warfare, we need a vastly increased force, and a vastly improved policy.- We are altogether too amiable. The rebels laugh at us — we should make them fear us. We are now stationed at the burnefl bridge, near the village of Courtland. twenty-six miles east of Tuscil^Wa. The feehng, in this part of .Alabama, is intensely southern. In Courtland. but one man is known to profess union sympathies, and his life has long hung upon a thread. One planter, whose estate lies near the bridge, professed attachment to the old flag, and has offered his ne- groes, to the number of sixty, to assist in throwing up defenses. Rec- ollect this is northern .Alabama, said to be so strongly union in senti- ment. Now let us look a little at our management here. The guerillas have in the mountains, fifteen miles south, a force of some twelve thousand. There is also a regular force of ten thousand. There is nothing between them and this railroad, but our pickets. There are numerous bridges to be guarded, and our forces are cut up into de- tachments, one of which is stationed at every important bridge. The consequence of such rashness is exemplified in the capture of the force recently stationed at this point. They can quite safely capture us by squads. We have chosen our positions and are hastily fortifying them, work- ing day and night. It is really wearing out our men. The work be- fore Corinth was poetry in comparison. And yet, here are thousands of negroes to be had by simply taking them, and an abundance of sub- sistance throughout the country to support them. We might easily have had three hundred negroes at work on the very day of our arri- val. But no. the commandant of this post. Colonel Harrington, of the Twenty-seventh Illinois, could not think of the thing. We must not harm the enemy, even in feelings — He might not like it, should we use his negroes, so we kill off our own men as rapidly as possible, and in addition, considerately guard every secesh well, orchard, cornfield, and onion patch ; make, forsooth, this war a humbug and farce: We guard a rebel henroost at night, and, in the morning, receive a jeer, a curse, or a bullet, for our pains. The army is becoming sick of such tomfoolery. We do not wish to harm the innocent ; we would protect the helpless wife and children of the guilty rebel ; but we would de- prive him of everything that could possibly aid him in waging war against us. Bitter and more bitter grow the feelings of the soldier, as he plods along the dusty highways, thirsty and hungry, to find union bayonets thrust in his face as he seeks a drink of cold water at the first well, or ventures to take a ripe, luscious peach from an orchard of a thousand trees. Perchance he questions the negro, grinning hard by, as to the whereabouts of his master, the owner of these touch-me-nots. "O! Massa. he be wid de seceshers in de mountain ; missus say he soon clar out dese nasty Yankees." .And these bayonets are to guard his property ! Would not your blood boil? This milk-and-water pol- icy is rapidly making a milk-and-water army of our once spirited and enthusiastic soldiers. J. L. Looms. LETTER NO. LXIX. FROM THE FIFTH. Camp Near Cori.nth, July 28, 1862. Friend Rich:— I am about to break the long silence which has e.x- isted between us and inflict on your readers another of those intermin- able letters. If the prodigies of valor displayed by the Fifth, during their memorable campaign with the musquitos. fleas, and bugs of every conceivable shape and color indiginous in this part of Dixie, have of late been unrecorded. I can only say lam sorry. But so great has i66 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. been the heat, provoking a hstless languor and laziness, impossible to resist (the more especially as the numerous specimens of animated na- ture effectually prevent the closing of our eyes at night), that to write a letter has been a task of no mean magnitude. The only thing a per- son can do in this latitude, with any considerable degree of success, is sleeping. As soon as coft'ee is swallowed in the morning the soldier, if not on duty, procures a paper, and turns into his bunk for a comforta- ble season. The telegraphic dispatches are hastily glanced over; the letters from our "Special Correspondent" read, and he is just ready to dip into a lengthy editorial on the ' ' state of the country, " or the ■ ' policy of the Government," or of some of the commanders of depaitments; when, all at once, the hand that held the paper forgets its office, the eyes close, and a snore of tremendous volume proclaims the fact that the ar- dent disciple of Mars, is fast asleep. Mid wars and rumors of wars, with a generous supply of hard bread in the larder, or on short rations, with a plethoric purse or "nary rei," with a letter in his waistcoat pocket conveying the blest assurance that his sweetheart is faithful to him or keeping company with another chap, it is all the same. He will sleep on perfectly oblivious of all external things, until the orderly sergeant arouses to answer roll call; and, failing to shake off the drowsy influence in time to appear, he will get stuck on double duty. That part of the army oKjlhe Mississippi, until lately under the com- mand of General Pope, is now camped four miles south of Corinth' near a small stream called Clear creek. The ground is admirably suited for a summer cantonment, there being high ridges covered with a fine pine and other forest trees, which afford a grateful shade, while good, pure spring water is found in abundance. New England herself can- not show anything to excel these springs. They gtish forth from the base of the bluffs and ripple through the cool ravines with their silvery music, now hiding beneath the dense foliage of myrtle and interlacing vines, and now gleaming through the interstices of the leaves like molten silver. A large tank, or reservoir, has been built over the fountain head, and a spout inserted, through which all the water is con- ducted into an aqueduct below. It is quite a sight to stand here and view the crowds that come "hither to draw." First comes the sturdy volunteer, smoking his pipe of sweet brier, and bearing a miscellaneous assortment of canteens, mess kettles, coffee pots, etc., etc., which he has probably come the distance of a mile to fill. Here is a sweaty, dirty, ragged, mule driver, who drinks and drinks as though he never could get enough, vowing meanwhile that it is "just the nicest water oIU .Adam ever brewed." Next comes a stout, dumpy daughter of Ham, bearing on her head a large washtub, and followed by a group of pica- ninies, whose black skins glisten in the sun — the cunningest looking urchins in the world. The mother makes a reverential curtesy to the soldiers, and asks if they wouldn't be "jiskind enuf to let her have some water to rinse with. ' The troops have recently been paid off, and are now luxuriating on the good things the sutlers' shops afford. Strawberries and pine apples one dollar and twenty-five cents per can, meet with a ready sale. Or- anges, lemons, and dried fruits sell by the wholesale, while through all the camps extempore peddlers are vending pies, candy, and buckets full of lemonade. It would seem as though the whole western army had given themselves up to feasting and merriment. . . A]\ that the soldier ever dreamed of in his wildest flights of fancy, can be procured at Corinth, with the exception of strong drinks, which, much to his grief, has been vigorously interdicted. General Rosecrans, our present division commander, is render- ing himself quite popular, and his administrative capacity is un- questioned. . . . As yet sickness has not prevailed among the troops to an alarming extent, and the report that is circulating in Iowa, to the effect that the Fifth regiment has but three hundred men fit for duty is a great mistake. I think there never has been less than five hundred men who were ready to take up the line of march. The most rigid sanitary measures are pursued to guard against contagious diseases, and but slight fear is entertained of a visit from his saffron- colored majesty. Yesterday the quiet of our camp was disturbed by the cheering intelli- gence that Bragg, with an army of sixty thousand, was marching upon us. Two deserters who came within the lines of the Seventeenth Wis- consin, brought the news — and it men be perfectly reliable. 'Whether a demonstration is made upon us here, depends very much upon their success in Virginia. The appointment of General Halleck to the com- mand of all the land forces of the United States gives universal satis- faction here, while the recent acts of Congress, discarding the conserv- ative policy that has been pursued, is cheering. It remains to be seen whether the generals in the field will come fully up to th.e letter and spirit of their instructions. C. J. R. LETTER NO. LXX. A proud day for the Ninth was that an which the presentation to the regiment of a splendid stand of colors, by the ladies of Boston, Massachusetts, for gallant conduct at Pea Ridge was made. Camp of the Ni,nth Iowa, I Helena, Arkansas, August 3, 1862. / Friend Rich : — To-day has been a proud and glorious time for the Iowa Ninth. At 2 o'clock this afternoon we were called into line, not to fight, but to receive one of the finest stands of regimental colors in the army of the southwest, presented to us by the ladies of Boston, Massachusetts. The regimental flag is of white silk on one side and crimson on the other. On the white side is beautifully inscribed, in gold letters, " Pea Ridge, Arkansas, March 7 and 8, 1862." In the centre held by two greyhounds, is the scroll with the words, "Iowa Greyhounds." This is over the eagle, which is in the centre of the flag with the Iowa coat-of-arms ; all of which is encircled with a beautiful gold border. On the opposite side, handsomely embellished in gold letters, are the words, " From Your Countrywomen of Massa- chusetts," with the coat-of-arms of the old Bay State, and the ,vords "Pea Ridge" again inscribed on the field, under the coat-of-arms, and surrounded by the same border as on the opposite side. On the flag- staff is a fine gold-bronzed eagle, with a splendid gold tassel in his beak. The staff is so arranged that the flag can be detached by a spring, and folded in a moment, making it very convenient when neces- sary to dispose of it in a hurry. The other is the national flag, with its blue field, and its broad stripes ; one large star in the centre of the field, encircled by thirty-four in a gold ring, or border, and the words "Pea Ridge, March 7 and 8, 1862," inside the circle ; the flagstaff and tassel the same as the other. The color guard is composed of eight corporals and one sergeant, and is placed on the left of the right centre, forming on the left of company C. Sergeant Charles Curtis, of company C, is the color sergeant ; the corporals are taken one from each company. Need I tell you that we were proud when those beautiful flags were unfurled to the breeze, to be carried forward to victory by the Iowa Ninth? If you could have seen those patriotic tears roll down the cheeks of our brave boys, while our noble colonel, with a heart almost too full for utter- ance, was replying to the patriotic sentiments of the mothers and sisters of Massachusetts — a copy of which I enclose, with the reply — you would join with me in saying the flag is in safe hands. . . . We are ready to march somewhere, perhaps to Little Rock. The loyal men of Arkansas are coming out every day and joining the Union army. A Union man cannot live in the foul air of treason; he is driven from his home. How can a traitor live in the patriotic air of Iowa ? Will some one tell us ? Yours truly, R. W. W. ADDRESS OF THE LADIES. Boston, Massachusetts, July 10, 1862. Our Countrymen, Soldiers of the Ninth Iowa Volun- teers: — We desire to present you with these our national colors, as an evidence of our interest in you as soldiers of the Union, and a token of our grateful admiration for the valor and heroism displayed by you on the memorable field of Pea Ridge. We greet you not as strangers, but as true and loyal friends ; for though but one of your number is personally known to us in far off Massachusetts, our hearts have followed you with prayer, and with a hopeful expectation of being gladdened by your success. We have anxiously waited for tidings of you from those early Sep- tember days when you were first assembled at Camp Union, to the cold, dark days of the late winter ; and although the order onward was long delayed, yet when it came, so readily did you obey it, that we found it no easy task, even in imagination, to keep up with the "double quick" of the Iowa greyhounds. The memory of the patient devo- tion with which you have unflinchingly borne toil, fatigue, hunger and privation, and the recollection of your brave and gallant deeds on the seventh and eighth of March, 1862, will long be treasured in our hearts ; and although we think with sorrow of the sad price of such a victory, and the unbidden tears must flow at the thought of the brave hearts now stilled forever, yet we feel a pride in the consciousness that her noble sons feel no sacrifice too great for their old and beloved country. God bless the Union ! God bless you and all soldiers of the Union armies, is the fervent prayer of your countrywomen in Massachusetts. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 167 COLONEL VANDEVER'S ADDRESS ON PRESENTING AND UN- FURLING THE FLAG. Officers and Men : — I unfold before you to-day a stand of colors, presented by your countrywomen of Massachusetts. It is our county's standard, with the arms of Massachusetts and Iowa combined. The east and the west embrace that proud old flag, resolved at every hazard, and every cost to maintain it as an emblem of an undivided nationality, against foes without and traitors within. Why this regiment, among the man)- who have rendered distin- guished services upon the battlefields of the west, should be chosen as the recipient of so noble and generous a testimonial, I know not, but this I know, that no other could more highly appreciate the honor of such a choice. From that noble commonwealth has sprung many martyrs, heroes and statesmen, whose deeds shed imperishable luster upon the .American name. Their example we will ever emulate. While we all cherish, in grateful remembrance, the thought that the daugh- ters of such sires have deemed us not unworthy of their tokens of ap- proval, many of you remember with tenderesl emotions the kindred of the old Bay State. Here is a kind offering from home, to remind you of the stock from which we sprung. In this noble struggle, men of every State and clime, have mothers and sisters speaking heroic words of cheer to animate and strengthen the soldier in the path of duty and peril. Thusencouiaged, let your resolve be, that by the help of God, no traitor's hand, raised to dull the luster of this flag, shall prosper. I'his resolution, abiding in the hearts of sire and son, our country shall live and prosper so long as the granite foundations of the old Plymouth State shall endure, or the floods of the west flow to the ocean. Upon the folds of this flag is inscribed an allusion to your heroic deeds on the seventh and eighth of March, 1862. Of the small band of five hundred and sixty-six of this regiment, that marched so boldly to bat- tle, two hundred and thirty-nine lay dead or wounded on the field, at the close of the contest ; nor shall it be forgotten that on the day pre- ceding the battle, you performed a march of forty miles between day- light and dark to reach the field of anticipated strife. To you and to Colonel Phelps' Missouri regiment, comrades on the march, and to Captain Hayden's battery, was the post of honor assigned on the morning of the seventh, at the Elkhorn Tavern. There, amid a terri- ble fire from greatly superior numbers, the brave general commanding our division, expressed fears that the position could not be held till noon. I answered him that you would perish rather than yield the ground. The general-in-chief, being informed how hotly we were pressed, sent word to persevere ; you did persevere until night closed the contest. You wearily sank upon your arms, but to renew the struggle with the morning light. The result is known. These flags will henceforth, whenever they are unfurled, commemorate the sweet records upon their folds and testify that Massachusetts, so highly honored, is proud to call you countrymen ! Our hearts are saddened by thoughts of those who fell beside us on that day of slaughter, but we trust in God that the storm has drifted them to a haven of peaceful rest, and that the sacrifice they have made may cement the Union of loyal hearts and hands, and result in extending the blessings of liberty to the oppressed of every name and clime. LETTER NO. LX.\I. Camp of the Ninth Iowa 'Voluntf.ers, ) Helena, Arkansas, July 28, 1862. ) Friend Rich : — Some time has elapsed since I have had an oppor- tunity to write to you, as we have been on a long and tedious march from Batesville, which place was left about the twenty-eighth of June. Arrived at Jacksonport the next day, a distance of about twenty-five miles. This place is situated at the junction *of the Black and White rivers — a very pleasant village in lime of peace, but now everything is desolate and deserted. The fifth of July we again took up the line of march, and the third d.ay arrived at .Augusta, fifty miles still farther down the river. Our sick came down to .Augusta in flat-boats, and when twenty miles from that place were fired upon by a band of guer- illas from the bank, killing one man and wounding two. From Augusta the sick were brought in wagons arranged for that purpose. The weather was very hot from Jacksonport. We were up in the morning at 2 o'clock, and sometimes it was dark before we camped, and after 10 before the men could get their suppers. This wore out the men, and many of them gave out. Our company stood the trip ver\' well, and we finally arrived here all safe, and all gratified to be once more where we could hear from home and friends. While at Batesville the news came of Captain Bulls nomination as paymaster in the I'nited States army; also of its being confirmed. He left for St. Louis immediately. Now came the time for the company to elect a captain. Lieutenant Wright received the entire vote of the company. Our regiment has found a great deal of cotton, and the teams to-day are all out for the purpose of bringing it in. We have now been in this camp one month, and though the weather is too warm for soldiers to enjoy good health, our boys are tolerably well. The gunboats came up from Vicksburgh, but have now returned down the river. Colonel \'andever has command of the Second brigade. Second di- vision. You have doubtless heard of the colors presented to us by the women of Massachusetts. C. G. Curtis is color sergeant. Our company is in need of about twenty good men. and we depend upon the patriotic citizens of Buchanan county to fill the ranks that have been thinned bv the hand of death. When in St. Louis last fall our number was one hundred and one; to-day our aggregate is seventy- seven, and several of this number are disabled, perhaps for life. Are we to call in vain? 1 do not believe it. Some of our company have been killed on the field, others have died of wounds received there. Some (worthy of equal honor) have died from sickness, and others have been disabled by over-exertion in long marches or exposures. We know the men of Buchanan county will fill our ranks if they have a chance, and they will have one, as a recruiting officer is to be sent in a few days, and we have entire trust in his success. E. C. Little. LETTER NO. LXXII. Camp of the Ninth Iowa Volunteers, ) Helen.'v, August t8, 1862. J Friend Rich : — We are still encamped on our old ground, six miles west of town. The weather continues very warm, the thermometer standing 105 and 108 in the shade ; set it in the sun and it quickly runs up to 126. We have about one hundred sick at present, mostly fevers and diarrhoea; none that I know of are very dangerous. Lieutenant Wright has been sick for some time, but I understand is now improv- ing. He is staying at a house a half mile from camp. Four deserters from Hindman's camp, at Little Rock, came into camp yesterday. They say an armed bodv with honnds was sent to hunt them, twenty having started in company. They hid for a while in a cane-break, but their whereabouts were discovered, and an attempt made to take them. The deserters shot the dogs and two men, when the party went back for reinforcements. So they divided up into squads of four, and this is the first arrival. They hid their arms outside our pickets, being afraid of coming up armed, thinking they might be shot. They express a determination to join the F'irst .Arkansas regiment, which belongs to our corps. They report a great deal of sickness in Hindman's camp, and scarcity of provisions. Hindman himself is very sick. On Sunday last Gener.al Curtis started down the river with two gun- boats, and several transports loaded with troops. Some troops had gone down before. I do not know their destination: probably to pre- pare to take Vicksburgh; and if that be the case our division will move soon. Colonel Hovey's brigade has been out on an expedition to Clarendon, on White river, for twenty days or more. The expedition returned on Sunday morning, without having met the enemy in force, or so as to make a stand. They lost several men, shot while straggling. The cotton crop is maturing fast here; corn nearly ripe; all kinds of vegetables very scarce. Wii.i.iA.M Scott. LETTER NO. LXXII I.* Camp of the Fifth Iowa, J.iVCiNTo. Mississippi, 1 .August 20, 1862. j If one half of an old regiment was put into a new one, or the reverse, in one month you would be unable to distinguish the recruit from the old. This is the case in our own company. The recruit at once gets the benefit of all the experience of one year's ser- vice, which, as regards health and cfliciency, is of immense value. Vol- unteers do not seem to understand what are the advantages of enlisting in an old instead of a new regiment. Our last recruits cannot be dis- tinguished from onr old soldiers, either as regards eflSciency of drill or knowledge of military duty. It cost us months of hard drilling to get our knowledge, but the recruit is surrounded by examples, so that he cannot well help himself, even if he would— he is bound to do it right. I would like to see our old regiments filled up to their maximum with good, able-bodied men, but I would not like to see one enter the service who is not perfectly sound and able to stand the unusual hard- ships of military life. The Government has expended an enormous ' Extract from a private letter. 1 68 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. amount of money on men who were never able to become efficient soldiers, who never did any good service, who continually filled the hospitals, and were a burden and hindrance often seriously felt by mili- tary commanders. A large proportion ot the mortality in the army results from this fact. The health of our company has been, and is, indeed, good— better than I had anticipated. We have more than seventy fit for duty; and there has been no time during the summer when our number was smaller. We have lost by death in the whole regiment, for over thirteen months, something less than fifty; and there have been no deaths since June. If you can send us any good men to enlist in our company please do so. We are now lying near Jacinto, Mississippi, about forty miles south of the north line of the State. The country is poor and uninviting; not much room for the operation of recent war orders, relative to subsisting upon the country, etc. I see by your paper you have e.xciting and unpleasant times about recraiting. I am afraid of one thing, and that is, that the Union men will all rush into the ranks, and leave the State in the hands of sympa- thizers with, and indifferent spectators of, this rebellion. I want to see a draft, and I hope the Union men will not be frightened by it. By this arrangement many of these wretches will be taken into the ranks, and they may possibly either be killed or cured of their sympathies. This is a good school for them ; their views will soon here undergo a radical change. A. B. Lewis. LETTER NO. LXXIV. [Buchanan county men in the battle of luka. — Extracts from private letters.] Camp Near Jacinto, Mississippi, September 22, 1862. De.\r Sister: — We left this camp on the eighteenth, marched to luka, whipped Price and returned yesterday. The Fifth Iowa have done nobly, but suffered terribly. The regiment went into battle with four hundred and eighty-two men, including officers, and had two hundred and nineteen killed and wounded. Lewis is wounded severely in the thigh, but will probably recover. I was in the whole of the engagement, and escaped without a scratch. All of our luggage was sent to Corinth before we left this camp. No regiment ever did better than ours, and the praises of the Fifth are on every hp. 1 will write again soon. WiLLiA.M S. Marshall. SAME place and DATE. De.ar Father: — We have fought a hard battle, and I am safe and sound. But alas! one-half of those who took the field with us are either sleeping their long sleep or suffering from wounds. We went into action four hundred and forty-si.'; strong, including twenty-five officers of the line; and had two hundred and thirty killed and wounded, thirteen being officers, of whom five are killed and eight wounded, some mortally. Our company lost only one killed and six wounded, as follows: Killed — John H. Towle, a young Irishman from Chicago, whom some will recollect as a printer in the Guardian office for a time, before the company left Independence. The wounded are; Lieutenant A. B. Lewis, in the thigh, seriously; W. W. Baughman, E. Chittester, Adam B. Kinsel, Sergeant William Bunce, and William Brown, very slightly. Several shots came very near me — my bayonet being hit twice. Once the ball carried-away the point for about half an inch, and the second I was just rising from my knees, when crash came a bullet and hit it straight and square in the middle, and light between my eyes, as I leaned against it. Another spent ball hit me on the leg, but I did not mind that, or even feel it. Had not my bayonet been in the way, I should certainly have been killed; but the steel proved true, and I was saved. We left here on Thursday, the eighteenth, marched seven miles and camped. Next morning we again took the road, and at noon arrived within eight miles of luka, our destination. Here com- panies E and D were deployed as skirmishers, company E on the right and D on the left of the road, with company G in the centre as a re- serve. Firing soon commenced, and we drove the pickets five niiler through the swamps and bogs, the awfulest place to navigate I eves saw. During the afternoon five rebels were shot, though none of our men were hurt. The rebels had the advantage, though they did not make much of it. We had often to cross open fields while they, from the shelter of the wood opposite, poured a perfect shower of bullets upon us. But still we kept on until, at the end of five miles, we were relieved and another regiment sent out as skirmishers. Filling our canteens our regiment, which had been in advance, marched along be- hind the new line. Suddenly the skirmishers came flying back upon us. and following, came a terrific volley of musketry which made the woods ring. The regiment was immediately deployed in the woods, and soon commenced the most deafening roar I ever expect to hear. The can- non balls flew incessantly, and such a continuous whistling of bullets ensued as cannot be described. How any one escapes from them sur- passes my understanding. The regiment on the left, being most ex- posed, suffered the greatest number of casualties. Company F lost thirty-six, while company E, on the right, lost but seven. Our regi- ment was posted behind a ridge which sheltered us. Three times the three right companies, E, G and D, charged over the hill and poured in their volleys at scarce one rod distance from the rebels, who were drawn up five regiments deep to receive us. Five times they charged upon us with five regiments, but each time we sent them back howling and gnashing their teeth. But finally, being outflanked on both sides, and after standing an hour and twenty minutes the fire of more than five times their number in front, and a galling fire on either flank, and occasionally a heavy volley from our friends (?) in the rear, the left wing being out of ammu- nition, we were compelled slowly to retire, in order to allow another regiment to relieve us. They went in and we retired a few rods and lay down behind a fence. Strange as it may seem, amid the thousand and one confusions of a battlefield, the roar of thousands of rifles and batteries of artillery, and bursting of shells, I was soon asleep. After a time, which was but a moment to me, I was wakened. Darkness had put an end to the contest, and, mo\ing a little further back, we lay down for the night. In the meantime General Grant had come up from Corinth to attack the enemy from the other side; but when daylight of Saturday dawned, the enemy had flown. We stayed on the field .Sat- urday, engaged in the sad duty of burv'ing our de,id, and the day fol- lowing returned to our old camp. Our officers behaved nobly through- out. Towle was wounded twice. The first time he was ordered to leave the field, but would not; and, soon after, was shot dead. Oscar J. M. Fuller. LETTER NO. LXXV. Camp Near Iuka, Army of the Missouri, ) September 2r, 1862. ) Friend Rich: — .\nother battle, surpassing in fierceness any that have been fought in the Southwest, has just been fought; and the heroes of New Madrid, Island No. 10, and Shiloh, have, as ever, been victorious. Price has been met and utterly routed by a force far inferior to his own, and compelled to beat a precipitate retreat, leaving his dead and wounded on the field. Rumors to the effect that tlie enemy intended making an attack on us had been in circu- lation for some time, as Price with .a heavy force was advancing northward, threatening our line of defences on the Memphis & Charleston railroad, thus forcing General Rosecrans to evacuate luka. On the seventeenth instant the Third division, under command of General Hamilton, left Jacinto and moved in an easterly direction on the main luka road. The second brigade, consisting of the Fifth Iowa, Twenty-sixth Missouri and Fourth Minnesota, had the advance and arrived at what is known as White's farm on the eighteenth in- stant. Continual skirmishing had been going on between the enemy's pickets and our cavalry, which comprised the Second Iowa, Third Michigan, and another battalion the name of which I forget. The whole of our effective force, moving upon the enemy at this lime, could not have exceeded five thousand, and they successfully engaged and repulsed the rebels with overwhelming loss, as the sequel will show. From White's farm to the field of battle the enemy's pickets became more daring, frequently firing upon us from every spot that could afford concealment, and contesting every inch of ground. The country over which our route lay was uneven and hilly, with numerous thickly settled lavines. Here and there were large clearings, which gave the rebels a good chance to harass our troops; but forward pushed the gallant boys over fences and fields, through woods, swamps and almost impenetrable morasses where they sank to their knees at almost every step. But nothing daunted, pushing the enemy steadily before them, they crowded on. This skirmishing force was under the com- mand of Lieutenant Colonel Sampson, ably seconded by captains Lee and Banbury and lieutenants Lewis, White and Sample. At 3 p. M. they were relieved by two companies of the Twenty-sixth Mis- souri, under Lieutenant Colonel Brown. . . Toward night the skirmish firing lulled, and many were led to believe that the enemy would make no stand at all, when, just as the head of the column was rounding a neck of woods, a tremendous volley was poured into us from the front. The skirmishers, who were about two hundred yards in advance, were thrown into confusion for a few moments, but HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 169 they soon rallied and returned the fire with vigor. It soon became evident that the enemy had at least chosen his battle-ground, and whatever preparations we had to make must be made on the spur of the moment. The enemy had every advantage over us in regard to position, their infantry force being posted on the right and left of the road, which wound along a high ridge extending east. The battle- ground is situated a mile and a half west of luka, and the line of op- posing forces e.xtended at front from north to south. Our right was protected in part by the ndge, and our left was drawn up behind a thick belt of timber. Immediately in our rear was an open field, cut up with guilies and water courses, on which was placed our reserves, consisting of Ohio, Indiana and Missouri troops. The hue of battle thus formed was arranged as follows: The Fifth Iowa filed to the right of the road, behind a small comb of the ridge, and were in the extreme advance. To their left was planted the Eleventh Ohio battery, supported by the Forty-eighth Indiana, while to their left were the Fourth Minnesota, Seventeenth Iowa and Thirtieth Ohio. The formation of the ground would not permit the engaging of our whole force at the same time, and the enemy's fire was concentrated upon our centre in an attempt to break our line at this point and turn our right flank. .'Ml our preparations had to be made while exposed to a raking fire from masked batteries and musketry; but our veterans formed in line as coolly as if they had been going out on dress-parade. It was now 6 o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was just sinking behind some heavy clouds, tinging them with a significant line of fiery red. .\11 were confident that the troops would lie on their arms that night and commence the contest on the morrow. Let it be remembered that the men had been marching for hours over rough and dusty roads and that the advance had been skirmishing with the enemy all the afternoon, while no one had had a chance to make even a cup of coffee; and it will be readily perceived that our troops were not in the best condition for fighting. But their devotiori, bravery and discipline overcame all obstacles. The Ohio battery, having got into position, commenced plunging a few shots in among the enemy to as- certain his location, but, for a time failed to elicit any reply. An ominous silence reigned along the lines, broken only by the heavy tramp of infantry and the rumble of artillery. 80 close were we to the rebels that we could distinctly hear them forming in line, and could distin- guish the commands of their officers, although the ridge hid them from our view. Soon a major came riding up to the centre, where stood the gallant Fifth, exclaiming, "Look out, boys, the rebel sharpshooters are coming just over the hill." The words of warning were hardly spoken when a broad sheet of flame issued from the battery and spread along the whole line. It seemed as if all the fiends of hell were let loose. The roar of artillery, the crash of musketry, the whistling balls and bursting shells, swelled up a volume of sound that was deafening. The battle now raged furiously on the right and centre. The Fifth, though opposed by overwhelming numbers, under Greene and Marlon stubbornly held their ground and fought with the fiercest determina- tion. Three times they charged and drove the rebels over the brow of the hill at the point of the bayonet. Failing in their attempt to turn our right, the enemy charged on the battery. For some unaccounta- ble reason the supporting regiment gave way and the enemy took pos- session of the guns, but the fire of the infantry became too hot for them and they had to relinquish the ground. At times the guns of the combatants were muzzle to muzzle. Here our superiority with the bayonet was fairly proved, for, charging on them with a yell that could be heard above the roar of artillery, our boys routed them in every in- stance. Again the enemy attempted to turn our right, but the Third Michigan cavalry (Coloner Misner) took position on the extension of the extreme right flank, and repulsed them with great loss. The rebels resorted to many treacherous devices to get within our lines, and once or twice they appeared with Union flags. Three des- perate attempts were made to capture the Iowa F'iflh's stand of colors, but it was no go. The gallant boys who had marched under their folds for sixteen months, had no idea of relinquishing them to rebel hands, and they rallied and struggled with the most valorous heroism. By this time the cartridges were running low, but the brave Colonel Mathias, who never exhibited more Sitng froid in his life, still held them to theii work. He was well aware of their critical position, but knew if they abandoned the field, the day was lost. At this juncture the F'ifth was relieved by the Missouri troops, who stood nobly up to the work, and poured in a murderous fire until darkness put an end to the conflict. Generals Rosecrans, Hamilton and Sullivan were con- tinually on the ground, exposed to a heavy fire, urging and animating the troops by their presence. . . When fighting ceased the bat- tle-ground was occupied by our troops, and all expected a renewal of hostilities in the morning. The actual time that fighting continued was one hour and fifteen minutes, but to those who were in the hottest of the fire, it did nut seem more than ten minutes. Few prisoners were taken, but they agree that Price's force was much larger than ours; but say that it was impossible for any troops to withstand our fire. The rebel loss cannot fall short of eighteen hun- dred, in killed, wounded and missing. As evidence that the rebels were badly beaten, their wounded and prisoner were left at luka, the prisoners not even paroled. The F'ifth suffered the most, as they were in the advance and bore the brunt of the conflict. Had they retreated, or even wavered, the day would have been irretrievably lost. Of four hundred and forty-six who went into the engagement, two hundred and sixteen were killed, wounded, or missing. One thing is certain, the greatest battle ever fought in the southwest, considering the number engaged and shortness of time, took place on the eighteenth instant, at luka, Mississippi, and victory has perched on our banners. . . Verit.^s. LETTER NO. LXXVI. C.\MP OF THE Ninth Iow.\, ) Ne.\r Helena, Arkansas, .September 2t, 1862. ( Friend RrcH: — . . Until within a day or two, nothing of interest has transpired to relieve the dull monotony of camp life, since our arrival at this place. Those sweltering, scorching, dusty summer days, of which you have heard, have passed away; but they will ever remain bright in the memory of those who performed the march from Jacksonport to this place in the month of July, Anno Dumiiii 1862. 'What a contrast between those never-to-be-forgotten days of endurance, and the beautiful, balmy September days we are now enjoying. The present season reminds me of one year ago, when we left our noble State to unite with others, many alas! never to return, in crushing out this monstrous rebellicn, which is still shaking the whole civilized world with its gigantic death throes. We have been having a little excitement in camp recently; and, after so long a period of quietude, it is about as refreshing to the average Hawkeye veteran, as a draught of cold water is to the same, on a hot and dusty march. The rebels have been getting bold for some time, and, three or four days since, word came that they had killed two of our provost guards about three miles from here, and the next morning another picket was killed about daylight, nearer camp. He was shot in seven different places and killed instantly. A party of about seventy rebels were seen crossing the road in that vicinity, near the time of the shooting, and it was not long until the country was being scoured by cavalry sent in pursuit. Twenty-three prisoners have been captured and are now lodged in the guard-house. It is rumored that a large force of rebels is within twenty miles of us; and, in c.onsequence, our pickets have been strengthened to prevent a surprise. At 3 o'clock last night revielle was beat and every man that was able was out and equipped, ready for anything that might turn up; but the day has passed quietly and we have performed our regular Sunday duties. Colonel Vandever has five or six regiments in this brigade, and if the enemy are within reach, with him at our head, I am confident we shall give a good account of ourselves. There is not as much sickness in camp at present as there was a few weeks since. Captain 'Wright is on the gain, but is not yet able to resume his duties; consequently the command of his company has devolved upon Lieutenant Sampson. The boys are in first rate spirits, although it has been hard on the duty men, on account of sickness and the amount of picketing we have had to perform. Our last squad of prisoners was captured by an ingenious ruse; "all is fair in war, " you know. Some of our men went to a secesh house disguised, and told the inmates that they would like to get on the track of the Federals, and so complete was the disguise in their butternut suits and carrying the regulation gun, that the woman of the house directed them to a place where eleven rebels lay concealed, waiting for an opportunity to pounce upon a s(iuad of our men, then mount their horses and skedaddle to another hiding place. But this time they were outwitted, surrounded, and taken prisoners without any ceremony whatever. Adjutant Scott arrived here from home last Wednesday. He is looking well, and brought several packages for the boys of company C. H. P. Wilbur. LETTER NO. I.XXVII. Cami> of the Ninth Iowa, 1 Near Helena, October 3, 1862. ( Friend Rich:— We have now been in active service twelve months. One year ago to-day we were in St. Louis, one thousand strong as a regiment— our company containing one hundred and one men. The regiment now numbers seven hundred and fifty-nine men, and the re- I70 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IO\YA. ports of company C, show a loss of twenty-six men. A flag of truce came from Little Rock accompanying Colonel Adams of the confederate army, who was the bearer of dispatches to General Curtis. Their purport we have not learned. Some say they demand the surrender of the army, others that tliey inform the general that if he does not move his army they intend to drive it into the river — hard- ly think they will drive the army of tlie southwest very far. We have a good deal of guarding to do, as this brigade does picket duty for the whole army. A few days since the rebel Bush- whackers came up to our cavalry pickets and firing into them killed one of the Iowa Fourth, and wounded two others. \\'e captured quite a number of prisoners, some of whom have been paroled, and others sent north, that they may get plenty to eat and some work to do. The confederates have quite a large force at Little Rock, commanded by Major General Holmes. Their men are scattered over this section of the country quite thick, and sometimes they come down and camp near our pickets. These are jayhawkers, and they would rather slip up to a guard and shoot him down, in regular savage style, than to come out boldly and fight in a civilized manner. If we were allowed to adopt their method of warfare in dealing with them, we should prosper better. We have men that can shoot just as straight as they can, but we are not allowed to shoot, but to take prisoners. They are brought into camp, kept in the guard-house a few days, and then they take the oath, get a pass outside the pickets, get their guns and go to soldiering again. They care no more about violating an oath of allegiance to the old Government: than they do about shooting off our pickets. The cotton houses have all been burned, by whom it is not known — one only is standing in this vicinity, and that is quite near camp and belongs to Mr. Allen Polk, a nephew of ex-President James K. Polk. It has been guarded very closely. Cotton is ripe and is being picked by the colored people on the plantations where there are any negroes left. We see by the papers that the new regiments at Dubuque talk of hav- ing haid times. We look back to the time when we were there, with pleasure. Then and there we saw our pleasantest time — there we could see men, and once in a while catch a glimpse of the fairer se.\. But for the past si.\ months we have seen only Butternuts and "niggers,' unless some lady of the north came down to visit a friend or relative in the regiment — generally in the hospital. We have, of course, now and then seen a very few of Uncle Sam's men. Soldiers do nut see very easy times when they have to march from ten to twenty miles per day in the scorching sun of Arkansas, and then are not able to rest at night for the musquitoes. But even then when the sun bursts through the branches of the mighty oaks, and the order "forward" comes to our ears, all past troubles are forgotten. • • • Corporal James H. Merrill, of company C, died the tliird of September, and was buried in the burying-ground on Polks plantation, where seyeral other men of the regiment have found their last resting place. We see by the papers that Senator Foote, of Tennessee, has proposed to the rebel congress to negotiate a treaty of peace — recognizing the southern confederacy, pay the expenses of the war, and they will probably be satisfied. They begin to think that this rebellion is not so much of a joke as they expected. Yours, etc., E. C. Little. [Early in the autumn of 1862, the war corre.spondfnce of the Buchanan county press, was enlarged by commu- nications from members of the two companies, Captain Miller's and Captain Noble's, which had been enlisted from this county and were incorporated in the Twenty- seventh Iowa infantry. Letters over the signature C. H. L., were written by Charles H. Lewis, of Quasque- ton, a member of Captain Miller's company. — E. P.] LETTER NO. LXXVIII. Camp Franklin, Dubuque, September 4, 1862. Mr. Editor : — We are in camp two miles above Dubuque. On our arrival in the city we learned that no barracks had been constiucted for our accommodation, and we were therefore quartered temporarily at the various hotels. We were kindly cared for, and, on our depar- ture for the camp, three rousing cheers were given .for our respective landlords — " California " excepted. On our arrival in camp we found everything in confusion — barracks not completed — preparations for cooking, eating, etc., not yet made. The soldiers took hold with a good will, and soon our barracks were completed, bunks arranged, and for the first time we gathered around the crackling camp-fire, to par- take of L^ncle Sam's first evening repast, and to realize, as we had not done before, the intimate relations which bound us together for weal or woe, as members of the same company — the same regiment — and as an organized company of that mighty host against which the ene- mies of liberty were to hurl themselves and be broken. At reveille the roll is called ; then an hour's drill before breakfast. Guard mounting at nine o'clock A. M. — drill from ten to half past eleven A. M. Drill one hour and a half in the afternoon, dress-parade in the evening and roll call at night; this is the programme for the present. The camp of the Twenty-first is just above us, and I learn that their hospital is full. There is no hospital yet erected for the Twenty-seventh, but all the boys are sure, if required, they will receive the prompt attention of Dr. H. H. Hunt. His appointment as assis- tant surgeon gives great satisfaction to his numerous friends from Buchanan. There are about twenty barracks on the encampment grounds, rudely constructed of rough pine boards, and each barrack designed to accommodate one company. The situation at the camp is most picturesque and even grand. We are in a level tract of land raised some twenty feet perhaps above the river, and. to the westward, stretches a long chain of steep and rocky hills. C. H. L. LETTER NO. LXXIX. C.\MP Franklln, September iqth. Every day is a day of excitement, compared with the quiet at home. We live faster here than you do in Independence. Time flies, and we scarce know where it is gone. Soon after my letter was sealed. Dr. Brewer came into camp with county warrants to pay the volunteers of our county. Some of the boys soon sold their war- rants at a considerable discount, being, I presume, sadly in want of the money. Others declared old Buchanan too good to be sold at a discount. With this pay came other valuable favors, which were gladly received. The barrels of eggs and onions, and all the dainties, refreshed and cheered the boys. The gracious remittances of these kind friends will long be remembered. We have church frequently. Elder Fulton, of Independence, has preached for us several times. He is liked by the men, and there is a general wish that he may be appointed to the chaplaincy. On Tues- day, the 2ist, Colonel Merrill left for Rolla, Missouri. The regiment received marching orders with great enthusiasm. As they passed our barracks the air was rent w ith cheers, and the heart of every soldier, I doubt not, wished them God speed. There was a drenching rain as they marched from the camp to the city, and the poor fellows must have been thoroughly soaked before they reached the boats. Soon after they had gone, the Twenty-seventh regiment received marching orders — not for the plains of Dixie, to drive back the oncoming wave of rebellion; nor for the rugged northwest, to hold the cruel savage in check, but for the barracks just vacated by the Twenty-fiist. A num- ber of men were detailed to renovate them, and shortly, loaded with blankets, knapsacks and bundles of straw, and singing "Old John Brown's knapsack is strapped upon his back," we were marching to our new homes. The move, in some respects, is a fortunate one. The grove is more pleasant, and the barracks were built with much more care. There are accommodations here for more than four thousand — quite a respectable little village, you perceive. Seldom have I heard better music than from a choir of boys here. When life would be dreary, these brave ones are gleefully singing their social and patriotic songs; but, if the truth must be told, I have never been homesick except when listening to these songs. They call up so vividly the hallowed memories of a social and quiet life, that the long- ing to return to the home scenes thus recalled, surges like the tidal wave. But one thought of the cause in which we are engaged restores my equanimity and fills me with content. An evening or two since. Lieutenant Colonel Lake and Major How- ard were introduced to the regiment. They were received with hearty cheers. Each made a brief patriotic speech. Lieutenant Colonel I^ke truthfully remarking that it was no time for talk, but the time for action. Major Howard said it was pride enough for him to be a leader of Iowa soldiers; that their bravery had shed lustre on the Union army. Our Colonel Gilbert, of Lansing, is not here yet. Our uniforms are in the city, and soon we shall be clad in the habili- ments of the soldier. C. H. L. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 171 LETTER NO. LXXX. Camp Franklin, ) DlBl'QUE, October 4, 1861. f Friend Rich: — Our destination is Minnesota. It was announced by Adjutant General Baker, tliat lie had thought of dividing our regi- ment, sending a part of it north and a part south; but tliat he had just received a dispatch from General Pope, stating that he might send an entire regiment north ; and he had decided to assign the Twenty- seventh to that department. The announcement was received by the regiment with wild cheers; though many, perhaps the greater part of the men, would have preferred going south. . . . In a few days the whistle of the locomotive will announce to the people of Independence the passage of troops for the protection of the north- western frontier. And we will distinguish ourselves out there. Some of the tniest men that e\er lived to bless any nation, have lay down to die among the mountains of the far w'est. It was there that the gallant Fremont, standing where man never stood before — on the very top of America, flung out to the breeze the old flag. Surgeon Sanborn, of Epworth, has arrived. He is keen, jovial and well-spoken. By his friends he is said to be a man of ability, and every way qualified for the post he occupies. Yesterday we were mus- tered into the regiment, and this morning we are to receive thirteen dollars, the month's pay we were to have in advance. It comes in a time of need, and will be most gladly received. We are also to have furloughs for five days, and I opine that this town will decrease in popu- lation very fast this afternoon, and that we shall see home and friends once more. The State fair is being held here, and is, under all the circumstances, a pretty good show. Our regiment marched into the enclosure on Wednesday. The fruit on exhibition was good, and the flowers smil- ingly beautiful. The needle work showed taste and skill. Surely the ladies of Iowa know how to use "The swift flying needle — the needle directed by beauty and art." War's dread alarm is sounding through the land; and, in some portions of our once smiling domain, the hand of Industry is paralyzed. But of our own favored state it inay yet be said. And still she walks in golden hours Through harvest-happy farms ; And still she wears her fruits and (lowers Like jewels on her arms. Later. — We returned home to our camp late on Thursday e\'ening, and found the little company who remained during our absence, in good spirits and glad to welcome us back again. This morning we are to receive twenty-seven dollars, our guns, knap- sacks and canteens: and this afternoon four of our companies leave for St. Paul, and the remaining companies will leave in the morning. TThe destination of the regiment had been changed from southern Minnesota.] We leave here with happier hearts, than we should have carried .iway a month since. The President's proclamation, the harb- inger of a new and glorious era has sounded in the ears of freemen. Later. — On board the Itasca — Four companies left Camp Franklin on Saturday, and started for St. Paul on board the Northern Light. Colonel Gilbert, Adjutant Comstock and Surgeon Hastings were on board. On Sunday the rest of the regiment left, four companies on the Itasca, and two on the F'lora. Lieutenant Colonel Lake, M.^jor Howard, Surgeon Sanborn and Quartermaster Lang- worthy were with this portion of the regiment. It was too cold on Tuesday night, to sleep on deck, and Colonel Lake secured the cabin for us. The next morning, when we woke, we were within eight miles of St. Paul, but aground. At 8 o'clock we were aground again; and, it being election day, we began voting. Granger and Miller, of Alam- akee, and Donnan, of Buchanan, were chosen judges of election. The vote Lieutenant Donnan has sent you. When we reached Fort Snell- ing, we marched about a mile to the west, where we found the com- panies which preceded us. Here we are, eight miles from St. Paul, on a beautiful prairie, in our white tents. Captain Noble's company had pitched tents for us; but, unfortunately, had pitched them in the wrong place, and we were compelled to pitch our own. The fort, which is a substantial stone structure, erected in 1822, is occupied at present by a large body of troops, cavalry and infantry. Our regiment is again brokeft for a few days. Captain Noble's company and five others, with two cannons, arc going to Mille Lacs, the head of Rum river, a distance of about one hundred miles a little west of north from .St. Paul. Both the colonel and lieutenant colonel accompany the expedition, which is to superintend the p.ayment of the annuities of the Indians up there, after which they return to this place. A few days later, from .St. Francis. . . . Wc marched northward over a rolling tract of land, to Minnehaha Falls, six miles above Minneapolis, the intervening country being level and fertile, and not unlike that about Independence; e.xcept that it has no boulders. The situation of Minneapolis on the west side of the Mississippi re- sembles that of West Independence. It has some elegant dwellings, a good court house, and as magnificent mills as are in the western coun- try. We marched three miles above the falls, and encainped by a pleas- ant brook-side, naming our first station Camp Lake, in honor of our lieutenant colonel. Next day we marched to Anoka, a distance of sixteen miles, the wind blowing a perfect gale. Here we crossed the river on an old current ferry, which was a very tedious job. Colonel I.ake went ahead; and, as fast as we came up, the teams were put in proper position, and again we pitched our tents, a day's march nearer our destination. Could you have seen us that night, you would have had difficulty in distinguishing us from the genuine Sambo. I looked several times at some members of company C, that I had known for years, and then passed them by as strangers. In a little while, however, we had our tents pitched— the war paint removed, and your correspondent felt like singing, ' ' We will be g,ay and happy still." This morning we struck our tents at an early hour, and marched from the little village of Anoka, up the Rum river about fifteen miles; and here we are on the banks, just after an excellent dis- course from our estimable chaplain, the Rev. D. A. Bardwell. Colonel Lake is sitting by my side on a convenient box, intent on reading a copy of the Army Regulations. Hastings and Hunt are over in their tent in good spirits, and Captain Noble and company are well represent- ing old Buchanan. Captain Miller and company remained at Fort Snelling. I may write you again from some of the T'amarack or Cran- berry swamps of this region. Camp Gilbert, November 3d. . . . As we march toward our destination, our number of able- bodied men diminishes rapidly. Company C has left a large propor- tion by the way. Some were down with measles, others with the various diseases incident to camp. For a little distance from .'\noka there are marks of civilization — the roads are passable, here and there rude huts are scattered along the roadside. A few miles, however, and the good roads are gone, and they become rutty, muddy and al- most impassable; we have passed the bounds of civilization, and are lost amid the lofty pine trees in the great Minnesota wilderness. At Princeton, about midway between Anoka and Mille Lacs, there were a few Indians; from that point we saw them rarely. For four long days did wc travel through the deep mud, pitching our tents each night in the dense woods. At last the troops came in sight of the Indian vil- lage, the novelty of the trip having worn away into dreary monotony; but at sight of the wigwams and their dusky inmates, all were wide- awake. Lieutenant Colonel Lake had gone in advance with the artillery, which he had vigorously pushed through into camp. Colonel Gilbert, sitting erect and manly on his noble bay, at the head of his regi- ment, presented a soldier-like appearance. As we moved along, the whole Indian population came from their smoky huts, and seemed to express joy to meet their rich neighbors. Little Indian boys climbed upon stumps and fallen trees and watched our movements with eager interest. The deep eyes of the girls peered from behind the trunks of the burnt trees, and seemed to catch all our looks and actions. A few words will describe the size and appearance of Camp Mille Lacs. There is one snugly-built log house, an old stable, and a passably good barn or storehouse. There are two American and a half-a-dozeii French residents; and, at the time of our arrival, thirteen or fourteen hundred Indians. The camp is situated on either side of a small trib- utary of the Rum. There is a small farm of two or three acres near by, from which a crop of potatoes had just been har\'ested. In a short time, our teams or wagon train came plodding along. Few men would have succeeded so admirably, through such a swamp as the one which now lay behind us, as our w-agon-master, B. C. Hale. His ef- forts were wisely directed and untiring, and he is justly applauded. We remained but a day or two, delighting the Indians with Uncle Sam's splendid show, toward whom and his representatives they exhib- ited the truest friendship. As is customary with them, they gathered thickly around our camp-fires to exhibit their treasures in decorated birch bark and deer skin, and to beg for presents. Some of them showed signs of civilization, while others appeared to be in a perfectly barbarous condition. They were poorly clad and as poorly fed. At the council which was held, the paymaster and agent took seats upon a log, and the Indians .soon gathered in a large semi-circle before them. .Speeches were tlien maile by the Government authorities, inter- preted by the trader. The old chief, and several others of lesser rank, replied; and their speeches were in turn rendered into English. They 172 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. complained of having been wronged by their agents, and requested that the next one appointed might be a strictly honest man. They declared themselves loyal, saying that when the difficulty arose, they closed their ears, and they closed them so tight that they could not be opened. In their march they carried the stars and stripes susjiended from a hickory pole, and they clung to it as the only hope of their fast fading race. General Roberts, escorted by twenty-five from each com- pany, superintended the business. He is an elderly man, deliberate in his manner, aud possesses, one would judge, a good degree of firm- ness. Each Indian received ten dollars, the greater part of which was already due the trader. Our supplies, especially forage, threatening to run short, four com- panies started back before 'the payment was made, halted when in reach of hay, and camped until the others came up. Companies A and B tarried until the business with these poor children of the forest was completed. On our way up, we failed at Minneapolis to secure hard bread and took flour instead. The boys marched by day with heavy loads upon their backs, and at night slopped to bake their bread, with but one baking tin or oven to the company. The cooks could get but three or four hours of sleep each night, but still they bore it nobly un- til the soda and cream of tartar were gone. Then the bread was as solid as sandstone, and about as digestible. Very slowly we urged on our way, until we were once more "out of the wilderness." When we came in sight of the first rude log cabin our joy was unbounded. Never before did civilization seem so good to us. Here we received news that our regiment was to go south, the companies left at Fort Snelling having already gone to Cairo. Coloiiel Gilbert left us here, to attend to business preparatory to our removal south. Just north of Princeton, Colonel Lake halted the battalion, placed it in order, and said, in effect:, "Soldiers, we are once again within the bounds of civilization. The manner in which you have conducted yourselves on this trying expedition is creditable to each one of you. You have en- dured many privations, the result of which to some has been serious sickness. Show to the people in this little frontier town that you are soldiers indeed, and not a rabble." The battalion then moved into town with colors flying and drums beating. Here we encamped for the night; and, in the morning as we were leaving, three cheers were given for the ladies of the little town, at the entrance way to the wil- derness. We reached Anoka next day, at the junction of the Rum and Mississippi rivers; and heie quite a number of the sick gave out and took quarters at the hotel. A difficulty arose here between our quartermaster and the citizens, which, for a time, portended serious consequences, but was speedily adjusted when it came to the ears of Lieutenant Colonel Lake — more of which hereafter. On our way from Anoka to St. Anthony, we met a train of forty-six mule teams en route for Fort Abercrombie, on the Red river of the North, the boundary between Minnesota and Dakota. They were loaded with Government stores for the soldiers stationed there. Last evening we received orders from Colonel Gilbert to report immediately just below Pig's Eye bar, and embark. Benjamin Sutton was buried yesterday, over yonder on the pleasant hillside, in the soldiers' burying-ground. He was ever ready to act his part, and the boys of our company will miss him. We are now in Camp Gilbert, Fort Snelling. Morgan Boone is sick here, and a few from the companies that went north will have to remain behind, in spite of the care and skill of Surgeons Hastings and Hunt. We have improved the opportunity to wash up and prepare for another of Un- cle Sam's masterly marches. What I saw in the late one richly repaid me for all I endured; and all the boys feel the same, unless it may be the poor fellows who got sick and will now have to endure being left behind. I must up and prepare to march for Dixie, C. H. L. LETTER NO. LXXXL Camp OF the Ninth Iowa, Helena, Ark-i^nsas, ) November 3, 1862. j Friend Rich: — "The Iowa Grey Hounds," or the Ninth Iowa, are still at their old camping ground. Some of the boys have erected log barracks, anticipating a winter's campaign around the suburbs of He- lena. Fort Curtis, the Sebastapol of the Mississippi, has just been completed, and the dedication took place on Thursday last. General Hovey entered the fort, attended by his staff, at 10 o'clock -A. M., and opened the ceremonies by unfurling the ensign of liberty to the breeze. Immediately a salute of thirteen guns was fired from tire fort, the four gun-boats responding at the same time with eight gnns each, many of them thirty-six pounders. Then followed the batteries of the different commands, until it became one continuous roar of artillery, sounding from hill-top to hill-top, striking terror to the Butternuts and darkeys in the valley. While the Dubuque battery was firing, the boys of the Thirty-fourth Indiana commenced ringing a large contraband church bell, which had been taken from the Christian rebels who had designed to convert it into a more potent weapon against northern vandals. But Yankees, you know, have great reverence for church bells; and, after its capture, had it erected in the centre of the camp; and it is now used, *as all bells should be, to call patriots, and patriot soldiers to the service of God and their country. It is also used as a camp clock, ringing every hour in the day and night, which makes it very convenient for the different guard reliefs. When Sabbath comes its familiar sound calls us to divine service, and many .a soldier's heart is made to throb at the thought of being far away from friends and home, deprived of all those associations that cluster around his once happy boyhood home. How often the tear will moisten the cheek of our brave boys when they talk to each other of home. I could not help noticing the feeling that was exhibited last Sabbath, while we were singing that old, familiar piece, "Home, sweet Home." There, father, husband, brother, son, all joined in the sentiment: " Be it ever so humble, There is no place like home." But our friends must not infer from this that we are homesick, and want to get away from duty. Far from it, our country, our homes, life, liberty, everything we hold dear is being assailed by the wicked hand of treason; and, as long as we have life and health, they shall be given in defence of the flag of our country. Mr. Harter has arrived with seven others for company C. They are strong, noble fellows, and will make the rebels skedaddle when they get an opportunity. The officers and men of company C, are highly delighted at seeing our ranks filled up with such good timber. We should like about ten more of the same stamp — can we have them? Lieutenant Colonel Coyle has returned, and taken command of the regiment. The severe wound that he received at the battle of Pea Ridge, while gallantly charging the enemy, we are happy to state, is entirely healed. He has been tried and not found wanting, and the regiment has all confidence in him as a leader. General \'andever has gone with the cavalry on a five days' scout in the direction of Clarendon. . . . The fact is, unless we have a battle or a grand retreat soon, we shall have nothing to write about. All fears of an attack upon us, at present, have passed. The rebel General Holmes says, if it was not lor our blasted gun-boats he would drive us into the Mississippi river. Good for the gun-boats. The Twenty-fourth Iowa came to Helena last week. Captain Hord is in one of the companies as second lieutenant. That certainly looks well for the captain — like a determination to serve the country, without reference to rank. May he prosper. R. W. W. LETTER NO. LXXXII. Twenty-seventh Iowa 'Volunteers, ) Camp Defl.\nce, Cairo, Illinois, November 17, i86z. ) Friend Rich : — After a separation of nearly four weeks, the Twenty-seventh regiment is once more united. Our six companies, re- turned from the Mille Lacs expedition, left Prairie du Chien Tuesday afternoon last, by railroad, for Cairo. We came by the way of Madi- son and Chicago, travelling mostly in the night, so that we saw but little of the country. We pitched our tents in Camp Defiance, Friday morning, November 14th. The weather has been perfectly delightful until last evening, seeming more like June than November. Last e\'ening it commenced raining, and, this morning, the boys say that each man carries his farm with him on his boots. For one, if I were called upon to choose, I would rather stay here in the mud than spend the winter in the Indian country. But I do not think we shall do either. There are several hundred rebel prisoners a short distance west of our camp. Some three or four hundred came up the river, un- der convoy of one of our gun-boats yesterday. They are a motley- looking crew, clad in all sorts of dress. Some are well dressed in every day citizen's rig ; some are ragged and dirty ; some few have military overcoats; but I have not seen a man yet in uniform. Some of the prisoners are hard looking customers, and as mulish as you please ; while others have, from their manner, seen better days. Some say they are tired of the war, and that they never will fight again in the rebel ranks ; others declare that they will fight us as long as they live, and curse us when they die. There are also several hundred contra- bands in the place, some at work in various ways, and the remainder living in a camp constructed for them. I passed their camp yesterday as they were cooking tlieir dinner. Nearly all I saw were women and children. Cairo, it is sufficient to say, is just such a city as one would HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. J73 expect to find in Egypt. Several gun-boats are lying in the Ohio op- posite to us. They are formidable looking monsters, with low slant- ing, iron-clad sides, pierced by thirteen heavy guns. When. next they pay their compliments to the foe it may not be impossible that we may "be there to see." J^ay before yesterday I paid a visit to the far famed mortar boats. ^There are twenty-one of them lying near the shore, in the Ohio, about a mile above town. I boarded one of them ; and, to get a proximate idea of its dimensions, measured it with a stick. I made it sixty feet long, by twenty-five w'ide. Two heavy pieces of timber pass entirely round the boat, making a breastwork about two feet high. Iron-plating, half an inch thick, fastened to the outside of these limbers, rises about seven feet above the deck, forming a complete defence against any rebel sharpshooters from the shore. These plates are pierced by thirty-two holes, evidently for sharpshoot- ers stationed behind them. The mortars are mounted npon a heavy platform near the centre of the boat. The one I examined weighs seventeen thousand one hundred and sixty-eight pounds, and was cast at Fort Pitt in 1861. The bore is thirteen inches in diameter, and the casting is fifteen inches thick. I tried to lift one of the shells, but did not succeed. The boys are generally in pretty good health, and are anxious to move down the river. E. P. B.\KER. LETTER NO. LXXXIII. Ninth 1o\v.\, Hklena, .\rkans.^.s, 1 November 8, 1862. j Friend Rich: — The expedition under Colonel Vandever returned last night. They went as far as Clarendon, on the While river. They captured eighteen or twenty, killed eight and the number of wounded was not ascertained. Our lost was eight wounded and one killed. Five of the wounded belong to the Fourth Iowa cavalry, two lieutenants of company H, and three privates. Captain Perkins, forjnerly of Quas- queton, was in command of the Fourth cavalry. The boys all speak in the highest praise of his bravery. The Fourth will yet earn a name, if ihey can have men to lead them who will fight. The men that were captured with thirty wagons, some three weeks since, came in under a flag of truce, last .Saturday. The rebels had taken from them the most of their clothing, and, in return, dressed them in their secesh rags. I came near getting myself into trouble with one of them by asking what guerilla band he belonged to, and when he was taken. He told me not to think he was a secesh, as he belonged to the Fifth Illinois cavalry. He said that the rebels made him take off his clothes, and told him that he could put on their old rags or go without, just as he pleased. Of course I apologized, and left him asseverating, in the strongest possible terms, that he should strip the first well dressed rebel that he could take and turn him loose in ihe woods. The prisoners brought in yesterday are a rough looking set. One of them told me that he was a conscript, and belonged to Johnson's .Arkansas Forty-second regiment. He said that he was coming home sick when our scouts met him ; that he was forced into the service ; but they never could make him fire at a Union man. He claims that hundreds feel as he does, but that they cannot help them- selves. I talked with another, a Texan ranger, and a good specimen of the real secesh. He was quite defiant, and said we had no busi- ness down here. All they asked of us was to let them alone ; that every community had a right lo a government of their own if they wanted one— and that was the kind of liberty they were fighting for. And further, if the south should fail to gain her liberty, Texas was go- ing back to Mexico. Commissioners were already conferring with ref- erence to such a contingency, and all the necessary steps had been taken to confirm a reunion. ^He had evidently forgotten thai Uncle Sam was quite familiar with the route to that land of abortive re- publics]. R. W. W. LETTER NO. LXXXIV. La Gr.\nge, Tennessee, November i, 1862. Friend Rich: — .At last your humble correspondent finds himself oc- cupying a bunk in the general hospital at La Grange: and. of course, under these new and peculiar circumstances, feels somewhat nervous in addressing the readers of the Guardian. After perambulating the whole State of Missouri, drinking the muddy waters of the Mississippi beneath the frowning guns of Fort Pillow, racing over the pine-clad hills of Tishomingo, indulging in one or two small fights, foraging hogs, yams, and turkeys from the secesh, now lobe disabled and con- fined in a hospital, when on the eve of still greater pleasures and triumphs, is positively disgusting. The quinine and beef-soup brigade are undoubtedly entitled to much glory, but I hardly like their system of drill, which consists in fitting a fellow with a ticket, good for any amount of nauseous drugs— shaving his head until he looks like a howl- ing dervise, and getting him ready in the quickest possible time for the coflln, waiting for him in the qu.-irterin.asters hands. It must be ro- mantic, and all that, to have it go forth to the world that a brave Un- ion soldier is suffering and pining away in the hospital with a lame foot caused by lung tramps over the rough roads of the Hatchee, after Price; but candor compels the acknowledgment, that the present disa- bility was the consequence of a violent sprain, received, not in a chase after Price, but in eager pursuit of a fine porcine acknowledging the belligerent rights of the Confederacy. .And now, my only consolation, as I turn in my bunk o' nights, and try to get the offending member into an easy posture, is the reflection that I returned to camp trium- phant, where I was greeted with the warmest demonstrations of welcome by the ragged, hungry, funny mess, comprising the simple ones of com- pany E, Fifth regiment, Iowa volunteers. La Grange is, without exception, the most beautiful town in west Tennessee. It is situated on the Corinth & Mississippi railroad, forty- seven miles from the latter place, and a short distance west of the Grand Junction. The surrounding country is lovely in the extreme, and very rich in natural productions. This valley of the Chuarhad and Hatchee rivers comprises the cream of the State; and here, if anywhere, are to be seen evidences of southern prosperity. .Along the rivers heaxy forests of oak, beech, cypress, and sycamore abounds; further back, fine rolling plains succeed, dotted with broad plantations, which, in times of peace, were rich with vast fields of corn and cotton. La Grange was the centre of a flourishing inland trade, and, during the summer months, was much resorted to by the southern grandees, on account of its natural beauties and salubrious climate. Here are wav- ing trees, leafy walks, flowery gardens, and spacious parks. There, to the east, winds the silvery Hatchee, with its dark fringe of pines, while other trees, in their autumn tintings, add the charm of vivid coloring to a landscape which has few equals in this portion of our fair land. The town is built without regard to chessboard exactness in angles and lines, and this can well be pardoned in consideration of the numerous residences with charming grouuds attached, thrown in here and there, where nature's unerring finger pointed to a fine building spot. Rare shrubbery, native and exotic, bright parteres of flowers and sparkling fountains, give ample testimony that these were the homes of taste and refinement. 1 speak in the past tense, for now they are deserted, or oc- cupied by negroes and orderlies, who are attached to the various head- quarters. A few citizens, mostly women and children, remain; but the few ladies who promenade the streets, flaunt their silks haughtily, and would consider themselves disgraced lo admit a Federal soldier within speaking distance. But let the'ragged, dusty butternut, captured by our cavalry scouts, come "dragging his slow length along," and forthwith, though an utter stranger, they will meet him as if he was their dearest friend, and lavish every attention upon him. Many families have been reduced from a state of aflluence to the extremesl poverty; and it is sad to witness the destitution that everywhere prevails. AH the stores, with the exception of one hardware concern, were closed months ago; and for groceries and other necessary articles, the little that was pro- cured, was smuggled through by way of Grenada. No sooner is a Federal sutler located than his shop is besieged with women and chil- dren anxious to get a glimpse of northern goods. Confederate scrip is freely offered, but it has few takers. Not a negro but is aware of its utter worthlessness; and I have seen them pull out handfulls of the dirty shinplasters in exchange for hard crackers. Mr. Memminger's attention had better be turned to the condition of his finances, as the vignette of Mrs. Pickens is at a sad discount at La Grange. On one of the finest of these great estates, his residence just out of town, lives a planter whose property, in 1861, was worth two hundred thousand dollars. Being a firm adherent of Jeff Davis .S: Co. he gave of money and negroes freely, and later his plantation became a sort of general rendezvous for straggling parties of guerillas, who lived high, plunder- ing the trains on the road and burning down bridges. Four of his sons are in the rebel army, and the old traitor would take the field him- self were it not for the gout, which confines him the most of the time to his room. Since the advent of Federal soldiers the old man has come out, and, as he watches the long columns defile past his spacious grounds amuses himself by heaping curses upon the Yankee thieves, as he is pleased to call us. In their eagerness to secure his chickens and yams the soldiers almost run over him, and, frantic with rage, he applied to the general for a safeguard. "Hang out the stars and stripes," said the general, "that is all the safeguard you need." "Not while my name is Morris" — and back he went, minus chickens, horses, and negroes. Nearly in the centre of the town stands the female seminary — a fine 174 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. building, surrounded with a splendid park filled with forest trees. The semblance of a school is still kept, but the number of pupils can not exceed thirty: and the preceptress, who always attends them, adheres, in her costume and stately manner, to the times of Queen Elizabeth. She looks with a kind of pleased surprise upon the soldiersas they pass through the streets, and you can easily believe that she is not conscious of any ill-feeling between the North and South. If so, she e.xhibits a coolness and self-control that is highly commendable, and in a striking contrast to the prevailing style of manners among southern ladies in presence of northern soldiery. General Grant has taken up quarters in a small house of most un- pretending appearance, and evidently intends making this his base of operations. Our advance now occupies Holly Springs, and the two wings of the army stretch out east and west on the Memphis & Corinth railroad. Quinby's division is now at Moscow, ten miles west, on the railroad, and will probably remain there for some time. This is a severe disappointment to many who were confident, two weeks ago, that a general forward movement was to be made. Instead of this, our troops are lying on the ground, exposed to all the inclemencies of the season, while the enemy are quietly entrenching themselves at Abbe- ville. Our men have met and measured their strength with the enemy, and have oveithrown him in every instance. Why, now, should they be held back, when a vigorous campaign of four weeks would close the war in the southwest? The intelligent contrabands still continue to arrive in vast numbers, and are sent north or detailed for duty around the various hospitals. They make excellent hospital waiters, are patient, willing, and obedient, and are very useful. The general hos- pital, under Surgeons Culvertson and Darrow, of the Iowa Fifth, is established here. The college building is used, and can be made to accommodate five hundred patients. Vf.kit.\s. LETTER NO. LXXXV.* [The following is a private letter from Colonel Lake to the editor of the Guardian. — E. P.] O.N Ste.\mek Emek.\ld, between Fokt Pillow andMemphis, ) November 22, 1862. j Friend Rich: — We left Cairo, Illinois, on the evening of Wednes- day, the 2oth instant, with directions to report at Columbus to Brig- adier General T. O. Davis, commandant of that post. We arrived there about 9 P. M. of the same day, and immediately reported at head- quarters. The general had retired, but his adjutant gave us orders to report immediately to General Sherman, at Memphis. We had been warned by General Tuttle, before leaving Cairo, that we should be sent to Memphis without doubt, so that these orders were not unlooked for, and, besides, they were what we wanted. The boat immediately started out, and ran down near the famous Island No. 10, where we lay until morning. There our boys went ashore and cooked breakfast, and were ready to start at daylight. A gun-boat lay at anchor toward the lower end of the island, but we were allowed to pass without being brought to, or asked to give an account of ourselves. The boat ran all day without landing, meeting several steamers going up, lo.ided with confiscated cotton, contrabands, mules, etc., including a few rebel prisoners. .At night we stopped under the protection of the guns of Fort Pillow, now known on the war maps as Fort Wright. The Fifty- second Indiana is encamped here. They cost the Government nothing for subsistence, as they take horses, cattle, corn and cotton enough to pay all expenses. Just as we were leaving there this morning, several loads of cotton came in for sale. .An agent is stationed here to pur- chase that article. He has a permit from the provost marshal to buy, but has to take a bill of sale of the men from whom he buys, and buys only from those who have taken the oath of allegiance. Several gun- boats are stationed along the river, to prevent guerilla parties from firing into boats as they pass. We see but few plantations in passing down the river, and the scenery from Cairo thus far is very monotonous and dull. It consists principally of Cottonwood trees and sand banks. Fort Pillow affords an exception. It is situated on a bluff that rises about one hundred feet above the river. The fort consists of earthworks, made with a great amount of labor, near the river banks. They were built in u manner that completely controlled the navigation of the river at this point, the guns being so situated that they could range up or down the stream; and, as competent engineers have decided, their construction was on scientific principles. The guns that vvere left here are all in- 'From the Twenty-seventh Iowa. jured in some way, so as to make them worthless. One sixty-pounder, mounted on the top of the bluff, and in such a manner as to command the road leading up the bluff, was blown up by first driving in a long ball, then a charge of powder, then another long ball, and then heating it by building a fire under the gun until the powder ignited. This took a piece some two feet long out of the gun. whicn was about eighteen inches thick around the bore. The slugs can now be seen in the gun. A thirteen inch mortar was halved — one half was lying on the ground near its carriage, the other I did not see. One cannot pass over these works, which I have not time to describe fully, without wondering how the rebels ever did so much labor in so short a time. We are now approaching Memphis, and I will write you again from there. LETTER NO. LXXXVI. C.\MP, TWENTY-TWO MILES SOITHEAST OF MEMPHIS, 1 November 27, 1862. J Friend Rich: — The Twenty-seventh regiment, Iowa volunteers, finds itself encamped to-night at this point, on the road to Holly Springs. We left Memphis yesterday morning in three divisions, by three different roads. There were two brigades in each division, and five regiments of infantry in each brigade. This makes in all thirty regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, and nine batteries of artillery— all under the command of Major General W. T. Sherman. The First division is under command of Brigadier General Denver; the Second under command of Brigadier General Smith; the third under Brigadier General Lauman, who is an Iowa man, and a good officer, and a good man. The Twenty-seventh is in the Sixth brigade, under General Lauman. The brigade consists of the Twenty-seventh Iowa, Thirty-third Wis- consin, One Hundred and Fourteenth and One Hundred and Thirtieth Illinois, and Rogers' battery. When we left Memphis, the Third divi- sion was on the extreme right, the First in the centre, and the Second on the left. The First moved out on the Pigeon Roost, the .Second on the Germantown, and the Third on the Hernando road. To-day at 12 o'clock the three divisions made a junction fifteen miles out from Memphis. This constitutes quite a formidable army corps. Together with the necessary trains it probably extends six or eight miles while on the march. I say probably, because it is impossible for me to find out its exact length. Our destination is probably Holly Springs. Here the rebels are in strong force, having about thirty or forty thousand men, so it is report- ed. What is the strength of the Federal force already in their imme- diate vicinity, I do not know, neither do I know the number of men in this corps, but I judge we have over thirty thousand. Members of the Twenty-seventh, and all other regiments, not well enough to walk and carry their knapsacks, were left behind to garrison Fort Pickering, and among these was Lieutenant Donnan. Probably it would be as well for those writing to their friends in the Twenty- seventh to direct their letters in the care of the captain of the company, giving the letter of the company also, and then adding. Twenty-seventh regiment, Sixth brigade, under General Lauman, via Cairo, Illinois. Of the procUvities political of these people, there can be but one opinion — they are all secesh, red hot, as one woman said to-day. Their slaves are all in favor of going with the "Lincoln soldiers, " as they call the Union troops. Each of the regiments in this corps has lots of black boys with them. They tote knapsacks and guns, and do all other kinds of labor willingly. The soldiers are not allowed to entice them away, but it a negro wishes to go with us, he is at liberty to go. Once with us he is as free as anyone, and is paid his regular wages. We see large fields of cotton unpicked and com ungathered. The teams of all planters and farmers along the line of our march are taken and added to our train. The quartermasters and commissaries take corn fodder (hay and oats do not exist heie), beef, pork, and all other arti- cles that are necessary for the sustenance of the army, giving memor- anda receipts for the same, the holder of which can get a voucher for the receipt by taking the oath of allegiance prescribed by the acts of Congress. We took to-day a mule from a Methodist minister. He complained to the commander of the brigade, who referred him to Colonel Gilbert. The Rev. represented to the colonel that it was all the mule he had to ride the circuit with, and he wanted this one left. Colonel Gilbert told him if he would take the oath of allegiance, he would give up the mule. The preacher refused, and so our regiment has one mote mule. . . . We have had lovely weather since we left C:airo, and this is a lovely country. Jed Lake. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 175 LETTER NO. LXXXVII.* L.\Gr.\nge. Tennessee, November 28, 1862. Friend Rich: — I have but a few moments to write and can give only the most important items. .Another general forward movement has commenced, and by this time the Thirteenth army corps is well on its way to Holly Springs. Genera! Grant started at 3 P. M., and with his departure there was a regular exodus of sutlers and cullud pussons. All day long the baggage trains have been mo\ing on the road, and the hindmost team is not now out of sight. There will be a large force left at La Grange, however, to protect the depot and Government buildings, which are very valuable. No transportation for the sick, of the respective regiments or corps, is now provided, and every man unfit for duty is left behind to the tender mercies of some post hospital. The college rooms are now full to overflowing, and still they come by wagon loads. Some are placed in the belfrey and some in the halls; while the floor of the cellar is covered with men who ha\-e had no medi- cine or food for days. The surgeons bluster and curse roundly, the nurses wilt beneath their labors, while the cooks fume and fret, with a piteous tale to every listener, of their attempts to make "bricks without straw." It really seems as if there must be some mismanagement in the medical department, else provision would have been made before- hand, for the patients who are now huddled together with no adequate facilities for their accommodation. Of course, many will be shipped north, but they will suffer a great deal before they find comfortable quarters. Probably more sickness exists now among the troops, than at any other time since the campaign commenced. The hot, sultry weather from August to the early part of the present month, when the rainy season began, accompanied with cold, have produced a harvest of lung diseases and typhoid pneumonia. A writer in the Chicago Times lately made the statement that the army was overstocked with negroes, while the streets of La Grange were swarming with a ragged, hungry rabble, without food, or any visible means of support. The truth can be expressed in a few sen- tences. Every negro that is able and willing to work is furnished with employment forthwith, with pay at the rale of eight dollars per month, and rations drawn from the post commissary. There are not half enough of them to supply the demand, so that the timid ones of the north need have no apprehension of being flooded with negroes. For the present, at least, they are all wanted here. There is nothing of special importance from the advance. Our army is moving and the running or fighting qualities of Price will be tested in a few days. Verit.'VS. LETTER NO. LXXXVIII.t Camf,\t Chl'luhom.^, Mississippi, December i, 1862. Friend Rich: — we reached this place last evening and have been resting to-day. We are now fifty miles from Memphis, fifteen from Holly Springs, and thirty-five from Hernando. Our position is south- west of Holly Springs, and southeast of Hernando, on the road be- tween the two; and about seven miles from the main body of Grants army. Our pickets are within four miles of his. The enemy are reported to be in full force at .Abbeville, about eight miles from here, across the Tallahatchie river, a branch of the Yazoo. When we encamped here, we were drawn up in line of battle, with a color line extending over a mile, and a reserve of nearly equal length. The Thirty- third Wisconsin on the extreme left, Rogers" battery next. Twentv- seventh Iowa, with the Twelfth Indiana in reserve. Then came the Fifth brigade on our right, and to the right and front of them is CJen- eial Duryea's division, consisting of the First and .Second brigades. Our sergeant major and C. H. Lewis have just come in from a scout, four miles out, and report that they were within half a mile of, and in sight of the rebel pickets. We may have a fight almost any day. We expect to attack thein soon. Expect, I say, because movements look that way, but I have no other authority for saying so. Jed L.\ke. LETTER NO. LXXXIX. In Camp on Hurricane Creek, Mississippi, ) December 7, 1862. J Friend Rich: — I have just returned from General Grant's army and the Fifth Iowa; more especially, though, to company E. There were faint rumors in our camp at Wyatt that the Fifth are some four or five miles from us, up the river, with Grant's corps. It was a rainy day and I did not start out to find them. But that evening, Waggoner P'rank Noble, and several of the boys of the Fifth, came into our camp *From the Fifth. tFrom the Twentv-seventh. and did not leave till morning. So I mounted Sam and went over with them. When we arrived where they were, they wern't there; but had started for Oxford. I thought the best way was to follow them, and see whether Grant's army made a better appearance on the march than we did. Where the railroad from Holly Springs crosses the Tallahatchie, the rebels had prepared for a very obstinate defence. They had earth- works on both sides of the river, pierced for several guns, and rifle-pits sufficient for twenty thousand infantry. They had destroyed the rail- road bridge across the Tallahatchie, as well as the road bridge. The railroad from the river to Oxford, fourteen miles, had been nearly re- paired and several new bridges put in. They were compelled to leave so suddenly that they had not time to destroy the railroad. .A lady in 0.xford told me that there was but an hour between the leaving of the rear guards of Price's army and the arrival of the advance guard of Grant's army at that place. Our cavalry took between two and three hundred prisoners a short distance from Oxford, whom I saw on the march for Holly Springs. I found Lieutenant Marshall, who is adjutant of the regiment, and Colonel Matthias, both looking remarkably well. We met them labor- ing through the mud on the wagon road, while the troops were march- iug on the railroad. I was anxious to see company D; so Marshall and myself took our way across the woods 10 the railroad; but found only straggling soldiers. We could not find out by them whether the Fifth was ahead or behind, but concluded to go on and get into the railroad some miles ahead and wait. We rode through the woods, jumping fences and ditches, over bogs, and through swamps for some miles, until we came to a point where the wagon road and railroad were close together. Here we halted, and in a few minutes they came up. Captain Lee looks as tough and hearty as could be expected. His hair may be a little whiter and his beard a little longer than when he left Independence; but otherwise he looks no older. Tom Blonden is the same gay and festive young man he was at home. C F. Putney looked a little thinner in the face, but as rugged as ever. Mr. Bunce, of Hazelton, is with his company again and looking well. Dick Whait is "the same old coon.' All the boys looked well, and seemed to enjoy war as one of the necessi- ties of life, if not one of its luxuries. I stayed with the Fifth till the next day. On returning through Oxford I saw between eight hundred and a thousand rebel prisoners that our cavalry had taken from the rear of Price's army. They report also a large number of prisoners that have not yet arrived at Oxford. One thing is certain; they are worrying Price very much. Report says that Steele is at Grenada, south of Price, but this is not authenticated. If it is true, the rebel army of the Mississippi is in a "hard row of stumps." Grant has about fifty regiments of infantry with him, mostly old regiments, well drilled, and of course good fighting men. They are now encamped around the city of Oxford, which is pleasantly situated, laid out with much taste, and contains many fine residences and some nice public buildings. I saw on my return to camp that our wing of the army had taken possession of a fine steam mill, which they were using for grinding corn for the men. We expect to be fed on corn bread for a few days, by way of variety. The darkeys of the secesh planters were compelled to husk and load the corn, drive it to the mill, and, in short, to perform all the labor necessary to furnish meal for our men. .Around this mill, which I judge also contains a col ton-gin, lay several bales of cotton, and a large pile unbaled. On almost every plantation in this vicinity there is a large amount of cotton. Some of it is unpic';ed, some picked and unginned, some in rail pens, and some lying aiound loose. It seems a great pity that so much valuable property should go to waste. But such are the incidents of war. Our army, so far as fresh meats and forage are concerned, subsist entirely upon the enemy. Salt and sugar are also taken when found in sufficient quantities to pay the quartermasters to bother with it. The rebels, when they left this part of the county, felled trees across the road through the swamps, so as to impede our progress as much as possible; but they could not have had much of an idea of Yankee per- severance if they hoped thus to stop the army of the Mississippi. The other day, as we were marching along, with our army extending about five miles, an old darkey that had stood a long while by the road watching the columns pass, fin.ally broke out: "O Lord! bress Moses! M.assa, where all dese folks cum from? O Lord! I never see so many folks afore, since de Lord let me live. Where you cum from Massa?" Here he broke out in a big laugh, such as only a full blooded Ethio- pian can give. I asked him where his master was. 176 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. "O Lord! he's done gone dead long ago, long afore you all come." "Where is your mistress?" "She'sgone down to her father's." "Don't you want to go along with us?" "Yes, massa, but I'se got two little chillun hcah, and I reckon 1 better stay with them. I think it'll all come right by'n by, don't you?" "Don't your mistress treat you well?" "Yes, massa, but I reckon I can do better by myself massa, and when you all goes back norf, I guess black folks all go too." This is a fair specimen of the feeling existing among the slaves, so far as 1 have seen. They think they could do much better if they were free, and ihey all long to be free. Some of them disHke to leave their wives and children, but not one I have met yet objects to leaving his master. Where we are to go, or when, is a thing not revealed to your humble servant. Jed Lake. LETTER NO. XC. Camp at Waterford, Mississippi, December 14, 1862. Friend Rich: — Since I last wrote you from Hurricane creek, we have been on the move. Our division has been subdivided, and the commander of the right wing of the army of the Mississippi has been sent to another point. On the tenth inst. Major General W. T. Sher- man announced to the whole column that he had been assigned to a new command which required him to return to Memphis, but he hoped to meet us again at Vicksbuigb; till then he bade us farewell. We supposed, then, that our other army relations would remain unchanged; but the next morning Brigadier General Lauman announced to us that he had been ordered to a new division, and that the Twenty-seventh Iowa would move to Waterford as soon as practicable, and report to C-olonel Dubois at Holly Springs. The Colonel has gone to-day to re- port. What our destination is we do not know; but the prospect is that we shall be set to guarding bridges on the Central Mississippi railroad. Our present location is on that road, seven miles from Holly Springs, and four from the Tallahatchie. The One Hundred and Third Illinois and the Twelfth Indiana are also here, and I understand the One Hundred and Seventeenth Illinois is to report here. We may be put into a brigade again and move in some direction quife different from what we now expect; but the peculiar state of the country around renders it almost certain that our duty, for the present, will be the inglorious, but very important, one of preventing the rebels from destroying the railroad. One thing is certain, we have here a belter chance to receive news from home. As it is, our regiment has not received any news since we left Cairo, except what we got by visit- ing the Fifth Iowa. I understand one mail has been sent by way of Memphis. If that is the case, we must wait until it is sent back to Columbus, Kentucky, and thence to Corinth. There is no communi- cation with Memphis any other way, except by a large, armed force. Thieves, rebels, bandits and guerillas infest the country, and are in and around the city. It is a place of so much importance that I should suppose our army would open, and keep open, communication with it by railroad to Grand Junction. The country around Waterford is mighty poor just now. The an- cient landmarks of the proprietors of the soil, which consisted princi- pally of ten-rail fences, have disappeared. Ancient stables, sheds and out-houses, are fast going the same road. You see an unoccupied building to-day in good repair. To-morrow the doors are gone, then the floors, next the siding, then the roof, and in a short time the entire structure has disappeared— gone to cook the pork and beef, and boil the coffee of the Yankee soldiers. Foraging in this vicinity is quite different from that in the region of Chuluhoma. There neither the rebel nor the Union army had been in large force till the lime of our advent, and forage was plenty within our lines. Here Price's whole army was stationed for several weeks; then Grant's army lay here for a while, and forage is quite as abundant as you could expect, after the passage of an army of locusts, followed by one of grasshoppers. But every day sees from five to ten teams, and from thirty to sixty men from each regiment go out on foraging expeditions, under directions of the quartermaster. They have some distance to go, but generally re- turn well laden with corn and fodder, and in the bottom of the wagon it is not strange to find a few slaughtered domestic animals — hogs, chickens, sheep, turkeys, etc.. or a barrel of molasses, sugar or salt. Frequently it also happens that the expedition returns accompanied by several fine contrabands, who are immediately set to work to do the cooking and drudgery of the camp, the policy of the Government being to relieve the soldiers as much as possible from fatiguing duties in camp, which can be better peifurmed by these "free American citizens, of African descent." Night before last we had an alarm. One of the pickets accidentally discharged his gun. The long roll was beaten, and the whole regiment was in line in less than three minutes. Among the first on the ground with'gun and cartridge box was Edward L. Hern- don, my contraband. He has been carrying for some time the equip- ments of one of the sick boys in company C, and says if we ever get into a fight he is bound to do something for the stars and stripes. . The coldest weather we have had here, as yet, is about hke an April shower in Buchanan county. To-day it threatens rain, and is so warm that the flies are somewhat troublesome in our tents. We have had but one snow storm where we have been, since last winter. When they had snow here we were at Mille Lacs. It has snowed a very little once since we have been on the Tallahatchie, but we saw it only while it was falling. News comes that we are to be stationed to-morrow. Our worst fears are realized. . . . Jed Lake. LETTER NO. XCI. Oxford, Mississippi, December 6, 1862. Friend Rich :^We have the prospect of a few days of rest before us, and feel it our duty in the meantime to let our friends at home know of our whereabouts. We marched from Moscow, Tennessee, very near the southern boundary line of that State, November 28th. Our force consisted of General Quinby's division ; but a junction was formed with General Grant's forces before entering Holly Springs. The roads were next to impassable. It was 12 o'clock at night before we got into camp, the first day out from Moscow. To add to our suf- ferings, a cold rain set in which compelled us to pitch our tents, though only for a short time, as we were on the march again at 4 o'clock in the morning. After a short march, however, we entered the beautiful town of Holly Springs. It seems strange thai the chivalry should leave this place without a struggle. They had some light fortifications on the northern side, which have the appearance of having been built sometime. A small force of cavalry left the day before we entered, and though they did not think it consistent with their safety to give us a warm reception, that of the citizens was as cold as the most bitter of our enemies could wish. Assembled on the street corners are a few old fellows that are out of danger, so far as the conscript act is con- cerned. These, with a few worn out negroes and small children, con- stituted all the visable population. We marched seven miles south to Waterford, and there encamped. The rebels were driven from there by an advance, a few hours before we arrived. A skirmish took place which resulted in the loss of one man on our side, and four of the reb- els. We remained in this place two days, and then resumed our march to the Tallahatchie. Price, though holding a strong position, was seized with a panic, as he has often been before, and evacuated in time to save all. From this position he could have withstood any at- tack from the front ; but Sherman's presence in the vicinity seemed to alarm him for the safety of his rear. I consider it poor generalship in the rebels to select this place. It may be a strong position enough, but it is in the midst of a swamp that is completely inundated in rainy weather, and must be very sickly. They took care to burn the railroad bridge before evacuating. We were obliged to hall two days to repair the roads, which were very bad in consequence of the rain. The wagon train was two days coming to this place, fourteen miles. The infantry marched on the railroad track and had good walking. Our camp is now pleasantly situated a mile east of Oxford. We came thiough the town after dark, and had no opportunity of seeing much. It is called one of the finest places in the south ; but, like all others in the track of the contending armies, it is deserted by the wealthy citi- zens. We shall move southward as fast as the railroad is repaired. Whatever the indications may have been heretofore, it is certain now that there is energy displayed in this department. Everything indi- cates a speedy termination of the war. General Grant may have many enemies, but let him continue to pursue the present course, and there need be no fear of his success. The rebels are now in the vicinity of Grenada, as near as can be ascertained from deserters. The Twenty- seventh Iowa is with Sherman. Lieutenant Colonel Lake and some of his men have been over to see us. The Colonel has the appearance of being all he is represented to be, a good officer. He seemed to be highly pleased with company E, at least I take the liberty to suppose so. Some of our men have gone over to see them to-day. Our brigade has been reorganized, and is now commanded by Colo- nel Boomer, of the Twenty-sixth Missouri. The board of trade regi- ment. Seventy-second Illinois, is in this division. On our recent march from" Moscow, heartrending to their friends as it may seem, they were compelled to lie three nights without straw. The green things these new regiments get off, afford considerable fun for the old HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 177 soldier. I must close and fall in for grand review by General Grant. S. A. Reed. LETTER NO. XCII. Headqu.xrters Twenty-seventh Regiment, \ Cami' Thirty Miles from Memphis, November 29. 1862. J Friend Rich: — * ■ ■ The scenery of the lower Mis- sissippi is perhaps as interesting, but not half as beautiful, as that of the upper portion which we saw on our northern expedition to Mille Lacs. The water is changed from a lively, sparkling clearness, to a muddy, pool-like appearance. There are fewer and less inviting is- lands, and the bold and rocky cliffs have dwindled away into the level marshes. The canebrake, the misletoe, and the cypress, appear in the place of the stately oak, the graceful cedar and the stately pine. So far as evidences of thrift are concerned, it is precisely as I have always heard ; a slave country cannot compare with a free one. The towns along the river side are vastly different from those in the free States. They are small and built without regard either to taste or economy. The landings, as they are all called, usually consist of a clay hill, on which stands an irregular shaped, dilapidated building, whose front is half covered with a sign, of which the letters are as varied in size, as in shape and decipherability. This morning we passed the famous Is- land No. 10, where so many days of hard fighting gained the well- earned price — victory. The island is not so formidable by nature as I had expected, nor was it so large. An old gun-boat lay at anchor near it, while various wrecks were scattered along the shore. A little after we passed New Madrid, a little town, of no importance seemingly, but long to be remembered by the Guardian and its friends. As we move along, and the air became warmed by a southern sun, the scenery seemed more inviting. Some places along the river in Tennessee pre- sent naturally a thrifty appearance. Occasionally there is a farm-house which resembles some of the better class of northern ones. The river, at some points, spreads out into a lake-like width, almost equal to lake Pepin in the north. We received no cheers, with one or two excep- tions, save from the colored people, who swung their hats and danced for joy. Some fear was felt lest we might be fired upon by rebels con- cealed in the thick. woods, but we met with no hostile demonstrations. At night we lay under cover of F'ort Pillow, a naturally strong de- fence. There is no fort, but the earthworks are extensive and evince military*knowledge. They could not have been stormed without an immense sacrifice of blood and treasure; and happy is it for our Army of the Southwest that the rebels evacuated it. The second day of our downward trip, we passed nothing of special interest. At one point some fine hills rose by the river side, and then we passed the blackened ruins of Fort Adams. The weathei was fine, and we reached Mem- phis in good time on Saturday, finding the troops that had been de- tailed on the Vicksburgh expedition awaiting orders. Two extra men from each company were detailed to accompany the expedition. Memphis is a magnificent city; the location is most beautiful, and the place is said to be healthy. At present it is teeming with military life. I rode back and forth through the streets, viewing the fine build- ings, public and private, and if Tennessee was a free State, I see no reason for not being anxious to live there. At the time we landed there, at least seventy-five thousand troops were in and around the city. The people of this State are of doubtful loyalty. Some are doubtless true to the old Union, while others, intimidated by the pres- ence of the Federal army, cover their secession fangs with a garb of loyalty. Soldiers are shot almost daily by concealed rebels. The ne.xt morning after our arrival at Memphis, we marched out into the country some three miles to the southeast, and encamped. The day was quite warm, and many of the boys became much wea- ried. On that march we passed some very elegant houses, surrounded by very beautiful grounds. Such lovely evergreen trees as they have there are enough almost to call our affections from the bleak prairies of the north to this sunny clime. While you shiver in the northern blasts, we can sleep in perfect comfort in the open air, uncovered save by our blankets. Not only the climate, but the fair homes, call on us for an unflinching struggle to redeem them from the blight which threatens to fall upon all that is fairest and best. There is a building hard by our encampment said to be the home of a rebel general. It is reported that this man, at the breaking out of the war, gave two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for its support, sent two sons into the army, next hired two soldiers, and lastly went himself. The house is now confiscated property. It is by far the most magnificent place I ever saw. The house is a fine, substantial brick structure. The grounds, which are extensive, are elegantly laid out and splendidly decorated. At e.ach front corner of the house there is a fine statue, repiesentmg some character in ancient mythology. Such a place as this in a free land, a land inhabited by a race of true freemen, the wealth of the half of Buchanan county could not pur- chase. We were brigaded in that camp, and it was our good fortune to get into Geneial Lauman's brigade. The people of Iowa were proud of him as a colonel, and they expect him to maintain his high character in a higher rank and in his present capacity as commander of a brigade in the field, already in the advance. Our sick who were out of the hospital were left in the care of Captain Miller and Lieutenant Don- nan. Like all other movements of the army, no one could tell of our course or destination but those in the highest authority. We marched over a good road down into Mississippi, thence in the direction of Holly Springs, travelling about fifteen miles each day. When we came to the enemy's land, our boys put the confiscation act in force to its full extent. They confiscated potatoes, chickens, turkeys, geese, mules and negroes. Before we reached General Sherman's headquarters, we had in our brigade, I doubt not, a hundred mules and half as many negroes. They also burned many buildings by the roadside. If the privates had their way, I believe they would devastate the whole coun- try. When we reached the major general's headquarters, he declared the officers should be arrested; that captains should be held responsi- ble for the acts of the companies; and that there was but one way to confiscate property, and when confiscated it should be done by legal forms. We arrived here and pitched our tents last evening, six miles from Holly Springs. Our camp here is supplied with the best water we have had since we left Minnesota. How long we shall tarry here, none of us know. It is reported that we are to move in the morning to reenforce Grant, and that he is to offer the enemy battle with fifty thousand men. We have in this bri- gade the One Hundred and Thirtieth and One Hundred and Seven- teenth Illinois, Thirtv-lhird Wisconsin, and Twenty-seventh Iowa infantry, and Rogers' battery. In this army corps there are thirty regiments of infantry, nine batteries, and one regiment of cavMry. In all probability we shall soon see a fight, and Iowa's host, in high posi- tion and in low, will, as their hero brothers have done heietofore, strike effectually for the Union. C. H. L. LETTER NO. XCIII. Helena, Arkansas, December 8, 1862. My Dear Wife:— Two weeks ago l wrote you that I was about to start with an expedition which, it was supposed, had for its object and destination, the reduction of certain fortifications on the Arkansas river. You can judge of our surprise when our fleet of fourteen steam- boats all rounded to at Friar's Point, ten miles south of Helena, and on the Mississippi side, and debarked all the troops. It then became apparent that our expedition, consisting of eight thousand infantry and two thousand five hundred cavalry, were in some way to operate against our old antagonist. Price. We arrived at our old camp again last night, having made one of the boldest, and at the 5an»e time most fatiguing marches of the whole war. It was especially a cavalry expedition, the infantry marching only to the mouth of the Coldwater, a tributary of the Tallahatchie, to be used as a support in case of disaster. At that point, which is about forty miles from the Mississippi, our advance surprised a small camp of rebels on the opposite side, by throwing a few shells among them, killing three and wounding quite a number, as we afterward found them in different houses where they had been left along the road. At the mouth of the Coldwater we built a bridge of boats and crossed the. cavalry. Twelve miles further on, we met one thousand of the enemy prepared to dispute our passage across 6ayou Yorkney, at the ferry; and, with a few shell, sent them flying again. But, much to their surprise, we did not attempt, and did not intend to cross at that point; but continued our march to the south and east, far into the interior of the State, and in rear of Price's whole army. The object of the expedition was to destroy all his railroad communica- tions with the south, and to call away as many as possible of his troops from the front, where Grant and Sherman were making it interesting for him. Wc struck the Mississippi & Tennessee railroad at Hardy station, where we burnt two bridges and a lot of cars. A part of our force was then pushed on to the Mississippi Central rail- road, three miles from Grenada, where ano.ther bridge was burned. Our first object being accomplished, we spent about a week in creating all the panic we could, the report having gone to Price that we were thirty thousand strong. This illusion was carefully encouraged by dashing about in all directions at a terrible rate, at one place to-dav and to-morrow at another, fifty or sixty miles distant. We heard of 23 178 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. three brigades that were hunting for us in difterent directions, and one of them we finally met at Oakland, consisting of three regiments of seven hundred men each. A smart skirmish occurred between the ad vance of both forces, resulting in the capture of one of our guns, nine horses killed, seven men wounded, and none killed. The loss of the enemy unknown, e.tcept two killed and some eight or ten wounded and prisoners in our hands, .^mong the prisoners are one colonel, one captain, one lieutenant, one chaplain, and one adjutant. In thirty minutes from the firing of the first gun. the whole force was flying for parts unknown. The expedition on our part was an entire success; we having done all we were ordered to. We dodged about within a few miles of Price's army without losing a man, destroying all his railroad and telegraphic communication, and compelling him to retreat as soon as he heard we were in his rear. What advantage has been taken of our work, by the armies of Grant and .Sherman, we have not yet heard; but, in all probability. Price is by this time across Black river, somewhere in the vicinity of Canton; and if so, the campaign and the war in the west is reduced to the taking of Vicksburgh. The capture of Mobile, which will not be difficult,, will cut the Southern Confed- eracy in two; and opening the Mississippi at Vicksburgh, will cut off Texas, the only supply region they have left; and neither of these events will be long delayed. When they occur, the war is virtually at an end , the rebel army in Virginia to the con'trary notwithstanding. And then all our war worn soldiers, myself, I hope, among the num- ber, will be relieved from the toils of the field, and report ourselves for duty to our wives and sweethearts. George B. Parsons. LETTER NO. XCIV. Camp on Hurricane Creek, Mississippi, ) December ii, 1862. j" Friend Rich : — We remained at Pigeon Roost Creek, the place from which 1 wrote last, but a day or two, and then marched south- ward with two days' rations in our haversacks. The troops marched rapidly, apparently with the design of making connection with some other part of the army, or of attacking the enemy. All our wagons were left behind the division, except an ammunition wagon, and the two ambulances for transporting the sick. We marched, November 30th, about eight miles and encamped near Chulahoma. Rumors and excitement were rife. Some thought that we had cut off Price's re- treat, while others, at each dash of our cavalry, trembled as if the fatal moment had come. The camp at Chulahoma is ciuite a good one, in many respects. The soil was of a more sandy nature, and the country around presented a more inviting aspect. Rails from the high fences near by made large and warm fires. Miles of fences were burned that night by our troops ; but the water was too much like that of the Mississippi, very poor in- deed. During the night a fierce storm raged through the camp, re- minding us of those we had seen sweeping over the broad prairies of Iowa. A number of tents were blown over, and some amusing scenes and incidents occurred. A major was clinging to his tent poles when the wind caught up the lower part of the tent, dashed a plentiful shower around him, for it was raining in torrents, and then passed on seeking new victims for this practical joke. A certain lieutenant found himself landed on all fours, fast in the mud ; and those who witnessed this new military evolution, speak in the highest terms of the agility displayed ; and though the grin which adorned his visage showed a slight degree of vexation, there is a general disposition to condone the offence, in consideration of the suddenness of the adoption of the new tactics, and the rapidity of movement required the first time he was "put through." • The next day, December ist, we remained in camp, but started early on the second, and marched all day in a drenching rain, in the direc- tion of Wyatt, at which place we arrived about sundown. The wagons with the tents and camp utensils did not overtake us until next day, just at night, so that we did what we had not done before, lay down upon the wet leaves, among a small growth of trees, with nothing over us but our blankets and the black and dripping clouds. There was more meditation than sleep that night. "Thousands of brave ones, battling for humanity, lay thoughtful upon the ground in an enemy's land. . . . .^fter remaining a day or two in Wyatt, constructing a bridge over the stream, which was unfordable, we marched, Sunday the seventh, to the camp on Hurricane creek, a distance of six miles. Our way lay through an inferior tract of coun- try across the Tallahatchie river. The camp here is preferable in many respects to any we have found since leaving the vicinity of Memphis. The wood and water are excellent and handy, but the living is quite poor. We were out of crackers, and almost everything else usually furnished by the commissary, and were obliged to forage. Corn is the only breadstuff to be had, and a mill conveniently located was kept in active operation to turn out meal for the division. Pretty hard fare the boys say ; but then we are cheerful as ever, and willing to accept what- ever is inevitable in the soldier's life. Soon after camping three major generals. Grant, Sherman and Smith, and a number of brigadiers, came into camp. They halted but a moment, but long enough for us to get a look at them. On the ninth our regiment, in connection with several others, was reviewed by Major General Sherman. Our most ardent desire now is to get hold of Pemberton and his army. The large force of which I wrote in my last, in connection with Grant's forces, have marched steadily forward, meeting with very little opposition. The rebels had strongly fortified around the Tallahatchie, but when armies from the north came marching in long and bold lines down through their land, they vanished away without offering us any resistance. Our cavalry, as you have learned ere this, closely pursued them and captured a goodly number. A division train was sent out to Holly Springs the other day, and has just returned ; and we shall now live again. And, better still, we have marching orders for Waterford, a distance of twelve miles over the Mississippi railroad, to act as guard. Our regiment and the Twelfth Indiana are to report to Colonel Dubois at Holly .Springs. Here we are only about one hundred and sixty miles from the capital of Mississippi. He who thinks that our army is not gaining ground is deceived. We are going, in spite of rebels, to the gulf, and shall ac- cept nothing but unconditional surrender to the old flag, the flag of our fathers. Ye men of the north, in whose hands are the inteiest and safe keeping of the Government, while patriots from your own fire- sides are willingly submitting to all the hardships of the camp and the field, do not submit to an inglorious and temporary peace ; but let us battle on until we have found the immovable foundations of liberty and justice, upon which may be built, broad and strong, the enduring structure of a permanent peace. C. H. L. LETTER NO. XCV. [Extracts from a letter from Lieutenant Sampson to his family, dated Helena, December 16, 1862.] Once more we have marching orders. The order came this P. M. for us to be in readiness to go on board of transports on the morning of the eighteenth. We are evidently going upon the Vicks- burgh expedition; and, from the nature of orders received, I judge we shall see some pretty rough marching. The officers are restricted to a small valise, and the men will ha\e to carry everything they have, as there will be but six teams to a regiment. Our brigade has again been changed by taking out the Twenty-fourth and giving us the Fourth infantry instead. We are much better pleased by the change. We fought beside the Fourth at Pea Ridge, and it is probable that we shall do the same again ere long. It is evident that our commanders here are going to work in earnest, and it does us good to see it. Would that the same spirit might be manifested in the east. The western boys want to get home, and we wish to do our share at once. Seventeenth, at noon. — Worked hard lintil late last night, getting things ready. Have just got the teams off with officers' supplies, bag- gage, etc. The boys of the company have packed a box which they send by ex- press to your care. We shall have to leave without our pay. Possibly •we may not get away for several days, although ordered to be in readi- ness to-morrow morning. I hope you will soon hear of our doing something worthy of Iowa and western troops. All we ask is for the eastern army to take Richmond while we are taking Vicksburgh. We got the news this morning of the taking of Fredericksburgh. Good. letter no. xcvi. Camp near the Tallahatchie, \ Mississippi, December 19, 1862. ) Friend Rich: — The report of colonel commanding the Twenty- seventh Iowa, to Colonel Dubois, as to the position of our regiment, reads about as follows; "Companies A and F are stationed so as to guard the four bridges south of the tank, at Waterford. Company I guards the hospital; D and H, the four bridges next south; and com- panies A, F, and C guard the commissary stores and the road near the fort, north of the river. E and K guard the bridge ne.xt south of the fort. G and B are on the north bank of the Tallahatchie." This dis- position of our forces is likely to remain for some time. Though we have no definite orders as to the length of time that we may stay here, HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 179 yet we feel sure, from our surroundings, that the fate of the Twenty- seventh is for the piesent fixed. Our communication with America is by railro.td to Grand Junction, thence to Columbus, Kentucky, and by boat to Cairo. We are also in railroad connection with Corinth and other paits of the world. The Twenty-seventh now has si.\ hundred and thirty men fit for duty. We sent to Vicksburgh, that liave not yet joined us, fifty-one men. We left in Memphis one hundred and five convalescents and sick, and we have here about forty-five in the hospitals. There were left in Minne- sota, who have since come to Cairo, and probably to Memphis, twenty- si.v. The balance of the regiment were left sick at Cairo, and at differ- ent points on the river, coming down. We have received no news from home since we left Cairo, and con- sequently do not know the condition of the sick at the various hospitals. Their condition should be reported to us every twenty days. They may have done this, but for their own protection they ought immediate- ly to report to their company commanders, directing their letters as heretofore described. Nothing can equal the sufferings that the people of this part of Mis- sissippi will undergo before another harvest. Price's army was quar- tered here for a long time. Grant's army then came through and took what Price had left. .Sherman's column came through si.\ miles west of this. Now there are stationed along this road, from Grand Junction to Oxford, some forty thousand men, to whom the United States issues only half rations of meat, expecting that they will draw the rest from the inhabitants of the country. We sent out eighteen men and two teams yesterday, and they got only six hogs and one beef, and went about twelve miles into the country. They report foragmg as very precarious business, in that direction at least. And that, not on ac- count of the danger of being attacked, but because the forage is not there. In the fields immediately around the encampment of companies A and F there is plenty of unpicked corn. But other than that we find little to subsist our.selves and horses upon. If we can get back where neither army has been, report says there is plenty of forage and cattle, and if we stay here any length of time we shall be apt to go out and test the truth of these reports. Should anything of interest transpire, we will keep you posted. Jed Lake. LETTER NO. XCVII. Holly Spring,?, Mississippi, December 21, r862. Friend Rich: — I wrote you a few days ago, stating that I presumed that our regiment was stationed for the winter. The next morning after that was sent, while Colonel Gilbert and myself were at bre.akfast, a messenger came in, stating that the rebels had attacked our hospital, which was about a quarter of a mile from the main camp, in a house. We started immediately, but before we got to the hospital, the rebels, fifteen in number, had disappeared with five horses belonging to the surgeons, the ambulances, and seven men. We pursued them by mounting fifteen men on mules, but after a chase of six miles, to Wyatt. without overtaking them, the pursuit was abandoned. On our return we were met by another messenger, with the announcement that Holly Springs had been taken by five thousand rebel cavaly. We hastened back to camp, formed one regiment in the best position pos- sible under the circumstances, and awaited results. About 2 p. M. Colonel Marsh, with two regiments, came in from Oxford, with orders for us to go to Waterford. We arrived there about sundown, and staid until this morning. This morning we received an order brigad- ing us as follows: Twenty-seventh Iowa, Eighth, Sixteenth and Seven- teenth Wisconsin, under command of Colonel Gilbert. The brigade marched to this place to-day. When we arrived, we found that the rebels had been gone some twenty-four hours, after burning all our commissary and quartermaster's stores, thirty-six cars, spoiling two engines, destroying a large number of wagons, getting pretty drunk, and packing off on our mules and horses, loads of clothing and goods generally. We have several hundred cavalry and flying artillery in pursuit, but how long it will take to overhaul and chastise them, is more than I can tell. I am confident, however, that they will be overtaken, some of them captured, and a large amount of our goods retaken. They have a little the start of us, but hard w^ork will overtake them somewhere, and we may as well give them fits now as ever. Four of our companies were left to take care of the bridge over the Talla- hatchie. WTio is to blame for this humiliating affair, it is not my business to determine. The United States have lost in property not less than two millions of dollars. It is certain that the citizens of the town have taken a great many of these goods, and the houses will be searched, and those found in possession of them will be punished. Thus you see our promised quiet for the winter has been most rudely disturbed, and we find ourselves in a state of excited determination to fight somebody. Where we shall go, how long we shall stay there, and what we shall do while there, my next letter may disclose. Yours truly, Jed Lake. LETTER NO. XCVIII. Same Pl.\ce, December 22nd. Friend Rich: — I wrote you last evening, putting the loss of property to the United States by the rebel raid on this town, on the twentieth instant, at two millions of dollars. I have just returned from the place where the depot buildings used to be, and now think I underes- timated the value of property destroyed. It is true that all that was de- stroyed did not not belong to the United States, but it is a direct injury financially to the Government, of more than the amount stated. There must have been at least one hundred cars burned, a vast amount of wagons and ammunition, two engines, commissary stores, etc. The citizens of the town who were instrumental in giving the rebels aid are known, as all the prisoners were paroled, and all the cotton buyers, sutlers and citizens remain unparoled. These men will be punished, so says Colonel C. C. Marsh, commander of the district. We arrested one man, and sent him up to the colonel this morning: charged with murder and assisting the rebels. They will, after a while, learn to be- have like men. It is reported that ladies shot at our soldiers out of their houses, when they were fleeing from the rebel cav.alry. Colonel Gilbert has just returned from headquarters, and reports that we are to remain here for a few days at least. As soon as communica- tion is opened with the north, we will send our letters, that all our people may know that the Twenty-seventh Iowa is safe, except those taken from the hospital. They were Jos. Bryson, A. B. O'Conner, James Stanley, D. Tracy, D. M. Scott, L. W. Scott, and James Mitchell, all of company I; Brown, of company C; A. Stangier and Phineas Smith, of company B, and Smith, of company K. Among the prisoners taken by the rebels in this place, I have just learned, was S. M. Langworthy, who had just resigned as quartermaster of our regiment, and was on his way home. He lost everything, horse, sword, pistols, blankets, overcoat, etc. All the cotton in town was burned, and all the sutler stores destroyed. In this work of destruc- tion the rebel cavalry were assisted by the citizens of this place. That they will be severely punished, I feel satisfied. Later. — Since writing the foregoing, one of the men taken from our hospital, Phineas Smith, of company B, has been here. He says that the rebels run them off some twenty-five miles, and p.aroled them, and they are now back at our camp on the Tallahatchie, all safe. He says that there were twenty-two rebels who made the raid upon the hospital; that they said they were supported by a large band lying back, and that men were constantly leaving, and others coming into their band along the road. This satisfies me that these same citizens that we are pro- tecting every day , are the ones that act as guides to the rebels in their expeditions against us. The more I see of the course taken in this war, the more disgusted I get. Jed Lake. LETTER NO. XCIX. Camp near Waterford, 1 Headquarters Twenty-seventh regiment. ) Friend Rich: — We left camp on Hurricane creek, December izth, to report to Colonel Dubois, at Holly Springs. . . . The second day we marched over to and camped at Waterford. Jesse Roton, of company C, had been failing for days, and he was so far gone that morning, that he had to be carried. W. H. Lueder, of the same company, was very low, but rode in the ambulance. They both, con- trary to the expectations of the surgeons, lived through the day, and are now somewhat better, with a prospect of recovery. As we neared Waterford, we began to see, on a more extended scale the preparations for moving this great army. Just as we entered town we met one hundred and fifteen mule teams, loaded with provisions for the armies of Sherman and Grant. And these were but a small frag- ment of the immense train constantly moving. Waterford is a small and dilapidated town on the Mississippi railroad, eight miles due south of Holly Springs. The land about town is sterile, and washes more than any other country I ever saw. The soil is a clay and sand mix- ture; and, at each shower, the water washes out deep gullies which make the country almost impassable, save where the roads are con- stantly worked. We remained but a day, then marched, agreeably to orders of Colonel Dubois, for the Tallahatchie. It rained very hard while we were on the march that day, and all were thoroughly soaked; l8o HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. but ti)ere was lillle murmuring, and when the tents were pitched, and large fires were built, and we had become dried and warmed, we were ready for another installment of the soldiers' peculiar joys. . . . The surgeons have taken possession of Dr. Jones' place for hospital purposes. The house is quite large, and, when well cleaned, will be an excellent building for the purpose. This Dr. Jones is said to be the richest man in the country. He owns five sections of land and over two hundred negroes. The greater part of the negroes, he put in the rear of the rebel army, thinking doubtless that they would be beyond the reach of the Yankee; but, unfortunately perhaps for hi«i, and fortunately for themselves, some have already found our lines. Headquarters of the regiment are established, for the present, about three miles from Waterford, in a very coinfortable house, a little distance from the railroad. An old lady, her thrfe daughters, and a number of blacks, are the only persons about the plantation. The men have gone, if indeed any belong to the establishment — the fates only know where — and the women, like all in the south, are widows. To-night, at a social gathering, the familiar song of "John Brown" was sung, but with what degree of pleasure it was received by them, I was not shrewd enough to decide. .Still the lament is, "no mail since we left Cairo." This is rather disheartening to some of us, who miss papers and kind words from home, more than almost all things else. This task of gu.arding the railroad may seem to some rather inglorious, but perhaps it is well that we, after having become noted as the travelling regiment, should for a time perform it. A good soldier is one that is obedient and vigilant. C. H. L. LETTER NO. C. Jackson, Tennessee, January lo, 1863. Friend Rich: — The Twenty-seventh Iowa is now situated at this station. We have a fine camping ground in the south part of the town, where we are in sight of the Mississippi Central railroad and the Mobile & Ohio railroad. We are required to furnish about two hundred men daily for picket duty, otherwise we have only camp duty to perform. Judging the future by the past, we have no leason to think that this state of things will last for a great length of time, for it has been the lot of the Twenty-seventh, since it was mustered into service, to keep moving. We arrived at this place at 2 o'clock A. M., December 31, 1862. Were drawn up in line of battle to support a battery that was just then moving into position to resist an attack from the enemy. We lay on our arms until daylight, and then went into camp, where we are now. At 3 P. M. we received orders to start for Le.Nington, Tennessee, forth- with. Marched eight days, with a blanket to each man, and without tents, knapsacks or cooking utensils. Foraged on the enemy during the time, and reached the railroad at Bethel, forty miles southeast of this place, and twenty-two miles northwest of Corinth, where we lay one day, then took the cars for this place, which we reached the same day at ii o'clock p. M. Our boys were glad to get into camp again, where they could wash up, get on clean clothes and have a little rest. In this place military law is more rigidly enforced than at any of our previous locations. No person is allowed to pass out or in, through our picket lines, unless he has a pass from the commander of the forces here, who at present is General Sullivan. The citizens draw rations as well as the soldiers, for when the railroad was destroyed, between here and Columbus, the commander of the post seized everythingin the pro- vision line, in and around the town, and put every one on half rations. No soldier is allowed to go through the streets without a pass from the regimental commander. Officers are not allowed to be away from their commands except on business. A large provost guard is contin- ually patrolling the streets, and persons found out of place very soon find themselves in the jail or the court house under guaid, where they are kept for a sufficient time to remind them of the necessity of staying in their places, and then, if the first offence, they are discharged. None of our boys have been caught the second time, so I do not know what penalty the second offence would bring. . . . There is a good state of health among the men here, and this seems to be a very healthy climate. The absentees from the regiment, of whom there are now more than two hundred, are very slow about joining their com- panions in arms, but we hope to see them soon. The weather is at this time exceedingly fine. Two days later; — We received, last evening, copies of the Guardian, dated December 30, 1863, in which we see that "the Twenty-seventh were all taken prisoners, and that Colonel Lake was killed." This was the first news that had reached us, that we were captives and certainly the first intimation that your humble ser\ant had received of his de- cease. This news caused me instinctively to feel of mvself, to see if I was really here, and to wonder what kind of a spiritual being it was that had devoured the fat turkeys and chickens, that were so plentiful on our march from this town to Clifton and back to Bethel, commenc- ing on the thirty-first day of December, 1862, at 9 o'clock P. M., and lasting eight days. I had perceived no change in my peregrinations, in the appetite or physical condition of the Twenty-seventh, and so I came to the conclusion that the statement in the Guardian was a hoax. \ large number of letters received by the members of the regiment from home were addressed to persons whom the writers believed to be either prisoners of war, or perhaps, dead. Some wrote that they had heard that we went into the fight at Holly Springs, with all the regiment but two companies, and that the whole were killed or wounded. Others had heard that we broke and ran for the woods, but were shot and cap- tured. If all my letters to you have been received, you are aware ere this, that at the time of the fight we were sixteen miles from that place, and that the ne.\t day we inarched into and occupied Holly Springs, from which the rebels had decamped after capturing about two thou- sand prisoners, and destroying more than two million dollars worth of property. That the only one of our regiment captured was S. M. Langwoithy, quartermaster, who had resigned, and was on his way home. But while such is the truth, in regard to the safety of the regiment, I regret that there has been so much suft'ering on the part of the friends of our brave boys. I am satisfied, from what I have seen of the Twenty-seventh, that they will do their duty when we get into a fight. We have been several times where we expected an attack every mo- ment, but none of them flinched, or tried to evade the conflict. Jed Lake. LETTER NO. CI. [E.^ L.xtracts from private letters from Lieutenant Samp- son of the Ninth Iowa.] Yazoo Valley, December 31, 1862. 1 had a chance to write a few lines in a letter which was unfinished yesterday, and which I sent forward. Several days have passed of which I have given no account. We landed Thursday night at a point near where we now are. Left our wagons, and on Friday morning em- barked again and moved up the river to a point where we again landed, and then we kept moving about until Sunday morning. Our division engaged the enemy near a high bluff, while another division engaged them near svhere we now lie. Sunday night we again moved down to assist the division here, and Monday were in some sharp engagements endeavoring to gain the heights, but, in every effort, were unsuccessful. The Ninth was most of the time in the reserve supporting a battery until Monday P. M., when we were thrown forward to save our brigade from a defeat. We advanced into a very dangerous position, but most miraculously escaped a terrible slaughter. Six of our men were wounded and two others have not been heard from. Not a man from company C was hurt. Monday night we lay out upon the field with- out shelter or fire. It rained very hard all night and we were com- pletely drenched. Yesterday morning we returned to a distant part of the field to get dried and tested. We are to move again this afternoon. Captain Wright is well, and conducted himself nobly while in .iction. While some of the companies were thrown somewhat into confusion company C was in good order, with Captain Wright and Lieutenant Little at their posts. General Thayer gave the regiment praise for their conduct. The Ninth is respected everywhere. I can give no opinion of the prospect of success or defeat in this siege. We have, as yet, gained but little. The enemy occupy the heights in plain sight of us — can see them moving from where I am now sitting. On Board Steamer John Rae, January 3, 1863. We are once more landed, or rather lying, at Milliken's Bend. Our expedition up the Yazoo seems to have been an entire failure. Yester- day morning all the transports were loaded, the troops put on board, and we moved out of the Yazoo. We have had no fighting since I last wrote, but have had some grand preparations for fights. Since yester- day afternoon it has rained almost constantly, and the men have suffered very much, as they are so crowded as not to be able to get shelter. While writing I see quite a number of the fleet moving out again, and probably we shall move soon. The movement seems to be up the river. I do not know where we shall go, and what will be the next move I cannot now conjecture. Every one seems to be discouraged. This has been a very hard expedition, and every one seems to be worn out. Lieutenant Little is quite unwell, and a large number of the men are sick. Colonel Coyl received news to-day that General Vandever HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. i8i had left St. Louis to take conim.nnd of his brignde. He will not find his old brigade, and will not probably take command of it, for he is in General Curtis' corps, while we are in General Grant's. We should like our old colonel to command our brigade, but we have in General Thayer an excellent commander. Colonel Vandevcr having been con- firmed as a brigadier general, there will be vacancies in our regiment to be filled. Sunday Morning. — I am well this morning and in good spirits. We were ordered to move off and camp this morning, but the order is countermanded, though we shall probably move soon — up the river no doubt. Remember we are now in (ieneral Grant's corps. Third brig- ade. Fourth division, right wing. Thirteenth army corps. LETTER NO. CIL [Extract from a letter written by C. H. L., correspon- dent of the Guardian with the Twenty-seventh regiment, under date of December 26, 1862.] Since I wrote last company C has had cause to mourn. One of its best men, and one of the truest soldiers in the army has died. William H. Leuder is no more. He died Tuesday, of typhoid fever, after a sick- ness of but a few days. His loss is deeply felt by the company and by all with whom he was accjuainted. He was buried with military honors, his own company, and soldiers from others, following his remains to the grave. Our excellent chaplain, m an unostentatious way, made a brief but feeling discourse at the grave, and offered a prayer. We then re- turned to camp, Iea\ing William, the noble-hearted, resting in his war- rior giaTe, on the mound shaded by the old oak and chestnut trees. "Soldier rest, thy warfare's o'er." LETTER NO. cm. [Captain Wright's account of the capture of Arkansas Post.] Thursday, January 8, 1863. This morning we find ourselves at the mouth of White river. Most of the fleet is here, and preparations are being made to do something somewhere. It is rumored we are going up White river to attack .Arkansas Post, a place about twenty-five miles up the river. Our breakfast consisted of half a hard cracker and a cup of coffee. As luck would have it, it rained hard enough to soak our crackers and cool our coffee. It is a gloomy day. What makes it more sad, we have two men lying in the boat, dead. They both belonged to the Iowa Fourth, which is on the boat with us. 1 hey will be buried in the woods far away from civilization. Others will soon follow. The expedition to the Yazoo has been very hard upon our men. I believe had we re- mained there a week longer one-half of our men would have died. I never saw men sicken so fast in my life. Two drinks of the water would produce dysentary in six hours. We are ordered to get ready with five days rations, two days cooked, in our haversacks. January 9th. — After breakfast the boats begin to steam up, and at g o'clock we steam up the river. We soon reach the Arkansas Cut Off, where the White debouches into the .Arkansas. Here General Gorman overtakes us in the little steamer Era with a part of the Dubu(;[ue battery from Helena. His fleet joins us in this expedition. It is some consolation to our worn and weary soldiers to know they are not forgotten by the good women of Iowa. Mrs. Whittemyer, the sanitary agent of Iowa, came down yesterday with a boat-load of good things — butter, egg.s, sauerkraut, wines, jellies, etc. They were dis- tributed to-day among the different regiments. Mrs. Whittemyer is considered the solders' angel by the Iowa boys. January loth. — We awake this morning at the sound of the signal. The atmosphere is clear and beautiful. After breakfast the debarka- tion commences, and by 9 o'clock the troops are all landed and formed in line of battle. We formed in an open field and marched up the bank of the river. Six gun-boats move slowly up the stream shell- ing the timber in our front. We are soon in sight of the enemy's line of battle, and can distinctly see them placing their batteries in position on the bank of the river above us. As we file by. General Vandever, who with uncovered head salutes, tells us to put our trust in God — that our cause is just — which receives a hearty response from the Nmlh. We move from the river through a cypress swamp, to get in the rear of the enemy's fortifica- tions. If we. were not accustomed to wade through mud and water up to our middle, we might find some fault, but as it is we have learned to endure all, like good soldiers. The conflict thus far to-day has been principally between the gun-boats and the enemy's batteries. Our left wing has succeeded in turning the enemy's right, and captur- ing their second entrenched works. We are ordered back to the river to its support. Three deserters have just come in and report the enemy ten thousand strong, and expecting a reenforcement of double that number to-night. We shall probably know the truth as to this by to-morrow night. We wade back through the swamp to our starting point, and stack arms. Every man now lakes his supper of hard crackers and coffee. John Brown makes the coffee for our mess to-night and stirs it up with a rail. Everything on this expedition is done — not by rail, but by rails. Steam for the boats of our fleet, cooking for twenty-five thousand men, and even the beds of the soldiers are made with rails. Of course we sleep on the soft side of them. Jesse Barnett, of mess number two, is stewmg a couple of chickens, and just as they were almost half cooked the signal is given to fall in. I had just got a little of the soup in my cup and its delicious aroma had filled my brain with pleasing anticipations oi the coming treat, but the soup was too hot to drink and the chicken too tough to eat. You can easily imagine that a state of acute rebellion existed in the stomach of each member of mess num- ber two. We threw away the soup, snatched a leg out of the pan and munched as we marched. After dark — 7 o'clock. — Cannonading between the gun-boats and batteries makes music for us as we go marching on. The scene is ter- ribly grand. Shells are bursting in the air on all sides of us. One shell took oft the leg of a lieutenant in the One Hundred and Eigh- teenth Illinois, and wounded several others. Another burst in one of the gun-boats and killed thirteen. The night is clear and starlight. We are soon at the point where the enemy's first battery was stationed early in the evening. It was placed on a high bank at the bend of the river, and commanded it for nearly a mile. From this point the scene IS sublime — beautiful beyond description. Lying in the river is the fleet with their signal lights of various colors, mingling their different hues with the reflection of the beautiful bright stars in the water, while a shell would pass like a fiery meteor through the air, leaving a line of splendor in the water and forming one of the grandest sights the eye ever beheld. The night is spent in marching and countermarching through the swamps, seeking a position in the rear of the enemy's forts. I never have seen our men so completely tired out. At every halt they would drop down on the cold, wet ground, and almost instantly were asleep. 1 hope we may not pass through many such scenes. January nth. 4 A. M. — We march into and take possession of the enemy's log barracks, they having left a few hours before, leaving their tents, cooking utensils, provisions, consisting of corn meal, fresh pork and beef, and in fact, everything. In one building were left some three hundred sabres, large Texan knives, shot-guns, etc. Quite a num- ber of their sick were also left behind, showing a complete stampede. We captured only about eighty prisoners, the rest are safe inside of their principal fortifications. Preparations are made to storm them. While we are getting in position again the big guns of the enemy are throwing shot and shell among us. The first shell passed over our heads striking the ground a few rods in our rear, showing that they have got our range pretty accurate. We were then ordered in the rear of the log barracks, and here we are flat on the ground, while the shells are passing over our heads continually. Our heavy batteries are just com- ing up. It has taken them all night and up to the present, 10 o'clock A. M., to reach here, and has delayed the bombardment and given most of the fun to the enemy. Squads are deserting from the rebels and giving themselves up— six of them have just passed to the rear. .As soon as our batteries are ready the ball will open in earnest. Twenty-five thousand men with fixed bayonets are ready for the charge. Twelve o'clock, M. — We are ordered forward in support of the First Iowa battery. The Fourth and .Ninth take the right, and the Thirtieth and Twenty-fifth the left. The battery is in position, and then such a roar of cannonading and musketry commenced as was enough to strike terror to the bravest. As the firing began at all points, cheer after cheer passed from one brigade to another. Amid the terrible fire of the rebel batteries, our columns still pressed forward, while our men were falling on all sides. Just as we formed our line of battle, a shell came whizzing over our heads, making our men dodge like a lot of young ducks. A moment after, as we were attempting a movement by the right flank to get out of the direct range, another came close to our heads, killing General Thayer's horse. The general had just dis- mounted to lead us through the fallen timber. The same shell killed a man who was standing at the head of the wheel-horse of one of the caissons, and wounded several others. This was within five paces of company C, which passed the point of the disaster a few moments af- l82 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. tor the shell burst. But, heedless of the death and carnage around us, we pressed forward. A little further on, we began to meet our poor wounded comrades, who had preceded us ; and, although many of them were severely wounded, they would exclaim as we passed; " Go in, boys, and give them h— 1 1" Three o'clock.— A slight cessation for a tmie, but the firing is soon resumed. The conflict is terrible. Minie balls and shells are flying all around us. A shell passed through a little sapling just over my head, while I stood with my hand holding it— rather a close call. I then stepped a few paces to where the company was lying under a low bank, in the rear of the battery, when a Minie ball, like a bee hum- ming close to my ear, passed on its de.ath errand. I dodged, and was not long in getting on my knees. In the midst of the conflict. General Thayer rode up to Colonel Coyl and said: "Keep out of sight, and wait for orders." One of his aids comphmented the Ninth and the Iowa troops generally very high- ly. Soon after. General Steele, the commander of our division, came dashing up, saying the decisive hour had come, the fort on the river bank had been silenced. A charge was ordered to be made on the right, to complete the victory. Every man was in his place and anx- iously waiting the order to charge. While thus waiting our time, a cheer burst from our left, and was soon echoed from regiment to regi- ment until the woods rang with one glad shout for luiles around. Soon the order to cease firing came along the whole line, and stillness reigned where so lately thundered all the harsh sounds of battle. Af- ter five hours' hard fighting on the second day, the .rebels surrendered unconditionally. We were all ordered to advance, but under far dif- ferent circumstances from what we had expected. We were marched within the fortifications with the stars and stripes, the ensign of liberty, waving over us. We took possession of the fort at the setting of the sun on this beautiful Sabbath evening. Although we gained a great victory, we have to regret the loss of many of our brave boys. Our loss in killed and wounded is about one thousand. The enemy's loss in killed equals ours, although they were behind their breastworks. The loss in the Ninth is light — a few wounded, none killed. Company C, I am glad to say, is all right — not a man of the company left the field. Every man kept his place and did his duty. We took five thousand prisoners, six thousand stand of arms, all their camp equipage, provisions, batteries, mules, wagons— in fact, everything they had, to the value of nearly a million of dollars. I talked with many of them, who appear heartily sick of the war, some even saying they were glad they were taken prisoners. The gun-boats seemed a great curiosity to seme of them, as well as a great terror. We are still in the enemy's quarters. May God comfort the mothers and widows of our noble and lament- ed dead, and soon crown us with a final victory that shall give peace to the country. LETTER NO. CIV. [A little light thrown upon the Holly Springs disaster.] Memphis, Tennessee, January i, 1863. Friend Rich; — 'Your numerous readers have doubtless heard ere this, some of the details of the rebel foray on Holly Springs, which re- sulted so disastrously to the Union forces stationed at that point. It was, perhaps, the most complete surprise that has occurred during the war, and strikingly illustrates the beauty of that policy which confides the management of so important a position to unskilful and incompetent ofiicers. That the force stationed here was by far too small, no one acquainted with the facts will deny. But had they been properly dis- posed, and on their guard, the memorable rout and panic of Friday, December i8th ultimo, would never have taken place. By some strange delusion, those who would have been on the alert, and actuated by a consciousness that they were in an enemy's country, liable at any mo- ment to attack, were lulled into a feeling of security, and allowed the foe to steal quietly upon them. The thunder of his guns, pealing in the gray morning twilight, and shouts of affrighted fugitives with pur- suing horsemen, was the first intimation we had of his .approach. Colonel Murphy, the same man who exhibited so craven a spirit at Mumfordsville, Kentucky, was in command of our forces, consisting of part of two regiments of infantry, and the Second Illinois cavalry No infantry pickets were stationed on the roads, and the citizens of the adjacent country were permitted to come and go as they pleased. The energetic colonel, in the meantime, with an eye to business that promised personal emolument, plunged deeply into the cotton specula- tion, and succeeded, after much labor, expense and anxiety, in piling mountains of bales near the depot, which the rebels have now kindly burned for him. I know that it has been reported in the papers that cavalry pickets have been placed on two of the main roads, at a dis- tance of three miles from the city; and that the rebels succeeded in getting between them without being discovered. Credulous as many of the good people of the north are, I hardly think that they will be found weak enough to believe this story. The attacking party came in on the main road from the east, and were not discovered until they arrived at the depot buildings. I assert, on good authority, that we had no pickets out whatever, while the troops in the city, instead of be- ing detained in the camps, were permitted to quarter where they pleased, and being scattered in all directions, it was impossible to bring them together so as to offer a fair show of resistance. The men fought singly, or in squads; and amid the shooting, yelling and excitement, with a mass of desperate cavalry charging them on the front, rear and either flank, grew suddenly panic-stricken, and, throwing down their guns, quietly surrendered, or, as in the case of your whilom correspon- dent, took with mighty valor to their heels. I believe there are circum- stances in which a m.an is perfectly justifiable in running, and perh.aps I can not better illustrate this position than by relating my own ex- perience in the recent affair at Holly Springs. By the mutation of time and circumstances, I had been ordered from La Grange and instructed to report at Holly Springs. Here medical director Wirtz was fitting up a hospit.al on a grand scale, which was in- tended to accommodate all of the sick of Grant's division, and I was placed temporarily in charge of the stores which had just arrived from the north in vast quantities. We had got everything arranged in tip- top order, the dispensary fitted up, the wards arranged, the bedding dis- tributed, and were ready to receive patients on the morrow. The morrow came, and so did "Van Dorn's ragmuffins, who pitched in with- out ceremony, not even thanking us for placing them so handy. As has been before stated, the attack was made at daybreak, and the hos- pital, which is in the armory building, being near the depot had to sus- tain the first charge. I was in bed and asleep, when, all at once, there rose so wild a yell, that dreams were put to flight, and springing to the window, I soon ascertained the cause of the rumpus. All over the railroad track and around the station house, wild steeds, with wilder riders, were galloping, while the cracking of fire-arms came thicker and faster. At this moment, our colored boy, Jim, rushed into the room, saying; ''Run, cut, massa! de secesh is on us." And away he went through the window, and across the square, in a direction opposite to t'.ie station house, which seemed to be the point of attack. I had not much time for reflection, for the rebels were already swarming around the building, so, grabbing my boots, I proceeded to follow the darkey, \yho, by this tim^, had half a mile the start. About eighty rods from the armory was a ravine filled with bushes, and, if 1 could only reach this undiscovered, I was safe. I always had a holy horror of being taken prisoner; didn't like the idea at all, of being paroled and lying for months in the barracks at St. Louis. Feeling thus, I put the running capacity which 1 had cultivated on the old race-track, at Independence, while drilling with company E, to the best possible use. I had nearly reached the friendly ravine, and was resolving in my mind the practiciibility of making another advance in my toilet, by stopping long enough to pull on my boots, when "Halt, halt!" was yelled out behind, and, at the same time, pistol shots whizzed past in close prox- imity to my head. I ran before; I flew now, and soon reached the desired haven, where I found no less than fifty darkies, who, like my- self, had decided to evacuate. I finally reached the La Grange road just in time to catch a splendid horse, whose rider had probably been shot. Mounting into the saddle, and bidding defiance to the butter- nuts, I rode into the woods. . . . J. C. R. LETTER NO. CV. Camp Reed, near Jacicson, Tennessee, January 21, 1863. Friend Rich: — We are yet in camp here. Since my last, there has been nothing to cheer us; even that "greater light " made to rule the day, has refused its presence in unclouded splendor, but has kept its cheering rays shrouded in deepest gloom. . . . We are doing nothing to expedite the war, as I can observe. The most we do is to guard each other — sometimes a little secesh, and occasionally go on foraging expeditions. We can live here, if we don't die, but I am frank to say I would like to move, and from all I can see, from which it is proper to judge, I think we shall move shortly. The breastworks of cotton, at Jackson, are being torn up and shipped, and soldiers are leaving by almost every train. The opinion prevails in camp, that Jackson is to be evacuated, and that this whole country hereabouts is to be abandoned. There would be many exultant hearts if such should be the case. We want to be, though but a handful of men, in that grand army that shall move irresistably forward to shatter the defences HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 183 of the Gibraltar of the west. We are anxious to be present at the grand battle soon to be fought at Vicksburgh, and, from present indi- cations, our wishes may be gratified. The place, which, if taken, would, so says Jeff Davis, sever in twain the Confederacy, and for which they must all fight as the last hope of deliverance, must be torn from rebel clutches. . . . The boys are all as well as could be expected under the circumstances. Captain Miller, of company H, has the rheumatism so badly as to be unfit for duty. Captain Noble, of company C, has been unwell, and Lieutenant Sill is quite unwell now. I hope my next may be written under a brighter sky, and with a better prospect of doing something. C. H. L. LETTER NO. CVI. [The following letter was doubtless written by one of the officers of the Twenty-seventh regiment, but for rea- sons which will be obvious upon a perusal of its vigorous arraignment of those in authority, was at the time pub- lished without a signature. — E. P.] Hi!:Anv>L.ARTiiRs Twenty-seventh Iowa, Camp Reed, \ NEAR Jackson, Tennessee. February 3, 1863. j Friend Rich :— There has just been sent to these headquarters an order of which the following is a copy: "Headquarters Second Brigade, District of Jackson. ) Tennessee, Camf Reed, February 3, 1863. j "Spvtiai Order No. 7. "The commanding officer of the One Hundred and Third regiment. Illinois volunteer infantry, and the commanding officer of the Twenty- seventh regiment. Iowa volunteer infantry, v>'\\\ forthwith make a detail of ten men fiom each of their respective regiments to make rails and rebuild the fence south of their encampment, and owned by Mr. Park- man, which has been destroyed since the encampment of these regi- ments in their present locality. " This detail will be made as far as possibit- from those who destroyed said fence, if they can be ascertained; if not, from the different com- panies equally. " By command of "C. L. Dunham, "Colonel commanding brigade. "To Colonel James J. Gilbert. "Commanding Twenty-seventh regiment, Iowa volunteers. "John R. Simpson, "Acting Assistant Adjutant General." The italics are as in the original. This order involves the splitting of about three hundred rails by the two regiments, and the building of some forty panels of fence. The labor is nothing, but the principle is what grinds. The facts are these; Our brigade moved out to this camping ground January 13th, and after moving and putting up our tents and clearing the ground, it was near night. During the night it commenced to rain and rained twenty-four hours, when the rain turned to snow, audit snowed twenty-four hours, making in all forty-eight hours of storm. After the storm it came off very cold. During this time the regiments used about three hundred rails. We were encamped in the woods and had nothing but green wood to burn, and had to make our fires and cook out of doors. Nothing has been said by Cyms L. Dunham, of the Fiftieth Indiana, who was and is in command of the brigade, until to-day, when we received the foregoing order. What enviable notoriety the aforesaid colonel thinks to gain by such a course, is hard to imagine. What rule of warfare, or order, or reason, author- izes him to issue the same, is more than I am able to tell. It would have been much more to his credit, and at the same lime raised him in the estimation of the soldiers, if. during that storm, he had sent a man to appraise the fence and other rails in the vicinity, and receipted for them, and had them hauled to the regiments and used for fire. Another thing would add immortality to his fame, if, having the power, he would exercise it by taking from the rebels and traitors in this vicinity some of their fat cattle and hogs for the use of his men, who are compelled to live on tainted meat. Here we are, in the heart of rebeldom, where there is plenty of everything necessary to the health and comfort of the men, and yet they are often furnished with rations unfit for use. It was a maxim with Napoleon, and with all good gen- erals, that the soldier was to be well fed and well clothed. But in these latter times a general in the field, or a colonel commanding a brigade, in violation of the letter and spirit of the laws of Congress, and the general orders from the War Department, compel their soldiers to live on food unfit for dogs, while they guard the stores of their enemies; and to cut gieen wood, even during inclement storms, to cook this said meat with. And the aforesaid colonel, or general, or both, live in fine houses, with servants to wait upon them , and receive presents from the rebels in and about this place, for which we give them protection. This is the reason we are so long in putting down this rebellion. If it had been, or was now, the policy of the generals in the field to use every means in their power to hunt the rebels, and in an authoritative manner take whatever there is in this country to subsist our armies upon, and then keep them moving in the direction of the enemy, it would be far better for our cause, and much more to the injury of the southern confederacy. Our trip into Mississippi demonstrated the fact that the people of the south, where they have not been overrun by the enemy, have enough to live upon. Twenty thousand men in a body could, by using due pre- cautions, subsist upon the rebels, and move from Corinth to Mobile. By such a course we could destroy the communications between the rebels in the east and in the west; and with thirty thousand men in the rear, and our ships of war in front, we might capture the rebel stronghold in a short time. This would hurt the rebellion in more ways than one, and would at the same time give heart and vigor to our men. As it is, men and officers are disgusled and discouraged with the inactivity that we are now undergoing. They came here with the hope of doing something to put down the rebellion. They want to be set to work to crush it out. They want to do it now, and return to their homes, their families, and their avocations. But we are apt to think that splitting rails to repair secesh fences, living on spoiled pork in a country that abounds in plenty of good cattle and hogs, lying inactive in malarial camps until more fall by dis- ease than on the battlefield, is not quite the treatment that patriots had a right to expect. LETTER NO. CVH. Camp Reed, February 4, 1863. Friend Rich :— Our rain of two weeks is followed by a cool, pure, bracing atmosphere ; cool enough to remind us of Iowa winters, but moderating, under the influence of a southern sun, until we think of the gentle breezes of a mild April day. There has been no movement of importance since I wrote you last. Each day we forage or do picket duty, as routine requires or generals decide. Five companies of the regiment were yesterday detailed to go to Henderson Station, a point on the railroad, distant about twelve or fifteen miles Corinlhward, to act as guard for a forage train. They took two day's rations, and were under command of Major Howard. The health of the regiment is improving. There are now about one hundred and forty on the sick list, and some few at the hospitals in the city. One hospital is quite comfortable, yet most of the sick remain in quarters and report to the surgeons for treatment daily. In the city here there are several hospitals, where the sick are as kindly cared for as they can be away from home and home friends. T"he large and fine building, formerly occupied as a female seminary, is now converted in- to a hospital. A court martial is being held in Jackson. Lieutenant Colonel Lake is in attendance. Of the business appertaining to it I have not tried to learn. It is, however, evidently quite extended, and may result in good to the army hereabouts. We have lived long enough in this land of military government, to understand something of the policy pur- sued by some of our leaders. I have never yet, with but one excep- tion, indulged in complaint against any one in any way connected with our army, in any of my communications. But an order which came to-day, tries my patience, and I must be allowed the privilege of per- mitting my thoughts to run away with my pen, and tell the simple story of our wrongs. A week or so ago there was a heavy fall of snow. There was no dry wood in the vicinity that could be obtained by our troops. The only chance forgetting it was from some green oak trees at hand. A neighbor lived hard by and his fence was near our camp. Our orders were not to get rails from the fence, and the boys say they did not, but some of the rails have been taken. The owner of these was one Paikman, whose loyalty I do not call in question ; but it does seem to me that, if he was a good union man, he would be willing to sacrifice a few rails for the benefit of the preservers of his property and his liberties. The order came to-day for our men to take their axes forthwith and rebuild that fence. The order was received with evident dissatisfaction by all the officers and men. Colonel Gilbert was sorry that such an oider was issued, and would have given hundreds of dol- lars to have saved his men the disgrace of building that fence. Our regiment to-day is rebuilding the fence, but in a manner satisfactory to themselves. Now is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous i84 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Struggle for liberty? Did the patriots who now fill our armies imagine that they were to wear their lives away on southern soil for such a pur- pose as this? Verily they did not. The fact in the case is simply this: There are too many, vastly too many traitor-like, treason-sympathizing devils among our leaders. A Murphy at Holly Springs could sleep re- posedly under the shadow of his cotton bales, though warned of his danger, until his little force was surprised and taken prisoners. * * * Later : — The five companies detached to Henderson Station for the purpose of foraging, have not returned yet. Two of the five have gone some miles below Henderson to remain there for a few days. Those at Henderson, as do those below, are enjoying themselves quite well, Uving well, and being quartered in such receptacles as they have hastily constructed of loose boards and shingles. Lieutenant Rupee, of company C, is acting adjutant of the detachment, and reports to headquarters semi-weekly, on Sundays and Wednesdays. How long they will remain we do not know. Their tents and camp equipage are here. Colonel Dunham, commanding the brigade, will, it is hoped, soon reunite the regiment, that we may again appear on drill and dress- parade, in all the pomp of days of yore. This morning two other companies, R and F, were ordered to Jackson for provost guard until further orders. They struck tents, loaded their baggage and reported at the provost marshal's office at the court house. It is hoped, by those who remain in camp, that they will soon return. No doubt they will like their new duty until the novelty is worn away, and then they will be anxious to revisit their old comiades. Only three companies are now left in ramp. H, C, and D. Captain Miller of company H, has been on the sick list for some time, his complaint being rheuma- tism. The command of the company devolves on the first lieutenant, O. Whitney, a good officer, and a long loved friend. Lieutenant Don- nan is, and has been for some time, at brigade headquarters, as act- ing aid-de-camp, on acting brigadier Dunham's staff. He is well liked up there, and appears to be, in turn, well pleased. Orderly Wilcox met with an accident a few days ago. Being unskilled in the use of an ax, in attempting to prepare wood for a fire, he struck the ball of his foot with the ax, injuring it quite senously. Sergeant Smyzer is acting as orderly for Colonel Dunham. Mr. Woodward of company H is cooking at brigade headquarters, and G. Fuller of company C is clerking there. Captain Noble is well, and in the absence of officers, has been officer of the day for consecutive days. Lieutenant Sill is quite unwell, and is in the hospital. Lieutenant Hemmenway is healthy and stirring. Orderly Poor is always on hand to perform his duties. I would I had room in this sheet for the name of each noble man of the two companies from your part of the county, and also for a statement, which if just, would be very creditable to them. • C. H. L. LETTER NO. CVIII. Helena, Arkansas, February 5, 1863. Friend Rich: — It may be amusing to some of your non-miUtary readers to note some of the various subterfuges resorted to in the army to accomplish certain ulterior objects. Among other things it is amus- ing to watch the by play in sending flags of truce between the opposing armies. In nine cases out of ten the ostensible business of the flag is nothing but a subterfuge, the real object being to obtain all the informa- tion possible concerning the position and movements of the enemy. The usual fit out of the Confederacy, as they present themselves at our posts, is, one colonel or major, one captain or lieutenant, and six to ten enlisted men, all evidently gotten up for the occasion, in uniforms, but betraying the fit up in the fact that no two of them are uniformed alike. All are profuse in militaiy buttons, but of different nationalities — Eng- lish, French, United States. The men areall selected for theirsizeand military appearance, and this selection usually results in producing three out of every four Texans, most of them New England bom, en- terprising, daring, robust fellows, men whose personal acquaintance you are very apt to make in a fight, before you see any of the sallow, cadaverous natives of Dixie. All are mounted upon United Slates horses, captured from us, and ditto for their arms and horse equip- ments. When in our camp, if allowed to enter, they are treated to the best the camp affords in eatables and drinkables, everybody being pro- fuse in apologies about the fare, out of rations just now. elc. Which statement, coupled with the visible profusion, causes the rank and file of the Confederacy to stare in blank astonishment, but doubtless the officers all understand the ruse. In return for all this, when we are about to send out a flag, a private order is sent to the different regiments to furnish so many of their larg- est and finest looking men, mounted on the finest Confederate horses. A new issue is made of selected uniform clothing, with arms cleaned and polished to perfection, and it is not uncommon to see captains and lieutenants in the escort, in the uniform of privates, and perhaps doing duty as grooms or orderlies. And this often gives the officer in com- mand a chance for some amusement at their expense, and you may be sure he exacts prompt attention to their assumed duties. In displays of this kind we can eclipse the Confederacy. Seeing one of our pri- vates in full dress usually calls out the mquiry from a native Arkansite, what rank the uniform betokens. Our friend, Joe Williams being, questioned in regard to his rank, when in Brownsville on escort duty, replied, "I expect to be governor of Arkansas soon; but, at present, I am a high private in squadron B, Fourth Iowa cavalry." Much is continually being said about the thieving propensities of the soldiers, and most of it is true, for it could not well be overstated. The fact is, one thief will set a whole regiment to stealing. It begins in this way: one man steals some of the articles belonging to a soldier's outfit, the second man retaliates by picking up the first article of the kind which he finds " lying around loose;" and •s.o ad infinitum, until nothing is safe unless your hand is upon it. But still it is true that the morals of some regiments is much below that of some others. While brigaded with and camped alongside the Ninth Iowa, property of all kinds was unmolested, but the moment the Thirty-fourth Indiana came into our brigade everything disappeared as if by magic. The Thirteenth Illinois and Fourth Iowa infantry stand preeminent in feats of purloining, and which of the companies really excelled the others was an open question until a circumstance which occurred a few weeks smce decided the contest in favor of the former. Both regiments lost each a man by death in one night. In the morning a squad of men was detailed in each regiment to dig a grave for their comrade. The detail from the Fourth were first on the ground, and that from the Thirteenth approaching and seeing the work of their neighbors pro- gressing satisfactorily, quietly withdrew until the grave was completed, and then, wisely timing their operations, they brought the body from the Thirteenth, buried it, and retired. Judge the amazement and dis- comfiture of the rightful proprietors of the grave when they arrived soon after, to find "love's labor lost." This is a tough story, but it actually occurred. Did space permit I might relate many characteristic doings, varying from the most piquant and harmless wit, to another class of questiona- ble propriety, not to say downright impiety and blasphemy. But as I am afraid the reputation of the army as a whole would not gain by these revelations, I. refrain, and subscribe myself, as ever. Yours truly, George B. Parsons. LETTER NO. CIX. Headquarters Twenty-seventh Regt. Iowa Vols., ) Camp Reed, Jackson, Tenn., February 10, 1863. j Friend Rich: — You will perceive that the Twenty-seventh is still in the vicinity of Jackson, a yery snug little town in a peaceful time, but at present presenting a rather dilapidated appearance in many respects. The streets are not in a very good condition, as they have been cut up for the purpose of entrenching and barricading against sudden surprise. There are long lines of breastworks built entirely of cotton bales, which encumber and destroy the beauty of the walks and grounds. We don't seem now to be threatened with attack by any large force at this place, therefore we employ ourselves, most of the time, in getting in Jeff Davis' corn crop, and, as it is pretty large, there will be employment for our brigade for some time to come. I begin to fear that Jeff has forgotten to publish any proclamation in reference to getting in a new crop; I hope, therefore, that some of his northern sympathizers will remind him of this. And let them bear in mind, too, that there will be a few rails to split, as the fences are in shocking bad condition. They will find it pretty hard to let a contract, as most of the darkies went off on a visit about the first of the year and have not yet returned. Now I would like to give a little advice to a cer- tain class of people who are just now making a great clamor. They evidently think that, by scattering the seeds of treason among the sol- diers, they will get tired and begin to denounce the war; but in this they will be gloriously mistaken. We enlisted for the war and to whip the rebels, and will do it or die trying. That pitiful cry of "Peace" is all a sham. The rebels of the south have more manliness than that. They don't ask for any peace short of their independence. No, they must be conquered— whipped, if you like the phrase better— and it would have been accomplished ere this had it not been for this horde of northern traitors. . . . The true sentiment of the sol- dier will soon begin to he transmitted to the north, and you will find this to be a universal cry — "Conquer, or die." When the rebels come up and lay down their arms, and deli\er up their leaders, then I say HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. i8s Peace," and not till then. One or two good victories more and you will see the planters of Tennessee and northern Mississippi begin to cry, "Hold, enough." I tell you, Mr. Rich, that the prospect of rais- ing a crop in this country to feed the citizens alone is out of the ques- tion entirely for the coming season, let alone the feeding of the rebel army. This state of things cannot last long. The rebel government was never in so bad a condition before, and the worse the condition, the louder the talk. This is why Mr. Foote talks so loud about a sepa- ration between the west and the New England States, and leaving the latter out in the cold. Now this looks cruel in him — and then the States west of the Rocky mountains he gobbles down all at once for his own benefit. Doesn't it look as though they needed all these States in order to give them room to spread themselves in ? They have now scarcely room enough to die in. They see the ground fast sliding from under them. Mark my words, they are just gone up, but they will die hard. Well, we have not had a fight yet, but we are not to blame for this. Somehow or other we cannot catch the rebels, they always step out at the back door as the Twenty-seventh goes in at the front. We had the pleasure of helping to drive Generals Pemberton and Price across the Tallahatchie, and also of driving General Forrest over the Tennessee river, both times getting within cannon shot of them. At Parker's Cross Roads we were a few hours too^ate. These lare some of the rea- sons why we have not been in a fight. ... I know one lit- tle company of fifty men that never seemed in better spirits than when they expected to be attacked every moment by an overwhelming cavalry force, but they came only within bugle-hearing of us. But enough of this. I will give my word for it, that the Twenty-seventh will neither dishonor its flag or its State. The only complaint I have heard of the Twenty-seventh is that they march too fast for the artillery and cavalry. This could not be helped under certain circumstances, as, for instance, when, on our last march, the boys were homeward bound, and had left three days' rations in their tents. There is nothing to save this south- ern country from famine. In less than eighteen months, unless they lay doM n their arms in time to plant this coming season, we of the north will have to feed them with Yankee corn and pork. A great many of the planters begin to look at it in rather a serious way — their last crop is raised until the war closes. J. D. Noble. Camp of the Fifth Iowa, near Memphis, Ten.vessee, ) February 13, 1863. ) Mk. Editor: — You wished to hear from company E in the absence of your regular correspondent, and I will try to relieve the monotonv of camp life, for there is a subject to contemplate at present, of suffi- cient interest to break the spell which seems to charm the soldier into listlessness and inaction in his tent, while off duty. Yes, there are many grave and important subjects to contemplate, the consideration of which is due to the soldiers in the field and in the camp, as well as to the statesman in the halls of Congress. He who has left home, friends and connections, and exchanged all for the tented field, to fight the battles of his country, should have an expres- sion in the great questions now agitating, I might say convulsing, the nation. I believe, with few exceptions, the army is satisfied that no better system can be inaugurated for conducting the war than the present; and I believe also that if appropriations for that purpose were judi- ciously expended, and the armies propeily officered and wisely ap- pointed and managed, the question in regard to our national existence would soon be settled. Mistakes have been made, but notwithstanding, our armies have been crowned with many signal victories, and I believe before many months pass our old flag, the original stars and stripes, will again float to the breeze, all over our broad land. At present I think we have more to fear from the enemies of the Government in our rear than from those in our front. Those in our rear, called by the soldiers "northern Tory Democrats," who seem to be doing all they can to embarrass the administration and give success to the rebellion, will eventually receive their reward with the common traitors of our country. The soldiers often express themselves in bitter terms, and how could it be otherwise, against the traitors at home, and say the whole nation shall be renovated, as they can see no distinction between traitors north and traitors south; and they feel that they could willingly sacrifice all, their lives if need be, to know that they were be- queathing to their children a country free from the foul stain of trea- son, secession and slavery. Yes, the old flag shall again wave, though torn and tarnished in many a battlefield, and nations yet unborn will honor the starry ensign of the American Union. The prospect of the return of our much beloved and esteemed friend. Lieutenant A. B. Lewis, has occasioned no little pleasure throughout the entire company. We have, from our first acquaintance, held him in high regard, but more especially since the battle of luka. Lieuten- j ant Lewis will be remembered and honored for his gallant conduct on that memorable day, and though we have feared that the wound there received would prove fatal, thank God we are to be agreeably disap- pointed; and. if nothing transpires more than we know of now, in two or three weeks he will be again in command of the heroic little band that stood by him so nobly on that fearful but triumphant battlefield. The name of the gallant Fifth Iowa is heralded far and wide for its heroism at luka. May other stars be added to the galaxy which she may emblazon upon her flag. Our worthy captain, D, S. Lee, Lieutenant White, with all the boys in that engagement, gained immortal honor; but John Towie, a private, gained a hero's grave. May his memory be cherished by all. The general health of company E is good. Our camp is three miles south- east of Memphis, where we are awaiting orders to move down the river to Vicksburgh. The paymaster has arrived to-day. George B. Sitler. LETTER NO. CX. Washington's Birthday, Camp Reed, 1863. [A pertinent address to the Twenty-seventh, which does infinite honor to all concerned in its preparation and delivery.] Friend Rich: — . . . This is the anniversary of the birth of Washington. The troops of the district of Jackson were paraded under arms at ri o'clock A. M., and the following extract from the fare- well address of the father of his country was read : "To the efficiency and permanency of your Union a government for the whole is indispensable. No aUiance, however strict, between the parts can be an adequate substitute. They must inevitably experience the infractions and interruptions which alliances in all times have ex- perienced. Sensible of this momentous truth, you have improved upon your first essay, by the adoption of a constitution of government, bet- ter calculated than your former for an intimate union, and for the effi- cacious management of your common concerns. This government, the offspring of your own choice, uninfluenced and unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature deliberation, completely free in its principles, in the distribution of its powers, uniting security with en- ergy, and containing within itself provision for its own amendment, has a just claim to your confidence and support. Respect for its authority, compliance with its laws, acquaintance in its measures, are duties en- joined by the fundamental maxims of liberty. The basis of our polit- ical system is the right of the people to make and alter their constitu- tions of government; but the constitution which at any time exists, until changed by an explicit and authentic act of tlje whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all. The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government, presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government." -At T2 o'clock M., a national salute of thirty-four guns was fired. This brigade was reviewed by Colonel C. L. Dunham, of the Fifth In- diana, at I o'clock p. m., and thus closed the animating exercises of the anniversary of the great and good Washington. C. H. L. LETTER NO. CXI. Camp Reed, [ackson, Tenne.ssee, February 27, 1863. Friend Rich: Your most welcome Guardian of Febru.ary nth reached us last evening, and, in looking over its well-filled columns, my eye very naturally fell upon an article wTitten as correspondence from our regiment, headed as follows: "Headquarters Twenty-seventh Iowa Regiment, 1 J-i^cKSON, Tenne.ssee, February 7, 1863. 1 "Friend Rich: There has just been received at these headquar- ters an order — " He quotes the order, which is in regard to splitting some rails, and then makes some astonishing remarks and assertions relative to Colo- C. L. Dunham commanding the brigade. Now I have not troubled you with a line since we left home; but there are a few statements in that article which ought not to remain before the minds of our home friends unreplied to and uncontradicted. The anonymous correspondent, after referring to the rain and snow storm of January r4th and 15th, (and I fully appreciated it, for with some fifty others I faced the very worst of it neariy two miles just after daylight, without either supper or breakfast) makes the following impudent and untruthful assertion: "Nothing has been s.aid bv Colonel Cvrus Dunham, of the Fiftieth 1 86 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Indiana, who was in command of this brigade, until to-day, when we received the foregoing order." Now this brigade was organized Janu- ary ii, 1863, and on the very day that the regiments moved to this camp, was issued general order number three, the first and fourth par- agraphs of which are as follows: "IT IS HEREBY OKDERED, "First, That the commandants of regiments see that the officers and men of their respective commands do not enter private dwellings or yards, or in any way interfere with private property of any kind, either while in camp or on the march. Fourth, The commandants of regiments will be held strictly respon- sible for the enforcement of this order. By command of C. L. Dlnii.\m," etc. Previous to any trouble on account of interference with private property, this order, dated January 12th was received at our headquar- ters, and every order is read on dress-parade, so all must have known that taking any private property witliout authority was e.xpressly for- bidden, and no permission in this case was asked. Besides, oak wood was then in abundance within five rods of our tents, and although green, was precisely the same kind which the commander then and ever since has burnt, though without "rails." Some of the field offi- cers of the other regiments were sick, and kindly cared for at the house of this Parkman, and their horses were under the shelter of his barn at the time. He may be "secesh, " — I know not, nor care, for my present purpose. Only this 1 know: he has permits from Generals Sullivan and Grant to pass our lines, and has also a safeguard for his property from the commander of this post. It is thus that we disre- garded positive orders, and were liable for disobedience. These are positive facts, and, must, so far as the orders are concerned, have been known to the writer of that article, who surely can be no officer who e.xpects his own orders to be respected aud obeyed, or he would not thus purposely place before the men his own utter disregard for disci- pline and disrespect for his superior officers. But it is doubted by this writer "what rule of warfare, or order, or reason " authorizes such a course. Did he not know that general order number si.x from district headquarters forbid all taking of private property without proper written authority ? that General Grant has issued the same in department general order number fifty-six ? that the same is in order number one hundred and seven from the War De- partment, based upon the fifty-second article of war? that the colonel commanding was responsible for the enforcement of these orders? Must he not also liave known that the brigade was but just organized, and if allowed to transgress orders with impunity it would greatly in- crease the difficulty of enforcing afterwards? We all know that disci- pline is the nerve of the army; without it, we have no power, no success. . . . Any one who knows me will readily concede that no li\ing man can well go beyond me in a readiness to injure the rebels to the furthest possible extent, in any way authorized by military usage. I would take their horses, cattle and hogs, fat or lean, "rails" or "niggers," anything that would be of use to us for our comfort, advantage or protection, or to weaken the treasonable foe; but let it be properly taken and distributed. But to cap the climax, the nameless writer presents our commanding officer to your readers (our old friends are interested to some extent in everything that interests us) as a person having no higher regard for his duty, manhood and honor, than to be capable of granting protec- tion to "secesh" on account of a bribe received from a traitor ! Prob- ably no man, except the aforesaid writer, would sooner level a man who dared approach him in that way than this said Colonel Dunham. It will hardly do for the writer of that article, who has yet to be tried by war's stern discipline, and of necessity has but little military expe- rience, to bring such implications and charges against one who, during eighteen rnonths of hard service, in caring for his own and other regi- ments in camp, and before the hottest fire of the enemy, has earned and maintained among all who know him a character and a reputation as a commanding officer, and as a man, which we may all well strive to maintain. Surely these charges must have been made in a heated moment, and a sober second thought would have greatly changed the tenor of his communication. I have no special regard for Colonel Dunham, know him only slightly, and more, he is an old Democrat, and you know I never liked them very well. But, thank God, be is a fighting Democrat ! Heaven forgive, if possible, the Copperhead: posterity and history never will. The article will fall harmless here, and while I desire not to rasp the feelings of any living person, yet I ain unwilling that our friends should be led to believe that we are commanded by a miserable. insignificant, truckling base tool, when we have, in fact, an acting gen- eral whom we are all proud to follow, and who is everywhere recog- nized as an excellent officer, a man, and a patriot. K\er yours, W. G. DONNAN. LETTER NO. C.XII. C.\Mr Reed, Jackson, Te.nnessee, March 17, 1863. Friend Rich: — ... I think I wrote you in my last that Colonel James M. True was in command of the post, and also in command of our brigade. The troops in the vicinity of Jackson are in an inactive condition. There is but little fighting in the country hereabouts, the enemy both being wily and cautious. Our duties are chiefly picketing — the regiment furnishing six commissioned officers, forty non-commissioned, and one hundred and thirty-five men about once in three days. This gives us a fine opportunity for drill, which is being gladly improved. The regiment is in excellent health and spirits, and with bright prospects for the future. Our last semi-weekly report of effective men was six hundred and eighteen. We have lost another man from company H. Joseph Moore died in the general hospital, at Jackson, two days since. He was a patriot in the best sense of the word, and a pure, consistent Christian. . . Disappointed in the appearance of the paymaster, we are consoling ourselves with the expectation of good news — are looking with eager expectation for the fall of Vicksburgh, and for the triumph of our cause in other sections. Beautiful spring weather has set in, the roads are becoming good, and if there is not a vigorous spring campaign we shall be both deceived and disheartened. Every patriot is trembling in eager impatience for a successful termination of this bloody contest within the next few short months. LETTER NO. CXIIL Same, March 23, 1863. We have had some excitement within the past few days. You have doubtless been informed ere this time, by telegraph, that the guerillas, on last Saturday, tore up the track for a short dis- tance between here and Memphis, designing to capture the paymaster, who was to pass over the road on that day. But a rail or two were torn up, and the gtierillas lay in ambush at the cur\'e of the road, anxiously waiting for the train which was to bring their expected prize. Fortunately the first train was a wood train, havmg on board a few negroes as laboreis, and a sufficient force of white men to run it. It came round the curve and was thrown from the track, when a band of desperadoes made their appearance, burned a number of the cars and succeeded in capturing those on board. While engaged at this, the paymaster's train came in sight. When the turn was made the engin- eer saw at a glance that there was trouble ahead. Instantly he reversed the steam. The paymaster, who had on board a large sum of money, became frightened, and, with a captain, jumped from the train, leaving his money all on board. The engineer hesitated not a moment, but ran his engine with all possible dispatch to a place of safety, leaving Mr. Paymaster and captain in the hands of the guerillas. It will be a source of pleasure to all to know that our muskets are to be exchanged for Enfield rifles. Your readers will remember that but two companies {A and B) were supplied witli rifles when we first started out. .AH the others had Prussian muskets. There was no little dis- satisfaction with them when they were furnished to us at Dubuque, and Colonel Gilbert has availed himself of every opportunity to exchange the muskets for rifles; and now our -whole regiment is to be armed with guns, behind which a soldier may stand with some safety, and before which the enemy will fall. Ancient and modern warfare have depended to a great extent on the kind and use of weapons. We now have the right kind, and are being perfected in the use of them in our daily squad, company and battalion drills. Six hundred effective lowans, with effective weapons, would, if they imitated the bright ex- amples of their preceding compatriots, be a wall impregnable to traitors. Good news cheers the heart of the loyal man at the north, but it sends a thrill! of joy through the soldier's heart which is inexpressible. With what intense interest do we watch our fleet as it winds its way along under the over-arched, foliage-covered Yazoo Pass. How our hearts leaped last night with exultation at the news that our iron-clads had passed Port Hudson, and had reported to our out-posts below Vicksburgh. But if we are defeated, our devotion will rekindle, and the smothered fires of liberty will break forth in new and fiercer flames. C. H. L. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 187 LETTER NO. CXIV. Headquarters Twenty-Seventh Regiment Iowa Vol-'j UNTEER Infantry, > Camp Reed, Jackson, Tennessee, March 23, 1863. ) Friend Rich; — I clipped the following from the Chicago Tribuue of the 17th instant: " Political Movements. — It is said that a caucus of leading Dem- ocrats was held in the executive chamber on Monday — Governor Sey- mour in the chair. It is also said that resolutions were adopted in favor of cutting loose from Fernando Wood & Co., and making the Democratic party the 'out-and-out' war party of the country. It is said that Governor Seymour talked warmly in favor of the new platform, and talked gunpowder and artillery in a manner which cannot fail to produce reflection at Richmond. It is also said that John Van Buren, in his late speech in New York, represented the views of Governor Seymour. — Albany Statesman." If that rumor is true, and the Democrats of New York will do what it is rumored the leaders of the party in that State are talking of doing, they will earn for themselves an enviable reputation. True, it is now rather late to commence talking about making the Democratic party the "_out-and-out"' war parly; and this is no time to talk of any parties, except patriots and traitors; but the old maxim is, "While the lamp holds out to burn," etc., etc. What the men now in the held want to see is a united north on the question of crushing out this rebellion. They care not what name those take who are for prosecuting this war to a successful termination, but they want it prosecuted until the rebels cry "hold, enough. " They want no peace propositions except such as come from the rebels by their laying down their arms and returning to their usual avoca- tions. They want no armistice except that which follows a permanent peace. They have been from home long enough, and are desirous to return. But they started to accomplish a great object, and have no idea of returning until their labor is accomplished. Nor have they any idea of resting quietly on their oars for six months, to afford their op- ponents a chance to gather new strength and concert new plans for resistance. W'ith a united north the army of the Union will, in less than six months, have so far penetrated into the interior of Rebeldom that to be an open and avowed secessionist will be very unsafe, even in Missi- ssippi or Georgia. There is but one sentiment in the army, so far as I know, and that is: "Down with the rebellion at whatever cost of men and money." If Governor Seymour, of New York, means what he is reported to have said, let him immediately put into the field the thirty-five thou- sand that that State lacks of her quota of the six hundred thousand called for last August; and let him show his good intentions by ten- dering to the President his sympathy and hearty cooperation in the war. Such an act, coming from such a source, will do much to arouse the enthusiasm of the men now in the field, and would be equal to the addition of an hundred thousand men to our army. Many of the soldiers that hail from the west, are natives of the State of New York, and they dislike to hear it said that their native State is behind in making up her quota of men for this war. There- fore let Seymour say in public, and in an authoritative manner, what he is reported to have said in a quasi-secret pohtical caucus, and he will wonder that so much depends on the opinion of one man. Then let all the Democrats in the loyal States follow in his wake, and there will be no need of a call for men by the President under the conscript act. The authorities at Richmond have been so frequently snubbed abroad, that they have given up all hope of assistance from foreign sympathizers. Now let the Democrats of the north make the copper- heads hunt their hole, if they have one, and the rebels will yield with- out another struggle. Thus it is in the power of the Democrats to make that name once more honored and revered as the great beacon word of liberty and union, now and forever. Will they do it? The soldiers of the Union army, now in the field, wait to see. Yours, truly, Jed Lake. LETTER NO. CXV. the end of railing Camp Reed, Jackson. Tennessee, March 31, 1863. Friend Rich; — It seems that the .anonymous letter published in the Guardian a few weeks since, regarding an order issued by Colonel C. L. Dunham, recjuiring the Twenty-seventh regiment to split rails to replace some that had been burned, caused considerable speculation at headquarters, and called forth a reply from our worthy friend , Lieu- tenant Donnan. Before answering the letter it would be well, perhaps to state the situation of the Twenty-seventh Iowa, at the time the rails were used; as there is no doubt they did use a part, though I doubt if they used all the one hundred and fifty rails as charged. Our regiment came into camp at Camp Reed, the thirteenth of Jan- uary last. Immediately after coming into camp, there came on a heavy snow storm, covering the ground to a depth of full six inches, which remained several days. On our march from Memphis to the Tallahatchie river, the division quartermaster took nearly all the axes we had in the regiment to clear the road and build bridges, and we never saw them afterward. Com- pany C had three or four axes that had not seen a grindstone for weeks and that had been used indiscriminately to cut wood, rails, frozen ground, and stones. Other companies were no better off. As Mr. Donnan says, "here was plenty of wood to be had for the cutting,' but we were in a sorry plight to cut it, and when cut it was all green. Not a stick or twig of dry wood was to be had to kindle a fire with, ' except the aforesaid rails. Any of your readers who have ever made the attempt to kindle a fire from a match with nothing but greenwood, know it is no easy matter. Add to this the fact that we were out of doors, in the midst of a severe snow storm, and you can readily imagine that it was of first importance that fires should be built at once, and that building them of green wood covered with snow, was not an agreeable task. It was under such circumstances that the rails were taken. I am no advocate of indiscriminate plunder, though I do believe, fully and emphatically, that it is the duty of every Union gener.al to subsist his army upon the enemy; and I doubt the loyalty of any leader who refuses to do so. I do not blame Colonel Dunham, after he had issued his order, for insisting that it should be obeyed; nor do I understand that the writer of the anonymous letter blames him for it. Military discipline requires that every order must be obeyed. What I claim would have been a better course, would have been for Colonel Dunham to send the quartermaster to get the rails for the boys to kindle their fires with, and to receipt for them. Had this been done not a rail would have been taken by the Twenty-seventh. The colonel would have gained the good will of all, and the owner of the rails, if a Union man, could have had his pay for them. Up to the time of writing this letter, Lieutenant Donnan had been, most of his time, after his rettirn on the fifteenth of February, on Colonel Dun- ham's staff, and had never been detailed to go foraging with the regi- ment. Those who did go say that there were plenty of hogs and cattle to be had, on a proper requisition from headquarters. I have written these few lines because I thought justice to the Twenty- seventh demanded it. The men who compose it went out from you with honesty of purpose; they will return to you with their honor unsullied. They bear the "good old flag" — they are not marauders. They respect their officers and are submissive to military authority; and when the day comes the men of the Twenty-seventh believe their ofiicers will lead them into the deadly fray with all the coolness of tried veterans, and the officers are confident that their men will follow them till the " red field is won," and the star spangled banner waves in triumph over sea and land. Respectfully, yours, E. P. Baker. LETTER NO. CXVI. J.vcKsoN, Tennessee, .^pril 7, 1863. Friend Rich: — By order of James M. True, colonel commanding this post, a council of administration, to consist of Colonel James P. Gilbert, Twenty-seventh regiment Iowa volunteer infantry. Lieutenant Colonel Robinson, of the Sixty-second Illinois, and Colonel Mitchell, of the Fifty-fourth Illinois, was appointed to dispose of the efl'ects of deceasednon-commissioned officers and soldiers. The council, upon consultation, concluded to sell all such articles at auction to the highest bidder. Of course they sold very much below cost, as clothes of deceased soldiers, who had lain for months, perhaps, in the hospital, were not likely to be highly prized. Besides the soldiers could not buy; for all are loaded at all times with the last pound of baggage they can conveniently carry. The citizens, almost all of whom are, I doubt not, at heart secessionists, did not feel disposed to buy; for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. The property of one hun- dred and fifty-three deceased soldiers was sold, by order of the council, and brought the sum of three hundred and ninety dollars and seventy cents. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Our arms were inspected the other day by Lieutenant Hunter, of General Kinball's staff, and one hundred and fifty pieces were con- demned. I wrote you some time ago that there was to be an e.tchange of arms. Our quartermaster, who, as I informed you, was taken pris- oner when the raid was made on the train, was at Memphis that day to effect the change, but did not, at that time, succeed. C. H. L. THE 1 Vazoo V 15, 1863. j letter no. cxvil On Board the Steamer Henry Cl.iy, Moored on Mississippi River, Near the Mouth of the Y River, March Readers of the Guardian: — .As many of you are interested in the movings and doings of the Iowa Ninth, and especially in those of company C, 1 will give you a few desultory notes. Our regiment has been quite active since we came down to Vicks- burgh the second time. It is always ready to take part in the various duties that arise from the ever-changing circumstances of war; be it building corduroy roads, digging canals or "cut offs," or what not. The canal or "cutoff" south of Vicksburgh, commenced last summer, was abandoned by our troops after spending much hard labor on it. The entire thing was planned on too small a scale. Several weeks since a new "cutoff" was projected on a grander scale, and thous,ands of men put to work on it day and night. The soldiers and contrabands worked at the e.xcavation like beavers; and now the project is begin- ning to show its feasibility. At present several dredge boats are finish- ing the work by deepening and widening the channel. The object of this "cut off" is to afford a passage for our transports below the city of Vicksburgh, so as to enable our forces to get a foothold east of the city. The second "cut off," or Yazoo Pass, is only a short distance below Helena. It is a cut through a large levee that was thrown up years ago to prevent the river, when at high water, from inundating the surrounding country. If this proves a success it will enable our trans- ports to reach a point within twenty miles of the Vicksburgh & Jack- son railroad. By gaining the railroad a tremendous blow will be given to the Confederacy. The third "cut off" is between Lake Providence and the Mississippi river. By this canal boats will be admitted into Lake Providence; and from this lake they reach a system of bayous, creeks, and sloughs, connected with the Mississippi and Red rivers, and giving access to a territory of very considerable e.\tent. By getting possession of these waters, an extensive river communication can be intercepted, cutting off large supplies of various products, cattle, etc., which are now fur- nished the rebels from this region. If this system should prove a success, as is anticipated by naval officers, the city of Vicksburgh can be taken without firing a gun. For the company I would say that on the eleventh instant we re- ceived orders to be detached from the regiment to act as a provost guard on the steamer Henry Clay. On the twelfth the regiment was paid off. This makes the boys feel considerably better. Greenbacks distributed occasionally by the handful, infuses more activity and cheerfulness into the soldiers than platoons of doctors, and cart-loads of medicine. Hurrah for more greenbacks; — and a little more lager beer. This recalls an incident that I must relate. Just before Cap- tain Wright left, he wished to give some tangible evidence of his regard for the members of company C; so two men were detailed with adequate instmctions and the necessary amount of greenbacks, from the generous captain. They soon returned with a half barrel of lager, which, with an ample escort, was introduced into the captain's tent and nicely adjusted for "tapping." There were, as usual, some pre- liminaries to be gone through with — fixing a faucet, giving vent, etc. Lieutenant E. C. Little and Orderly Wilbur were managers. As every- body's mouth was watering for lager, a becoming degree of dispatch was expected of the operators, who, in their eagerness to serve their friends, managed to drop the shut off part of the faucet. ' At first there was a slight fussing and fizzing, and then out came the lager with a vim and impetuosity that is indescribable, squirting and splashing in all directions. The leaders in the fray had too nice a regard for their reputation for valor to retreat, and too nice a regard for the lager to witness the waste, and finally succeeded in getting everything right and the lager tight. The scene was really very laughable (after the beer was safe). The heroes in the strife were completely drenched by this novel battery; but, as they were both well tried soldiers, they did not flinch at the post of duty, but stood up manfully in the fight until the raging tide was turned back, if not completely subdued. The health of the regiment is improving. Company C feels well satisfied with the change. The boys are all of good cheer. M. Harter, Company C, Ninth regiment, Iowa volunteers. LETTER NO. CXVIII. Camp ok the Fifth Iowa, near Helena, Arkan.sas, } April 9, 1863. ) Friend Rich : — Since I wrote you last nothing of startling interest has occurred. We embarked on board the Henry Van Phul, and leav- ing Memphis on the third of March, steamed down the river and landed within a few miles of Lake Providence, some ninety miles above Vicksburgh. Remained there two days, then returned ; landing six miles south of Helena, and thirty from Memphis, in the swamps of .Arkansas. Here we remained until the twenty-third, when we em- barked on board the fine little steamer Armada, and. after due prepar- ation for a hazardous and tedious expedition, we started, and finally entered Yazoo Pass, which winds its way through an impenetrable forest on either side, of cypress, sycamore, Cottonwood, elm and gum, and a thick undergrowth of cane. The stream varies from forty to ' seventy feet in width, and is the crookedest of all the crooked under the sun. Our progress was of necessity very slow, and the manage- ment of our boat required the utmost care and attention. We passed two sunken boats, the Luella and Jenny Lind; but fortunately they were got out of the channel before sinking. We were four days reaching Coldwater, a distance of fourteen miles, and our little boat was much dilapidated by its oft repeated collisions with trees projecting over the stream. The Coldwater is not unlike the pass, except in being a little wider. On the twenty-eighth we were overtaken by the steamer Jennie Bowen, asking the privilege to pass, having on board ammunition and dispatches. On the thirtieth we entered the Tallahatchie some fifty miles from where we entered the Coldwater. This river is much wider and has less obstructions. The day was quite cold, with considerable snow falling. April 2d a drowned man was discovered floating on the river. Colonel Boomer, acting brigadier, ordered his boat to stop, and had the body picked up and buried. We finally landed a few miles from Greenwood, at which point the rebels had planted a bat- tery. This place is one hundred and forty miles from where we en- tered the Tallahatchie. General Ross' division was in the advance, cannonading was heard, and I believe somewhat of an engagement ensued, but the result cannot be learned ; for, about the time we ex- pected a general engagement would commence, Ross' and Quinby's divisions were ordered back ; and, on the eighth of April, we started up stream. Now all this seems strange to the uninitiated (as we ac- knowledge ourselves to be), and, although it is a dull and tedious life when we can see but little accomplished, we yet remember the words of our most excellent President, "its a big job," and destined to bring about great results. We are not discouraged, but have implicit confi- dence that the strong arm and stronger intellect which has led this army on to glorious victory so often, will eventually consummate our hopes in a glorious triumph, and establish peace and happiness. We experienced less difficulty in our return trip, the boat being more easily managed against the current. When we entered Moon Lake, which is only a short distance from the Mississippi, the boys gave three cheers. After getting through the lake there remained about a half mile of the pass to go through before getting into the father of waters, which should be called Moon Lake Pass. This accomplished, the Stars and Stripes were hoisted, and then three more hearty cheers were given. This great river looked to us larger than ever before doubtless on account of our being in the narrow pass so long. We all feel better now, and hope there was more accomplished than we can see at piesent. The cutting of the levee here inundated the whole country through which we passed. We landed about five miles south of Helena, Arkansas. The water has fallen some fifteen inches since we left, which makes our camp more tenable and pleasant. The health of the regiment is good, there being but few in the hospital — mostly cases of diarrhoea. It is hard to tell now what disposition will be made of this part of the army, but we patiently wait, believing that all will be well. George B. Sitler. LETTER NO. CXIX. [Another correspondent of the Guardian, also of com- pany E, gives a graphic account of the same expedition, from which we make some extracts of things "too good to be lost."— E. P.] HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 189 The sound of rebel cannon regales our ears as I write, giving us a strong hint that we have something to do soon. The pickets are within hailing distance, on opposite sides of the river. We have been told that they enquired after "them Iowa boys," and, when told they were coming, gave them three cheers, which is more of a compliment than would be paid to us by a class at home, that should be our friends. These same forces made our acquaintance at luka, and I think it will be lasting. Several large siege guns have just come down — they were brought from Corinth, showing that we are to fight the same men with the same guns. . . . What has been accomplished here so far, I cannot tell. About all I can tell you of the rebels is, that they are here and we are ready to fight them. Next morning we entered the pass from the lake. Now commences the history of our troubles. The channel will average about twenty yards wide, and runs in every conceivable point of the compass. There is a strong current flowing out, which renders a boat almost unman- ageable. The boat is lashed from one side to the other against the trees, the boat generally faring the worse. The Coldwater proved to be but little better. The good captain of the boat seemed to swear as hard at Ben, the mate, and holler "go ahead on the nigger," as often as ever to Bob, the pilot, who had more than the patience of Job. The captain was unceasing in his demands on him. It was a continuous round of "Back her on the starboard," " Come ahead on the star- board," "Catch her up on both. Bob ; " but Bob was always at his post, and always smiling. It can only be accounted for by considering his great size — it requiring a great amount of outward pressure to get two hundred and fifty pounds avoirdupois mad through and through. The term "nigger" is applied to the capstan, which is often used in navi- gating a small crooked stream to draw the bow from the shore. I had never, until coming aboard the Armada, met with this use of the " nigger," and I haven't got Webster here to consult. We found the Tallahatchie quite an improvement, this stream being about the breadth of the W.apsie. There are some fine plantations along its banks. On some of them the negroes were at work in the fields ; they swung their hats and jumped high in the air as we passed on through, certain of a better time coming. Wild game abounds in the swamps which skirt these singular streams. Three of the boys of company E met with quite an amusing accident coming down. They were seated on the outer railing of the boat, which, yielding to their weight, gave way, precipitating them into the river in a heap. Fortunately they were all swimmers, and the boat at the time was floating with the current, so that they were soon pulled on board without much difficulty. The utter ruin of a pack of cards and loss of seventy-five cents in sutler tickets, they informed me, com- prises all the items of damages, which they think must be refunded by the Government, as they were lost in action. S. A. R. letter no. cxx. Camp Reed, Jackson, Tennessee, ) April 20, 1863. I Colonel Gilbert reported last night, at midnight, to Colonel Lawler, who ordered him to march this morning, at 4:30 o'clock, to the Mobile & Ohio railroad depot, with two days' rations. When we received the order we had over two hundred men on picket duty. Major Howard is to remain in camp until the pickets are re- lieved, when he will immediately follow with his forces. Lieutenant Lake is quite sick, and was not permitted to go. I went down with the regiment to the depot, expecting to go on the first train, but was ordered back to camp on business, to follow on the ne.\t train. This gives me a moment's time to write a hasty communication to you. We were paid on Saturday, up to the first of March. The boys were all greatly pleased. Many of them had suffered for want of money to support their families at home. But now all are well satisfied, and go in the direction of Corinth with light hearts to meet the foe. Major Farish, paymaster for the district of Jackson, brought into town about two million dollars, si.xty thousand of which was paid to our regiment. With the money came the intricate question, what shall we do with it? It is not safe to send by express. Adams' express, the only one here, shoulders no responsibility. Many of the Buchanan county soldiers sent their money by Captain Miller, company H, whose resignation has been accepted, and who left yesterday for home. Our estimable chaplain, D. N. Bardwell, in company with Sutler Handy, goes to Cairo to-day, to take the money of the regiment to that place, where he can express it regulaily and safely. C. H. L. [It was estimated that over forty thousand dollars were sent froin the Twenty-seventh regiment after this pay- ment.— E. P.] BUKGH, 1 :hments, y ay 25, 1863. j LETTER NO. CX.XI. In Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, May 28, 1863. Friend Rich; — Below is a list of killed and wounded of company C in the late battles in the rear of Vicksburgh: Killed — Lieutenant H. P. Wilbur, Corporal L. A. Pearsall, Private George l''reeberthyser. Wounded — Captain E, C. Little, Sergeant J. M. Elson, Corporal Reuben Rouse, Alpheus Losey, J. H. Ford, Wil- liam Willey. All were doing well when I left the battlefield on the twenty-fourth. John H. Ford has had his right foot amputated; no other very danger- ous wounds. I have a couple of flesh wounds, but they are doing tip top. E. C. Little. [Lightly as the hero, Little, speaks of his "flesh wounds," in the foregoing letter, one of them (as most of our readers are aware) never completely healed; but, owing perhaps to his persistence in returning prematurely to duty, became incurable; gave him almost ceaseless pain for the rest of his life, and finally caused his death in 1874.— E. P.] LETTER NO. CXXII. Extracts from a letter written by Eli Holland, of com- pany C, Ninth regiment. It is dated — In a Confederate Camp in the rear of Vicksburgh, WITHIN rifle range OF THE ENEMV's ENTRENCHN May : We left Milliken's Bend on the second of May and took a circuit until we reached the Mississippi again, about half way between New Carthage and Grand Gulf. Here we were taken on board boats and went down to Grand Gulf, where we landed, lay one day, and started for Port Gibson. There the rebels where whipped. They made another stand at Raymond, and were again routed by General Logan's division. They next tried to hold the capital of the State but were defeated easier than before. They had no fortifications but rifle-pits, which had been thrown up in one night. The army went into camp one day at Jackson and the city was totally ruined. The troops broke open the stores and took boots, shoes, hats, and clothing, such as we would be allowed to wear There was not a store in the city but was broken open. The teamsters and artillery got harness, and the cavalry got saddles. The quartermasters took boots and shoes and issued them to the regiments. All the tobacco chewers laid in an abundant store of the real "Honey Dew." The roads had been so dusty that all the boys wanted clean shirts, and helped themselves. I was around and took my share. One of the largest manufactories in the south was there and was burned. The depot, with about two million dollars worth of army stores, was burned by the rebels. The next morning we took our way down the railroad towards Vicksburgh, and reached Black river. General Logan, after a short contest, had driven them across the river, but had not been able to prevent them from burning the bridge after them. Our troops put down a pontoon bridge and were crossing a few hours after the retreating enemy. We started from Black river on the nineteenth and kept up the march until we came withing fighting distance of the rebels. Al their forts in the rear of Vicksburgh, the battle commenced at 3 o'clock and was kept up till dark. L. A. Pearsall, of our company, was killed. At night Lieu- tenant Wilbur was on picket, and while going around the lines got too far out, and was shot by one of our own men. He lived four days after the accident and died on the twenty-third. Fighting began again the next morning, driving the rebels from their first fortifications. There has been heavy fighting from the eighteenth until the present, and our skirmishers are out all around watching their chances to pick off the men in the forts where the batteries are planted. On Friday, the twenty-second, there was a charge made on their works at 5 o'clock P. M. The Ninth took the lead at one point but were not supported rightly and were nearly all cut down. Some of the boys had advanced to the breastworks and had to lie there all night. The regiment lost one hundred and twenty men out of two hundred and fifty engaged. Our captain, E. C. Little, was wounded. Company H lost just half its men that went into the charge. The Ninth has been under fire for six days. I had to carry food to the captain, and had to run thirty rods in view of the rebs, where they had as fair a chance to shoot as they could w'ant, but I escaped all their bullets. I think, from appearances, we shall lie in line of battle and keep the enemy from escaping. They will have to give up some time. 190 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. for our line of battle extends all around the place, and our gun-boats and mortars are shelling them night and day. I have just been out to take the boys some dinner, and had to go through a place about five rods in length in full view from their forts. As I was going they shot at me but did not hit me. 1 went on the keen jump, and I tell you no grass grew under my feet. LETTER NO. CXXIII. Moscow, Tennessee, Twenty-Seventh Regiment, 1 June 14, 1863. j" We have been having some trouble of late with the secesh around here. Thursday, in the stillness of the night, a band of guerillas near Coliersville, in the direction of Memphis, destroyed a long trestle work, and carried away, it is reported, three miles of tele- graph wire. On Friday Colonel Gilbert organized a scouting party of thirty or more, and mounted them on mules and horses and went in search of the enemy. When about four miles out, the guerillas, si.'i in number, fired on our rear guard, but missed their aim, and wheeling to run, came in contact with two or three of our boys who were straggling behind the rear guard. Our men, who at the time were effecting a change of saddles, supposing the enemy was approaching in force, beat a hasty retreat for camp. The party proper held on their way to the residence of Colonel A. R. Craddock, of Marshall county, Missis- sippi. One object of the e.vpedilion was to take this man prisoner, as it was asserted and generally believed that he was harboring and feed- ing guerillas. They got the old chap and brought him safely to camp. While near his house the guerillas again made their appearance, and were fired at by our guard under command of Lieutenant Peck. Upon the return of the tliree stragglers to this place, Major Howard ordered out reenforcements under Captain Garber, of company D. The captain hastened away in the direction which the first party had taken and, when out a short distance, met them teturning. The expedition was commanded by Colonel Gilbert and was a complete success. The prisoner, Craddock, was held in custody until the next day, when he was released on grounds satisfactory to all. He was a shrewd old fellow, and a man naturally of very fine feelings for a slaveholder. He fought for the Union until his State was gone, after which he es- poused the rebel cause, and is yet confident of the ultimate success of the Confederacy. His son-in-law, a surgeon in the rebel army, now a parolled prisoner, came into our lines next morning to deny the charge of being a guerilla. He was "a confederate soldier but no guerilla." A rank secesh, he early espoused the confederate cause, and to-day be- lieves in its certain triumph. It seems pretty rough to hear these fel- lows talk as they do; but I respect them much more than I do those of pretended loyalty to the Government, who cower around the pro- vost marshal for the oath of allegiance, wliich, when obtained, is stowed away in some obscure corner of their pockets, while they go out, having accomplished the object of a spy, to call together their band and make a raid on some weak point. The whole line of road, from Grand Junction to Corinth, is aban- doned. What astonishes me most is, that the telegraphic line from Memphis to Columbus, Kentucky, via Grand Junction and Jackson, is in good order; when but forty out of the three hundred and fifty are guarded. This certainly looks like loyalty on the part of the citizens through whose country the line runs. Brigade headquarters are at LaGrange, but the brigade is badly scattered now along the road. The Twenty-seventh Iowa is at Moscow, except two companies, B and H , at LaGrange. Lieutenant Colonel Lake's wife went up on the cars yesterday to La Grange, where the colonel is in command of the post. Sutler Handy and wife arrived on the cars yesterday. Adjutant Harrington expects his wife in a few days. The wife of Colonel Gilbert, who arrived at headquarters, Jackson, in company with Mrs. Chaplain Bardwell, about the middle of May, will return north soon. C. H. L. LETTER NO. CXXIV. Camp Dodge, Ne.ir Corinth, Mississippi, ) June 24, 1863. I Friend Rich:— Never was there a more truthful expression uttered by man than the oft repeated one, "This is an educating war." And in no place and among no class of people can you find this truth more thoroughly demonstrated than in the army and among the oflScers and soldiers composing it. Here we are at Corinth, Mississippi, raising regiments of colored men to help crush out this inhuman, wicked and causeless rebellion. I have been told that when the first regiment was organized, there were one thousand five hundred applications for posi- tions in the regiment; and if the men who obtained positions are speci- mens of the whole, I believe they applied because their hearts are in the work. Now I venture to say, that if their friends had told them, when they enlisted, that within two years they would be seeking posi- tions, from colonels down to orderly sergeants, in a negro regiment^ nine out of every ten of them would have felt grossly insulted. Yet here we are, and here are the colored men learning the art of war. Now the question comes, will they make good soldiers? I believe they will, and for many reasons. First, they have been taught from infancy the most important lesson of a soldier's life, and that is im- plicit obedience to orders. You let an order come from the colonel of a white regiment, just entered service, to fall into line, at an unusual hour, and you will see the men running to the orderly, to the captain, and even to the colonel, to know what is wanted. You tell a company of colored men to fall into line, and they fall in, expecting that they will find out what is wanted soon enough. Obedience, then, we have to start upon, and drill on that point is for the most part saved. The next question is, can they learn? To this I will answer — the First Alabama was organized, that is, its officers were appointed the Eigh- teenth of May last. At that time there were, I think, three or four full companies, and two or three parts of companies. At least three com- panies had not a man in camp. It was not until the first of June that the ten companies were made up and commenced drilling, and to-day the First Alabama infantry can execute the common manceuvres in company and battalion drill as well as several regiments I have seen which have been m service several months. Their drill in the manuel of arms elicits praise from all who witness them, yet they have but about four hundred muskets in the regiment for nearly nine hundred men, and have only had these about ten days. The next question is, are they patriotic? I answer, many of tiiese men have travelled ail night, and some of them for several nights, hiding in the swamps Viy day, to get inside our lines. Ask them what they come for and they will tell you: "I comes to you all, to fight dese yar rebels. Ise heered dat Massa Linkum done said we might come, and here I is." "Well, sir, what do you want to do? Do you want to drive team?" " No, sah, I don't want to drive no team, I wants to tote de musket and be a soldier, dat's what I wants." "But if you are a soldier the rebels will shoot you or hang you, if they catch you." "Well, Massa, I'll jis tell yer; I can't die but once. I'se been a slave all my life, and I ain't much 'count no how. Praps I can do you some good. I'se got a wife and chil'ern, and I want's them to be free. I'de hke to be free wid 'em mighty well, but some's got to die to save the rest; an ef I can save dem, I'se satisfied." If this is not patriotism, it is something just as good. The next question is, will they fight? Could you see the eagerness with which the black man learns the use of his gun, going out as soon as the sun is up to work all day, and then drill with shouts of joy after dark; could you hear the vim with which he hopes he may be able to square accounts with his oppressors; could you see him as I have done, after he himself was safe within our lines, go back, ten miles if need be, to the plantation of his master who had threatened to shoot him if he joined us, to get another child, I think you nor no man will question their bravery. They will fight. They have proved it on several bloody fields, and are anxious to prove it on many more. There are here nearly three thousand, men, women, and children. There are about one thousand soldiers in both regiments. Govern- ment has a large field cultivated by the old men, women and boys. There are about three hundred children going to school. The chaplain of the First regiment has charge of the school, with his female assistants. He says three months ago there were not six in the three hundred who knew their letters; and now, if he cannot pick out one hundred who can read intelligently and readily in the New Testament, he will forfeit a year's pay as chaplain. Sergeant James C. Glass and myself are recruiting for the Second regiment. We have fifty-three men. We have three other companies forming here in the camp, and I understand that there are one or two others forming elsewhere. It is not as easy filling the Second regiment as it was the first, for the first took nearly all the able-bodied men near here, and we have to depend on expeditions going out into the country. In my next I will give you an account of the presentation of a flag to the first regiment, and also speak of one or two of the colored orators l,ere. E. P. Baker. LETTER NO. CXXIV (a). Moscow, Tennessee, July 5, 1863. Friend RiCH:~Seth Wheaton, corporal of company C, who has been acting as clerk for several months at brigade headquarters, and who has given most excellent satisfaction in that capacity, has been ap- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 191 pointed, I learn, sergeant major of the First regiment, west Tennessee infantry, of African descent. It is a good place, but hardly as good as Seth deserves, and he will probably get a commission in a very short time. . . . Black troops are being rapidly organized in this district. One regi- ment at La Grange is already full, and the officers announced. Those blacks make most excellent soldiers, and perform their duties with greater precision, though with less judgment, than the whites. They know nothing but to obey orders, and when you are commanded by one of them to halt, you had better, as a matter of safety, obey. They are strong, muscular fellows, and are inured to the climate. As a con- sequence, the ranks of the black regiments will be kept full, up to the ma.vimuni, constantly. \ thousand men in each regiment will always be ready to meet the foe— their effective force will always number nine hundred or more. .A.nd tliat they will fight, none but an infamous cop- perhead will deny. The soldiers know it; the secesh know it. With these facts in view, why may not the blacks ere long take the precedence as troops, and become the regular soldiers of the Union. Yesterday was the glorious Fourth, and what a day it was. Nothing transpired worthy of note, save a National salute at meridian by a battery in the fort. C. H. L. LETIER NO. CXXV. Walnut Hills, Mississippi, July 6, 1863. Friend Rich: — You will undoubtedly have heard the news of the surrender of Vicksburgh before this reaches you. On the "glorious old Fourth," at 10 A. M., the city was surrendered. What the stipula- tions were I can not tell. Yesterday I was in the city. As our regi- ment is camped in the rear of it, I had a chance of passing many of the enemy's works. The most of their defences were adequate to resist the assaults of any enemy. Nature had left nothing undone in build- ing fastnesses along the north and east of the city. Many of the de- clivities are utterly insurmountable. On top of these precipitous cliffs, rifle-pits and intrenchments e.\tend in unbroken lines around the cap- tured city. Along these intrenchments are found any number of offsets and holes for the rebels to creep into to secure themselves from our shells; and here they were compelled to lie night and day. Along the line of works where I passed were forty mounted cannon, some of very heavy calibre. I saw one gun that had several pieces knocked off. The rebels said that our cannoneers injured that gun before they could get it mounted. They said it was next to impossible to work their guns on account of our sharpshooters, and the accurate range our artillery- men would get of their position. The city is full of secesh soldiers. Every nook and corner was occupied by their soldiery. Some of the finest buildings were converted into barracks. The majority of the prisoners seemed glad of the surrender. Some acknowledged that their loyalty to the southern confederacy commenced to "cave in" when they had to fight on "nmle beef." The more sanguine contend that the "southern confederacy is all right." They say, "time and chance happens to all." They acknowledge themselves whipped this time; but not by General Grant, but by General Starvation. The city looks dull, notwithstanding the crowds of soldiers; and if the dust in it is the "dust of humiliation," they must be terribly depressed. Many buildings show the effects of our gun-boats and mortars. Some houses have hardly enough wall left to support their roofs. I saw but few women and children. All was excitement. The dear old stars and stripes again wave over the court house. The city had scarcely surrendered when most of our army corps took up the line of march. -The Ninth regiment left on the night of the fourth for Black River, and before this a desperate battle has been fought if Johnson did not get away. The weather is warm and the roads dusty. It is hard on the soldiers, but they press on from \ictory to victory wherever the enemy will wait an attack. During the spring and summer campaign the Ninth regiment has lost in killed, wounded, and missing, one hundred and eight men. M. H. LETTER NO. CXXVL* Vicksburgh, Mississippi, July 4, 1863. Friend Rich. — Congratulate us ! Joy you need not wish us, for our cup is full. This long-boasted stronghold of treason has at last submitted to rightful authority. Yesterday morning, about 8 o'clock, Pemberton sent out a flag of truce, had an interview with General Grant, which closed about the same hour this morning, and has resulted in an unconditional surrender of everj'thing. The rebel soldiers were marched outside their works and there stacked arms, and returned. 'From the Fifth. I have no positive knowledge in regard to what disposition will be made of officers and men. But he who has conducted this compaign to such a glorious triumph, will secure well the gain of so much hard fighting, the loss of so much precious blood. How strange it seems, that men should one day fight with intention to kill, and the next meet and shake hands, never so heartily before, indeed almost embrace each othei, as was seen this morning in the meeting, after the surrender, of the rebel General Forney and our General McPherson. It is reported that Johnson has left our rear in disgust. His every attempt to cross the Big Black was repulsed. The Fifth are out in that direction somewhere, enjoying themselves, I hope, on roasting ears, new potatoes, green peas, etc., of which I understand there is an abundance iu the country. I am under the necessity of adding another to the list of the killed of company E. John McCray, of Buck Creek, died at Champion Hills of his wounds. The others have all been removed north, and from all we can learn are doing well. It is hard to tell what the next move will be for Grant's invincible army. It would not be strange, after all, if he should be sent east; but no matter where he goes, victory and triumph will be inscribed on his banners, until America is blessed with peace, prosperity and happi. ness. George B. Sitler. LETTER NO. CXXVII. Helena, Arkansas, August 25, 1863. Fkiend Rich: — .\bout 3 o'clock A. M., August 24th, we were awakened and ordered to get our camp and garrison equipage aboard the steamer Grosebeck. At daybreak the regiment, which, since its arrival in Memphis, had been lying in a grove, two miles north of the city, marched on board the boat, bound for Helena. Several other re- giments embarked at the same time, with the same destination. The land on either side, as we descended, presented, like that from Cairo to Memphis, a continued, cheerless, lone and uninviting wilderness. We sailed with nothing of interest, apart from our little fleet, until we came to the confluence of the St. Francis with the .Mississippi. This is quite a pleasant stream, about the size of the Cedar river. Helena is a small town, with low, flat buildings, which exhibit no signs of elegance. It lies on a low tract of clayey land, which is overflowed in high water. In the distance the hills rise rather abruptly to the height of seventy- five or one hundred feet. Immediately on our arrival we proceeded to unload our baggage, and. at daylight, marched the regiment up the levee near the hills and pitched tents. On these hills, which run the whole distance of the town, and parallel with the river, several batteries are planted, which, it seems to me, would be exceedingly hard to take. We have just re- ceived news that the boat on which the Forty-ninth Illinois was being transported, was sunk, some twenty-five miles down from Memphis. All that we know at present is, that it sunk with a loss of five men, a number of guns, and quite an amount of baggage. We had orders to leave here to-morrow, but since the news of the fate of the Forty- ninth, we do not expect to leave until we get orders from General Hurl- but or Steele. We are to go to Clarendon, on White river, where General Steele is in command, with some ten thousand troops. Our baggage is greatly diminished, and all the sick have been sent to the hospital. Nothing will hinder our making a rapid and, I think, a triumphant march to Clarendon, and from thence to Little Rock. Our regiment numbers four hundred and ninety-five effective men ; and all these will, 1 think, be true and obedient on the battlefield. A better brigade than ours never went into the field ; and if they do not give a good account of themselves they will disappoint every one. C. H. L. LETTER NO. CXXVIII. Clarendon, .Arkansas, August 31, 1863. Friend Rich:— We left camp above Helena, about three o'clock p. m., -August 26th, and marched just below the city, and camped on a very nice green. Passed the residence of the rebel General Hindman. His home is a very elegant structure, square and substantial, built, I think, entirely of stone. I did not go near to examine it; but, from a distant view, judge that it is a building, which in our county would have cost twenty-five thousand dollars. August 27th, we remained all day in camp. The Forty-ninth arrived just at evening, and were ordered to be ready to march in the morning. Two days' additional rations, mak- ing eight days in all, were drawn, and we retired to await the morning. Morning came, and the brigade marched to Sick creek, a distance of twelve miles, before dinner. It rained hard, but the brigade marched 192 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. steadily on, while the rain came in torrents. Soon the dust, which had blown a perfect cloud along the whole line, was fairly laid, to rise no more until we should reach Clarendon on White river. During the afternoon we travelled about six miles and encamped at Big creek; a stream which, though muddy like the Sick, unlike that stream, furnished an abundance of water for the brigade. The rebels had burned the bridge across this stream, but our men, who had been, previously to our marching from Helena, detailed as pioneers, went to work in earnest and, at daybreak, August 29th, we were on our way, marching rapidly over the bridge, which had been constructed during the night. After a rapid march, stopping an hour for dinner, we en- camped, at a late hour, at Big Cypress creek, some twenty-five miles from Big creek. August 30th, marched at 6 o'clock A. M. Reached Clarendon, about twelve miles, at noon, and encamped in the woods, just east of the town. The trip from Helena was a very pleasant one. Excepting a few cases of chills and fever, the men were quite well. After the rain of the first day, the marching was as fine as I have ever known since I have been soldiering; though the country through which we passed was certainly a destitute and forlorn one. The soil was good, however, and the fields were smiling with a luxuriant growth of magnificent, waving weeds — the people all gone — houses burned or torn down — fences destroyed — flocks and herds killed or driven away, and a once prosperous country converted into a dreary waste. Clarendon is a beautiful little town of five hundred inhabitants, in times of peace; but now entirely deserted. It is on the east bank of the White river, which is at this point the prettiest stream I have ever seen, north or south. Boats are passing up and down the river almost every hour. A gun- boat is at the landing now. The object of this rush of navigation is to supply the expedition, going on to Little Rock. The boats ascend the river above Clarendon about twelve miles to De Ball's Bluff, and from that point there is a railroad to Little Rock. The enemy is said to be in force near the Bluff, and we start in the morning to find him. If Price does not skedaddle, we shall have a fight up there, in all probability. Our brigade numbers about two thousand effective men — our regiment has three field officers and staff, except two surgeons, whom we may need. C. H. L. LETTER NO. CXXIX. Headquarters Twenty-seventh Iowa, ) Brownsville, Arkansas, September 4, 1863. | Friend Rich: — I wrote to you last from Clarendon, on the thirtieth ultimo. On the thirty-first we mustered for pay, and the brigade crossed the river on a steamboat sent down from Duval's bluffs for that purpose. The crossing occupied from early in the morning to late in the afternoon, though the river at that point is not to e.xceed one hundred and fifty feet in width. Five miles out we arrived at Bayou Pier, which had been bridged by the Pioneer corps. After crossing, we rose onto the highlands lying between the White and Ar- kansas rivers. From that pomt the road has been exceedingly good, and the Pioneer corps has had no labor to perform. At times we have touched the skirt of timber, where we have been able to obtain water for men and animals; but such water ! We have generally found it in stagnant pools, covered with a green, slimy scum, and horses, mules and men all drank from the same pool. The second day was much like the first as to scenery. We started from camp at 4 o'clock a. m., thus taking the cool of the day for our march. The roads were very dry and dusty, and after 9 a. m. travelling became anything but agreeable. At about 11 A. M. we stopped for dinner, eight miles from this place. Some of the men were nearly overcome with the extreme heat. After two or three hours" rest, they moved on again quite lively. From our resting place to this town, the line of march was directly across the prairie, without a particle of shade or a drop of water to be obtained. The day was sultry; not a breath of air was stirring to carry away the dust and fan the fevered cheeks of the wearied soldiers. To stop on this prairie in the hottest part of the day would be more inju- rious than to keep moving, so the march was continued until we reached the grove in which Brownsville is situated, about 3 o'clock P. M. Into the first skirt of timber we reached we plunged; and the whole brigade were allowed one and a half hours' rest. Then we moved to our present camp, which is in the timber and away from the dust; and this is our second day of rest. Here we found quite a number of the Buchanan boys that are in the First Iowa cavalry: George Carr, W. G. Cummings, J. Vannuyse, Charles Edgcomb, — Foote, — Palmer, George Jewelt, J. Lauderdale, F. Wick, and quite a number of others, whose names I do not now remember, and with whom I was not personally acqxiainted. They all visited our camp. Besides, there have been, from this and other Iowa regiments, with whom some of our regiment are acquainted, a camp full of visitors for the past two days. These meetings, here in the wilds of Arkansas, are very interesting to those concerned. There are here, also, four companies of the Thirty-second Iowa in- fantry, under command of Major Eberhart. I met to-day Captain C. A. L. Roszell, whose company is with this detachment of the Thirty- second. From them I learn that Captain Cutler, of company A, has resigned, and that Charles Aldrich is commissioned captain of the company. He is expected every day now. Between this place and Little Rock, it is reported that there are from thirty to forty thousand rebels, armed and equipped ready for a fight; and that they intend to prevent us from going to the capital of Arkansas. But we have been ordered there, and intend to go ; so the rebels had better get out of the way, or they may get hurt. But of things I have not seen I don't wish to write much, and will, therefore, leave that matter for another letter. Jed Lake. LETTER NO. CXXX. Headquarters Twenty-seventh Iowa, \ Ashley Mills, Arkansas, September 10, 1863. j Friend Rich: — When I last wrote you from Brownsville, we were expecting to start for Little Rock on the sixth. Instead, we moved our camp about two miles, in order to get better water and more of it. On the eighth instant, we received orders to march, and were soon on the road. We marched out of the timber which surrounds Browns- ville, and across a beautiful prairie about four miles wide ; then into the nicest timber that I have seen since we came to Arkansas. Two miles further brought us to Bayou Metre, being the first good water we had found since leaving White river, where we stopped for dinner. Cross- ing the Bayou we entered a wilder and more dense growth of timber, filled with a thick undergrowth. Through this we marched some six miles, and encamped on the plantation of one of the wealthy planters of this region. In front of this plantation was Bear lake, an exten- sive body of clear water, such as is not often seen in these latitudes. On the ninth we moved our brigade to the front of Major General Steel's army, and encamped, about 9 o'clock A. M., at Ashley's mills, on Deerskin Bayou. Here we stayed until this morning, when we re- ceived orders to move at 8 o'clock A. M., Colonel True's brigade being in advance of the infantry, on the road to Little Rock. Each man was to take two days' rations in his hnrversack, the teams to park as soon as they crossed the Bayou. About 9 o'clock a. m. we started, and after marching about four miles, we reached the Arkansas river, at a point where Brigadier General Davidson's division of cavalry was crossing on a pontoon bridge. The rebels had obstinately disputed the crossing of our forces, and there had been one of the prettiest ar- tillery duels that could be imagined ; but, before we arrived, the rebels had skedaddled, and the firing had ceased. General Davidson's di- vision moved up on the south side of the river, and Colonel True's on the north. After marching about two miles Davidson found that the rebels had made a stand, and a severe skirmish ensued. The move- ments of both armies could be seen from our position on the opposite side of the river. Our artillery was placed in position and opened a flank fire on the rebels across the river. After a few rounds from our guns, a huge cloud of dust was seen rising on the road to Little Rock, and the shouts of our men and the dash of the cavalry showed that the rebels were making long strides at double quick time for Little Rock. Our artillery was again sent forward and again opened on them from a favorable position. The column was then put in motion and we soon came to earthworks recently erected and abandoned by the rebels. Our advance guard found one man in the trenches at work, the rest having left without notifying him. In their camp were found chickens and turkeys dressed and on spits before the camp fires, kettles of mush half cooked, guns abandoned, and in fact everything to indi- cate a very hasty leave-taking. About two miles further on our eyes were greeted by a sight of the capital of the State of Arkansas. In the river, between us and the town, lay the burning hulks of five boats. The pontoon bridge across the liver here, had been cut in twain and set on fire. But a few good swimmers soon brought over the boats, extinguished the fire, and again the Arkansas river was bridged. A little before sunset the Stars and Stripes waved over the capital of Arkansas. At this writing, 10 A. M. , September 11, 1863, Colonel True's brigade is encamped opposite the town, on the north bank of the river. Of the city I cannot now speak, as I have not been across the river yet. I did, however, in company with several hundred HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 193 others, bathe this morning in the river. The water is not deep, but is the clearest river water we have seen south of the Ohio. Jkd Lake, two days later. We have no news from the forces pursuing Price's army, except rumor, which says that at night, on the eleventh instant, they were about twenty miles from here, and fighting all the time ; also that the rebels were burning their train and everything that in the least impeded their march. The latest papers we have received from the north, are the Memphis papers of the first instant. We are here cut off from civilization almost entirely, as there is no mail route in opera- tion, and we are compelled to depend upon the supply trains for our mails. These run at very irregular intervals, and there is no certainty about their bringing the mails when they do come. Isaac Gill, of company H, died at Brownsville on the eight instant. Thomas Magill, of the First cavalry, and son of Esquire Magill of Buffalo Grove, was killed in the battle on the tenth instant, but his brother, who was with him, is uninjured. These are all the late casu- alties to the men from our county of which I have heard. Jed Lake. LETTER NO. CXXXL* \We take the annexed letter, with the editorial explan- atory note, from the Guardian of October 20, 1863. Captain Lee's contraband came into the Union lines soon after the Fifth went to Missouri, and, after a few weeks' stay with company E, was forwarded to Indepen- dence to avoid trouble from his owner, who, evidently appreciating the valuable qualities of this enterprising chattle, thought him worth looking after. — E. P.] The following letter is from Edward Herndon, better known as "Captain Lee's contraband." The letter is written plainly, the words generally spelled correctly, and the punctuation quite correct. There are some faults of grammar, but not so many or so grievous as we have noted in many letters from men of reputed intelligence. .'Xnd yet this poor negro was compelled to learn his letters secretly, from books borrowed from his mistress' children, and was se\eral times whipped because caught with a book in his hand. Nearly all that he has learned he has acquired since he came to this county, only two years since, and still there are great, stupid, ignorant loafers, who can scarcely wTitc their names, who will curse the negro because he aint human, and you can't learn him anything. — Editor of Guarhiian. Camp Lincoln, Keokuk, Iowa, October 11, 1863. Mk. William S.\mpson: — .\ few days ago I received an honorable letter from your kind self and some of the rest of my friends, there about Independence, and I consider it tiuite a display of honor, for which you all have my heartiest thanks. I will now give my reason for not writing before. We had not been mustered and were e.Npecting the mustering officers every day, so I thought that I would not write until I knew for certain what was what. I am now happy to say that I can send you these lines without any uncertainty about the company I belong to. We were mustered in to-day, which is the ele\enth day of October, 1863. There were six companies mustered in, averaging about eighty-four men to each company; and there were twenty who called themselves the battery men. The si.v companies were all nicely clothed in Uncle Sam's uniform yesterday, and I know it would have done any Union eyes good to have seen us this morning; every man with a clean shirt, drawers, socks, and new shoes, also dress-coats, pantaloons, hats, and overcoats. If they will allow me to judge for the companies, I would say that 1 do not believe any regiment of the United States infantry has ever worn any nicer uniform than the one we received yesterday. However, I must make a few remarks here, before I proceed any further, with my good thanks to our great Government. It may be possible that our uniform looks better on us than it would on a white regiment; at any rate, I guess it feels better oi) the majority of the boys; for many of them had on little or nothing until they got their uniform. 1 presume you have heard that the officers were to have a premium for every man enlisted by them, and the premium was to be two dollars, and it was all true enough. -And the officers thought so much of us that, when we were mustered in this morning, they gave us the two dol- lars; so each one of us received a two dollar bill this morning when we were mustered in. From the First Iowa colored regiment. October 12th. — I have but little time to write this morning, as I will soon be obliged to come to a close for roll-call. Since I wrote you last I have been appointed orderly sergeant of company A. Some of the boys are quite unruly, so I have my hands full to see that things are kept straight. There is only one of company .A's commissioned officers commanding the company at this time. Our captain, Joseph Ferrice, is commander of the barracks, and Lieutenant Williams has command of company .\. There is eighty-four men in the company, including five sergeants, eight corporals, and two musicians. We have only one man sick in the hospital at this time, and he has the lung fever. We have si.vteen sick in C|uarters, but they were all able to be in the r.anks when we were mustered in but two. We have been furnished with some school books, and a number of the men are learning very fast. I put myself to considerable trouble to find out something about the situation of the company's education and piety, and I find it to be as follows: nine church members, four seekers, and seventy profaners; five that can write, sixteen read, si.Kteen spellers, and twenty-three who have just learned their letters. We have one of the best lieutenants that ever left home. His name is Lieutenant Bradley. He is our regimental school-teacher. He sometimes preaches and holds prayer meeting, and at other times he makes educational and pious speeches: indeed, he makes himself very useful among the men. There was one man of our regiment who died the nineteenth of Sep- tember, one the twenty-fifth, one the twenty-si.xth , one the ninth of October, and one the tenth. We have a sutler, but have no appointed chaplain. I was sergeant of the guard the night before I received your letter, and I caught a bad cold and was quite sick two or three days, and I am not very well at this time. Neither of the commissioned offi- cers have been near the company this morning, and it is now ten o'clock. I must now close, as I have to go to my other duties. Edw.\rd Hernuon. LETTER NO. CXXXII. Camp of the Ninth Iowa Infantry, Iuka, Mississippi, ) October 16, 1863. ) Friend Rich: — I arrived here safe on the night of the fourteenth inst., and found the regiment here in very good quarters. Tents are rather scarce, however, and part of the regiment occupies a building for. merly known as the ladies' seminaty; but it looks very little like such an institution now, for the "Yanks" seem to be the principal inmates. I found the company, or a part of them, in poor health. W. A. Jones is considered dangerously sick by the surgeon, but yet there is some hope of his recovery. Fever and ague seems to be the prevailing dis- ease in camp, but we are now in a very fine location, and the health of the regiment seems to be improving. The election passed off here very quietly. The Ninth only cast five votes for General Tuttle, out of three hundred and thirty-two. They gave General Stone a larger majority than any other regiment in this part of the army. [The returns of the First division. Fifteenth army corps, which the captain gave, are omitted as no longer of general interest. — E. P.] Your county ticket just suited the soldiers, and they, of course, all voted the straight ticket. It seems quite natural to be again with the boys, and I hope to be able to stay with them, at least until we are discharged at the expiration of our term of service. I yet carry my crutches with me. The town of Iuka is most beautifully situated, on the Memphis & Charleston railroad, which is guarded by our troops from Memphis to this place, and as fast as the road is repaired east of here, a sufficient force is moved forward to protect it from the enemy, who are prowling around like hungry wolves, to nab some of our boys and destroy their work. General Osterhaus is now in command of the First division, to which we belong, and Colonel Williamson, of the Fourth infantry, commands the brigade. Both are good soldiers, and their bravery and skill have been tested on many bloody battlefields. It is uncertain how long we shall remain here, but it is hoped by all that we may stop here long enough to recruit the health of the men, for the Iowa soldiers are famous for enduring long marches and many hardships, and they should be in better health. Hard-tack, meat and coffee are the principal rations now; good chough when you can't get anything better, consequently it don't help the matter to grumble. I had the misfortune to lose my valise in Dubuque, and it has not yet reached mc, which makes me feel rather blue, even though my clothes are gray with dust. The paymaster has just finished paying the regiment, and there is a "S 194 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. superfluity of Abe's greenbacks in circulation. While at Memphis I met Captain Noble, who was looking quite well. He was to start for his regiment, which he expected to find at Little Rock, on the four- teenth. He has been very sick during his stay in Memphis, and has not yet entirely recovered; yet he is an.\ious to be in the field. E. C. Little. [The Twenty-seventh left Little Rock in November, and had since that time been in camp near Memphis. — E. P.] LETTER NO. CXXXIII. Rear of ViCKSBfRcn, Missrssippi, February i, 1864. Friend Rich: — On the twenty-first of January, 1864, we received or- ders to be in readiness to move on the twenty-fourth. January 23d we received two months' pay, from October 31st to December 31, 1863. Major Lupton, paymaster. On the same day one hundred and twenty- one rounds of ammunition per man were served. Did not move on the twenty-fourth, as was expected. January 25th, brigaded with the Fourteenth Iowa, Thirty-second Iowa, and One Hundred and Seventy- eighth New York, and Colonel 'W. T. Shaw, Fourteenth Iowa, an- nounced as brigade commander. We are Second brigade, Third division, Si.vteenth army corps. All regimental and company property, not required in the field, ordered stored in the quartermaster's depart- ment in Memphis. January 27th the regiment embarked on steamer Des Moines. January 28th the fleet left Memphis — seven boats loaded with soldiers — and steamed down the river at 10 o'clock A. M. Our band discoursed some lively music, while the bands on the other boats contributed, by their inspiring strains, to the enthusiasm of the sol- diers, as well as to that of the crowd collected to witness the departure of the troops. The large buildings adjacent to the river were covered with an immense throng. Soon we fell below the fort and, amid the cheers of the crowd on shore and the waving of handkerchiefs by those on the tops of buildings, we bade farewell to Memphis, to report ot ■Vicksburgh, Mississippi. January 29th, at simrise, we were at the mouth of White river, and very soon after we passed that of the Ar- kansas. To this point the regiment had sailed before; but as soon as we passed below the familiar scenery, all were on deck, eager to see something new. The same desolation marked the banks of the groat river which characterizes them for hundreds of miles, until we had passed the extreme southern limit of Arkansas. Then we began to pass large, deserted plantations on either side of the river, on some of them as many as thirty-five houses — isolated towns, in which the slaveholder and his slaves formerly lived. Still farther down we saw other planta- tions which were not deserted, but were worked under the supervision of Government authorities by the freedmen. January 30th, passed Milliken's Bend at 9 A. M. Saw the large building in which General McPherson held his headquarters during the fitting out of the army which marched westward and south through Louisiana, crossing the river below 'Vicksburgh during the siege. We also saw the spot where the negroes fought so heroically, capturing the rebel posts. At 10 A. M. we came in sight of the city of sieges. We passed the mouth of the Yazoo river and saw the famous canal — a mere ditch; passed Haines' Bluff, and thought of the noble sons of America buried upon those hills, and of the glorious victory of July 4, 1863, by the valiant army under General Grant. Immediately on our arrival we debarked, camped on the shore, and hastily unloaded the baggage and supplies. Yesterday we remained on shore, awaiting orders, without tents or shelter. Early in the even- ing it commenced raining, and continued until the whole flat was flooded with water. The boys, who had early lain down to rest, under rubber blankets, were soon awake and singing, a l,i boatman, "Four feet! Six feet!! Nine feet !! ! No bottom!!!!" At midnight the rain ceased, and the men, without fires, passed the night in great discom- fort; but all was borne uncomplainingly. This morning we moved, at 11 A. M. , from the levee through the city to our present camping ground, two miles in the rear of Vicksburgh. The works are in a measure abandoned. Many of the caves in the earth have been filled, and the forts torn down. W^e are close to the spot where Lieutenant Dunlap, of the Twenty-first Iowa, fell in the charge on the fort just be- fore us. Our transportation is cut down to three teams for a regiment. A large army is here, commanded by Major General .Sherman, and will move soon. Hastily, C. H. L. LETTER NO. CXXXIV. Canton, Mississippi, February 27, 1864. We have been in the wilderness nearly one month, shut out from all communication with the northern world. You have doubtless been notified of our movements through the columns of northern and eastern journals. The expedition, not yet closed, will be considered one of the most important of the war. It has been successfully and triumphantly conducted by Major General W. T. Sherman. It was made up of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth army corps — the Seventeenth commanded by Major General McPherson, and the Sixteenth by Major General Hurlbut. We left camp, in the rear of Vicksburgh, February 3rd, and began at once to contend with the difiiculties and privations of the expedition. On the third we marched over a serpentine road, through a wooded country, to Deer creek. On the fourth we left Deer creek, passed the graves of some of the Buchanan county boys, who had been slain in the struggle in this State one year ago; crossed the Big Black river, a stream the size of the Wapsie; marched several miles, and, at a late hour, camped on the plantation owned by the mother of Jeff Davis. On the fifth there was sharp skirmishing between our advance and the rebel cavalry, under General Lee. Several of the Union troops were killed, and several wounded. The rebels were so hotly pursued that they were unable to carry off their dead and wounded. In the afternoon the corps, which had previously been on different roads, formed a junction on a large plantation, with their colors beau- tifully flying. .Shortly after, the rebels made a stand, and for the last time west of Jackson. A Union soldier was killed and several wounded at this point. Again we were advancing, and soon passed a rebel, cold in death, close by the side of his charger. A solid shot had passed through them both and produced instant death. The night of the fifth we encamped four miles west of Jackson, and the cavalry brigade that same night made a charge through the city. At 9 o'clock A. M., Sunday, the 7th, we moved into the city and halted immediately in front of the capitol. Twice before has the Union army been here — twice before has the rebel army been driven away, and the stars and stripes carried in triumph in the midst of her haughty and aristocratic people. They do not love us— little children are sent to tell us that they "do not like the looks of our flag at all," while their proud mothers and sisters cast contemptuous glances at us, and wish their soldiers were powerful enough to annihilate us. Jackson was once a fine city, but its beauty is gone. 'Tis truly sad to look upon its ruins, for its grandeur has de- parted, and in the midst of its beautiful grounds are to be found only the blackened ruins of stately mansions. Four days have we been en route from \'icksburgh. The woods, the houses, the cotton gins, and king cotton himself, all have helped to keep one continued blaze of fire — moving through the wilderness — a pillar of fire to which the oppressed of this land are eagerly flacking. We crossed the Pearl river on a pontoon bridge which the rebels had not time to destroy, and came into the pine woods. It is a muddy stream, and carries down about as much water as the Cedar; is deeper but not so wide. From Jackson to Brandon, twelve miles, the country is good for the most part. Brandon, a fine little town of two hundred inhabitants, perhaps, was burned. Morton was the next town through which we passed. Here we took the advance of the Seventeenth corps, and marched until midnight. February loth we passed through Hills- borough, which met the same fiery fate as Brandon. At this town there was skirmishing, and I saw one dead rebel, who was said to have joined the army but a day or two before. He was said to be immensely rich, and held the commission of major. On the eleventh we reached Chunky creek, and here the two or three teams, allowed each regi- ment, were left behind, and, on the twelfth, the army moved with all possible speed in the direction of Decatur, to capture the enemy's train. We reached Decatur, but the enemy had fled. The town was burned, and we pushed hastily on, camping that night eight miles out from Decatur. On the thirteenth we made a rapid march and drove the rebels out of camp among the great pine trees, and cooked our rations over their fires. Sunday, the fourteenth, we reached the great railway centre. Meridian. The enemy had evacuated it. It was re- ported that the infantry went to Mobile, and the calvary in all direc- tions. Meridian is a small town. Its population, in its palmiest days, was not more than five hundred. There were no fine buildings, or gardens, or tastefully ornamented grounds. As a railroad centre its occupation was of the greatest importance. We destroyed, in all, some forty-eight miles of railroad track, a part HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 195 of ihe Mobile & Ohio, and part of the Vicksburgh & Charleston. We penetrated to within two miles of Alabama, and destroyed everything that could be of advantage to the enemy. Our army held Meridian and Marion until the twentieth, when the march was led backwards. An endless amount of cotton had been destroyed, large quantities of supplies had been gathered from the country, and negroes had flocked in by hundreds. The country, from Jackson to Meridian, is a very rich one, sandy soil, and abundantly watered. It is one continued pine forest, e.xcept where large and fruitful plantations are found. None of the Spanish moss, so abundant in other parts of the State, festooning the trees, is seen in these pme forests. This movement of Sherman was evidently not expected by the enemy. On a high hill near Meridian, cotton had been hauled for the erection of a fort, but was abandoned on our approach. New barracks were also in process of construction. Here was the general hospital for Mississippi and Alabama. We returned by Union and Hillsborough to Canton. The Seventeenth army corps took their match on a road south of our line, until we reached Pearl river.- The Iowa brigade laid an excellent pontoon bridge over which both corps passed. The country is exceedingly rich, and large quantities of forage are being gathered. Hundreds and even thousands of negroes are in the train here. They will be sent this morning to Vicksburgh, with the train which is being pushed out in that direction. General Sherman started yesterday for the river. We shall remain here a few days, and, in the meantime, a train may meet us from the river. Our sick go to Vicksburgh to-day. Of the incidents of the trip I will speak in my next letter. The mail is about to close, and I wil[ send this, though a hastily written communication. C. H. Lewis. LETTER NO. C-XXXV. [The following, though not from either of the three regiments containing Buchanan county companies, was written by a well known citizen of the county, who was, at the time of writing, in the army. The early experiences of the Twenty-seventh regiment called our attention for a brief space, from the southern to the northern fiontier; and though, after the rugged march to and from Mille Lacs, no large number of Buchanan men were con- nected with the Indian expeditions, it yet seems eminent- ly proper that there should be something in our book to remind the youth of the present day that simultaneously with the splendid drama which was enacted on our south- ern savannahs, fascinating the gaze of the civilized world; as through a rift in the curtain of mist which separates us from the past, we seemed to be looking upon the tragedies of the early colonial times ; burning houses, from which murdered babes and mothers had been drag- ged; painted savages, with knife and tomahawk, making pandemonium around the once peaceful homes they had so ruthlessly destroyed — that these and similar scenes of heathen orgies were being reproduced on the broad upland prairies of the north. E. P.] Indian E.xpedition, Camp Pope, June 15, 1863. Friend Rich; — A few more miles nearer the north pole titan when I last wrote you, and several hundred thousand footsteps in the path towards military glory, as my achmg feet could testify the night we ar- rived here. We are undergoing at present a huge amount of rest, it being, in military parlance, "absolute!^ requisite for the public service," to re- cruit exhausted energies and heal up chapped and blistered feet incur- red during our trip here. No great march to speak of, however — some eighty odd miles in six days— but the weather, my friend— the weather! Talk of dog days, the tropics, of ninety-nine degrees in the shade, and you mention something cool in comparison with heat here. Scarcely a drop of rain for three months, and no clouds but clouds of dust, through which the sun glares pitilessly for at least two hours longer than in regions farther south. I used to read, in my younger days that the north had two seasons, a long, cold winter, and a short, hot summer; and the hist clause is no lie, as I can fully testify— the short- ness is yet to be verified. How the wind blows, too, night and day without intermission, first from one quarter of the compass and then another; not a cool, refreshing breeze, but a hot, dragging, sickly wind, which takes all the energies from a man, and makes one think of the simoon of the desert. There is one good thing, however, the nights are cool and refreshing; indeed, I may say chilly, for many a morning you can see groups huddled around the mess fires, shivering in their great-coats, who at noon would be glad if the primitive costume of the garden of Eden were made a part of military law and discipline. But enough of that hackneyed subject, the weather. I want to tell you something about Camp Pope and the great Indian e.xpedition. It is a " big thing, " at least in the eyes of the Minnesotians. although, beside the army of the Potomac, no doubt it is a small affair. Let us take a little walk around the camp, for it is now the cool of the eve- ning, and although dust predominates, that is at least bearable after the singeing we ha^■e gone through to-day. We are now twenty-three miles from Fort Ridgley, and pleasantly lo- cated upon the second rise or plateau above the Minnesota river, and the ground you see is as level as a parlor floor. What a beautiful site for a town, with the river near by and plenty of timber on the farther shore, good water obtained by sinking wells eight or ten feet deep, a pretty little lake just below, and the bluffs rising gradually until they reach the broad table land or prairie above. And is it not a town al- ready? Nay, a city with a population of three thousand souls; streets laid out with mathematical precision; several stores — but there the re- semblance ends ; canvass houses instead of frame or brick, the steady tramp of soldieiy instead of the thronging bustle of citizens, the quick peremptory challenge of the guard as you approach the lines, instead of the cordial greeting of acquaintances; and the stirring music of the fife and drum, and the blare of bugles mark the time instead of church bells striking the hours. And you know, too, in an hour's time this city can vanish and leave no vestige of its present existence but these embankments, which may hereafter be classed among the mounds and tumuli, that tell of the buried cities of the ages long gone by. On two sides of the camp, which comprises some forty acres, are long lines of sod fortifications, about four feet high, with a trench in- side; and here is the Third Minnesota battery, which accompanies the expedition, with its field pieces and plenty of shell and shrapnel. They are our main dependence against a large body of Indians; for they (the Indians) say they can skulk and hide from a bullet, and dodge a solid shot, but "those rotten balls, no good." Below them, drawn up out- side, are the pontoons, twenty-one large yellow flat-boats for bridging the rivers; and two companies of the Ninth Minnesota accompany them as sappers and miners. To your right are two long wooden sheds, at one time filled to the roof with commissary stores, but now pretty well emptied. Long lines of six-mule teams are drawn up here, and the quickness with which hardtack, salt pork and other delicacies of soldier's rations are loaded up, checked off. and the team started out of the way, is a wonder to the uninitiated. Two hundred and twenty-five wagons were loaded up with rations, averaging three thousand three hundred pounds to the wagon. Here, too, are the ambulances — well- covered spring wagons — some twenty or more. God grant we may have little use for them; but the long march of eight or nine hundred miles will place many a poor fellow /tors du combat, if an Indian bullet or arrow never whistles near us. Now let us cross over to the other side of the camp, passing the sutler's tent, where almost everything eatable can be had — for a con- sideration. The consideration is rather heavy and the weights vict fi:rM, as you will discover if you conclude to patronize him; but we won't stop just now. Sutling in the army is extremely profitable, for a soldier, as a general thing [we are glad to know that there were many honorable exceptions among tb.e Buchanan county men.— E. P.], like Jack Tar, when he has plenty of money, only knows one other thing, how to spend it; and it is not much wonder that many colonels, whose love for lucre is greater than their patriotism, are apt to have their fingers in the sutler's pie. Now we come into the cavalry quarters, eight companies of which will go with us. Up and down the whole length of the broad streets, a double row of horses is picketted; and, as you perceive, they are in good order and capable of undergoing a large amount of work. Their services will be invaluable to us as we'advance; for the crafty Indian will never risk a general battle, save in overpowering numbers, but will skulk and lie in ambush to attack us unawares and at a disadvan- tage, in the ravines and wooded gullies through which we may pass. With these mounted rangers to scout ahead and protect our flanks, we may bid them defiance. In the distance, scattered here and there, are packs of wagons, their white canvas coverings contrasting finely 196 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. with the rich green of the prairie; and, between them and us, mules, cattle and horses are scattered around promiscuously. Some eighteen hundred of the long-eared gentry accompany the expedition. Everything looks calm and peaceful now; but let one of those pick- ets upon the distant hills ride his horse in a circuit at full gallop, and how quick the scene would change ! There would be mounting in hot haste, and charging to and fro; long lines of soldiers would file out upon the green; then would be heard the sharp words of com- mand; the rapid response in motion would be seen; the dashing hither and thither of mounted orderlies, carrying messages from headquarters; and every eye would be strained to catch the first appearance of the enemy. But there is no danger; scouts aie out daily for miles around and report not the slightest sign of the skulking savage. So we may retire to our blankets and dream of friends, feeling secure that our scalp will be in the morning "in de place where de wool ought to grow." June 20th. — We have now been upon the match five days, lying over yesterday at Rigg's creek. We are now twenty-five miles above Yel- low Medicine agency, having followed up the Minnesota river; and are at present encamped some forty rods from the stream, which here is hard- ly as large as the Wapsie at your town. Not a sign of the Indian yet, and I fear we shall never get near enough to see their rascally countenances. Prairie upon prairie to-day, as you travel hour by hour, with nothing around you but this green sea of vegetation, and the boundless blue of the sky above, you begin to realize the vastness of these plains of the northwest. Our mammoth train, of some three hundred and fifty wagons, stretches out, with its attendants, fully five miles m a straight line; and the head of the column is geneially encamped several hours before the rear guard reaches the camp. But I must close in a hurry, as the mail will soon start for below, and it is our last mail before reaching Fort Abercrombie. j. M. B. LETTER NO. CXXXVI. Camp AT Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 27, 1863. Friend Rich: — It would be an impossibility, from the nature of the ground fought over, as well as from the unusual and mixed order of the fight itself, for an actual participant in the battle of Chickamau- ga Creek to give any general description of that contest, which raged two days with a fury hitherto unknown in the progress of this war. I am more intimately acquainted with the experience of a single bri- gade, and an account of what it did, and what it suffered, will perhaps afford some idea of the magnitude and fierceness of the battle in gen- eral. The Third brigade. Third division. Twentieth army corps, is com- posed entirely of Illinois troops. On the morning of the nineteenth inst., it numbered thirteen hundred fighting men — the Forty -second, Fifty-first, Twenty-second, and Twenty-seventh regiments. The Forty- second and Fifty-first are the first and second uf the three regiments raised by General Stewart, of Chicago, under the name of the "Dou- glas Brigade." You will bear in mind that the Twentieth corps had assigned to it the duty of making a diversion towards Rome, Georgia, in order to draw Bragg from his exceedingly strong position at Chattanooga. This strategy was eminently successful; but it caused the corps a vast amount of hard work in crossing and recrossing the extensive ranges of mountains lying between Stevenson and Bridgeport (our points of departure), and the Chickamauga valley. The movement, moreover, was far more hazardous than was suspected at the time it was made; and too much credit can not be awarded those generals under whose immediate direction it was accomplished. At sunset of the nineteenth, our brigade was in position on the extreme right of the army in Chickamauga. During the night we changed position several miles to the left. It was evident that the enemy was concentrating towards our left, in order to force a passage on the main road leading to Chattanooga, and thus cut us off from that point. On the morning of the nineteenth, we again took up our line of march to the left. We had halted for a lunch at a large spring, and were on the point of resuming our march, when the roar of cannon and rattle of musketry announced the battle begun, before our centre and right could be placed in position. We were thus taken at a dis- advantage at the outset; nevertheless our boys, already in position, fought heroically, and troops from the right were thrown into the contest as rapidly as they arrived on the ground. The nature of the position was such that but little artillery could be used. The fighting was principally in the timber and brush. There was no such thing as looking over the whole field of battle, or even a considerable portion of it, from any one point. So dense was the underbrush in places, that it was difficult to get through it at all. At one point there was an extensive open field, which, at the opening of the battle, was held by a portion of Longstreet's corps. A brigade from Wood's division. Twenty-first corps, charged the enemy with the object of gaining this field. With irresistable energy our boys dashed forward, sweeping before them the proud Virginia legions and gaining half the field, which they held until overpowered by sheer numbers, when they fell back to the covei of the wood. At this moment a brigade from Davis' division, Twentieth corps, came up and was thrown forward foi a second struggle for the field. This charge, like the first, was successful, and a portion of the Eighth Indiana battery was placed in position in the centre of the field; but, with renewed force, the enemy swept back upon the devoted brigade, gained the field and with it the battery. Our brigade had now- arrived, and we were immediately formed for the charge. Before us were the choicest troops of the South, occupying a portion of the field in strong force, and covering the rest with their fire. Gallantly in front of our line lode Colonel Bradley, leading the charge. On, on, pressed our little brigade. The enemy held their fire, and meantime took position under cover of the timber and rail fences, where they could sweep the whole field with their long Enfields. We well knew what the dead silence portended- it was a terrible moment, more awful than the roar of artillery and musketry; but not a man flinched, not a cheek blanched. We had just reached the artillery which the enemy had failed to remove; when, with a single crash, the contents of thousands of rifles were poured into our ranks from the front and flank. Our men went down by scores — the brave Colonel Bradley receiving two severe wounds at the same instant — still with unconquerable stubborn- ness our position was held and the enemy silenced. Our brigade saved the artillery, the men dragging the pieces off the field by hand. Lying on the ground, we awaited a fresh attack, for the recovery of the field; but none was made, and we were annoyed alone by sharpshooters till dark. The loss of the brigade in this charge was two hundred and fifty. We were kept in front during the night, which was unusually chilly; and, as fires were out of the question, our sufferings from cold and want of rest were a sorry preparation fur tlie work of the following day. During the night our right was thrown back, and in the morning, under cover of a dense fog, \Ve abandoned the field and took a new and more advantageous position on an open hill, on the extreme right of the army. The centre and right had been weakened in order to strengthen the left, where the main attack was expected to fall. Taking advan- tage of this disposition, the enemy massed on the centre; and, at 11 o'clock, commenced the attack. As on the previous day, owing to the nature of the ground, our artillery was comparatively useless, and the whole battle was preeminently one of rifles. We of the right listened anxiously as the roll of small arms grew louder and nearer^evidently our weak lines w'ere being overpowered, and soon the shock would fall on us; still we had a strong position, and felt confident of our ability to hola it. But now commenced an exhibition of stupidity which has been the theme of indignant discussion ever since the battle. The division on the left of our own was giving way; Polk's entire corps, and two divisions from Longstreet's were rapidly bearing down upon our division. According to all rules of war and common sense the three brigades forming our division should have been so handled as to support each other, either in attack or defence. To our astonish- ment the brigades were ordered singly forward into the brush for slaughter. The first brigade, entirely overwhelmed, gave way, fighting manfully; the second brigade was ordered to charge at a point where to do so was sure defeat; but they went in grandly, and fought like heroes, though unavailingly. Ours was no>v the last brigade of the right wing of the army of the Cumberland. Were we to have a fair show in position, or were we to be sacrificed? Alas, the answer was soon all too evident! In a single line, by the flank, at the double quick, we were marched away from advantage in position into the biush; and even before we could form line and move forward the leaden storm began to pour upon us with the fury of a whirlwind. Still we pushed forward into the jaws of death. Four long lines of the choice troops of rebeldom were confronting us — ten thousand brave soldiers of the confederacy against a Federal brigade of a thousand men! We had passed through the hottest of the contest at Stone River, with fire in front and flank; but that was mere pattering to the storm that raged during the twenty minutes we held the rebel hosts at bay in the bush at Chickamauga Creek. Their first line gave way, the second followed, but the third and fourth remained unbroken; and in conjunc- tion with a column thrown forward on our left to cut us off, compelled us to fall back and secure a safe retreat. The enemy had suffered too HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 197 severely to pursue llieir advantage. Let me say that this management was not under the direction of General Sheridan, the commander of our division — his military talents are of too sohd a character to admit of such blundering. 1 will only suggest that General McDowell Mc- Cook commands the Twentieth corps. In this second day's fight our little brigade lost three hundred men! How long must soldiers be sacrificed through the stupidity of incom- petent generals? With ordinary handling; in short, with the ghost of a chance we should have held our own with comparatively little loss. Of the battle in general, let me say that, in so far as the accomplish- ment of their gnind object was concerned — the recapture of Chatta- nooga — it was to them a defeat. It is true they compelled us to fall back; but they were too severely crippled to follow up their advantage, notwithstanding they hurled over one hundred thousand men against no more than fifty thousand Federals; and they are further off from the accomplishment of their original purpose to-day than on the morn- ing of the nineteenth instant. The star of Rosecrans is still in the ascendant. Would that some of the lesser stars shone with as pure a light. J. L. LooMIS. LETTER NO. CXXXVII. SIIERM.VN'S EXPEDITION TO MERIDI.\N — SUMMING UI> RESULTS. March 7, 1864. Friend Rich: — . . Much of the way we were between two hedge fences. These hedges in the south are both durable and beautiful. The shrub is very much like the sweet brier and is covered with roses in the summer, which gives the hedges a most beautiful ap- pearance. The country through which we passed on the first instant was much the finest we have seen in the south. Imagine yourself standing in front of one of these stately mansions looking out over a plantation of hundreds of acres of the richest land, fenced with a hedge through which a bird cannot fly, covered in the season with the largest, most beautiful roses; yourself the possessor of all, with negroes to do all the labor, while you ride through these pleasant flowery aisles in your thousand dollar carriage ! Would you not feel a little aristo- cratic? March 4th we reached Vicksburgli, having been shut out from all communications for thirty days. And do you ask what are the fnnts of the e.xpedition? We pushed into the interior as far as Meridian — burned many houses, much cotton, all the rails that necessity required; a large part of the remnant of Jackson was burned; the little towns of Brandon, Morton, Decatur, Meridian and Mason were almost entirely destroyed. At Meridian, the great railway centre, we destroyed some fifty miles of rail track, thereby cutting effectually the communication between Mobile and the southwest, with the great heart and soul of the confederacy. Hundreds of horses, mules, wagons, carriages and many other articles of use to the army, were confiscated and brought in. And last and not least, upwards of seven thousand negroes were brought back with the two army corps. This was a strike for the ter- mination of the war and, as such, was a true act of humanity to the south as well as to the north, and will be so recognized in the future by all. Since our return we have received seventy-nine recruits, which bring our aggregate up to three hundred and ten. E. P. Baker has been discharged by orders from headquarters, Si.xteenth army corps, to en- able him to accept appointment as captain in a negro regiment. W'e are now under orders to proceed by boat down the Mississippi river and up the Red, to be gone about thirty days. Brigadier Gen- eral A. J. Smith, of the Third division. Sixteenth army corps, com- mands the expedition. There are lo be ten thousand troops, two thousand five hundred of which are of the Seventeenth army corps, the balance of the Sixteenth corps. We shall go aboard the boats to- night or to-morrow, and the fleet will move the ninth of March. L. H. C. LETTER NO. CXXXVII L Headquarters Twenty-seventh Iowa Infantry, ) Ale.xandria, Louisiana. March 17, 1864. J Friend Rich: — You have heard much of the Red River expedition of late. It is the fortune of the Twenty-seventh to be one of the regi- ments comprising it. The expedition was organized immediately after our return from the march eastward to Meridian, Mississippi. It was composed of some ten thousand infantry, and one or two companies of Maine cavalry, and when embarked made a fleet of twenty-two gun- boats, commanded by .Admiral Porter. The expedition is commanded by Brigadier General A. J. Smith. Brigadier General Morrer com- m.ands the First and Third divisions of the Sixteenth army corps. On the ninth of March we embarked on the steamer Diadem, one of the nineteen transports which constituted the fleet for the transporta- tion of the infantry and artillery. At 2 o'clock p. M. an order was re- ceived for one company to report a^. guard for Brigadier General Smith, on board the steamer Clara Bell. Company C, Lieutenant Sill, was sent. Our boat dropped down the river alongside the Clara Bell, and company C reported at once. Al sunset we moved down the river. On the eleventh of March we passed Natchez at sunrise, but made no stop till we reached the mouth of Red river, when we halted and the men went on shore, which gave an opportunity for cleaning the boats. The next morning we discovered that what we had supposed was the mouth of Red river, was, in fact, the confluence of Old river, the for- mer bed or main channel, with the Mississippi. The water has a very reddish appearance, and the scenery along either side is truly beautiful. Having sailed a few miles further, we passed the mouth of the Red, and at 2 o'clock P. M. entered the Atchafalaya river, when we found ourselves still saiUng down stream. At 5 P. M. the gun-boats and transports were anchored, and all await orders from expedition com- manders. It was an exceeding fine country on either side of the river; and, as the boats, one by one, passed down the placid waters of the stream, and moved in toward the shores, the sight was really charm- ing. Never before, in the history of the Nation have the waters of the Atchafalaya bore so magnificent a prize, or these shores witnessed so magnificent a scene. First the daring gun-boats, then the transports, each clad in blue, and then the small, swift dispatch boats; all have found their way into the forests of Louisiana, upon these waters un- known to fame. Three miles back from the river, at Bayou Blaize. the enemy had constructed strong fortifications, which, if filled with guns and men, would have commanded the broad and level tract of country between them and the river. Large trees had been felled on either side of this broad clearing, which formed an excellent abattis. On our way out to the fortifications we saw much of southern vegetation that was new to us. The tall, spreading evergreen, the large sycamore, and the oak, were all clad in drooping festoons of Spanish moss, which hangs in endless (luantities from almost every tree, giving to the grove a funereal aspect. .\ large bridge, which spanned a stream fifty feet in width, directly in front of the earthworks, had been burned. The boats were at once unloaded of wagons, rations, and every- thing indispensable to our march, and eighty rounds of ammunition were distributed. At dark we were called into line, and after a delay of an hour or two, which soldiers must learn to expect, a force of ten thousand, under General A. J. Smith, marched for the interior. We marched about six miles and encamped on the bank of Bayou Blaize, at 2 o'clock a. m. At early daybreak we moved along the bayou, passing large sugar plantations, all having excellent sugarcane mills. Bayou Blaize, though narrow, is quite deep even at this dry sea^n, as I can attest after having tried to ford it in pursuit of rebels. At 10 A. M. we passed the little town of Boroughsville, at which point we crossed the bayou — our regiment on a little flat-boat, and the rest of the troops on a bridge hastily constructed for that purpose. Here we came in sight of several of the enemy, who beat a hasty retreat. As soon as the troops were crossed, our regiment. Colonel Gilbert com- manding, advanced rapidly, and when we had marched two hundred yards a shot was fired from a hill in our front. As soon as another bridge was repaired, we started in hot haste, expecting a fight immedi- ately. We came soon to an open prairie country, settled wholly by French people. The plantations were large, the houses were neat and commodious. Large herds of cattle, horses, and sheep roamed over the most exquisitely beautiful prairies, dotted here and there with min- iature lakes of clear water. Mansura, a fine little town of four hundred inhabitants, all French, was passed, and three miles beyond, over the prettiest country we had seen in the South, we reached Marksville, another French village. The people received us with great joy. The men are not in the army, but at home; and every house is to-day as undisturbed as are the houses of the north, and everything betokens a peaceful and prosper- ous community. Our advance had by this time reached near Red river, at Fort De Russav. Our gun-boats were in the river below and had opened the battle. Our brigade was in the advance, but a whole division which had passed us while we were on guard in Marksville, were between us and the rest of the brigade. Colonel Gilbert at this point sent Lieu- tenant Peck, acting adjutant, petitioning Colonel Shaw, commanding brigade, that we might be ordered to rejoin the brigade. The request was granted and regiment was ordered forward. We wound our way down through the woods, the enemy having got good range of the 198 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. road that ran direct to the fort. When we were within several hun- dred yards of the fort, in the woods, the shells from the eneiny's guns flying thick and fast about us, we were ordered to lie down and wait orders. Our brigade battery was in the meantime pouring a constant fire into the fort. Sharpshooters were ordered for\vard to pick off the enemy's gunners. Only a moment passed, it seemed to us, when we were ordered forward, and alongside of a fence, where we again lay down. Again we were ordered forward. A charge was to be made on the fort from two points simultaneously. Our regiment was on the south side and we were ordered forward, double quick. Then, for the first time in our soldier history, was our courage, as a regiment in ac- tion put to the test; and glad I am to send the record to Iowa, that no regiment ever went bolder into a fight than did the Twenty-seventh Iowa at Fort De Russay March 14, 1864. Their double quick was a double jump. The Third brigade were the only soldiers in the charge. The rebels saw that it was useless to fight and quickly ran up the white flag. Then the soldiers of the brigade broke into one wild, ringing, vociferous yell of joy. The rattle of musketry, expressive of joy, for a time was incessant. The fort was ours, two hundred and fifty rebels, two twenty-four pounders, two six-punders, with small arms, ammuni- tion and supplies, together with one of the strongest works I have seen in the South. The whole commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bird, was unconditionally surrendered. Long might the rebels have held out if they had had a large force. When the cheering was over we re- turned to the prairie near the hospital building and encamped. To-day we have marched thirty miles, built a bridge across Bayou Blaize, and captured Fort De Russay. The number of wounded in the hospital is twenty-two. Only three or four were killed. On the fif- teenth we reembarked on board the Diadem, which lay close to the fort. At sunset we steamed up the river ten miles and laid up for the night. One brigade was left at Fort De Russay, and we started up the river for Alexandria, expecting to find strong works and have a sharp fight. Sailed through the same beautiful country, la belle France. The French are at every bend in the river, and the French flags are flying from the houses. [The "White flags thrown out" at Mansura must be intended. — E. P.] Laid up at Alexandria without opposition. The rebels under Dick Taylor were here yesterday, but they are gone to-day, it is said to reenforce Fort De Russay. We remained all day at Alexandria. The town is quite a fine one, and it is claimed that it had formerly fifteen hundred inhabitants. Our regiment was ordered ashore yesterday and is in camp just on the bank. We sent out a foraging party to-day, which obtained three hogsheads and two barrels of sugar, large quantities of shoulders and hams, and a great number of cattle, mules and horses. Governor Moore's plantation is within six miles of this place; and the very spot where Solomon Northrup, who was kidnapped in Wash- ington and soid into slavery, lived, is only a few miles distant. Some of the most thrilling scenes in " Uncle Tom's Cabin" are laid in the Red River country. Another foraging party, uader the command of Colonel Gilbert, brought in large quantities of sugar, potatoes, etc. There are thousands of hogsheads of sugar in this country. During the past three years there has been but a small amount of sugar or cot- ton shipped, and vast quantities of both have accumulated. Many Unionists are reported throughout the country — one came through our lines to-day, an old man, ninety years of age, who had been stripped of all his property. A man of Union sentiments, in his neighborhood, had been made to dig his own grave, and then, standing by its side, he had been shot and buried by traitors. Later, from Grand Ecore. — Fort De Russay was destroyed by the brigade left for that purpose. Thirty barrels of powder were used to blow up the magazines. It is reported that some of the men, anxious to see everything that was going on, rushed up too near, and met a sad fate. Five were killed, and as many more shockingly wounded. Jacob Beck, of company C, who was wounded at the capture of the fort, died on the twenty-fourth. On the twenty-sixth of March, the troops left the boats, and marched fifteen miles towards Shreveport, along Bayou rapids. W> moved through an exceedingly fine country, on the day following, to Ceolile Landing, on Red river. Our boats ar- rived, during the night, with the exception of the large and commodi- ous hospital boat, Woodford, which is reported a total wreck on the rapids below; having foundered upon an old wreck that had lain there for years. A large number of our men are taking the small-pox. Men with this disease are taken to a house near the landing, but it is in the regiment, and will appear again. April 2d, all our troops were ordered aboard the boats, and at 12 o'clock M., we moved up the Red river with the entire fleet of transports and gun-boats. As we pass along, we see hundreds of negroes on the river side, hailing the advent of " Massa Linkum. " General Banks' forces are on the march up the south side of the river, and have captured, after a little fight, the small town of Natchitoches. At 4 p. M., we reached Grand Cove, and the signal of one gun announced the enemy in sight. We debarked at once, taking knapsacks, baggage, camp and garrison equippage. Our camp is an exceedingly fine one among tlie trees. It will do our men good to wander through the forests again. We did not receive orders to move on the following morning, as expected. Our boat, Diadem, and the Southwester and Sioux, went up the river two miles to wood. A foraging party was sent out, and returned with some excellent beef. A large cavalry force, supported by the Thirty-fifth Iowa, moved up the north side of the river, a short distance above Caurdea, distant from this point three or four miles. The commander of the troops moved his whole force carelessly ahead, without any advance guard, it is reported, down to a bridge, which was torn up by the enemy. As soon as they had all crowded down at the bridge, the enemy in ambush fired upon them. The adjutant of the New York veteran cavalry fell with five enlisted men, and forty men wounded. As soon as our troops recovered from the shock, they rallied and drove the enemy from the field. It is a disaster for which some one is responsible, and it is high time that all officers, who do not properly regard the interests and safety of their men, were relieved from their command by better men. What will be our next move I am unable to tell, farther than that it will be up the river. There are probably about fifteen thousand rebels in arms above here to meet us. Dick Taylor, Walker, Kirby .Smith and Daddy Price are said to be in command. C. H. L. LETTER NO. CXXXIX. He.\dqu.\rters Twenty-seventh Iow.\ Infantry, 1 Grand Ecore, April 19, 1864. / Fkieni:) Rich : — The period which has elapsed since I wrote to you, has been to us the most eventful of the war. On the morning of the seventh, the forces of the Thirteenth army corps. General Ransom commanding ; the Sixteenth and Seventeenth army corps. General Smitli commanding; the Eighteenth army corps. General Franklin command- ing, and all under command of Major General N. P. Banks, left Grand Ecore for an advance towards Shreveport. The Thirteenth corps was in the advance followed by the Nineteenth, and General Smith's command in the rear. The weather was fine, the roads good, and the march met with little or no opposition, until Pleasant Hill was reached. At Mans- field, ten or twelve miles in advance of that place, the enemy had taken position and determined to give us battle. When the Thirteenth corps had reached within striking distance of the enemy, a consultation was held, and General Ransom was permitted by General Banks, against the wish of General Franklin, to move up and provoke a fight. Our army of tv/enty-five thousand was scattered through the woods of Louisiana for twenty-five miles. A large cavalry train, together with numerous ambulances, had been pushed to the front. Everything con- nected with the whole force was wholly managed for a general engage- ment. The Nineteenth corps had gone into camp, seven miles in the rear of the Thirteenth. In this unprotected and irregular condition, the fight was commenced between Ransom and the rebel Taylor. Some sixteen hundred of the Thirteenth were sent out to contest the field w^ith ten thousand rebels. Of course they were hastily beaten back with tremendous slaughter. A small force was thrown out a second time and gobbled. By this time the enemy knesv his power and our weakness, and pushed forward boldly, capturing men, horses, mules, wagons, ambu- lances, artillery, and whatever they passed which had been shoved in- to their hands. The thirteenth corps fought well for an hour, and re- treated two miles, when the nineteenth was met and, after a desperate fight, checked the further pursuit of the foe. Night came on and spread her sad and sable mantle over the scene. One hundred and thirty wagons loaded with cavalry equipage, amunition and rations, twenty-two pieces of artillery, thirteen hundred men of the Thirteenth corps, and five hundred more of the Nineteenth corps, with all their guns — all were gone. General Banks thought he was whipped, and a retreat was ordered. By this time, the evening of the eighth, General A. J. Smith's forces had reached Pleasant Hill. We had received no news from the front, and all lay down as quietly as at our peaceful homes. At 2 o'clock A. M. reveille was ordered. A few moments elapsed, and Colonel Gilbert was sent for by the brigade commander^ Soon it was understood that Banks had been whipped, and that there had been a fearful slaughter of troops. Our fires were extinguished, our men ordered under arms, and all looked with dark forebodings fOj coming events. Soon the retreating train appeared. Hour after hour the heavily HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 199 ladened train moved rapidly back. What an immense train ! There is a probability that many wagons could yet be spared profitably by this army. Wagons loaded with flooring for tents, with goats and bird cages, are of little service to the Government ; and generals who allow their trains to be thus encumbered, are of less use. All could see that a retreat had been ordered. Brigadier General Smith, it is said, expressed much dissatisfaction, and desired to remain and fight alone ; but all he was allowed to do was simply to cover the retreat to Grand Ecore. I send the official report of Colonel Gilbert, which will speak for itself. Company C is still on detached service, as guard at Brigadier General Smiths headquarters, on the transport Clara Bell. Headquarters Tvventv-seventh Regiment, Iowa Vol-"! UNTEER Infantry, \ Grand Ecore, April 11. 1864. j Captain; — I have the honor to report the following list of casualties in the Twenty-seventh regiment. Iowa volunteers, at the battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9, 1864; About 10 A. M. we were ordered into line and moved one and a-half miles on the road to Shreveport, and took position of left centre of brigade, in advance line, relieving the Fifteenth Maine volunteer in- fantry. Our line was established in the edge of a thick wood, and the men commanded to lie down. An open field lay to our front. Com- pany B was immediately thrown out as skirmishers. Firing was quite brisk until half past 3 in the afternoon; the enemy's skirmishers appear- ing at times, then falling back. At that time the enemy advanced in force. Our*skirmishers fought well, until overpowered and driven in. Immediately they resumed their place in the regiment, the enemy steadily approaching in strong columns. At this point a bold cavalry charge was made by the enemy along the Shreveport road. Our men remained quiet until they had approached to within short range, when a full volley was poured into the rebel ranks. The effect was telling. Riders reeled and fell, horses were struck as dead as if a bolt of heaven had riven the air. The scene was an appalhng one. Scarcely a man who made that charge, but met his death on the spot. The enemy had moved upon the left of our ad- vance hue in strong force. The line had already broken away to the left, and news came that the enemy were flanking us. Already the enemy were fighting in our rear. Several shots had taken effect in the ranks of companies B and G. The enemy advanced in our front in solid columns. We met them with determined fire; volley after volley was poured into their ranks. For two hours the rattle of musketry was incessant and deafening. Several shells and a number of solid shot struck immediately by us, bursting and wounding a number of men. About half-past 5 r. M., the order was given to retreat, but was not re- ceived by me until after other regiments had retired, leaving both flanks of my regiment greatly exposed. We fell back in good order and in line, until the enemy was discovered to be flanking us, when the line was broken, and we escaped through narrow passages, the enemy pour- ing a sharp fire upon both flanks, and closing in rapidly on our rear. At this point in the struggle, a large part of those reported, were killed or wounded. We immediately formed line in the rear of supporting column, and awaited orders. I would like to mention the names of some ofirceis who distinguished themselves, but all conducted themselves so bravely and so well that I refrain from mentioning any save Captain J. M. Holbrook, company F, who, after having received a severe wound, led his men with dis- tinguished gallantry, until a second severe wound was received, and the regiment reformed in rear of supporting column. Aggregate of killed, missing, and wounded, eighty eight. I have the honor to be, captain. your most obedient servant, J.'VMES I. Gilbert, colonel commanding. To Charles T. Granger, captain and A. A. A. G., Second brigade, Third division. The musketry firing was as sharp as that at any place during the war. if the testimony of the officers and men who were at Shiloh and Corinth can be credited. At dark the firing ceased, when the rebels beat a long retreat for eight miles. The enemy lost more in killed and wounded than we did. Their numbers engaged were far greater than ours. During the night of the ninth. General Price came down with fresh troops from Arkansas, and some came up from Texas, making in all, it is thought, a reenforcement of twenty-two regiments. They fought as bravely as ever men could fight, and they were in the best of spirits, for they had gained a large prize on the eighth. It is a little provoking to rend communications from lying corres- pondents, to the effect that the Thirteenth and Nineteenth corps did all the fighting at Pleasant Hill, when it is acknowledged by all that Gen_ eral Smith's forces, the Sixteenth and Seventeenth, saved the army and gained all that was gained. Far be it from me to detract from the credit due the Thirteenth and Nineteenth; they fought well and have as good soldiers as can be found in the United Slates service. But facts are facts; the Thirteenth corps commenced their retreat two hours before the battle of Pleasant Hill commenced. The Nineteenth was our support, and did good fighting after we fell back, which was just at sunset. We lay in line of battle all night. It was intensely cold, and many of the boys had lost their blankets during the fight, so that nothing could be obtained but a light blouse to keep them warm. The wounded are being brought up to the hospital as fast as they come within our lines. Although the rebels have retired, it is not safe to ad- vance by night, and many of those with whom we have spent so many days of soldiering, are to-night outside our lines, shivering with cold and suftering from pain. This retreat is the hardest order since we have been soldiers. Our men, with whom we have associated for almost two years, whose friendship has been cemented by all the privations which a soldier meets on the weary march, in the lone camp, or on the stem field of battle, are left uncared for. Could we have lingered an hour or two to care for them, it would stay the grief; but no, we must go at once. And back we came to Grand Ecore, sick at heart and discouraged, for the news of our sad repulse is confirmed. But we must submit. We found that our transports, which had been ordered up the river when we marched, had not arrived, and the roar of distant artillery tells too plainly that they are in trouble. We hastened to their relief and found them all safe, though perforated by rebel balls, and several cannon shots passed entirely through some of the boats. Company C have had a share in the fight, notwithstanding they are acting as guards for General Smith. None of them are woimded, however, and all are now in the best of spirits. The fleet is safe, the water is low. When we shall move I would not pretend to say. and in what direction when we do move, I do not pretend even to surmise. C. H. L. The following are the casualties reported in company H: H. H. Love, corporal, wound not known, left on the field; E. E. Mulick, left hip, severe, left on the field; H. B. Booth, left hand, severe; A. Cor- dell, neck, slight; H. Harrigan, left hand, slight; J. C. Haskins, left hand, slight. Love, Booth, Cordell, and Haskins, were from Quasque- ton, Mulick from Brandon, and Harrigan from Independence. LETTER NO. CXL. [Extracts from the official report of Colonel Gilbert, concerning the gallant fight of the Twenty-seventh near Tupelo.] Headqu-^rters Second Brigade, Division, Sixteenth Army Corps, Near L.\ Grange, V Tennessee, luly 22, 1864. j We had camped on the north side of Old Town creek. Mississippi, where, about 5 o'clock p. M., fifteenth instant, the enemy attacked the rear of the column, and from a high hill some three-fourths of a mile on the opposite side of the creek, commenced shelling our camp. I received orders to move out the infantry of my command, consisting of the Fourteenth Iowa, Captain William J. Campbell commanding; Twenty-seventh Iowa, Captain Amos Haslip commanding; Thirty- second Iowa, Major Jonas Hutchison commanding; and Twenty-fourth Missouri, Major Robert W. Fagan commanding. I immediately marched out upon the road leading to the creek, and was ordered to deploy my command upon the right of the Thirty- second regiment, Wisconsin infantry, in a field of growing com, upon the right of the Tupelo road. I had deployed the Fourteenth and Twenty-seventh Iowa infantry, when I received orders to move forward in line on double quick time. Sending a staff officer to bring forward the other two regiments, I threw out a line of skirmishers in front and obeyed the order with all possible promptitude. The line scaled the fence, waded a stream nearly waist deep in water and mud, pressed through the thick brush and dmber to the edge of a large field of growing corn, when it came in full sight of the rebel line, which, with its battle-flags waving in the sunlight, was boldly and firmly advancing, and pouring in a destructive fire. I at once withdrew the skirmishers to the main line, and ordered it to fire and advance. The whole line poured in a volley, raised a shout, scaled the fence, and pressed stealthily forward in the open field, firing as they advanced. The ground was rough and ascending, the day was very hot, and. by the time the line had reached the middle of the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. field, many had dropped upon the ground from heat and exhaustion, unable to rise. Not a few had been borne back wounded. The ranks had become somewhat thinned, and the rebel line in front, in excellent position, yet held firm, and kept up a continuous and severe fire. Perceiving that I might be easily flanked upon the right, should my line be much further advanced, I sent a staff officer to find out why and where the other two regiments of my command had been detained, and to bring them forward on the right with all possible dispatch. By this time the enemy began to waver and fall back, when our men raised another cheer, and pushed forward up the hill, firing rapidly, and, as the field over which we advanced showed, with telling effect. The enemy failed to reform his line, but kept up quite a sharp fire until driven over the hill. My line steadily advanced to the further side of the field, over another fence, up through the broken timber to the crest of the hill, when the firing ceased and the line was ordered to halt. Skirmishers were thrown out and the exhausted but triumphant line permitted to sit down and rest. The other two regiments came up, the enemy were driven beyond sight, and no more firing occurred, except a few desultory shots from the pickets. I held this position till sundown, when 1 was ordered to the left, and some five hundred yards to the rear, where I lay all night; the left of mv line resting across the Tupelo road. The enemy left seventeen dead bodies upon the part of the field over which iny two regiments advanced. I have to express my warmest thanks and admiration, both to the officers and men of the Fourteenth and Twenty-seventh Iowa, for the gallantry they displayed throughout the long charge up the hill, under a severe fire, driving the enemy with heavy loss, nearly three-fourths of a mile, from a strong covered position: and to Lieutenant Donnan, of my staff, especially, I would say he has my heartfelt thanks for the heroic manner in which he discharged his duties, ever present in the thickest of the fight, rendering all the assistance in his power to effect the grand object which was so well acliieved. The following is an interesting incident of the battle of Tupelo, given by I. I. Watson, chaplain of the Second Iowa cavalry : After the battle was over our men were passing over the field, ren- dering relief to the wounded, wlien their voices attracted the attention of a rebel soldier who had been blinded by the explosion of a shell. He called for water, and, when it was brought, he spoke to a rebel captain, who was lying near by mortally wounded, asking if he was thirsty. The olificer answered very faintly that he was. Being re- vived by a little water, while the life current was ebbing away, he turned his thoughts heavenward. He prayed most emphatically for the old Government, that it might be sustained; prayed that the wicked leaders of this Rebellion might be forgiven and brought to repentance and loyalty. He acknowledged himself deluded, and with his dying words remembered his abused country, his family and himself LETTER NO. CXLI. In Camp, Helen..\, .\rk.\ns.\s, 1 July i6, 1864. ) Dear Guardi.\n: — Thinking a few lines from the one hundred days's men might not prove uninteresting, I crawl from my humble cot, composed of one board elevated about ten inches from the ground, to give you what little information concerning company D, I am able to impart. We are indeed a sorry set. First, Captain Herrick was taken down with bilious intermittent fever, and the Second Lieutenant McHugh with the same disease. Meanwhile, I did not feel well, but determined to keep up as long as possible. To give you some idea of the health of the company, I will state that out of eighty men we re- port but sixteen for duty. The rest are all sick. David Finley, John Good, Henry Johnson, Elliott Weatherbee, George P. Bauck, Orville D. Boyles, ]ohn H. Baldwin, Augustus H. Older, and Jacob B. Mon- ger, are in the general hospital. The rest are in the regimental hos- pital and in the company quarters. The principal disease is bilious fever. Thomas Abbott, Robert Loftus, and Royal Lowel are detailed as nurses in the general hospital, and I have just learned that the last named is now sick himself We keep up our courage by whistling, and hope for more healthy times; although some of our poor boys have whistled their last tune. The company is at present commanded by our orderly sergeant, Sidney C. Adams, acting second lieutenant. There is a report to-day that the sick of the regiment go to Keokuk soon; and if the move is made at once the regiment will go en masse, for in two weeks more. unless matters change for the better, it will be reported unfit for duty. More anon, if my strength holds out. L. S. Brooks, First Lieutenant. ■ 17, 1864. ) LETTER NO. CXLII. Camp Ninth Iowa Veterans, East Point, Georgia, September i Editor Guardian: — Thinking that many of the readers of the Guardian would be interested in General Logan's congratulatory ad- dress, I send it to you, knowing as I do that there are still loyal people in your county that dehght in hearing of our success. For those who do not 1 only wish that they could be made to go through what this army has since we left our homes in 1861. We have a healthy location, good water, and plenty cf exercise thus far, arranging matters about camp. The non-veterans will start home this month. We wish them all the success in the world, knowing, as we do. that they are " all right," even if they couldn't go veterans. Our regiment is in excellent health. I don't believe company C has a sick man at present. Troops in fine spirits, and ready to drive old Hood's rebel hosts into the gulf any time our glorious generals may give the command. And we should like to have a few thousand of those northern traitors to mix in with them for the sake of variety. But my short letter is already too long. Respectfully yours, Dick Thavek, Drum Major Ninth Iowa. LETTER NO. CXLIIL Officers" Hospital, Memphis. Tennessee, ) August 24. 1864. \ Dear Guardian: — The city of Memphis, with its forty thousand inhabitants, its two or tliree thousand Federal soldiers acting as guard, and some six or eight thousand troops encamped around its borders, was thrown into the most intense excitement, on the morning of the twenty-first instant, by the audacity of from five hundred to one thou- and rebel cavalry. As good or ill luck would have it, I was in the Officers' hospital in Memphis at the time, and from my front window in the second story, I had a fine view of the most that transpired. forest's grand dash into MEMPHIS. At about four o'clock in the morning, we were all aroused by the tramping of horses, the yelling of their riders, and the firing of guns. We ran to the window and saw about forty horsemen passing the hos- pital and turning to the left. We supposed them to be a body of our cavalry on a drunk and having a free fight among themselves; so we were soon in our beds again, and the clatter of their horses' hoofs and the firing died away in the distance. One captain in our room sug- gested that they might be rebels, but this idea was scouted at once. Where did they get through our pickets ? How could they pass our regiments outside? Here is our large fort, with its one hundred and fifty huge siege giuis commanding every avenue; here are our gun- boats, and there is our cavalry. The more suspicious and timorous ones were soon silenced by these potent arguments, and we soon saw the utter impossibihty of these men being other than Federal troops. So we drew our sheets more closely around us, and got ourselves into position for our final morning nap. when presently firing was heard again in the distance. It grew nearer, louder and more frequent, ac- companied by hooting and yelling and the claitei of horses' hoofs through the streets. Soon men were running through the hospital cry- ing: "The rebels are coming ! the rebels are coming ! " All who were able to be on their feet were dressed in "double-quick" and at the windows; and sure enough, just at our left and not fifteen rods distant, were some four or five hundred rebel cavalry, in front of the Gayosa House, the principal hotel in the city; and they were firing indiscrimi. nately at every man they saw. We knew they were searching the Gayo- sa for Major General Hurlbut, who it was known had been stopping there for a few days. We felt sure that our hospital would come next. Here were about one hundred officers, colonels, majors, captains and lieutenants. Quite a haul of shoulder straps they could have made, at least. And to add to our comfort, one of the guards told us he heard the rebels say that they must take the Officers' hospital before they left. I am acquainted with at least one man who didn't relish the prospect before us. Things began to have a decidedly war-like aspect. We had no idea that we were born "for such a time as this." But a few hours before we had been indulging in golden visions of home, and had become immensely elated by the thought that, in a few days, "homeward bound," we should take one of the fine old packets at the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. levee, and sail for a more congenial clime. The prospect now was that we should take a jaunt on foot several hundred miles further down in Di.xie. They remained in front of the Gayosa about half an hour, when one of their number called out: "Now for the Irving block, to reclaim our prisoners !" and away they dashed down the street. We all felt like bidding them God speed, clear out of the city. Although we breathed a little easier when they had left our vicinity, the hospital could not have been taken without a struggle, .\bout fifty of our men liad arms and were able to use them: and those stairs would have been covered with rebels before all could have been captured. The Irving block was not taken, for by this time a strong guard was placed there who made a stout resistance and drove the rebels away. While all this was going on in town some two or three thousand rebels were fighting our infantry outside the city. Our soldiers were finally aroused, order was brought out of confusion, the militia was called out, the cavalry was mounted, and all hastened to the scene of action. The rebels were driven several miles and badly whipped. Thus ended the great scare of Memphis, and the daring, though worse than profit- less, exploit of the rebels. N.^KKOW ESCAPE OF GENERAL VV.\SHBURN. During the early part of the raid the rebels made a dash on the headquarters of General Washburn. They killed most of the guard, and rushed into the front door just as a small piece of white linen could be seen streaming out of the back door. The general jumped out of bed, and without waiting to be over fastidious in his toilet ran for the fort, which he reached just in time to save his head. The raiders took a great many of the best horses out of the liveries in tt>wn, they took some Government horses and mules, robbed hun- dreds of citizens of their money, watches, and other valuables, shot a large number of citizens, soldiers, and particularly negroes, took some prisoners, and after a stay of some two hours, it becoming too hot for them in the city, took their leave. They in turn lost many of their men in killed, wounded and prisoners. It is one source of comfort to us that they took more from their own friends than from the Federals. INCIDENTS OF THE FIGHT. Several were killed at the Gayosa, and one man was shot dead right in front of our window. Several shots were fired at us and we could hear the balls whizzing by. As it happened. General Hurlbut was not at the Gayosa. He had been imbibing with some of his old friends downtown the night before: and,asaconsequence,it was not convenient for him to return to the hotel, and for once, whiskey saved us a major general. I noticed two boys of the Iowa Eighth who manifested a great deal of coolness. They were on a corner near our hospital. They would step around the corner, load their guns, come out, take deliberate aim against a lamp post, and fire at the rebels. This they repeated several times. At one time while the rebels seemed to have complete control of the city, a young lady ran to the door shouting for the southern confeder- acy, and waving her hands with joy. Her demonstration was cut short, however, by the arrival at her door of a company bearing the dead body of her brother, who had been shot by her southern friends. As the rebels were about to sack a fine residence, the lady of the house ran to the door and begged them to desist, as they were all good secessionists there: but, said she, "There is a nigger den across the street, which I wish you would clear out." So at it they went, and killed all the innocent occupants. This fair secessionist is now lodged in the Irving block, and it is to be hoped she will rue the day that she pointed out the "nigger den." Our regiment, the Forty-sixth, has been particularly fortunate in many respects. First, it was fortunate in the selection of its command- ing officers. Our colonel, D. B. Henderson, of Fayette county, though a young man. is an experienced, brave and popular officer. In the really important position which our regiment has gtiarded, very much is due to the vigilance of Colonel Henderson. Our lieutenant colonel, T^. D. Durbin, is a large, rough looking man: you would as soon think of speaking to a bear; and yet no man in the regiment has a larger or a better heart than Colonel Durbin. He, too, is a veteran, and if I mistake not, the man who follows him in battle, if he falls, will fall facing the foe. Major G. L. Torbert, of Dubuque, is a jovial, hale fellow. Perhaps he can put on more style and look the soldier better than any other man in the regiment. He is always gentlemanly and cheerful, and is one of those genial souls whom if you meet once you will ever after be glad to meet. D. D, HOI.DRIDGE. EXTRACT FROM CHAPLAIN WATSON ON THE MEMPHIS RAID. A short lime after the Tupelo battle a grand expedition was fitted out under Generals Smith, Hatch and Gierson. They moved out on the road as far as Holly Springs, thence to Abbyville, meeting with slight resistance. They dashed into Oxford with little loss, and, find- ing no enemy in force, they moved on more slowly. In the meantime Forrest swung around to the flank, and in a mo- ment when they were not expecting him, he appeared in the city of Memphis on Sunday morning, the twenty-first of August, with twenty- six hundred mounted men. The attack on Memphis produced some uneasiness in our little force at Colierville, under the very efficient command of Colonel D. B. Hen- derson — Forty-sixth Iowa infantry. The health of the regiment is good. I am glad to be able to say that Hon. D. D. Holdridge has so far recovered as to be in camp. LETTER NO. CXLIV. Headquarters Company G, Fifth Iowa, near ) Macon, Gcokgia, April 30, 1865. ) Editor Guardian, Sir: — Having received orders this evening that we should be allowed To send one letter from a company to our friends at the north, I thought that by sending you this letter for publication our friends in Independence and vicinity could be relieved of their anx- iety for us more satisfactorily than in any other way. Our company has been very fortunate. All the men belonging formerly to company E, Fifth Iowa infantry, who started with us from the Tennessee river at Chickasaw Landing, are with us yet, and all in good health. Our company has lost but one man on the whole trip, Thomas B. Sim- bocker, who was wounded and left at Montgomery, Alabama. A national salute is to be fired in the morning in honor of peace. Our friends will probably see us before long, when the boys can tell of the " deeds that were done ' better than I can write them. Respectfully, your obedient servant, W. S, Peck, Company G, Fifth Iowa Cavalry. SUPPLEMENTARY WAR LETTERS. The sources from which we obtained the following letters were discovered after those preceding had been collected and arranged. As they seemed to us too good to be lost, we concluded to put them into a section by themselves. We do not think any apology is needed for the addition thus made to our already voluminous collection. The patriotic reader will regret, with us, that we could not find space for many other letters, per- haps quite as worthy of being preserved as those here embodied. FROM THE IOWA FIFTH. In Camp near Jacinto, Mississippi, .August 8, 1862. Editors Civili.vn: — We have at last made a movement south and east of Corinth about twenty-five miles, and are under orders for any point where the rebel bushwhackers and guerillas show themselves. We are now under the command of Jefferson C. Davis, having been transferred from that of General Hamilton. Davis' advanced brigades are twenty-five miles or more in .Alabama, which will probably be our course of destination shortly, liable to variation, as the rebels show themselves in one direction one day, and in another the next. They made an attack on Rienza, a few days ago, but were repulsed in quick metre. Our cavalry is on the alert, while their horses are nearly worn down. It is an unbroken wilderness from Hamburgh to this place, except an occasional plantation, where the underbrush is cut off and the large trees are girdled. The ground is planted with corn, and we are making use of it, both for cooking and for forage. There is a large field in front of our color line that is melling away rapidly before our stalwart bovs, who have provided them.sclves with the .Arkansas tooth-picks — huge knives that we got in Price's and Van Dorn's camps. They are just the thing for corn cutters, and good for nothing else. We have plenty of peaches and apples by foraging some distance from camp; also, potatoes, onions, cabbages, etc. Lieutenant Marshall has orders to obtain one hundred negroes for this regiment, as teamsters, fatigue men, etc. The soldiers arc not to do anything but guard and fight. The negroes are to be regularly enrolled, have tents, draw rations, and be manumitted at the end of the war. The lieutenant has alreadv sev- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. enty-five where he can get them on short notice. Some of the teamsters are opposed to the introduction of the "kinkeys," as they hke teaming better than shouldering their rifles and doing military duty; but a great majority of the soldiers are highly pleased with the arrangement, as it relieves us of many of our hardest duties. The country about us is very rolling, with plenty of pure, cold, spring water; and this, in a great measure, is the cause of our unusual good health. There are some, however, who got broken down before we came to this place, who will hardly recover while in the service. Such are afflicted with chronic diseases, and are subjects for typhoid pneumonia. I have not done duty in four months, and a dull prospect ahead. There are a goodly number in the same way in the regiment, and several in company E. . . . As to the confiscation act, it is hailed with acclamations of joy by every Union man or soldier in the army. A year's e.xperience in ser- vice, of privation and suffering by the soldier guarding the property of rebels, and if a slave came into our lines, seeing him given up by some soft-hearted colonel, with bows and grimaces, to the avowed rebel wlio received back his chattel as a right belonging to him, with lofty hau- teur and disdain for the mud-sills of the north ; allowed to pour out his venomed slang and abuse of the Lincolnites, and that without the least shadow of resentment on the part of our e.xalted gentry — this has become unendurable. But the times are changed, and the war is, or must, in be earnest hereafter, or there will be no soldiers to fight. We are tired of the manner in which the war has been conducted — fighting the rebels with one hand and feeding them with the other — supporting the families of the rebels, while the heads of those families are skulking through the brush and shooting our guards and pickets. I say we will not stand it; and if any officer has the least sympathy with the rebel cause, he will act wisely to keep his owTi counsel. There is no such thing as Democrat and Republican here. We are for the Union and the Constitution at all hazards and at every cost, and the speedy suppression of the rebellion by any and all means. If the south should be entirely depopulated, of which there is no danger, we have enough good and true men at the north to repeople it in a few- years. We never intended to meddle with slavery until the rebels themselves made it imperative to use the same means employed by them: negro labor for fortifications and fatigue duty. Besides the lizards, spoken of by the correspondent of the Guardian, there are wood-ticks, which are very numerous; and a small insect called the "jigger," almost infinitesimal, scarcely to be seen by the naked eye, which get into our clothes, puncture the skin, and "row until they are plainly discernible. These interesting little creatures are as annoying as the gad fly to the elephant's ears. There is no preven- titive to their ravages but to soap one's self thorougly; they don't like soap, and will "schalahoot" in short metre. Another recruit has just arrived from Independence, Mr. Stewart. His health is not entirely reestablished, and until he is acclimated, great care will be necessary, as a relapse would be, without doubt, fa- tal. The rest of the recruits are doing well, Beckley is convalescent; Lieutenant White is looking splendidly again; -Lieutenant Lewis is slightly indisposed, but not seriously. I hear we are to move again in a few days, the truth of which I cannot vouch for. If anything turns up, Micawber-like, I shall take advantage of it and inform you. M. H. FRO.M THE TWENTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT. Fort Pickenny, Memphis, December 24, 1862. Editors Civilian:— Our detachment arrived at this place one week ago to-day. We found that our regiment had left here, as we had supposed, and that its present place of sojourn is near Holly Springs. Any further definite particulars concerning it I cannot obtain. A very strong force of sick was left behind, numbering about ninety. There are now here about one hundred "and fifty of the regiment, over one hundred of whom are on the sick list. We found almost every one of those left behind by the regiment suffering from some form of disease. A large proportion of them are now convalescent, and it is well that they are, as it is impossible to obtain medical attendance. Most of them have no medicine whatever. A few, by great persistence, get a prescription once in two or three days. The cases are not gener- ally of a very serious character, but it was a great mistake that a surgeon was not left in charge. There is a very large hospital in the city, where a few have been taken. They report good care. The Medical department of the army, as far as I have been able to observe, is not in the most perfect working order. Much suffering is e.\-peri- enced for the lack of medicines. I ran all over the fort to get a few very simple prescriptions put up, but without successs. Tlie lar^e force which has been here, and the number of sick left behind, explains the condition of affairs. When we shall go to the regiment, it is quite impossible to conjecture. A strong force is required now to make the attempt by land, and the very uncertain condition of our railroad connections makes it unsafe to go to Columbus. We may stay here for months, and we may go in a week. !Several of companies C and H have applied for discharge, and will obtain them as soon as they can be put through the proper forms. Those wishing to send letters to us here, should address "Detachment Twenty-seventh Regiment, Iowa Volunteers, Fort Pickenny, Mem- phis, Tennessee. " Aside from the sickness among us, we fare well for soldiers. We are inside the fort, which is really a fortified camp, be- low and adjoining the city, of perhaps a mile and a half in length, and of one or two hundred rods in width. Quite a large number of houses are enclosed and occupied for hospitals, officers' quarters, and other purposes. The river bank is of clay, very steep, and from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet^n height. The whole works are of earth, and are mounted with heavy guns. W^ith a proper garrison it would be hard to take. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, General Sherman's expedition was embarking. The number of troops, it is impossible to estimate — I judge, however, from fifty to seventy-five thousand. The troops now here number five or six thousand, about one-third of whom are unfit for duty. There are apprehensions of an attack upon the fort, and a part of our force is constantly stationed upon the outworks. Just now another rumor is in circulation, that the Twenty-seventh has been in a fight at Holly Springs. It is quite probable. The condition of the whole of west Tennessee is most unhappy. Run over as it is alter- nately by Federal troops and guerillas, it is fast becoming despoiled of its improvements and its people. How long this will continue, who knows ? Business in the city is not lively, except such as pertains to the army. Cotton is brought in to some extent, and sells quickly at much less than New York prices. Provisions of all kinds are high, as is also clothing. There are many secesh here who have recently been considerably exer- cised by certain orders of Major General Hurlbut, bearing quite hard upon disloyal persons. The weather has been for the most part very fine — a few rainy days and some frosty nights. On an average it is quite as warm and pleasant as the last of September and first of October in your latitude. To-day it is quite mild, with appearances of rain. It is not forgotten here, that to-morrow is Christmas, We confidently expect that while we find a fine dinner entirely out of the question, our friends at home, while enjoying themselves at their feasts, will hold us in remembrance and do ample justice for all. H. C. H. [H. C. H. may feel well assured that the enjoyment of many Christmas feasts was marred by recollections of the men "at the front."] FROM THE SAME. January 7, 1863. . . . Last week a supply train came in from General Grant's army, and the Fifth Iowa was one of a dozen regiments forming the escort. I saw Thomas Blondin only. Lieutenant Donnan and others went outside the fort, and reported the Independence boys doing well. They certainly have a hard time. Again our camp is full of all sorts of rumors as to the whereabouts of our regiment. I suppose that they are in the vicinity of Holly Springs, and conjecture that they may form a part of the advance of General Grant's army. We are in con- stant expectation of hearing directly from them. Twice we have pre- pared to set out to join the regiment. About fifty only are able to endure the march. The chance for sick men is as poor as ever. To-day a number of our detachment started for St. Louis. Hilling, Brady, Allen, and Min- ton, of company C, left. None of company C or H now here are in immediate danger, but quite a number are in a condition which demands prompt relief. They have asked for discharges, and will get them when they can be examined. More than tw^o thousand men from all regiments in Grant's and Sherman's commands are here in a similar condition, but still very few deaths occur. Occasionally there is a small- pox scare, though but few cases have occurred. HolTman, of com- pany C, is now convalescent from it. Major General Hurlbut is still in command here, and is the man for the place. The city is secesh, through and through, and requires a commander of cautious, firm decision — one who is not troubled witli squeamish notions or secesh sympathies — and the general fills the bill. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 203 One of his last orders provides that for each and every raid made upon the Charleston & Memphis railroad, by citizens and guerillas, he will banish from Memphis ten secesh families, commencing with the wealthiest and most influential. The commander of the fort is General Asbott, a veteran soldier, and formerly on General Fremont's staff, in Missouri. Very few officers of high rank are to be found in these parts since General Sherman's ex- pedition sailed. We hear of the loss of several officers at Vicksburgh, but are in suspense as regards the issue of the contest. Tliereis reason to fear that we are repulsed. The failure of General Grant to advance on Jackson, and of General Banks to cooperate with Sherman, may place the latter in a very critical position. It w^ould seem that the rebels ought to have been compelled to fight at Jackson and Vicksburgh at the same time. Every one is an.\ious, and all have much confidence in General Sherman's ability, and in the valor of our soldiers. H. C. H. FROM THE TWENTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT. J.VCKSON, Tennessee, January 11, 1863. Editors Civili.'^n: — I last wrote you on the march, near the Talla- hatchie river. Since then we have done considerable marching. We marched from where I last wrote you, to near Oxford, when our divis- ion was separated, and part of it went back to Memphis with General Sherman. Our brigade was also separated, and we were then ordered to V\'aterford, and from there to the Tallahatchie river to guard the railroad bridge. While there the guerillas made a dash upon our hospital, and took eleven or twelve of our men prisoners. I don't know the names of any but Brown, a member of company C. All of them have been paroled and sent to Memphis. While our forces were pursuing the guerillas, word came into camp that we were about to be attacked by fifteen hundred rebels. We were immediately drawn up in line of battle near our hospital, and commenced constructing a forti- fication out of fence rails. After waiting some two or three hours — the enemy not coming — we were ordered on to Waterford, as that place was threatened. We were put through on double quick, and there found some of our cavalry that had been surrounded at the raid on Holly Springs, but had succeeded in cutting their way through \'an Dorn's force by hard fighting. We remained at Waterford the rest of the night, and at dayligjit set off for Holly Springs, arriving there about I o'clock. The rebels had disappeared. About ten thousand men marched into Holly Springs that day. The town presents an awful appearance. The heart of the city has been burned out, and all the buildings containing Government stores are destroyed. The mag- azines exploding, shattered nearly every window in town, and shells kept bursting nearly all day. The citizens seemed frightened nearly to death, and I do not much wonder at it. We lay there two days, and then were ordered back to the Tallahatchie; from whence we marched to this place after a few days, reaching here on the night of the thir- tieth of December. Next day our camping ground was assigned us, and we went to work erecting our tents preparatory to a good night's rest: but no such good luck for the Twenty-seventh regiment. At 7 o'clock P. M. , we received orders to march forthwith, without tents or knapsacks, and with but one blanket to the man, in the direction of the Tennessee river, after Forrest and his crew, cavalry, and supposed to be eight thousand strong. We marched till 3 o'clock the next morn- ing, and then were permitted to lie down one hour and a half, without fire. After a short nap we partook of some raw meat and hard bread and started off for Lexington. We here met General Sullivan and the Thirty-ninth Iowa, with some other regiments coming on toward Jackson with some four or five hundred prisoners and seven pieces of artillery, which he had captured from Forrest a few days previous, about twelve miles from Lexington. I did not ascertain what the loss was on our side. Forrest's loss is reported heavy, and he was retreat- ing in great confusion toward the Tennessee liver. Our brigade, under General Lauman, Colonel Truman's brigade and two battalions pur- sued him. When within seven miles of the river our advance cavalry fired into his rear, but night was upon us and we had to wait till morning.' At daybreak one brigade and a battery moved fonvard. Our brigade and battery were held back as a reserve. At 12 o'clock the cannonading began , and we were ordered forward on double quick, through mud and water boot top deep. We were ordered to throw off everything that would impede our progress. Some got their blankets into the wagons, and some left them by the wayside. When we got to the river we found that our artillery could not get a position. It was Forrest's cannonading we had heard on the opposite side of the river, to cover his retreat. We found his men about all across the river. The advance was ordered to fire on them with musketry, which was done; I AN A, \ 17, 1864. j but they all skedaddled, and report says they sunk the ferry boat to prevent us from following them. They threw shells pretty sharp while they were about it. The citizens at the river told us that Forrest said that if he could get across the Tennessee river alive, he would come back again. The prisoners taken in the fight near Lexington were dressed in our uniform, which, no doubt, they got at Holly Springs. Our boys made them take it off, and put on- their butternut clothes. We were now ordered back to Jackson; and, when we got within eighteen miles of the place, were ordered to Bethel, a little town on the railroad, about eighteen miles this side of Corinth. From there we were ordered back to Jackson, where we arrived on the eighth instant. Old regiments that were with us say that, such marching and hardship, they have never before seen. We left Jackson with one and a half day's rations, all th.at could be got in the city, but we had plenty to eat most of the time, such as it was. My mother used to tell me that " hunger was a good cook," and I beheve it. We had but two camp kettles and two skillets to the company, and you may guess at the balance, as we had to depend on foraging for support. We are now brigaded again, but whose brigade we are in, I can't tell you. I think that we come under General Sullivan's division. I have no official word from the thirteen boys that I left at Memphis. Colonel Gilbert has written for those of the regiment at Memphis to come and join us. The boys here are able to be around, though some of them are on the sick fist — none dangerous. Some of them will have to be discharged, as they will never be of any use to the service. It takes a man with an iron constitution to stand such marching as we have done. I am in hopes we shall lie here awhile, till we can recruit up some. I have been very hearty since coming south — never felt bet- ter in my life. At this time I have a little rheumatism in my right knee, but I dont apprehend that it will be serious. This place is strongly fortified with cotton bales and Union soldiers. A report has just reached us that Holly Springs has been laid in ashes by the Kan- sas jayhawkers, but I cannot vouch for its correctness. ]. M. M. C.\MP Twenty-seventh Iowa iNFANTRy, Grand Ecoke Landing, Louisiana, April Friend B.^rnhart: — As I see you are moving along with the Conservative, and presuming your readers would like to hear from the Twenty-seventh, I take this opportunity to give an account of the bat- tle of Pleasant Hill, and the part we took in it. On the morning of the ninth instant we were in camp within one mile of Pleasant Hill, when we were aroused at 3 o'clock in the morn- ing by the beat of the reveille call. Thought I to myself, now for a hard day's march, but I was somewhat disappointed, for soon every man's cartridge-box was filled with fifty rounds of cartridges, while the camp fires were extinguished and darkness surrounded us. The boom- ing of cannon soon gave us to understand that the enemy was not far distant. Soon the day began to dawn — the sun rose and spread its golden rays over the trees, and nature seemed as pleasant and tranquil as a June morning in Independence. About 8 o'clock we were ordered to "fall in," and were soon on the road, our brigade — Colonel Shaw's — in the advance. We soon halted and loaded our pieces, the road being lined with teams pushing their way to the rear; General Banks' retreat, as the boys' called it. Passing through the village we "double quicked " for a short distance, when we came in sight of our battery planted on a small elevation in a field in which were some scattering pine bushes. A line of battle was formed in the edge of the woods fronting to the field. The Twenty-seventh and Fourteenth Iowa were in the centre of the brigade, while on the left lay the Thirty-second Iowa, and on the extreme right, supporting the battery, lay the Twenty-fourth Missouri. We soon relieved two Maine regiments that had been holding the enemy in check for some time. Our skirmishers were sent in the advance, while we lay in a small ravine that nearly sheltered us from the whistling bullets, which flew thick and fast over us. Occasionally a shell fell amongst us, which wounded a number of men, but killed none. Thus matters stood until about 5 o'clock p. M. , when a regiment of rebel cavalry, six hundred strong, made a charge on our battery; but upon their approach the Twenty-fourth Missouri poured a few volleys into them, causing both men and horses to lick the dust. A few of them eame around to our front, who met the same fate as their comrades. Soon after this charge was made they followed it by a solid body of infantry coming up at " right shoulder shift." Upon arriving in range, their lines were soon opened by our bullets, but as quickly closed again. For a while the battle raged along this line, but a colored regiment on the left of the Thirty-third Iowa, giving way unknown to us, we were 204 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. soon flanked, and under a cross fire. The other regiments fell back, and Colonel Gilbert, seeing our precarious position, ordered us to fol- low suit. We were then between three fires, and had just the space occupied by two companies to get out through; and it was every fellow for himself, or be a prisoner. We twice tried to rally, but were so close pursued by the rebels that we were unable to do so. They fol- lowed in hot pursuit until they came to the ne.xt line of battle, which gave them a volley after we had passed their line, which was soon followed by another from the next line. We formed immedi- ately, becoming the third line of battle. We were compelled to hug the ground pretty closely, as their bullets still found their way through the brush; but, being unable to break the line they were forced to fall back. About 9 o'clock we should have gained a coitiplete victory, had not General Banks retreated. A. J. Smith's guerillas, as he called us, covered his retreat. We came off and left our dead unburied, and our wounded to do the best they could. Our brave color-bearer, C. C. Mulick, fell while bringing the colors out, but they were soon grappled by the boys and are safe. Our colonel was slightly wounded in the hand by a buck shot, and, by the way, Colonel Gilbert is as brave a man as ever led a regiment. There were three severely wounded in company H. C. C. Mulick in the hip, H. H. Love, flesh wound in leg, and H. Booth in the hand. The two former were left on the field; others of the company were slightly wounded, and there were a great many hair-breadth escapes. The Twenty-seventh lost eighty-three men, with nine companies engaged. Our loss in the two days' fight was three thousand and thirty-nine, besides the cavalry loss, which has not been reported. In the first day's fight we lost twenty-two guns one hundred and fifty wagons, and ten days' rations. On the second day we took twenty-two cannon; and the prisoners in our hands report their loss as very heavy. [The first day's fighting must have beeti on the eighth, in which the Twenty-seventh was not engaged. — E. P.] On the morning of the tentii, at 3 o'clock, we took up our line of march for Grand Ecore. We marched fifteen miles and camped. The next morning we were again on the march, and reached here in the evening. We found that our boats and supplies had gone up the river, but we had a few rations left, which were soon divided among the boys. On learning the condition our boats were in, we were com- pelled to go and relieve them, as the enemy had planted a battery just below where they lay, and produced a complete blockade. Their posi- tion was such that the gun-boats could not touch them, and they were attacked every day by small bodies of the rebel cavalry until we went to their relief. They had been pretty well aired by round shot and shell, but none were disabled. .Surgeons and nurses have been sent out from this place under a flag of truce, to take care of the wounded left on the battlefield. General Banks is censured very much by some of the officers. If General .Smith had been in command 1 think we should have been at Shreveport before this. H.-VVVKEVE. FROM THE TWENTY-SEVENTH. Gr.\nd Ecore, Louisian.\, .•\pril 20, 1864. Messrs. Editors: — The first number of the Conservative was re- ceived by me at this place ; for which favor, thanks. It will afford me pleasure to send you an occasional letter, informing your readers of the doings of the Twenty-seventh Iowa ; but, beyond a mere mention of facts, I will not promise much. The scope of thought with the soldier is almost necessarily limited to consideration of personal mat- ters, and speculations as to the intent and result of military opera- tions. . . . That the past year has seen a wonderful change in the general estimate of the capability of the negro for military service, there is no doubt. The fact has been incontestably shown, that he will not only do for a soldier, but that he makes a good soldier. He endures fatigue and privation without complaint, and he fights bravely. The chivalrous rebel has allowed himself to be excelled in humanity by the freedmen soldiers of the Republic ; and the patriotic soldier of the North can well learn of them how to practice that patient endur- ance of duty and quiet subordination, which must alw.iys characterize the true soldier. I am not alone in wishing that we had two hundred thousand more of them in the field, to save our brethren of the North from the toils and dangers of a soldier's life m a climate so deadly to most of them — but my pen has run away with me. Assuming that your readers are already acquainted with our part in the Sherman expedition, I will commence with the setting out of the Red river expedition. On the tenth of March it left Vicksburgh. con- sisting of about twenty transports loaded with troops, and supplies of every kind, for thirty days; Brigadier General A. J. Smith in command. A heavy convoy of gun-boats joined us at the mouth of Red river, and all started up the stream on the twelfth. Sailed down Atchafalaya bayou to Simmsport. Thence the land forces marched across a fine country to Fort De Russey, near Marysville, which was taken, with small loss, on the fourteenth. The Twenty-seventh here manifested good intentions, but were un- able to achieve great glory, being left at Marysville until the fight was commenced. They were under artillery fire for some time, and came up to the charge at the moment of the surrender. The fort was in- complete and but feebly garrisoned, but still there was a formidable defence. The spoils were eleven pieces of artillery — mostly heavy guns captured on the Indianola and Queen of the West — nearly four hundred prisoners, and a considerable quantity of amunition and com- missary stores. The works were destroyed, and the last of the expe- dition reached Alexandria on the thirteenth, which was occupied with- out resistance. A portion of our force under Brigadier General Mown, made a raid and captured a fine battery, and about three hundred prisoners, on the tsventy-first. We remained here awaiting the arrival of General Banks' force, and for a rise in the river to enable our boats to go over the falls, just above -Alexandria, until the twenty-sixth, when our troops marched to Cotila bayou, some twenty-five miles. The trans- ports joined them on the twenty-eighth, and here we waited till April 2nd for transports to replace the boats of Ellett's Marine brigade, ordered back. On the seventh General Banks' troops, consisting of detatchments of the Thirteenth and Nineteenth corps, having reached Smith's command, formed the rear of the army on the march. Com- pany C, of our regiment, was detailed for guard duty on headquarter transport, Clara Belle, before leaving Vicksburgh, and has remained on board during the whole time. The transports, with suitable con- voy of gunboats, proceeded as fast as the nature of the navigation would allow ; and, on the afternoon of the eleventh, reached Loggy bayou. Here we found an abandoned rebel steamer lying entirely across the river. While making arrangements for its removal, a dis- patch arrived, informing us that a severe battle had been fought ; that our troops were retreating, and ordering the boats to return. The boats at once dropped down the river. We were fired on occasion- ally, as when ascending the stream ; but met with no determined at- tack until Tuesday, when the enemy appeared at numerous points, and opened sharp musketry fire. In the afternoon, w'hile a transport was agYound, and several others were rendering assistance, the enemy came down on us with a battery and several hundred cavalry. A consider- able force of infantry was also at hand to support the battery. They maintained the fight wirh great bravery, for an hour or more, when they retired, leaving their battery. The boats most exposed to their attacks had but very few troops aboard, and these managed to keep in shelter. The gun-boats, Lexington and Monitour, engaged the battery, and dealt havoc generally. Some pieces of field artillery on the Clara Bell, and two other transports near by, prevented the enemy from approaching, in any force, within range of musketry. Our loss was probably twelve wounded, some very dangerously. Henry Romig accidentally shot himself through the hand. Our men who went on shore immediately after the fight, say the rebel loss was one hundred and sixty killed, lying near the bank ; and a rebel deserter states it at two hundred and twenty. The next day we came on to another bat- tery, on the north side of the river, which was so well out of range of our gun-boats that its fire could not be silenced. One transport and several gun-boats had passed it in the forenoon ; and, in the afternoon, the Clara Bell was ordered to pass down, lashed to another transport which was disabled. Just before night we did so, the enemy present- ing his compliments of shot and shell lively enough to satisfy the bravest of our crew. Five shot passed through the cabin, some of them exploding on our decks. Luckly enough, being on the main deck none of us were injured. The rebels were unable to depress their guns sufficiently to reach the machinery of the boat. The Diadem, with the sick of the Twenty-seventh, was to follow us ; but, luckily, the enemy saw fit to leave in order to avoid capture by a strong detachment of troops then marching from this place to protect the boats. That evening we met the regiment at Campter, and learned the full extent of the loss. I do not now recollect the names of those from our county. The loss of our brigade, which does not in- clude the missing, is as follows : Twenty-seventh Iowa ; killed, two ; wounded, seventy-six. Fourteenth Iowa ; killed, eighteen ; wounded, sixty-two. Thirty-second Iowa ; killed, twenty-nine ; wounded, a hundred and thirty-two. Twenty-fourth Missouri ; killed, nine ; wounded eighty-six. Third Indiana battery ; three wounded. The HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 205 loss of ihe remainder of our division was twenty killed, one hundred and sixty-eight wounded. The whole permanent loss to the Twenty-seventh, will, I hope, not exceed twenty-five or thirty. Many wounds are very slight. Some of the most severely wounded were left in the hands of the enemy. The losses of our whole force are probably nearly three thousand, and the enemy's loss about the same. Our loss was greater in prisoners, the enemy's in killed. The troops all fought well, and the Twenty-seventh was not outdone by any. I will write you again from Alexandria. From the same, May 20th. . The fleet of transports arrived at the falls just above Ale.xandria, on the twenty-third ultimo, and all passed down to the landing in two or three days. Ten heavy-draft gun-boats were enabled to come down. The Eastport — heavy iron-clad — was aground forty miles above, as was also the Hastings, a sort of independent transport. They were destroyed as effectually as possible. On Tuesday, the twenty-sixth, the whole army had arrived. On or about the first in- stant. General Smith's command was thrown out several miles, where they remained till the thirteenth, occasionally engaging in slight skirmishes. The remaining infantry and cavalry were camped around the town in every direciion. Large parties were engaged in handling quartermaster and commissary stores, in bringing in sugar and cotton and putting it on boats, and in building a dam at the foot of the falls, which was commenced by Admiral Porter, on the thirtieth ultimo. It was a very lively town for two weeks. On the morning of the thir- teenth, the last gun-boats were safely over. The dam was an extensive work, and reflects great credit upon the chief engineer. Lieutenant Colonel Bailev, of a Wisconsin regiment. . The entire fleet and army left Alexandria on the thirteenth instant. General Smith's command and some cavalry having the rear. In the morning, some person, said to be a soldier, set fire to a building on Front street, about opposite to the centre of the town. Exertions were made by our men to prevent the spreading of the fire. Houses and churches were torn down and blown up, but to no purpose. The fire was raging at 3 o'clock P. M., when the fleet left, and, from what I can learn, fully one-half of the town was consumed. Of course, there was no apology for the incendiary — nor is there much sympathy in the army for the citizens. They have brought, by their rebellion, an army into their midst, and they must expect not only to submit to the proper and authorized results of military occupation, but also to suffer from unmililary, unauthorized and wanton acts of those bad men who are to be found in every army. As to making war upon women and children, the only question in my mind as to whether it is most proper to shoot the rebel father and husband, or to burn down the shelter of his family, is one of policy. If, by the latter coui'se, he could be induced for a brief season to forego the exercise of his amiable intention to kill me, and devote his little furlough to the reinstatement of his household goods, I am almost certain that I should incline to the incendiary policy. Besides, who know-s but the endearments of con- jugal and filial society, might soften the heart of the stem warrior, and bringing his modern Zantippe to insist upon an extension of his fur- lough, with a slight portion of the vehemence with which she once bade him go out and exterminate the hated "Yanks," and bring her a nice skull for a drinking cup. These feminine(?) characters are no myths. As to exasperating any body down here, that can't be done. They are just as savage now as they dare be. . The fleet was but little disturbed on its way down. It arrived at the mouth of the Bayou Atchafalaya on the fifteenth, and dropped down to the place of our previous landing, above Simmsport, the next day. A large number of transports were waiting, and a bridge of boats was formed, and the extensive trains of General Banks' commenced crossing at once. Several boats were also engaged in ferrying. On the eighteenth there was sharp fighting between the enemy and the First and Second brigades of Smith's division, with cavalry — the artillery fir- ing said to be heavier than on our lines at Pleasant Hill. Our loss is estimated at fully two hundred — a large portion of the wounds severe. The loss of the Twenty-seventh is four dead and fourteen wounded. Charles Coulon, company H, is among the dead. Hoover, same com- pany, is severely wounded. The enemy was entirely satisfied and did not renew his attacks. 'We leave this afternoon for Red River landing, where our troops will arrive in the morning, when we take them on board and leave for Vicksburgh. We learn that General Smith is pro- moted, and we all say deservedly. H. C. H. From the s.vme, Vicksburgh, Maysr, 1864. Messrs. Editors: — 1 he masterly retreat of the Red river expedi- tion is completed, and the army is safe. After the battle of the Old Oaks, on the eighteenth, the enemy concluded to let us depart in peace. . The summary of the results of the expedition, which I sent you some time since, needs no particular amendment, e.xcept the addition of the loss of the boats mentioned in my last, and of about two hundred men lost on the march from Alexandria, and at Old Oaks. A senseless plan was most miserably executed. What business thirty thousand men had in that country at the present juncture, no one knows. But for the probability of capturing cotton and sugar, it is certain they would never have been sent there. General Banks' policy has always been to scatter his men all over the country. If cotton- traders are permitted, encouraged, and assisted, the inference is plain that General Banks is largely in the cotton business. If he is not, he has taken such a course as to induce the belief, and must suffer accord- ingly. The strictures of the northern press upon his operations are heartily endorsed by the army. General Canby assumes his command with the full confidence of the army in his integrity and military abihty. Some of both companies C and H are sick, but I believe none dan- gerously. H. C. H. From the s.^me, Memphis, June 18, 1864. Messrs. Editors: — The regiment has now been eight days at this place, and is recruiting quite fairly, though under rather unfavorable circumstances. Our camp is just in the suburbs of the city, is only partially shaded, and is too small. The supply of shelter tents, or their substitute, rubber blankets, is also insufficient. The shelter tents are made of fine cloth, and of so small dimensions as to expose both head and feet to every driving rain. However, it is generally voted a fine place in comparison with Red river. Orders to march, and to be pre- pared to march, have been frequent during the week; but, to our great satisfaction, have been seasonably countermanded. Forrest's operations are evidently watched from this point, and no one can predict w hen we may be after him. The defeat of General Sturgis at Guntown and Ripley is not as bad as at first reported; but it was a severe blow, not only in the loss of men, but in artillery, stores, and transportation. The two regiments of negro troops engaged are reported to have fought with great determination and bravery. A detachment of the Fifty-ninth, numbering two hundred and forty men, which had been reported as captured entire, came in on the night of the fourth day of the fight, bearing their colors. It is reported that the rebels put to death the colored soldiers captured. That course will hardly pay them; for the colored troops and their officers are not to be scared out of the fight by this added danger. On the contrary, they will go in and retaliate, to the full satisfaction of rebels. Several regiments of hundred days' men have arrived, and passed down the river. The Forty-seventh Iowa were sent to Helena. While here the boys were visited by their acquaintances in our regiment. Cap- tain Herrick and his company are doing well. The regiment seems to be made up too much of boys. It seems to me poor policy, unless the men are all gone out of Iowa. There have been several changes in the commissioned officers of the Twenty-seventh. Lieutenant Sill has been promoted to captain, and First Sergeant Poor has been promoted to first lieutenant, in company C ; Lieutenant 'Wilcox, company H, promoted to captain commissary of subsistence on the general staff; and Lieutenant Harrington, adju- tant, is promoted in regiment of colored troops. There are, I think, about six hundred and twenty men and officers present with the regi- ment, and nearly two hundred absent, sick, and on detached service. H. C. H. C.\MP Twenty-seventh Io\v.\ Inf.^ntry, ) • Memphis Tennessee, July 25, 1864. j Editors Conservative :— Since my last, dated at Moscow, Ten- nessee, the Twenty-seventh has added another to the list of its marches, and lost no credit by its conduct on the battlefield. On the fifth instant, a force of fifteen thousand, consisting of two divisions of infantry, a brig.ide of colored troops, the usual proportion of artillery and cavalry, all under the command of General A. J. Smith, moved from Lagrange, Tennessee, in a southerly direction. '\Ve marched from Davis' mill, our first camp, by daily marches of ten or twelve miles, through Riply to Pontotoc, which ive reached on the eleventh. Here the enemy showed themselves for the first time, and on the roads lead- ing to Okolona. Resting over the twelfth, the army took up the march for Tupelo, eighteen miles distant, early in the morning of the thirteenth. This day the enemy attacked our rear and made desperate efforts to destroy the train, but were beaten off at all points with severe loss. The Twenty-seventh was the advance of the infantry, and saw nothing of these fights. The enemy showing so decided a dispo- sition to display his powers. General Smith disposed his troops in fighting order, in a good position, and camped for the night. Early 2o6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. next morning skirmishing commenced along the lines, and further dis- position of troops for a general engagement was itiade. The attack began, along a large part of the line, at about 7 o'clock, and lasted till 10 o'clock. Two regiments of the second brigade were used as a re- serve protection to the train, and the Twenty-fourth Missouri and Twenty-.'ieventh Iowa to the front, to support batteries. The Twenty- seventh was little exposed to fire, it being in a hollow and the bullets, shot and shell passing over our heads. Only a very few were wounded. The repulse of the enemy was decisive, with an estimated loss of five to one. At night »'e were called out to repel an attack on our left, whicli was done quickly, after the preliminary "brilliant" operation of shoot- ing a few of our own pickets, who were very gallantly holding their own position. The next day the return march was taken up. The enemy attacked our rear and train, but as usual were handsomely beaten. They, how- ever, followed closely with cavalry and mounted infantry ; drove in our cavalry pickets, and planting a gun on a hill coinmanding our camp, threw in shell with great precision. The Fourteenth and Twenty-seventh Iowa were at once put in line, and advanced through woods, brambles and creeks, emerging into a large cornfield. These regiments formed the right — other regiments and dismounted cavalry being on the left. We advanced steadily through the field, delivering fire as occasion offered, the enemy retiring before us to the crest of a hill beyoud. After resting awhile, a part of the regiment laying down to avoid bullets, grape, and canister, a further advance was made and the enemy left. This was his last appearance with any considerable force. The Twenty-seventh lost, during the raid, about thirty men which was a greater loss than that sustained by any other regiment of the di- vision. G. R. Parish, company C, was struck with a spent ball, but is now on duty. S. McKinney and N. Eddy, company H, lost each a finger. What was the object of the expedition I do not know ; but the re- sults are a loss of about three hundred and fifty men, in killed, wound- ed, and missing. The enemy's loss is variously estimated at from one to three thousand. This disparity is accounted for by the fact that the enemy, in all cases, by the generalship of our command, were forced to make the attack. They were in all attacks repulsed — in no instance did they drive us from our position. The return was not a retreat ; it was intended from the start, and deliberately executed. I infer that the true object of the mo\ement was to divert the attention of Forrest. I will add that the colored troops bore an honorable part in these fights, and have proved their reliability. The Third division took the advance at Collierville and ar- rived here on the twenty-third, well worn out. It is currently rumored that we are booked for another move at once, and it is prob.ibly true. The general health of the regiment is as good as could be expected. H. C. H. ["Hawkeye," Benjamin J. Miller, of company H, another correspondent of the Cunservative, gives (as fol- lows) soine additional incidents of their forward and retrograde movements, which characterized the military operations of this department. — E. P.] C.^MP Twenty-seventh Io\v.\, NE.iVR Memphis, July 26, r864. } Friend Barnhart: — .\fter a hard march and hard fighting, we have again returned to what we might term "our home," for a short stay I presume. The correspondent of your paper, H. C. H., has doubtless given your readers a full account of the fight on the thirteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth instants before this. On the evening of the thirteenth the rebels attacked our train near a small town called Harrisburgh, located a few miles west of the Mobile & Ohio railroad, killing a few mules and frightening the drivers considerably. The train was well guarded by the Fourteenth Wisconsin and Twelfth Iowa, which were soon formed in line and poured in a few volleys upon them, when the rebs took to their heels. We came into camp the same evening and bivouacked in line all around our train to secure it from surprise. On the morning of the fourteenth the rebels com- menced shelling our train, which proceeding annoyed us very much. Our batteries were planted in good positions, and worked to good pur- pose. The enemy massed heavily on our lines leading from Tupola to lontotoc. The Third Indiana battery gave them double charges of grape and canister, and the Second Iowa and Second Illinois batteries, well supported, drove them from their position. . . We were protected by a small hill directly in our front, but were compelled to hug the ground closely to avoid the bullets which flew thick and fast over us. At night we disposed of our meagre supper and lay down, but not to rest; for we were soon aroused by a volley of musketry from the colored brigade. Companies A and B were left out as skirmishers in the evening when the regiment fell back, and meeting too great odds they were retiring slowly. A volley was fired into their ranks when they saw fit to withdraw, and we took our position of the evening pre- vious. The cavalry succeeded in destroying the railroad at Tupola and some important tressel work below the town. Our rations run- ning short, limiting us to one cracker a day, we were forced to retire as speedily as possible. Camp Twenty-seventh Iow.\ Infantry 'Volunteers, ) Holly Springs, August 8, 1864. ) Mes.'srs. Editors: — As I wrote you, the Twenty-seventh came down to this place on Thursday last, since which time we have occu- pied a tolerably pleasant position east of the town. The full effects of Van Dorn's operations at this point (in December, 1862) appears in the ruined walls of all the depot buildings, and of all the principal business buildings up town. There are no marks indicating that busi- ness had been carried on in the place since our first occupation. Like all towns I have been in which were occupied by rebels, it is desolated; improvements of every kind are neglected, and all shows that war is abroad in the land. Alexandria, Louisiana, does indeed furnish an exception to this statement. The whole of General Smith's forces are now said to be in this vicin- ity, and our regiment is under orders to be ready to march at an hour's notice. We shall likely move south to the Tallahatchie, and on to Oxford and Grenada. This, however, is mere speculation, as we have a general who develops his plans only by the orders for their exe- cution. There is an opinion prevalent that we shall be at Memphis in a few weeks. The health of the regiment is generally good, and but few are left behind on this march. None have returned who have been furloughed since July ist. We expect strong reenforcements when we return. The troops make great havoc of the products of the country, and thrive thereon remarkably well. Apples and peaches are ripening and are plentiful. Green corn is a staple, and considerable quantities of potatoes are developed by our best jayhawkers. On the whole we are doing well. Promotions in the regiment have been made as follows: Sergeant G. P. Smith, company G, to be quartermaster, and Sergeant Major C. H. Lewis to be adjutant. These promotions, especially that of Sergeant Major Lewis, are considered as very fit to be made. The weather in Dixie, this summer, though warm, is entirely tolerable. The same daily breezes prevail here which aflford such pleasurable relief upon the prairies of the west. Rains have not been frequent, nor has there been any lack of water. On the night of our arrival here there was a shower which was so sevei e and long continued as to leave scarcely a dry man in the regimeut. We don't want any more like it. The general feeling of the army is that we shall prevail. All that is required is an exercise of that fortitude which the rebels have so well taught us by their example. Of personal bravery we have enough, as is attested by every battlefield. But have we national courage and fortitude which will insure the prompt reenforcement of our shattered armies, and thus crown our arms with entire and final success? We, down here, believe it and believe that the Union is well nigh restored. But if Sherman or Grant is unsuccesful, why, try again. It is no time to go back — to yield — after having spent so many millions and lost so many thousands of brave lives. The blood of heroes slain would cry out against an abandonment of the advantages which their deaths have helped to purchase. No, we must go on, and shall prevail. More from our next stopping place. H. C. H. C.^MP Twenty-seventh Iowa, near Memphis, ) .August 31, 1864. ) Messrs. Editors: — For the sixth time we are again camped in the suburbs of this goodly city. The history of our travels since my last, from Holly Springs, is as follows: On the seventeenth instant we marched to Waterford, about ten miles south, on the Mississippi Central railroad. The place is of no impor- tance except as a railroad station. On the eighteenth marched to .4b- beyville, also a small town and station, three miles south of the Talla- hatchie river. Passed in sight of Fort Noble, and other similar earthworks, garrisoned by our regiment in the latter part of 1862. I was much amused and interested by the various^ reminiscences of that campaign, which our approach to well known localities brought up. The defence of Fort Noble by company C against rebels that never came — the capture of the attendants at our regiment hospital, and the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 207 gallant and ineffectual pursuit after the successful rebels — the sad inci- dents attending the death of poor Leuder — the rapid march to Holly Springs; and any number of exploits in foraging, were all described with the greatest minuteness. It was conceded by all, however, that our first campaign was by no means the most severe. At Abbeyville we were detained two days by a heavy rain, during which time we amused ourselves in trying to keep as comfortable as possible. The facilities for such a purpose afforded by a single blanket per man, are found somewhat deficient. The march was recommenced Sunday, the twenty-first, over very heavy roads. The distance made was seven miles. Ne.>;t day our division had the rear, and had just commenced the march when a general halt was made for several hours, and about the middle of the afternoon our return march commenced — our advance had reached O.'iford. Noon of the twenty-fourth found us in camp on the Tallahatchie, where we remained till the twenty- fifth, awaiting the construction of the bridge. Holly Springs was reached on the twenty-sixth. Remained there till the twentv-eighth, and marched hither in three days. The distance is fifty miles, over a very fine country now mostly uncultivated. The reason of our return was undoubtedly the reception of dispatches concerning Forrest's raid on Memphis, confirming pre\ious information that the enemy would not present themselves in our front in any considerable force. I infer that the series of "side shows" of this sort are now "played out," and that iustead of being kept here for fruitless raids after Forrest, the surjilus men of this army will be sent where they can do good. The intention of all our movements here has been to create a divi- sion of the enemy's force. The enemy are not drawn away from their strong points, and our force is thus rendered entirely ineffective. Rumors are rife that we are to go to Atlanta in a few days. The health of the regiment is good — the supply of fruit has been abundant and freely appropriated, and the consequence is an almost entire e.xemption from fevers. When the furlouehed men return to the regiment it will be, perhaps, in as good a condition for effective field service as it has been heretofore. H. C. H. O.v Bo.\RD Steamer Belle Memphis, 1 Cairo, Illinois, September 7, 1864. J Messrs. Editors: — You will see by above date that the surmises contained in my last are verified. The Twenty-seventh is again travelling, and it is currently believed that the point of destination is some place beyond Atlanta. The whole Third division is now here and on the river, and the Second is expected to follow on its return from White river, where it was sent a few days since. The several divisons of the Sixteenth corps will very likely soon be reunited under the command of either General Smith or General Dodge. The re- moval of these troops, and the return of the one hundred days' men, together with the sending of the second division of cavalry into the de- partment of Arkansas, will very materially lessen the forces heretofore operating in the district of Memphis. We arrived here at an early hour this morning, and may remain an hour or a week — ^just how long is unknown. There are now present with the regiment very nearly five hundred men. All men able to travel have been returned from hospitals, and also men on detached duty. There are yet many absent on sick furlough and in various hos- pitals. It is rather a serious matter when nearly three-eights of a reg- iment are absent for such a cause, but many regiments have such reports to make. Companies C and H have a few sick — none danger- ously. First Sergeant G. W. Smyzer has been promoted to the second lieu- tenancy. Major Howard, Captains Hemenway and Granger and Lieutenants Bedung, Robins and Sims are returned from absence or sick furlough. Lieutenant Colonel Lake has returned and is now in command of the regiment. The question of the enforcement of the draft is exciting considerable discussion. It seems to be agreed that the last men called for must be forthcoming at once, in order to take full advantage of our present successes, and it is very generally believed that there will be no post- ponement. Let them come, we say, and let us conquer without delay. The army demand the most vigorous policy possible, knowing that in this manner only can the Union be preserved. The nomination of McClellan is satisfactory to many.'and mainly on the ground that he is the man to carry on the war. Unconditional peace men are scarce. Enough of this. I just hear that we are to tranship to the Souix City, probably for Louisville. The pay rolls are being signed, and we expect a supply of greenbacks which will be very acceptable just now. You will hear from mc again when opportunity offers. H. C. Hemenway. THE WOMEN OF BUCHANAN COUNTV IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. The war chapter of our history would be both incom- plete and unjust without a further recognition of the achievements of Buchanan county women. It is true that their unwearied efforts, during our Nation's trial, were emphatically a labor of love, and that every city, town, and hamlet of the loyal north e.xhibited the coun- terpart of their self-sacrificing devotion. But this does not detract from ihe honor which is their due, the record of which should be held as the proudest inheritance of their childien. The untold material wealth, represented by the accu- mulations of hospital stores, collected mainly through the agency of woman, was not disproportionate to the vast operations of the GovernmeVit in that great struggle. How much these labors and this lavish outlay influenced the final result it is impossible to say; but of their adapt- edness to ameliorate the sufferings inseparable from war, there is no doubt. And when it is considered that wherever any portion of the Union army was sent, there the sanitary commission found means to follow, with hos- pital stores, nurses, and all the ajspliances for the care of the sick and wounded, what language can adequately ex- press the beneficence of woman's work in the great Re- bellion? The mothers, wives, and daughters of the Union had, in giving up husbands, sons, and brothers, offered their choicest treasures to the Nation. Was it strange that the lesser gifts should not be withheld? The mother could not seek her fever-smitten boy in the distant military hospital; nor could the wife minister to her stricken husband, though cruel wounds had paralyzed the strong arms and made him helpless. Such cases as these were not iso- lated. The land was filled with mothers and wives whose yearning anxiety, left to prey upon their hearts, would have consumed them. Happily this painful solicitude found its solace and its natural expression in labors which should surround the suffering loved ones with something of the atmosphere of home. Difficulties there were, but love laughs at impossibilities, and in obeying the impulse to do what it can, often performs miracles. There should be no lack of the numberless accessories which often make of the sick room at home a shrine where each member of the household offers constantly his choicest gifts. First, there must be a wealth of soft garments, suitable for the sick and convalescent. And how these were multiplied till in number they were as the sands upon the sea shore, or the leaves in the forest (and like the leaves of that tree by the "pure river of water, clear as crystal," there was healing in their touch), let the un- numbered associations under the title of Soldiers' Aid societies and the unfailing stream of supplies which met the demand for hospital stores wherever made, and the condition of our hospitals, which challenged the admira- tion of the civilized world, answer. The women of Buchanan county were not behind their sisters in other counties of the State, nor did the women in any part of Iowa dishonor the record of the brave men she had sent forth to battle for a righteous HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. cause, by backwardness in these labors of love. Iowa soldiers were eminent where all were brave, and the women of Iowa, by their patient, persistent, heroic labors, left the world in no doubt as to the cause of the pre- eminence of her men. soldiers' .\id societies. These organizations were to be found in almost every neighborhood in the county. For, as in every neighbor- hood there were families from which the father, or one, two, and in some cases three sons, had gone into the army. The whole population was, in fact, made up of organizations from which material supplies in some form were constantly flowing. To trace, through a period of four years, the operations of one of these sources of be- neficence, though perhaps the most subordinate in means and results, would be beyond the scope of this chapter, were the data for such a record at hand. A few sugges- tive titles and statistics are all that will be aimed at, but these will be sufficient to give the thoughtful reader the factors concerned in producing that sum total, before which the world stood amazed. THE NUMBERS ENGAGED IN THE WORK. And here, as in other departments, our statistics must be of necessity, approximate. In the earlier pages of this chapter, the work of the women of Independence in preparing uniforms for the first companies that left the county for the seat of war, before provision had been made either by the State or General Government for the outfit of enlisted men, has had honorable mention. For- tunately the names of those noble women, who, limited in time for the accomplishment of a great and necessary labor, and recognizing the warrant of Him who "went about doing good," continued their work through the day of rest, have been preserved; and we are not only able to transmit them to future generations, but to add the assurance that the zeal and self-devotion of this heroic band, which was so conspicuous in this inauguration of work for the soldiers, knew no abatement until armed rebellion had ceased. And it may be questioned, whether as co-workers with others like-minded throughout the State, their holiest work w^as not done after that event. The opening of homes for the orphans of soldiers, in recognition of that sacred duty to be a "father to the fatherless,'" was done mainly through the self-sacrificing labors of women. It is true that man)-, both men and women, and that, too, among the most e.xalted in station as well as in culture and piety, gave to the cause of the widow and orphan freely of their influence, their time, and their means. But we have the testimonv of one who had interested himself in collecting informa- tion in regard to the history of the establishment of the Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' home, that, " In the origin and general success of this enterprise, the greatest credit is due to the women of Iowa." To this roll of honor, which will be read with ever in- creasing pride, no whit less reverent than that which stirs the pulse at the mention of Revolutionary heroines, should be added perhaps an equal number, who, during the next four years, bore the heat and burden of the day. but were prevented from taking part in this first scene of the first act of the drama which filled the land with woe, and brought the keenest sorrow to many households of Buchanan county. We give the list as published by an admiring editor, Mr. Barnhart, of the Independence Civilian, who, for- tunately for us, and for those who had to follow us, look- ing in upon the inspiring scene, on that memorable Sun- day, was moved to make a record of the names of those patriotic women, who, forgetting weariness, were giving a fine exhibition of the self-abnegation which should characterize those who had given themselves to their country in her hour of need. And it is a pleasant thought that the heroism, especially of some of those youthful heroes whose names are an honor to the county and the State — a Jordan, a Lewis, a Rice, and the most youthful of them all, the gallant Little — received a higher inspiration during those last days at the county seat, a higher estimate of the value of their imperilled Govern- ment and of the duty of her defenders. Mrs. E. B. Older, " C. L. I'.itrick, " H. P. Henshaw, " \. J. Bowiey, " Rev. John Fulton, '■ D. P. Daniel, ' ' Dr. George Warne, '■ T. \. Wilson, " William Morris, " A. B. Clark, / '■ S. S. McClure, 1/ " S. S. Clark. " J. B. Myers, " D. S. Dunham, " Dr. E. Brewer, " Harvey Mead, " '\\^illiam Stanley, " William Barker, " C. F. Leavitt, " Jed Lake, ' ' Harvey Lovejoy, " Lettie Wilcox, " John Whait, " F. Brockway, " J. H. Young, " .S. Ercanbrack, " Thos. Oliver (and machine), " Alexander Smith, " D. T. Randall, " J. M. Westfall, " Allen Few, '* Baldwin, " H. Sparling, " Dr. House, " N. M. Brooks, " H. A. King, ■■ A. Dudley, " Parker, " H. Shaw, " J. Haywood, " Kimball, " Young, " J. H. Morgan, '■ G. W. Bemis, ■' M. D. Smith, '■ C. F. Herrick, Miss Carrie Patrick, " Sarah Sturtevant, " Althea Chandler, " A. Conolly, " E. Putney, Mrs. M. V. Bush, " C. M. Dunham (and machine), " James Wliait, " William .Scott, " R. Plane, ' ' C. B. Kandee, " R. W. Wright, " George Whait, " J. G. Freeman, " E. W. Purdy, " B. C. Halle, " H. Edgecomb, " S. P. McEwin, " H. Connelly, " M. Glllett, " E. Roby, " CM. Pond, ■' J. M. Hord, " Carrie Simmons, ■' Dr. Hunt, " R. Campbell, •■ T. B. Bullen, " H. I. Brown, " M. Allen, " R. A. Kent, " R. S. Brown, " E. M. .Alexander, " E. H. Gay lord, " Dr. Parsons, " Dr. Tabor, " Charles Taylor, " Holmes, " R. Bartle, " Barnhart, '■ M. B. Tims, " E. P. Baker, " Judge Tabor, " Dr. Bryant, " B. S. Rider, " B. D. Reed, " John Campbell, ■• P. B. Wilco.x, " • Fisher, " Heman Morse, " G. Sauerbier, " M. Hazelton, Miss Ellen Henry, " Carrie Curtis, " Amelia Parker, " M. Barnhart, " Rachel Freeman, HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 209 Miss Hattie Crippen, " Helenjudd, " C. Morse, " Gertrude Edgecomb, " Mary Chandler, " Jennie Patterson, ' ' Rosa Forbush, C. Deering, " Emma Allen, " E. Wattles, " Hattie Horton, " S. L. Jackson, Miss Annie Kingsley. ' ' Emma Woodward, " M. Hathaway. " Libbie Chandler, ■' Lizzie Patterson, " Eliza Barnhart, " Mary Deering, " Delia Clark. " C. Schwartz, " E. Sauerbier, " Bowker. " Maggie Brockway. SOME DATA FOR ESTIMATES OF VALUES COLLECTED. Not long had the Buchanan county com])anies heen in active service, before appeals were being made from the sanitary committee of the army, from Quartermaster General Meigs, from the governor of the State, and from private sources, setting forth the necessity for sup- plies which the Government could not provide, and which, most naturally, must be the product of loving labor of the friends of the soldiers at their own homes and by their own firesides. And woman with that won- derful intuition which is a part of her spiritual constitu- tion, entered upon the duties of this avocation as though her previous life had been a training in which its details had been reduced to the inost exact rules, and its diffi- culties, apprehended and vanquished, had been arranged as convenient stepping stones by which she was to cross the wide and turbulent rapids to gain the farther shore. Everywhere warm hearts and willing hands were at once engaged in devising and preparing liberal things, not only for the sick and wounded, but, as far as possi- ble, it was the aim to provide such a variety in diet, and such ample protection against exposure as would effect- ually guard against disease; and thus, while making lib- eral provision for the soldier in the hospital, no pains or expense were spared to keep him out of the hospital. The first organization of a soldier's aid society in In- dependence was effected at a meeting held in Morse's hall, on Friday, the twenty fifth of October, 1861, when the following officers were elected : Mrs. D. S. Lee, presi- dent; Mrs. J. C. Loomis, vice-jiresident; Mrs. G. W. Bemis, secretary; Mrs. G. C. Jordan, treasurer; Mrs. Dr. Warne, depositor. The society asked for donations of yarns for knitting mittens and socks, cloths, flannels, muslins, blankets, quilts, pillows, etc., jellies, arrow root, corn starch, farina, preserved, dried and canned fruits, and other delicacies for the sick, not forgetting money for the purchase of material to be made up. The meetings were weekly, and all were invited to aid the work by attending, and by contributions of material and money. The receipts of the third and fourth meetings, as pub- lished at the time, were as follows: In money, given in small sums by various citizens, eight dollars and fifty cents; Mrs. Allison, towel and pillows; Mrs. Dr. Chase, one pound yarn, one paper cocoa; Mrs. Mary Wright, one comfort; Mrs. Marinus, one pair pillows with cases; Mrs. Brown, cloth for comfort; Mrs. A. Ingalls, three towels; Mrs. I. G. Freeman, one comfort, with feathers and cases for six pillows; patch-work for comfort, by Emma Taylor and Lydia McCullough; sixty blocks for comfort, pieced by Master Alphonso Reed; ten yards calico, by several persons; Mr. Candee, four pint cups, clerk, one ditto; Mrs. Bush, Mrs. Glynn, Mrs. Edgecomb, Miss Ella Sauerbier, patch-work for quilts; Mrs. Morse, two pairs socks; Mrs. Woodruff and Miss Homans, ma- terial for two quilts; Mrs. Wilson, six pounds batting; Mrs Jordan, one quilt; Mrs. James Brown, six hair cushions and one paper of corn starch ; Mrs. Morgan, one pair pillow-cases; Mrs. Freeman, material for two quilts, and feathers with cases for six pillows; Mrs. War- ren, one quilt; Mrs. Parsons, one quilt; Mrs. James Poor, one quilt; Mrs. Dr. Hunt, one quilt; Mrs. P. C. Wilcox, one quilt, six spools of thread; Mrs. Dr. House, one quilt, one pair of sheets; Mrs. Ingalls, one quilt; one quilt pieced by Katharine and Melissa Wilson, Au- gusta Noble and Addie Wilcox. At their fifth regular meeting the money receipts were about eight dollars, and at the sixth Mrs. I. G. Fret-man gave feathers for eleven ]jillows, making a donation in three weeks of seventeen pillows. Surely, "the blessing of him that was ready to perish" must have made hers a pillow of down. The first boxes were packed and sent, one to the Iowa Fifth, and the other to the Ninth regiment, on the thir- teenth of December. In the first were sent five straw ticks, twenty-one pillows, nineteen pillow slips, nine towels, two flannel blankets, thirteen cotton shirts, three cotton flannel shirts, two pairs cotton flannel drawers, two fine shirts, seventeen pairs socks, four pairs of cotton sheets, one linen sheet, one parcel old linen, one roll of flannel, four pairs of mittens, three hair cushions, six linen hand- kerchiefs, one roll of cotton for bandages, twelve com- forts, three tin cups, three bottles of wine, one can cur- rant jelly, three papers corn starch, one paper of rice, one paper of cocoa. To the Ninth Iowa volunteers, in which was Captain Hord's company, the following articles were sent: Five straw ticks, twenty-three pillows, nineteen pillow slips, one blanket, two pairs of cotton flannel drawers, four cotton flannel shirts, sixteen cotton shirts, one fine shirt, one parcel of linen, seven cotton sheets, one linen sheet, eight towels, one roll of cotton for bandages, sixteen pairs of socks, three pairs of mittens, six linen handker- chiefs, two hair cushions, twelve comforters, two tin cups, three bottles of wine, one can of preserved tomatoes, three papers of corn starch, two papers of dried grapes, one paper of farina, one can of plum jelly, three dozen magazines. At a meeting on the day following the sending of these first fruits of a tree which proved to be perennial, a vote of thanks was tendered to Dr. and Mrs. Warne, and also to the officers of the society, for a large amount of extra labor performed, and to Charles W. Taylor for carrying boxes to the depot, loading and unloading free of charge. Let it be remembered that this was the result of about six weeks' labor, and that, at least twice the amount must have been sent from other organizations in various parts of the county, as at Quasqueton, Jesup, Littleton, and other places, and that there was no cessation in this HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. work during the succeeding four years, and the amount and value of similar supplies forwarded from the county of Buchanan, will be seen to have been almost incom- putable. And then, too, in emergencies, as after great battles, special efforts were made, and the amount of hospital and other stores greatly increased. At seasons when such articles could be safely forwarded, immense quantities of vegetables, eggs and fruits were sent to ac- cessible points for the comfort and health of the brave men whose lives were imperilled, not alone by the burst- ing shell and the deadly bullet, but by forced marches in burning heat, and in driving storms of snow — from the malaria which poisoned the air they breathed and the water they drank. CHAPTER XVI. BUCHANAN COUNTY SCHOOLS.- The records of our county schools, previous to 1858, are exceedingly meagre, and the few there are, are so scattered and disarranged as to be practicably unavail- able, unless to a historian who, unlike myself, may have abundant leisure for explanation and collection. The school system of Iowa — if system it may be called — previous to 1859, was by no means favorable to com- pleteness and accuracy of record, and still less to a care- ful preservation and arrangement of such records as were made. The only county school officer previous to 1858 was the school fund commissioner, and his duties, as the title indicates, pertained rather to the care of the school land and funds than to any supervision of the schools themselves. The records, which he had little induce- ment to keep, I have had as little leisure to search for; and, in the superintendent's office, there are absolutely none. I must, therefore, depend entirely upon personal recollection for whatever I may say of the early history of our schools. That recollection dates back to the year 1850, or twenty-three years ago, at which time there were only three civil township divisions of the county, and I think not more than four school districts. Washington town- ship included the whole north half of the county, and a little more; and though there may have been more than one district therein, there certainly was but one school- house, and that was near where John Boone resided then, and yet resides. In Independence there were three families, and only two children old enough to attend school. There were three families near where Thomas Barr now lives, but no children over five years of age ; and three families on Otter creek, at what is now called Greeley's Grove, in Hazleton township, but not more than one child over five years of age, while in what is now called Buffalo township there were but two families. *A historical sketcli delivered before the County Normal Institute. Tuesday evening, August 12, 1873, by Hon. O. H. P. Roszell. In what is now called Liberty township (then Spring), there were probably a dozen families, and, I think, a school-house on Pine creek, about one mile south of the Dubuque road. At Quasqueton there were probably twelve or fifteen families, and they doubtless had a school building, though I don't remember to have seen it; and I think there was another school-house near where Sol- omon Swartzell now lives. In what is now Newton township there were a few families, but no school-house, and the same is true of Jefferson township and possibly Cono. The townships now called Madison, Fairbank, Perry, Byron, Fremont, Middlefield and Homer were as trackless and houseless as the ocean, as was also Sumner, with the exception of one building, occupied by Isaac Ginther. The architecture of the school buildings was, of course, the rudest. All built of unhewn logs — unless, possibly, the one built at Quasqueton may have been framed. Board seats next the wall on three sides, fronted by long desks of rough bass wood, as being soft and easily worn smooth by friction of arms and books, and, possibly, more convenient to whittle. These back seats and desks were reserved for the larger scholars, while the smaller were accommodated by inner rows of benches, made of oak slabs for strength and durability. The fourth side was devoted to the ample fireplace, flanked on either side by the entrance door and the wood pile. I need not, however, dwell upon the description of these houses, for the type has hardly yet disappeared, and is not un- familiar to even the youngest of my auditors. Who taught the first schools I am unable to say. But though the names of Egyptian builders are lost, the pyramids and ruined temples remain as monuments of their skill; and though the names of the first teachers are not re- membered, yet the results of th(?ir labors are perpetuated. [The names of nearly, if not quite, all the first teachers in the several townships will be found in the township histories. — C. S. P.] In the winter of 1850-51 a school was taught in the school-house near Boone's for three months, as I remem- ber, with an attendance of from twenty to twenty-five pupils, coming from a radius of two miles or more; and it will serve as an illustration of the interest even then felt in the subject of education by these early settlers, to state that an evening spelling school brought the people together — old and young — not only from Otter creek and Pine creek, but from Hazleton and Quasqueton. And a few attempts by the teachers to lecture upon such subjects as the operation of steam and the steam engine, methods of calculating, the velocity of light, etc., filled the house to overflowing, and that at a time when there were only seventeen families in the whole north half of the county. During that same winter, I believe, there was a school taught in the house on Pine creek, near the old Heam place, also one at Quasqueton. The next winter there were not only schools in all these places, but also one in Independence, two or three families having arrived here during the vear 185 1. This latter school was taught in a log building formerly occupied by Rufus B. Clark, the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. first settler here, and original proprietor of the town site; and the building stood a few rods south of where now is the residence of Dr. J. G. House. It stood in the street — Mott street — but streets and lots were then alike un- shorn of their native bushes, and only the surveyor could distinguish lot from street. The school was taught by Mrs. William Bunce, still a resident of Hazleton town- ship, in this county, and a very estimable and intelligent lady. Evening schools were common, and, being oc- casions of social reunion of parents and scholars, were always well attended by both, and all took part in the spelling. I remember attending and gaining some ap- plause for being able to spell most of the words in the spelling book correctly, and especially for being able to detect when a word was pronounced, not found in the English vocabulary, as was sometimes done by mistake, which is not surprising when we remember that kerosene lamps were not, and that the only light the pronouncer had was a tallow candle, held in the hand. During the year 1852, still more families arrived and settled in this place and vicinity, and I think it was in 1852, that the first school-house was built in Indepen- dence — to William Brazelton belongs the honor of its erection — at his own expense. It was not very large nor very elegant, being only twelve by sixteen, built of bass- wood logs; but the logs were hewed on two sides, and even divested of bark, regardless of expense; for its builder was determined that Independence should boast of a school-house worthy of its name. Providence seemed to smile on the undertaking, for the State super- intendent, Hon. Thomas H. Benton, jr., visited Inde- pendence just as the house was nearly completed and lectured in the new building. Every citizen turned out to hear him, the house was half filled, and that was a proud day for Independence. I had the honor of teach- ing the first school in that house, and I believe there were twelve pupils on my school roll. The building stood on the lot now occupied by Thomas Sherwood, and very near the site of his present residence. From this time (thougli I do not mean to assert, or even insinuate, that our new school-house was the cause), the tide of immigration began to set strongly toward Iowa, and this county received its share of the immi- grants. They followed, in their locations, the streams, or rather timber which followed the course of the streams. Settlers located up the fiver at Fairbank, at Littleton, down the river between here and Quasqueton, and below Quasqueton, on the Buffalo in the east part of Newton, and on the branches of the Maquoqueta, in east Madison, on Otter creek from its mouth to Gree- ley's Grove, and on Lime Spring creek in Jefferson; and . wherever they located they built school-houses with little delay. As early as 1855 or '56, there was a school-house built in Madison near the residence of Silas Ross; one on Spring creek in the south part of Newton; one near Brandon on Lime creek; another in the western part of Jefferson; one near Fairbank, and one a few miles be- low; still another in the north part of Hazelton, and at Buffalo Grove; one of brick at Independence, and an ad- ditional one at Quasqueton. Immigration still continued and increased, spreading out on the open prairie in every direction, till 1857, and additional houses contin- ued to be erected, many of them framed ones ; not only because the increase of population and wealth deman- ded and enabled people to build better houses, but be- cause on the prairies logs were neither the most conven- ient nor the most inexpensive material with which to build. I am not able to remember precisely, when or where schools were taught during these years, and there are no records readily accessible, from which such facts may be ascertained. There was no such office as county superintendent; and I find no report showing the num- ber of schools, or school children, or houses. Such re- ports were made to the school fund commissioner, but are hot at hand. The law providing for the election of a county super- intendent of schools came into operation iti 1S58, and the first superintendent (Judge Roszell himself) was elected at the April election of that year; and from that year only, can we begin to refer to records for school sta- tistics. At that time the county was subdivided into civil townships nearly as it is now. The superintendent's report for 1S5S, shows the total number of school chil- dren in the county to have been two thousand four hun- dred and forty-five, the whole number attending ten hun- dred and fifteen; twenty-nine schools, and twenty-seven school-houses; showing also, that in only two districts was there more than one term taught during the year. Of twenty-seven houses fifteen were frame, three brick, one stone, and eight log. Less than one-half of the children attended school, owing, doubtless, to the lack of school-houses within their reach. Up to this year the old system of schools prevailed. There was no particular provision for the examination of teachers. It was only provided that the school boards were to be satisfied of their abilities and morals. Their pay was derived from a rate bill, except so far as the in- terest of the public funds distributed sufficed. The term ended, and then the labors of the teacher began. The interest on the public school fund was ap- portioned as now, and divided among the several dis- tricts, in proportion to the children therein. This money was used to pay the teachers in part. The remaining wages were to be collected of those parents sending chil- dren to school, on a rate bill apportioned according to the number of days' attendance. This rate it was the duty of the district clerk or secretary to collect ; but the collection was a matter that involved time and trouble, and was often impossible. Some families had, perhaps removed from the district, others had children to send to school, but no money to pay tuition. The clerk had no great interest in the collection, and no disposition to hurry business; and the teacher had often not only to make out the rate bill, but to do the work of the clerk in collecting it, and spending the summer fruitlessly in trying to get pay for the winters' services. If Mrs. Bunce, and Mr. Pierce, and the Misses Butterfield, and others who taught previous to 1859, havn't old school orders unpaid and valueless — unless as autographs or me- mentoes — it will be because they have destroyed them. 212 HISTORY QF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. [Wiihout pretending to a great familiarity with the ap- plication of ethics to finance, we do not hesitate to say that citizens of a township having such unsettled claims for valuable services in the past (and for that matter the question would not be affected if the services rendered had been ante-dcluvian, rather than ante-presentpublic- school-system times), would honor their township, them- selves, and their race, by making, even at this late day, provisions for their liquidation. And we have pledged ourselves that when we have made "our pile" by writing county histories, and return to Buchanan county to in- vest the same in a Buchanan county farm, as we should be proud to do, we will, in selecting a location, give those townships the preference that have redeemed them- selves from the odium of having neglected to pay the school ma'am. — Eds.] The constitution of this State, called the new consti- tution, adopted in 1857, provided for a State board of education, consisting of one member from each judicial district, together with the governor and lieutenant-gov- ernor. The first election for this board was held in October, 1858, and the first session was held in Decem- ber of that year. It was a distinct legislative body, with power to legislate on school matters only, and its first legislation was the adoption of our present system of free common schools, modified only in details at subsequent sessions of the board, and by the legislature since the abolition of the board, in 1S63. The new law went into operation in 1859, and in this county was hailed with al- most universal satisfaction. The county superintendent of this county at that tune was also elected a member of the State board of education, and during its sessions had aided in the adoption of the new system, anticipat- ing, however, much opposition to the radical change it made. The unanimity with which the people of the county apjjroved its provisions, was, therefore, especially gratifying to him, and did honor to their intelligence. The report of the superintendent in 1859, shows a total of two thousand five hundred and thirty-two school children in the county, and one thousand seven hundred and forty-five attending school; a decided increase in the per centage of attendance over the previous year, which is explained by the fact that during that year there were taught in the county sixty-six schools, though the number of houses had only increased to thirty-one, be- ing an addition of four during the year. Thus it appears that not only were schools taught two terms in every dis- trict, but in several of these, schools were taught in other places than school-houses. Many of them were in private dwelling-houses, vacant or occupied. I remem- ber that one in Newton was in an attic; but I am not sure whether the room was reached by a ladder or by stairs; one in a wagon-house or shop, vacated for that purpose, and fitted up by Mr. Albert Riseley; one in Byron in a granary of John Tullock's; one in Buffalo in a vacant bed-room ; and one in Hazleton in a cellar kitchen at Isaac Sufficool's. The standard of qualifications was not high. Not many teachers could be found who had reached such a standard. Many of them would hardly pass such an examination as is properly made now, I suppose; yet some were fully equal to the present standard in educa- tion, and for fidelity and zeal, few of them have been surpassed. The houses were rough hewn, so were the people and pupils, and so the teachers, many of them; but they were fitted for the time as few are fitted now. Robust health and capacity for endurance were essential when teachers "boarded round," and boarding places scarcely in sight of each other, even on the open prairie; where no fences marked the course of the highway, and the beaten track led anywhere but to the school-house, and bridges were the exception rather than the rule, teachers then must be able to walk miles, and to face storms; and they were. The first certificate granted by the county superintend- ent was in 1858, to Miss Mary Preble; the fourth and fifth to Misses Emma and Eliza Butterfield. Eighty- three examinations were made that year and the same number the year following. Some were refused certifi- cates, and some who procured certificates, did not teach. Among the teachers examined that year in addition to those I have mentioned, I find the names of Jed Lake, S. G. Pierce, C. H. Jakway, Benjamin Knight, Samuel Leslie, Miss Lucinda Pierce, Miss A. L. Her- rick, now Mrs. Poor, Miss Rachel Freeman, now Mrs. Dr. House, Miss Delia A. Pease, now Mrs. Woodruff; and 1 am glad to say they were all good teachers. The first teachers' institute was held at the court house in In- dependence, in 1 868. There were about forty teachers in attendance, and at that institute was formed the Teachers' association, which has held its meetings annu- ally since, and in 1870 numbered over two hundred members. The second county superintendent was Mr. Bennett Roberts, who was elected in October, 1859, but shortly resigned, and C. E. Lathrop was appointed to fill the vacancy, and continued in office till October, i860. His successor, Mr. S. G. Pierce, who so long and ably filled the office, and to whose ability and zeal our schools are so largely indebted, was elected in i860, and reelected in October, 1861, and held the office almost continuously up to 1872, when he was succeeded by our present effi- cient incumbent. At that time, 1861, the number of schools in Fairbank had increased to four, with one hun- dred and seventy-nine pupils in attendance. Hazleton had six schools, and two hundred and fifty-three pupils in attendance. Madison seven schools, and one hundred and seventy-three pupils in attendance. Buffalo had two schools with fifty-six pupils; Fremont two schools and fiftj-four pupils; Byron four schools and one hundred and one pupils; Washington nine schools and three hun- dred and fifteen pupils; Perry one school and forty-five pupils; Westburgh had yet neither house nor school; Sumner had two schools and forty-two pupils; Liberty eight schools and two hundred and ninety-seven pupils. Three of these schools were taught in one building, and I should have remarked that Quasqueton was the first in building a school-house of more than one room. They built in 1857, I think, quite a commodious building, a portion of it two stories in height, with rooms above and HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 213 below, and an additional room in a wing, making three rooms in all; and in that building the second Teachers' institute was held in 1859. Middlefield, in 1861, had three schools, Newton eight, Homer two, Jefferson seven; making a total in the county of seventy-six schools, forty houses, with an attendance of two thou- sand and ninety pupils, out of a total of three thousand one hundred and thirty-eight school children. The total value of school-buildings in the county at that time was reported at six thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars. There were four brick buildings, two of stone, twenty- four framed, and ten log. At this time the war had broken out, and though its continuance for several years, doubtless, retarded in a measure, the progress of our schools, and especially the building of houses, yet there was a steady progress; and I find, by the report of 1864, that the number of school children in the county had increased to three thousand four hundred and thirty- five, the number attending school to two thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, the number of schools to one hundred and twenty, and of houses fifty-nine, valued at fourteen thousand six hundred and eighty-eight dollars. In 1S65 the number of school children had increased to four thousand and sixty-two, three thousand and forty attending school; one hundred and six schools, sixty-four houses, worth seventeen thou- sand dollars. This was immediately after the close of the war, and brings us down to a date so recent, that any- thing I may say of the schools since, can hardly be con- sidered history. The progress we have made since 1865, especially in the way of school-buildings, has been e.x- ceedingly gratifying. In 1867 the first Union school- house was completed, and the first graded school or- ganized in Independence. Since that time a second has been built. Also a tasteful and commodious one at Jesup, and another at Winihrop. The number of school-houses in the county in 1872 was one hundred and twenty-four, valued atone hundred and sixteen thousand seven hundred dollars. Only one log school-house remains in use, and nearly all have entirely disappeared. The number of children at the last date mentioned was six thousand four hundred and sixteen, and there were two hundred and forty-three teachers em- ployed during the year. When we compare this with one three log buildings in 1850, with three schools, or with twenty-seven buildings and sixty-six schools in 1858, the result is indeed gratifying; and all the more so when we remember that this statement does not include any of the excellent private schools taught in the county. We have the Catholic common school, well attended and well con- ducted, and the seminary under the supervision of the Sisters — an institution doing excellent service in the cause of education ; and the Commercial school recently estab- lished in our city, also doing good work in its appropriate; place and last, though by no means least, this normal school now in session, and doing still another portion of the great work — that of educating the educators. I find on the list of teachers for 1858 not more than two who are teaching now; showing that very few if any, adopt teaching as a permanent profession. A few terms or a few years, at most, is the general rule, and the ranks have constantly to be filled with new recruits. This fact is often alluded to as detrimental to the cause of educa- tion, but I do not so regard it. Teaching is both a science and an art, and those who practice the art, have generally little leisure to investigate the science. The natural tendency is to follow accustomed methods of teaching, as it is to prefer the accustomed text books; and the teacher who is in the constant practice of the art for many years, will almost invariably fail to keep pace with the progress of the science of teaching — just as a physician who should be kept constantly at the bed- side of patients, would have no time to keep pace with the new discoveries in the science of medicine; or the lawyer who should be always pleading in court, would soon exhaust his vitality, mental and physical, and fail to keep posted in the later legislation and more recent decisions. For these reasons I consider that the constant changes in teachers, has at least its advantages, supplying, as it does, a new life and fresh vitality. Our progress has been encouraging, and the present condition of our schools is alike honorable to the teachers, to the officers superintending, and to the people sustain- ing them. We have a school system susceptible of im- provement doubtless, but not inferior to that of any State; and it will be our aim not to maintain, but to im- prove its efficiency; and I doubt not that he who writes the history of our schools in 1896, will have an advance- ment to chronicle, fully equal to that we have made during the twenty-three years which have preceded this. Greater we cannot reasonably expect, nor should we be satisfied with less. Note. — Since the foregoing address was delivered, two more super- intentendents have had supervision of the county schools — Amos Rowe, one term (two years), and W. E. Parker, who is just now finishing his third term. The number of school-houses has increased, in the eight years, from one hundred and twenty -four to one hundred and forty- two, and the "one log school-house" has disappeared. The "Com- mercial school," of which the lecturer made favorable mention, has been discontinued, doubtless for want of patronage — a fate which, on account of the enlargement of the public school course, has overtaken most private enterprises of that kind. The number of children of school age in the county, in 1872, w.as six thousand four hundred and sixteen — in i88o, six thousand seven hundred and forty-five. The whole number of teachers during the former year, two hundred and forty-three — in the latter, two hundred and eighty-five. It will be seen therefore, by any one who will cipher it out, that the children of school age, and the teachers provided for their instruction, have increased ;« precisely the same ratio ; a somewhat remarkable coincidence. CHAPTER XVII. CIVIL LIST OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. Buchanan county forms part of the Third Congressional district and the only representative to Congress elected from the county is Hon. W. G. Donnan, elected October II, 1870, serving two terms. 214 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. STATE SENATORS. D. C. Hastings, October, 1859; L. W. Hart, Novem- ber, 1S63; W. G. Donnan, October, 1867; George W. Bemis, 1871; M. W. Harmon, 1875-1879. REPRESENTATIVES IN LEGISL.ATURE. D. S. Davis, Quasqueton, 1852; F. E. Turner, Quas- queton, 1854; George W. Bemis, 1859; Jed Lake, 1861. D. D. Holbridge, 1863; P. C. Wilcox, 1865-1867; D. S. Lee, 1869; J. M. Hovey, Jesup, 1871; S. T. Spangler, Buffalo, 1873; John Calvin, 1S75-1877; Isaac Muncey, 1879. COUNTY JUDGES. O. H. P. Roszell, August, 1851; O. H. P. Roszell, 1855; S. J. \V. Tabor, October, 1859 (resigned); W. H. Burton (to fill vacancy) 1861; W. H. Burton, 1863-1867. During the latter part of Judge Burton's term, and since, the office of auditor has taken the place of that of county judge. COUNTY AUDITORS. J. L. Loomis, October, 1869-71; D. A. M. Lesib, 1873-75; George B. Warren, 1877-79. JUDGE OF PROB.\TE. Elijah Beardsley, August, 1848; G. I. Cummins, 1849. CLERK OF THE DISTRICT COURT. S. P. Stoughton, 1848; Edward Brewer (elected bien- nially from 1852 to 1866 inclusive); D. L. Smith, November, 1868- 1870, 1872, 1874, 1876; Robert J. Williamson, 1875; O. M. Gillett, 1880. RECORDER AND TREASURER. Edward Brewer, August, 1848; Edward Brewer, 1849. G. I. Cummins, 185 1; John Leslie, 1853; H. G. Hast, ings, 1855; William G. Donnan, 1859; S. J. W. Tabor, 1861; E. B. Older, 1863. The offices of treasurer and recorder were then sep arated and the recorders were as follows : T. J. Marinus 1864-66; John Hollett, 1868-70-72-74-76; William J, Miller, 1878; J. W. Foreman, 1880. TREASURER. E. B. Older, 1865; L. A. Main, 1867-1869, 1S71; James A. Poor, 1873-5-7-9. PROSECUTING ATTORNEY. Elijah Beardsley, 1848; (Record defective) 1850; D. S. Lee, 1852; J. S. Woodward, April, 1854; James Jamison, August, 1854; J. C. Head, Quasqueton, 1856. SHERIFF. E. D. Phelps, August, 1848; N. W. Hatch, August, 1849-51; J. A. Guthrie, August, 1852; Eli D. Phelps, August, 1853; Leander Keys, 1855; Byron C. Hale, October, 1859; M. Gillett (died during term). 1861; John M. Westfall, 1862-63; A. Crooks, 1865; John A. Davis, 1867-69; George O. Farr, 1871-73; W. S. Van Orsdol, 1875-77; E. L. Currier, 1879. COUNTY SURVEYOR. D. C. Greely, April and August, 1848; O. H. P. Roszell, August, 1850; O. H. P. Roszell, August, 1851- 53; George W. Bemis, 1855; David Merrill, 1859; I. P. Warren, 1861; J. W. Myers, 1S65-67; J. L. Seely, 1 868-9-71; D. S. Deering, 1873; J. L. Seely, 1874-5-- -7; Jasper N. Iliff, 1879. CORONERS. D. S. Megonigal, 1848; T. Merritt, 1849; Thomas Morgan, 1851; Thomas J. Marinus, 1852; R. W. VVright, 1853; T. J. Marinus, 1854: J. L. McGee, 1855; R. W. Wright, 1859; H. H. Hunt, 1861; L. S. Brooks, 1863; H. H. Hunt, 1865-67-69-71-75-77-9; M. A. Cham- berlain, 1873. SCHOOL FUND COMMISSIONER. S. P. Stoughton, April, 1848; William Logan, 1850- 52--S4-56- MEMBER OF BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. H. N. Gates (county?), 1858; S. J. W. Tabor, i860. COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL. O. H. P. Roszell, 1858; Bennett Roberts, October, 1859; S. G. Pierce, November, 1860-61; George Gem- mell, 1863; S. G. Pierce, 1865-67-69; E. H. Ely, 1871; Amos Rowe, 1873; W. E. Parker, 1875-77-79. COUNTY ASSESSOR. H. B. Hatch, 1857, appears to have been the only one. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. Rufus B. Clark, 1848; James Collier, Malcom Mc- Bane, 1848; Carmi Hicko.x, M. McBane, 1849; Nathan Trogdon, 1850. COUNTY SUPERVISORS. The first board met January 7, 1861, consisting of one member elect from each township, viz: Elisha Sanborn, Alton township; E. B. Baker, Byron; C. H. Jackway Buf- falo; E. D. Hovey, Cono; James Fleming, Fremont; L. S. Allen, Homer; John Johnson, Jefferson; William Logan, Liberty; J. B. Ward, Madison; James M. Kerr, Middlefield; N. W. Richardson, Newton; D. B. San- ford, Perry; V. R. Beach, Sumner; William C. Nelson, Superior; George W. Bemis, Washington; William B. Wilkinson, Westburgh. The chairmen of the board were: George W. Bemis, January, 1861, 1S62; John Johnson, January, 1863; Isaac G. Freeman, January, 1864, 1865; N. Dickey, 1866; J. H. Campbell, January, 1867; John Johnson, January, 1868; E. P. Brintnall, January, 1869; S. W Rich, January, 1S70: E. P. Brintnall, January, 1871. In 1871 the board was reduced to three members, chosen by the county at large. This continued for three terms, and the members were : E. P. Brintnall, Jed Lake, J. A. Stodard, 1871; Jed Lake, J. A. Stodard, Morris Todd, 1872; J. A. Stodard, Morris Todd, John D. Rus- sell, 1873. In 1874 the board was increased to seven members, of whom the following have been chairmen: Horatio Bryant, M. D., 1874, 1875, 1876; J. G. House, M. D., 1877, 1878, 1879; H. Bryant, 18S0; C. R. MilUngton, i88i. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 215 CHAPTER XVIII. SCRAPS OF HISTORY. A VETERAN VOTER. — An old gentleman named Hath- away, who was then in his ninety-first year, was present at the polls in Independence, October, 1858. He was then residing about two miles from Independence, and had voted at every presidential election since Washing- ton's second term. Mr. Hathaway voted the Demo- cratic ticket, but remarked that Democracy now-a-days (or should we say then-a-days ?) was not what it used to be. Fernando Flannery, who came to Independence when there were but three houses on the west side of the river, died in 1880, aged eighty-four years. The three houses were owned respectively as follows: E. Cobb, S. S. Allen and S. Sherwood. Mr. Flannery claimed to have come to this city in 1857; but as others who came here about that time think that the era of "three houses on the west side" had passed before 1857, it is probable he was here as early as 1852. A Wedding in Early Times. — A writer over the signa- ture of "Abbottsford" informed the readers of the Con- servative, in the summer of 1878, that the first marriage solemnized in Independence was that of Miss Cynthia Messenger to Charles McCaffra. The ceremony was performed by 'Squire John Scott, in September, 1847. A novel mode of offering congratulations seems to have prevailed at that period, as the writer adds that after the ceremony the settlers gave vent to their feelings by the wildest cheers. "Abbotsford" also asserts that in 1849 there was a hegira from the embryo city, which left but two families, those of Dr. Brewer and Mr. Close, true to their faith in a "good time coming." A Large Bird. — In April. 1858, Mr. Beebe, of Quas- queton, shot a swan near that place measuring eight feet between the tips of the wings, five feet seven inches in length, and weighing twenty-nine pounds. It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Not- withstanding the great financial pressure, and the general stagnation of business in 1857-5S, during the last named year there were built in Independence between fifty and si.xty houses, and eight stores. Perhaps political econo- mists would tell us that had the times been more pros- perous at the east, there would have been less rapid growth in the west. A Stranger. — A grey fox of large size was killed by Mr. W. W. Gilbert, on the border of Greeley's grove, in the autumn of 1880. This species had seldom or never been seen in this region, and the presence of this one is quite a mystery. A Large Fish. — Charles Putnam, in the winter of 1859, caught a muscalonge in the river, near Indepen- dence, which measured within two inches of four feet in length, and weighed twenty-six pounds. In the same paragraph which contained the above announcement, it was stated that Messrs. Smith & Cannon, of Dubuque, shipped two thousand three hundred pounds of Wapsie pickerel, a few days before, to the St. Louis market. Coldest Day. — Sunday, the twelfth of January, 1857, was the coldest day that had or has been known in Iowa. At sunrise on that day, the thermometer stood at forty degrees below zero at Independence. Daily Mail. — The Independence correspondent of the Quasqueton Guardian mentions, under date of October 19, 1857, that the people of that town were enjoying the luxury of a daily mail, through the influence, it was claimed, of Senator Jones. P. C. Wilcox was mentioned in the town press as one of the new merchants of the county seat, in the autumn of 1857. The flood of the summer of 1858 did a great deal of damage in the valley of the Wapsipinicon. The total rise, from Saturday morning to Sunday noon, was fifteen feet. The street at the east end of the bridge at Inde- pendence was submerged, and the bridge was saved only by the timely exertions of the citizens. The bridge at Quasqueton was carried off, and considerable property destroyed. Mr. Davis, of that place, lost several hun- dred bushels of wheat, which was stored in his mill. Post Offices and Saw-mills. — In 1856, there were in the county eleven post offices, and about twice as many saw-mills, fifteen of which were propelled by water. The post offices were named as follows: Independence, Quasqueton, Fairbank, Chatham, Greeley's Grove, Buf- falo Grove, Erie, Pine, Erin, Frink's Grove, and Bran- don. In 1 88 1, the number of post offices has increased to sixteen, averaging one to each township. Houses and Families. — In the same year, there were in the county eight hundred and fifty-three dwelling houses, nine hundred and fifty-two families, seven hun- dred and ninety-three owners of land, and twenty-one thousand two hundred and twenty-two acres of improved land. Death of the First White Child.— Charles B. Kessler, aged twenty one years, died near Quasqueton, April 7, 1864. He was the first white child born in what is now Buchanan county. Heeding the call of his country, he volunteered in January, 1862, and became a member of company H, Thirteenth regiment. United States army. With his regiment he went safely through several severe battles, among which were those of Arkansas Post, Black River, Siege of Vicksburgh, and Collierville. From the last-named conflict he turned to the hospital, broken down by fatigue and exposure, as many another youthful hero had been. Continuing to decline, he was brought home to die amid the loved and tender associa- tions of his boyhood. Brave and generous, he was loved by all. He sleeps in a patriot's grave, another willing sacrifice for liberty and the Union. The parents of Charles B. Kessler were Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Kessler, who came to Quasqueton with the first installment of settlers, in the early spring of 1842. His mother, now Mrs. Heman Morse, is still living in Independence. ACCIDENT.\L DE.\THS. A record of deaths which have occurred in the county by accident from flood and fire, or accidental discharge of firearms, would make a chapter not without interest 2l6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. and certainly not without value, but longer than our space would warrant. We propose to select from the long list, which, without any design to make such a collection, has come to our notice, a few instances of such deaths which seem to be distinguished by unusual incidents. The following melancholy history was communicated by the Independence correspondent of the Giiardia?!, in July, 1858: A lamentable accident occurred yesterday a few miles from this place, resulting in the death of four persons. It ai)pears that a man by the name of Casper Wright engaged a Canadian, owning a span of horses and a wagon, to take himself, his wife and his sister, a young girl about eleven years of age, to Fair bank on a visit to some friends. They reached Otter Creek about 6 o'clock on Sunday morning, and, in attempting to ford it, the box floated off, and the whole party were soon struggling in the swollen and rapid stream. A man who saw them passing his house toward the creek, heard their cries, and hastened to the ford, arriving, he thinks, in less than five minutes, but not in time to aid, or even to see, a single person of the party. He did not warn them, because, as the creek was generally known to be dangerous at that stage of water, he did not tliink of their attempting to drive through at that place, but, being strangers, they were not aware of the danger. A Mr. Dyer, who resides near the scene of the accident, and who was milking at the time, had his attention called by his little daughter, who lan to him exclaiming that a woman was floating down the creek in a wa^n box. Mr. D. ran immediately along the bank of the creek. till he found the wagon box still right side up, but with no one in it. He saw the horses struggling to ascend the bank and succeeded in res- cuing them, but did not see or hear anything whatever of the persons in the water, so soon was the tragedy ended. The bodies of the husband and wife, and also of the young girl, were found before 2 o'clock of the same day; that of the girl about twenty rods below the scene of the disaster, and the other two but a few rods from each other, nearly a. half mile down the creek. The body of the Canadian, whose name had not been learned, and who was understood to have been but a short time in the county, was not recovered until the third or fourth day, when it was found entangled in some bushes near the spot where the catastrophe happened. Whether this sad event hastened the building of a bridge at that point, we are not informed. On the twenty-third of Noveinber, 1859, Mr. Gustavus Lang, of Superior, now Hazelton, township, took a little daughter, two and a half years old, in his arms and went to look at a coal pit in the vicinity of his house. Ob- serving that the covering needed repairing in one place, he went up to attend to it, telling the child to stay where he placed her, and not attempt to follow him. Who, that has never seen a darling child in a like peril, can imagine his sensations, when, a few monients after, hear- ing a cry of anguish, he looked around to see that the little creature, in her desire to be near him, had at- tempted the perilous path; had broken through the cov- ering, and was literally hanging in that fiery furnace by her arms! He sprang to her rescue, but the intense heat had already done its work, and after a few hours of suffering, the bright and joyous life went out. Another death by accident occured the same week as that recorded above, in Byron township. Mr. Edward Ryan, a fanner, had bought a cow of a neighbor, and on the morning of the twenty-second of November, went to take her home. The neighbor offered to help Mr. R. drive the cow after she was in the road, and he proceeded alone to the field. Not returning, a search revealed the fact that, in passing through a heavy gate, it had by some means fallen upon him, and he was found dead, his skul being badly fractured. Mr. Ryan left a wife and several children. On the morning of the ninth of March, 1874, the dwelling house of George L. King, situated in the south- west part of Independence, was consumed by fire, and in it perished Mrs. Morris, aged seventy-four, the mother of Mrs. King; Mrs. King, Emma Bell, a daughter aged fourteen, and Frank, a son, aged ten years. The fire originated in the kitchen, which was entered by a door at the bottom of the stairs leading to the sleeping rooms above. Mr. King was aroused at about 4:30 a. m. by the daughter, who entered his room saying that her room was full of smoke. Hastily dressing and descending, he opened the kitchen door, when the pent-up flames burst out upon him like a savage beast. He attempted to re- turn to the rescue of his family, but the raging flames filled the stairway, and after repeated attempts, and in a state more dead than alive, he was compelled to desist. Smarting with pain and crazed with the awful calamity which had overtaken him, he wandered into the garden and sunk upon the earth in a semi-conscious state, where he was found by his neighbors, who, though soon collected about the burning house, were too late to save alive one of the doomed victims of this sad catastrophe. A ladder was placed at one of the front or east chamber win- dows, on the side opposite to the kitchen, and Mr. Baker, a neighbor, a man of stalwart proportions and of iron nerve and courage, entered the room occupied by Mrs. King. The smoke was so stifling that he was compelled to grope around on his hands and knees. The bed was found without an occupant, and, after returning to the window for fresh air, the search was renewed. The bodies of two insensible persons, which prove to be those of Mrs. King and her little son, were found lying as if she might have fallen with him in her arms. They were both dead; and such was the rapidity with which the flames spread, that further search was impossible. Death by asphyxia, it was believed, came to their relief before the flames reached them. This unprecedented calamity, in a town like Independence, cast a gloom over the whole community, and great sympathy was manifested for the husband and father thus suddenly stricken and bereft of all that was dear to him. Mr. King had long been a resident of the town, and enjoyed the esteem and confidence of all who knew him. Mrs. Morris and Mrs. King were highly esteemed members of the Presbyterian church, and the funeral services of the four, whose lives had so tragic an ending, were conducted by the Rev. Mr. Phelps, pastor of the church, on the following Wednesday, and in the presence of a large concourse of sympathizing friends. E.\RLY RO.'MlS- 'SLOUGHED DOWN. There are many people in Buchanan county, not much past the meridian of life, who can remember when all communication between the residents of the county and Dubuque; all goods brought from eastern markets; all additions to the population by the coming of new set- tlers, involved seventy miles of travel by wagon, over HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 217 oads which, at certain seasons of the year, to those who had not learned from an expert how it was done, were actually impassable. A slough many rods in width, mud unfathomable in depth, wagons heavily loaded and "sloughed down" — so fast stuck in the waxy mire, that no amount of prying or pulling will avail to move the "balky" mass. Who among the uninitiated will solve the problem and bring the goods and wagon to dry land? The extract given below enunciates the formula "shifting the cargo," but does not, to one not learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, sufKiciently indicate the "work," the steps of the solution. It is evident that his loading, women, children, goods, cannot be dumped in the centre of a slough, where several inches, not to say feet, of water may be standing above the treacherous mire; but if he is a solitary pioneer, which, fortunately, was not often the case, caravans being much more com- mon, as well as more safe in cases of emergency, there was but one alternative. The wagon must be unloaded; so much is sure ground — if his goods and chattels were of a character to be carried piecemeal to the farther shore, he set himself resolutely to the task; and, this ac- complished, with the aid of poles and branches of trees, a bridge, still in the embryo state, and by the good will of the patient team that had watched with intelligent interest these efforts to enable them to make a long pull and a strong pull, to some purpose, the ponderous "prairie schooner" is again under way, or, we might say, has weighed anchor, and is ready with her white canvas to move forward through the green waves of the rolling level, stretching away "westward ho." But if his loading is heavy boxes, which he can move but not carry, then he must build a platform or wharf, of material at hand, the undeveloped bridge, left by some good Christian to aid pioneer pilgrims, stopped short in their progress; and easing his load he must return to his wharf in mid ocean as many times as the safe transit of his cargo demands. An active minded Yankee, coming unexpectedly upon one of these structures, piled with dry good boxes, in a neighborhood that could be peopled only by ^^sop's fav- orite interlocutors, would have jumped at the conclusion that a modern scientist, having arrived at the deduction, that the cause of the slow development of these tribes, since the time of the great fabulist, was entirely owing to neglect on the part of their more advanced brethren, was about to open a curriculum for their rapid elevation ; the condition of admission, being the laying^ aside of their green coats and buff vests (well enough in a lower stage of development, as in the semi-barbarous times of the troubadours, but quite out of harmony with the in- tellectual age into which the world has advanced), and the donning of more sober colors, with which he had come prepared to furnish them at a little advance upon cost. But this is an unwarranted digression. A friend, whose father was among the earlier arrivals in a central Iowa county, chanced to be one of a stage load of pas- sengers "sloughed down," or "sloughed," as was a fre- quent form of denoting the situation. It was a time of unusually high water; and, much to the consternation of 28 the lady passengers, they seemed to be actually in a lake. The stage was crowded, and it was absolutely necessary that it should be emptied. After many schemes, pro- posed and rejected, the ladies were transported a la chil- dren's chair fashion, to a fence, which, fortunately for them, had been built across the slough and was but a few steps from the stage. Clinging to the top rail with their hands, their feet moving upon rails barely above water, they zigzagged for twenty or thirty rods, and ar- rived at terra firma, with a story added to their repertoire of western experiences, well worth the price they had paid for it. If this incident did not occur in Buchanan county, there is no reason why dozens of a similar char- acter might not have occurred here. All the requisite conditions existed during the first twenty years after its settlement. The only deficiency in the present rough sketch is the absence of that Hogarth-like talent of the original participant and delineator, for producing the most striking effects by a few skilful touches. The "creeping things" on the fence might be likened to vari- ous animals; but happily for once the goose must be ruled out. Who ever heard of a flock of geese on the fence, a position those wise birds allow politicians to monopolize. But, to our extract, which we had well night forgotten was not to be introduced as a text, but as the body of the discourse — the sermon. It is, as will be seen, valu- ble not only for its testimony in regard to the character of early roads and modes of travel, but also for demon- strating the fact that jealousy is not a vice of modern origin, but that even in that golden era of good feeling, when every newcomer was welcomed with open arms and open doors, jealousy between contiguous towns of equal ambition, if not of equal advantages, was not unknown. A writer in the Quasqueton Guardian of October 15, 1857, called attention to the fact that the greater propor- tion of the travel going west from Dyersville and Dubu- que had avoided Quasqueton, "by taking the direct route to Independence, which though, being some three or four miles shorter as regards actual distance, is, in rainy weather, by condition of its roads, twelve or fifteen miles longer. There are a number of sloughs upon it, which, bad enough in the best weather, are almost im- passable during a wet period. Teamsters almost invari- ably expect to get 'sloughed down' three or four times; and a trip which does not involve the 'shifting of cargo' is deemed worthy of remark. There are but two or three short sloughs on this road, and we are assured that these could be made passable at all times by a little attention and less expense. There is indeed scarcely a doubt that by the judicious expenditure of a few dollars the whole tide of travel would be turned upon this route ; and we should receive all the benefits which could accrue from the passing of this trade and travel through our town, and which, the citizens will readily perceive, are not inconsiderable." HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. CHAPTER XIX. THE BUCHANAN PRESS. The first newspaper published in Buchanan county, was the Independence Civilian, a Democratic sheet, the first number of which bore the date of May 17, 1855, and the names of B. F. Parker & James Hilleary as pro- prietors. As the pioneer paper of a pioneer town, it was creditable to their enterprise; but they retained it but about a year, and then sold it to S. S. Allen & S. J. W. Tabor — the latter being the editor, and making it thoroughly anti-slavery. But, in the fall of 1856, Mr. Tabor was elected county judge, and soon after sold out his interest in the paper to his partner, who, in a short time, disposed of a half interest to G. W. Barnhart and J. S. Cornwell. In the following July, Barnhart sold to Cornwell and went west; but, in March, 1858, returned and purchased Cornwell's interest. There have been several proprietary changes since that time — Cornelius Hedges becoming sole proprietor in 1859, and the Buchanan County Democratic association, in 1863, with the Hon. O. H. P. Roszell as editor. In the spring of 1864 it was purchased (for the second time) by G. ^V. & W. Barnhart, who changed the name to Independence Consen'ative. Finally, in 1872, W. Barnhart bought out his brother, and became sole owner; as he is at the present time. But Mr. Barnhart is a member of the firm of Barnhart Brothers' type foun- ders, in Chicago, in which city business compels him to spend nearly all his time. He has therefore placed the management of the paper in the hands of L. W. Goen, a sprightly writer, who, for two years, has occupied the editorial tripod, to the entire satisfaction of the many patrons of the paper. E. S. Strohman, who has worked in the office nine years, is now its foreman. The Quasqueton Guardian, the second paper in the county, was established at (Quasqueton by Rich & Jor- dan, December 13, 1856. It was a seven column paper, ably edited by Dr. Jacob Rich, afterward political editor of the Dubuque Times, and now holding an office under the General Government, at Des Moines. The paper was removed to Independence in 1858, and continued there under the same management (Mr. Jordan having died in the army, but his wife retaining his pecuniary in- terest in the paper) till the last of May, 1864, when they sold out to S. B. Goodenow. He conducted it for two years, and then sold it to J. L. Loomis who consolidated it with the Bulletin, which he had established about a year before. The consolidated paper bore, for a time, the rather cumbrous title of the Buchanan county Bulle- tin and Guardian. The last name, however, was drop- ped, after a little, and the paper has since borne the ti- tle which Mr. Loomis first gave it, and which has be- come familiar, not only through the county, but through- out the State. Mr. Loomis continued to manage it with much ability, till the spring of 1869, when he sold it to Judge William Toman, who has remained its editor and proprietor till the present time. The paper has always been Republican in politics, and the fearless advocate of all moral reforms. The American Eagle was started in Independence as a Republican paper, by D. P. Daniels, in 1859. It con- tinued such for about two years, when it was changed to a spiritualistic paper, and the named changed to Hising Sun. Under this name it rose and set till 1865, when it set to rise no more. Since the establishment of the first Buchanan paper, in 1855, there have been in the county the usual number of People's Papers, Messengers, Recorders, Vindicators and Reformers, which have gleamed forth for an instant, like fire-flies in the dark, then gone out and left the world no lighter than they found it. The history of these would not be particularly edifying, and we shall therefore con- tent ourselves, in concluding this chapter, with a brief mention of the papers which have been more recently established here, and which are still in existence. The National Advocate, an eight column folio, was es- tablished and its first number issued at Independence, May 17, 1878, by R. J. Williamson. It was the result of the somewhat popular protest against the bank and bond system, and the general financial policy of the Re- publican party; and, up to the present date, June i, 1881, continues to be an organ of the National Green- back labor party. Mr. Williamson having been elected to the office of clerk of the courts for Buchanan county on the Greenback ticket, and finding it impracticable to conduct the paper in connection with the duties of his office, sold it to M. S. Hitchcock, one of the pioneers of the Greenback movement, January i, 1S80. During that year a Washington press was procured, and other important additions were made to the stock and furni- ture of the office. The Advocate is now printed both sides at home, and for the six months previous to this date (June i, 1881), the average circulation of the paper has been over eight hundred copies. The Buchanan county Journal, the third or fourth newspaper venture at Jesup, was established October 10, 1879, by A. H. Farwell, editor and proprietor. It is Republican in politics, hvely and "newsey," and has suc- ceeded in securing a very respectable patronage. "Fe- lix," (M. R. Eastman, esq.,) an industrious collector of "things new and old," pertaining to the history of the county, is its Independence correspondent, and his live- liness and vim have added not a little to its success. The Weekly Telephone, was started at Quasqueton, January 7, 1881, under the proprietorship of Dr. John Cauch and his son, Willis S., who acts as editor. It is a sprightly and readable sheet, neutral in politics, and, if versatility of talent can command success, it will suc- ceed. The Independence Courier, a paper printed in the German language, was established in January, 1881, by Hermann Hoffman, as editor and proprietor. It is a six column paper with "patent insides," published every Thursday, and independent in politics. It is printed on the Bulletin press. Mr. Hoffman prepares all the edi- torials, sets all the type — in fact does all the work of the office, with assistance in putting the paper through the press. He often "composes," in both senses, at the case; setting up what has never been set down, except HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 219 in his own head. Mr. Hoffman sold out the type and other property of the office, to Steinmetz & Company, about the middle of April, 1881, but is still retained as editor. CHAPTER XX. GENERAL BIOGRAPHY. HON. THOMAS E. TURNER, was born in New London, Connecticut, May 17, 181 1. ^\"hen quite young he removed to Butternuts, Otsego county. New York, where he remained until he was seventeen, and from that time till he was twenty-si.\, he attended school at Guildford academy, Guilford, New York. He was one year with a private teacher at Fly Creek, four years at Oneida institute, Whitesborough, New York, and two years at the Andover Theological institute. Here his health failed, and, after resting over a year, he began teaching. He opened a select school at Dundee in the fall of 1841, continuing until the spring of 1845. He then began teaching in the Starkey seminary, Starkey, Yates county, New York, where he taught two years. In the spring of 1848 he immigrated to Byron, Ogle county, Illinois, where he started a select school, and kept it up until the spring of 1853, when he came to Quasqueton. During the winter of 18S3--S4 he taught the Quasqueton school, in the west wing of the school-house. In the summer of 1854 he was elected a member of the legislature, representing Buchanan and Delaware counties, being there during the stormy session when a grant was given to the Chicago, Dubuque & Sioux City railroad. During the two winters, from 1855 to 1857, he taught at Quasqueton; was notary public and justice of the peace. September 6, 1841, he was married to Martha Peer, of Starkey, New York, by whom he had five children — Thomas P., born Novem- ber 29, 1842, died September 17, 1843; George S., born August 17, 1844; Martha, born September, 1847, died May 11, 1848; William J., born November 2, 1849; ^nd Henry Scott, born April 21, 1853. Mr. Turner died on the third day of January, 1861, of con- sumption, a disease which had been hanging over him for twenty years. Mr. Turner was a gentleman of a very social disposition, who, as a teacher, a scholar, and a legislator, was known only to be respected. The high esteem in which his educational talent was held by the legislature, was evidenced by the position conferred up- on him as chairman of the committee on public schools. Mr. Turner was a high-minded, honorable and fearless debater, in whom the cause of freedom and justice always found an eloquent champion. SIMEON B. CURTIS. Mr. Curtis, from the time of his settlement in the county, took rank among its leading men. He was born in the State of New York about the year 181 1, but early in life his father removed with his family to Brown county, Ohio, where the subject of this brief biography spent the remainder of his youth. Soon after reaching his majority he married Miss Sarah E. Hall, and immi- grated to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where he resided until the spring of 1851, when he came to Iowa. Leav- ing his family in Jones county, Mr. Curtis came into Buchanan, selected and purchased, in W'ashington town- ship, eighty acres of prairie, and forty of timber lands, of Jacob Minton, entering at the same time three eighty acre lots of Government land, in section five. Here Mr. Curtis made a home for his family, honored among the pioneer homes of Buchanan; here he spent the re- maining years of a useful life, dying in February, 1867; and here his wife died in August, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis had twelve children, eight sons and four daughters, all now living, (June, i88i), except Orrin G., who died during the war of the Rebellion, in the hospital at Louisville, Kentucky. All the sons and daughters of Mr. Curtis are married and living in Bu- chanan and Fayette counties, except the oldest and the youngest sons, now in Deadwood, Colorado. Four of Mr. Curtis' sons were in the army during the late war at one time — Wesley O., Orrin G., Charles G., and Lewis D. F. Marion also enlisted, but was taken sick at Davenport, and was discharged; Simeon G. en- listed, but being under age, and needed by his father, his discharge was procured through the justifiable interfer- ence of Mr. Curtis. Lewis D. now owns and occupies the homestead, hav- ing purchased it of his brother, W. O. Curtis, who first purchased it of the estate. Simeon Curtis was a man of much public spirit, and took a deep interest in the schools of his township, serv- ing many years as a township director. REV. JOHN M. BOGGS. Rev. John M. Boggs was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, October 20, 1818; and died at Indepen- dence, Iowa, September i, 1872. He was educated at Washington college, Pennsylvania, at Franklin college, Ohio, and at Princeton Theological seminary. In June, 1 843, he was licensed to preach by the Presbyterian church, and was pastor of the churches at Paxton and Derry, Penn- sylvania, during the years 1845-6 and 7. From 1848 to 1856 he had charge of the church at Millersburgh, Ohio; and in the fall of 1856 he accepted a call to become the pastor of the First Presbyterian church at Independence, Iowa, which position he held for thirteen years; and then, on his own motion, because of failing health, he relin- quished his charge, greatly to the regret and sorrow of his entire congregation. In April, 1870, the legislature of the State elected him as a member of the board of trustees of the hospital for the insane at Independence, which office he held at the date of his decease. He was. for many years, the stated clerk of the presbytery of which he was a member, and his discriminating mind and excellent judgment prompted his co-presbyters often to seek and follow his counsel. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. In personal appearance, Mr. Boggs was tall, had fine, black, curling hair, a very mild expressive eye, a pecu- liarly classical cast of features, and was extremely modest i.i manner, yet dignified in bearing. As a Christian minister he was meek and earnest, de- voted and prudent, always striving to promote the peace, unity, purity and spiritual welfare of his charge, and was extremely kind and sympathizing to all classes of his parishioners. He was not gif'ted in oratory, but his ser- mons were models of pure language, terse composition, sound logic and gospel doctrine. A prominent ex-judge of our State once said to the writer, that he always re- joiced, in travelling his district, to spend the Sabbath at Independence, tor he enjoyed listenmg to the sermons of Mr. Boggs more than any other preaching he had ever heard in Iowa. Asa citizen, his life was so unspotted by the world that his memory remains among all who knew him well, as the most exemplary person of their acquaintance. When the war of the Rebellion came, he promptly stood forth as his country's firm. uncon)promising friend. He took an early opportunity, after the attack upon Sumter, in a carefully prepared sermon, to point out the wickedness of rebellion, and the plain, unmistakable duty of all to stand firmly for the unity and integrity of the Govern- ment. The performance of this duty cost him the friendship and support of one of his oldest parishioners; but he lived long enough to have this party acknowledge his error and make up what he had withheld from the pastor's support. Two incidents may illustrate his fidelity to his sacred vo- cation, and his inflexible devotion to duty and to friends. In the winter of 1858-9 a course of lectures, infidel in their tendency, were advertised at the court house in Quasqueton. It was a surprise to everybody to learn that Mr. Boggs was regularly present. When the course was about half delivered he quietly announced in his own pulpit that he would reply to the positions taken by the lecturers. A masterly argument delighted his hearers, which, upon request, was repeated in some of the other churches. At the close of the course, by general request, he made his reply also at the court house, to an overflowing audience, delivering a magnifi- cent argument, which w-as, perhaps, the most noted effort of his life. Some years later, when his own health had become enfeebled, one of his brothers, then a stranger travelling in the western part of the State, became involved in some personal trouble, knowledge of which accidentally came to be known to the Rev. Mr. Boggs. The w^eather was extremely inclement, the travelling very bad, with high waters and few bridges. Hastily fortifying himself with certificates as to his own identity and standing at home, he at once set out, by the only possible mode of travel, on horseback, to his brother's relief, under expos- ure, which, to his friends, seemed absolutely to endanger his life. To the writer of this article, who intimated this to him on his return, he said : " Yes I felt it was a risk to my own health, but I should have gone had I known, to a certainty, that I could never return. Such men are few. They deserve monuments more en- during than bronze or marble, even an imperishable rec- ord of their noble manhood, as the memory of his is now recalled and warmly cherished by all who knew him. On May 6, 185 1, Mr. Boggs married Adaline Mar- shall, of Richland county, Ohio, a most amiable lady who still resides among us. To them were born five sons, all of whom are living. William S., born Septem- ber 8, 1852, who is now treasurer of the Independence county mills. Thomas M., born September 24, 1854; Charles L., born April 22, 1857; Edward, born January 20, 1861; John J., born February 23, 1865. ASA BLOOD, JR., one of the early settlers of Independence, was born at Blood's Corners, Steuben county, New York, October 2, 1823. His native village received its name from his fiither, who kept a hotel there at a very early date. Asa Blood, sr., left New York in 1836, when young Asa was thirteen years old, and came to Walworth coun- ty, Wisconsin, bringing his family with him. They remained there but five years, when they removed to Janesville, Rock county, in the same State, where they remained about ten years. There were many Indians in tliat part of Wisconsin at the time of which we write, and young Asa became very familiar with their mode of life. Whether or not it was owing to this familiarity that he conceived the passionate fondness for hunting, fish- ing and trapping, which has characterized his whole life, we are not informed. Be this as it may, the fondness of which we speak has existed from his boyhood; and though it has not prevented him from devoting himself industriously and successfully to the more legitimate call- ings of civilized life (for he is a practiced architect and builder, an operator in lands, and more recently in mines), yet, indulged only at intervals and for the sake of recreation, it has given a romantic tinge to all his life and character. It was for the gratification of his fond- ness for these pioneer sports that he first came to Iowa, passing through Buchanan county, in the fall of 1844, just after reaching his majority, and about four years previous to his coming with a view to permanent settle- ment. Some of the incidents connected with this visit may be found in the general chapter on "Hunting, Fish- ing, and Trapping." In June, 1848, but a short time after the town of In- dependence was located, he came here with his father, "prospecting" for a permanent home. They, however, did not make any investment at that time, but returned in the fall of the same year to Janesville. The father took with him a herd of buffaloes and elks, which he had purchased of the hunter, Rufus B. Clark, of Quasque- ton, an account of which transaction may be found in the chapter mentioned above. The next spring, having in the meantime been married to Miss Susan Penny, of Janesville, he returned to Inde- pendence with his wife and a portion of his father's fam- ily, with the design of making a permanent home. They HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. purchased of Stoughton & McCluer the four lots on which the engine house now stands, and toward fall erected there a comfortable wooden house. But owing to the general prevalence of malarial fever, from which Mr. Blood and other members of the family suffered se- verely, they became discouraged, sold back the lots and improvements at a great sacrifice, and returned to Janes- ville. The entire journey was made in a sleigh in the month of December. From Independence to Coffin's Grove, by way of Quasqueton, a distance of twenty-five miles, they drove across the crust where no track had been made, the weather having turned very cold after a thaw and rain. They saw, on the way, several packs of wolves — twenty or thirty in each — which were prudent enough, however, to keep out of bullet range. In the spring of 1851 the Bloods again decided to emigrate from Wisconsin. The father had got his heart set upon Virgmia, and removed thither with all the fami- ly except Asa, jr., who, acting upon the motto that "the best place for a man to look for money is the place where he lost it, returned with his wife to Independence. The health of the town was improving, but the population had very little, if at all, increased during his absence of a year and a half The only families and adult individ- uals whom, according to his best recollection, he found here on his return, were the following: Dr. E. Brewer, Thomas Close, O. H. P. Roszell (then unmarried), the two Whait families, Elijah Beardsley, Mr. Denton and family, Seymour Stoughton, W. A. and Samuel McCluer, Mr. Coe and family, Charles Cummings, Samuel Sher- wood, Thomas Scarcliff (unmarried), T. J. Marinus, Wil- liam Brazleton, and Jacob S. Travis and son. The young couple had a pretty rough time of it for the first two years. Mr. Blood worked at his trade, which was that of mason, during the building season, and eked out his living at other times by hunting, fishing, and trapping. The first fall he purchased a frame shanty which had been used as a stable, standing in the middle of what is now Independence street, on the west side, between the present residences of Mr. Pond and Mr. Armstrong. This he made over into a somewhat rude cottage of two or three rooms, finishing the plastering and moving in on the twelfth of November. The weather turned very cold and the snow fell a foot deep that night, and they had to keep up a constant fire for several days, both to dry the plastering and to prevent taking cold. During a good part of that winter, they kept an in- voluntary Lent, the procurement of meat of any kind being almost an impossibility. The weather was so cold, the snow so deep, and the storms so frequent, that the hunter dared not venture far away from home in search of game ; and the deer were not sufficiently obliging to come up to his door to be shot. On one occasion, however, with an appetite sharpened by several weeks' privation, he took his gun in a sort of desperation, and, with little expectation of success, went down the river about a mile to a place where he knew the deer used to have a run-way. To his surprise and delight, he had no sooner come in sight of the place than he espied a fine doe, which he brought down with an unerring shot; and in less than an hour and a half from the time he left his door, he returned with the prize upon his shoulder. The reader will appreciate the fine condition in which they found it, when he is informed that Mrs. Blood made six dozen full-weight cardies out of its tallow. The fact that the meat was very delicious, made it only the more delightful to share it with others. Therefore, reserving but one quarter for their own use, they distributed the rest gratuitously among their neighbors. During the second year of their residence in this cab- in, Messrs. Woodward and Dayo, two young lawyers, came to board with them. They had a large melon patch adjoining the house, upon which the wolves, in the latter part of summer, made great depredations by com- ing in the night, gnawing holes in the melons, and eating out the insides. Mr. Blood set a steel trap one night, and caught a large wolf within ten feet of the room in which Mr. Woodward was sleeping. The lawyer, as may well be imagined, was not a little startled on being suddenly roused from his dreams by the howling set up by the wolf, when the stout otter trap caught him by the foot. The "varmint" was kept in the trap all the next day, the pain having apparently subsided; and many of the villagers came to see him; for though wolves were common enough in those days, the sight of one in such "durance vile" was a novelty. It was about this time that Mr. Blood commenced his speculations in land, the profits of which gave him his first pecuniary start in life. By the end of the sec- ond year, he had purchased a lot and built on it the commodious wooden house in which Mr. Ranson Bar- tie now lives. He moved into this house in the fall of 1853, and lived there twelve years, when he sold it to Mr. Bartle. He then purchased lots three and four, block sixteen, of Stoughton & McClure's western addi- tion, and built there the house now owned by Mr. D. C. Backus, the piano tuner. In that house Mr. Blood and his family continued to live till 1877, when they re- moved to Colorado. In 187 I he built, for the Wilcox heirs, the celebrated Wilcox block, justly regarded as the finest architectural ornament the town ever possessed, and one hardly sur passed by any other town in the State. In 1874, imme- diately after the great fire, he purchased one of the lots which had been occupied by that block (the purchase being made while the ruins were still smoking), and at once commenced the work of rebuilding; and it is largely owing to his good taste, judgment and persever- ance, that the rebuilt business portion of the place, in the general attractiveness of its appearance, stands un- rivaled by any city of its size in the whole country. Since going to Colorado he has made his home in Denver, but has been quite largely engaged in mining operations in Leadville, Alma, the Independence min- ing district and Frying Pan gulch. He now owns an interest in thirteen different mines, for which he would not take less than twenty-five thousand dollars. He went to Colorado on account of the health of his wife and son, both of whom were consumptive, Mrs. Blood 222 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. having also suffered from asthma for twenty years. The dimate has restored her to perfect health; but Edward's disease had become so deeply seated that his recovery was impossible, and he died at Colorado Springs in May, 1878, aged a little over twenty-one years. He was a young man of hopeful promise, and his death was a severe affliction to his parents. He was the second of three children, the other two being daughters. Both of these are married — Ida, the eldest, to A. C. Sweet, of the firm of Post & Sweet, dry goods merchants, of In- dependence, Iowa; and Leona, the younger, to Frank W. Howbert, paying and receiving teller in the First National bank, Colorado Springs. PHINEAS C. WILCOX.*' The ancestors of him whose history is outlined in this sketch, were among the early settlers of New England. His maternal great-grandfather, Andrew Lord, was born in 1697 — his grandfather, Martin Lord, was born in 1742, and settled in North Killingworth, Connecticut; a man of great force and dignity of character, patriotic and energetic, he was truly one of "nature's noblemen." He married the daughter of Rev. William Seward, of North Killingworth. They reared a large family of chil- dren, of whom Huldah, the fifth, born in 1776, was the mother of our subject. His paternal grandfather, Abel Wilcox, was of good Puritan stock, and for thirty-three years held the office of deacon in the Congregational church at Killingworth. Of his eight children, the two youngest, born in 1771, were twins. Their history is very remarkable. Their resemblance was so striking, that it was with difficulty that their nearest friends could distinguish them. They were of fine personal appear- ance and dignified manners. They married sisters, were merchants by occupation, and at one time very wealthy, owning vessels engaged in the West India trade, woollen factories and stores. They were very pious men, rigidly orthodox in their belief, and reared their large families in strict Puritan style. They were named Moses and Aa. ron. Moses was the father of our subject. He was a fine reader, and in the absence of the minister, was called upon to read the sermon. He was once a mem- ber of the Connecticut legislature. Meeting with many reverses of fortune, the twins, in 1824, removed to Sum- mit county, Ohio, where they had taken up a tract of four thousand acres of land. Arriving at their destina- tion, after a wearisome journey of forty days by canal and Lake Erie, and thence through the wilderness by marked trees, they called the place "Twinsburgh." They lived, however, but two years after reaching their new- home, both dying upon the same day from the same dis- ease, after a few hours illness. Each left a widow and large family, with small means but brave hearts, to face the hardships of life in a new country. Our subject, the youngest of nine children, was born on the sixth of De- * This sketch is taken verbatim from the "Iowa volume of the United States Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Selfniade Men." cember, 1820, his mother's forty-fourth birthday. He was the darling of her heart and remarkable for his filial devotion and love. He was seven years old when his father died. He had very limited educational advanta- ges at the village academy, and when not in school was employed on the farm/ and, when old enough, engaged in teaching during the winter months. His youth was marked by energy and enterprise, and being of an in- quisitive mind, fond of investigation, he often perplexed his pious mother with questions upon what she consid- ered sound theology, which she could not answer. She said to his wife, in her old age, I never could coax Phi- neas to join a church, but I do believe he is the best Christian in the family. Finding farm life ill suited to his tastes, he, at the age of fifteen, went to Painesville and engaged as clerk for Mr. Henry Williains, his brother-in-law. In 1841 he became a partner of Mr. Williams, and carried on a successful mercantile trade. In 1845 ^^ ^''^^ married to Miss Augusta C. Smith, of New London, Connecticut. Hearing of the excellent business chances offered in the west, he became imbued with a spirit of speculation, and, in 1856, removed to Independence, Iowa. During the financial crisis of 1857, his business was greatly interrupted, but his native energy, his patience, perseverance and financial ability, carried him through. He began a mercantile trade entirely upon his credit, saying that the earnings of his former life were safely in- vested in mother earth; that he should live to pay all his debts and the lands would be left for his children. His prophecy was fulfilled; he payed his debts, and, by strict attention to business, accumulated a handsome property. His fellow citizens, finding his abilities such as eminently fitted him for official positions, in the fall of 1865, elected him to the general assembly of Iowa, and re-elected him in 1867. His ability was soon recognized and he was made chairman of the committee on ways and means. Acting with Messrs. Donnan & Weart, he was largely instrumental in locating the insane asylum at Independence. He was very active in public enterpri- ses, and had just begun to carry out a long cherished plan of improving the business localities of his adopted city, when his life and plans were suddenly cut off. He died of apoplexy on the sixth of December, 1868, and was buried on his forty-eighth birthday. His death was to his family, a wife and four children, a blow, crushing and terrible; and brought sorrow to the hearts of hun- dreds who had known him personally and enjoyed his friendship. Mr. Wilcox was a man of large stature, strong, muscular frame, with dark hair, large dark eyes, and a massive head, and weighed over two hundred pounds. He was a man of very few words, but with his immediate friends, was exceedingly social and friendly. He was a man of intense likes and dislikes, loving his friends devotedly and never pretending to be saintly enough to love his enemies. He hated shams and utter- ly despised hypocrisy and deception. A thorough reader of human nature, generous hearted, of sound judgment and invincible courage, he fought life's battles success- fully. Few men have passed through the varied walks of HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 223 life with less of ostentation, or more satisfactory results. His life was a grand success, and at every step reflected the grandeur, the honor, the dignity of labor. Through all the intermediate grades of hope and doubt, embar- rassment and success, he finally gained the prize and the golden wedge lay at his feet. His life was no specula- tion; it was a life of trial, a stern and determined bat- tle for desired results. The battle was long and severe, but he more than won; he conquered. In all his inter- course with the world, he never violated the laws of truth and duty to manhood. AMiile others professed with their lips, he practiced in his daily life, the most sacred requirements of the gospel. In religion, he chose to make his profession of faith silently before God, and we all consent to leave him in silence before the great Creator. A noble and true man, his works live after him, and the influence of his example has left its im- press upon the lives of all who knew him. dren, that lived to be married, have had large families; and his descendents are numerous — both grandchildren and great-grandchildren. WILLIAM H. BARTON. The last of the county judges of Buchanan county was born in Slieffield, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, December, 1802. His father was Roger Barton, a farmer who emigrated from Connecticut. Being in moderate circumstances, he could give his children only a common school education. In 1818 he removed to Genesee county. New York, and there died. William H. Barton was married at Java, now Wyoming county, New York, in 1821, to Abigail Lane. He continued to reside in different parts of western New York, till about the year 1854, having served as justice of the peace in Erie county si.xteen years next previous to leaving the State. From New York he went South, and was there engaged six years as railroad contractor — three years in Missouri and three in Texas. Warned by the muttering thunders of the rebellion to avoid the coming storm, he returned North in i860, and settled in Independence. The very next year he was elected county judge, and was reelected to the same office three times, making in all eight years of service in that capacity. He also held the office of justice of the peace part of the time during his judgeship, and when the latter terminated he continued to hold the former down to the first of January, 1881. He was admitted to the bar by Judge Wilson, of the district court, soon after coming here, but never has at- tempted to do much in the way of practice, having held some judicial position nearly all of the time. But now, in his seventy-ninth year, he has hung out his "shingle" anew, which reads as follows : \V. H. BARTON, Attohney at Law, Notary Public AND Collection Agent. This means courage whether it means success or not. Judge Barton has had six children, four of them (two sons and two daughters) having lived to maturity and married. The Hon. John Hallet, recently Mayor of Independence, is one of his sons-in-law. All of his chil- STEPHEN J. W TABOR. [The following sketch is taken mainly from an article which appeared in the Washington Sunday Morning Gazette, in the early part of 1869 :] Judge Tabor was born in Corinth, Vermont, August 5, 1815. Losing both his parents while still but a mere child — his father when he was eight and his mother when he was but eleven years old — young Tabor was thrown entirely upon his own resources to make his way in the world. Although without fortune or influential friends, such was his indomitable energy and unswerving integrity that he steadily overcame all obstacles in the path of his chosen pursuits. He received the rudiments of education at the academy in Bradford, Vermont, but his refined taste and literary proclivities urged him to enter more fully the flowery walks of liberal learning than he could even in so excellent a school. He speedily ac- quired (largely by private study) an extensive and varied acquaintance with general literature, and in some spec- ialties pushed his researches to an extent not often reached by our profoundest scholars. In common with most aspiring young men in New England, his first essay in the business of life was that of school teaching — "boarding round" — and still pursuing his own studies during the winter evenings at the farmers' firesides. During this period he acquired a high reputation as a graceful, forcible and brilliant writer, by contributing prose and poetical articles of high merit to the press. He also translated a work from the French for a Boston publisher, which was highly complimented. His next pursuit was the laborious but congenial one of editor, he having been engaged to conduct The Beacon, a weekly in New York city. He was, however, soon after engaged as one of the editors of the New York Sun, then recently started by B. H. Day, its founder. He continued at this post until 1837, when failing health compelled him to quit the editorial chair. He removed to Ashfield, Massachusetts, and studied medicine with Dr. Charles Knowlton, whose daughter he married. During the Harrison and Van Buren campaign he took the editorial management of the Hampshire Republican, a Democratic newspaper published at Massachusetts. During this campaign he made his first political speeches, stumping the counties of Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin. In the winter of 1840-41 he graduated as M. D. in the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons in New York city, and the following spring commenced the practice of medicine in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. Here he remained till the death of his wife, in 1846, when he returned to Northampton and became editor and publisher of the Northampton Democrat. He was the Democratic candi- date tor Congress in 1847 against George Ashmun, but though he received more votes than any other Demo- cratic candidate in the State, the other party was too 224 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. strong and he was defeated. At the earnest solicitation of his friends he then removed again to Shelburne Falls and resumed the practice of his profession, in which he met with the most distinguished and flattering success. He continued here until 1855. During this period he attached himself to the Free Soil party, and became one of its most prominent leaders, distinguishing himself by his earnest aud enthusiastic devotion to the cause of freedom for all; frequently addressing public meetings and contributing many stirring and forcible articles on the same topic to the public press; but the ascendency of the Whig party prevented his election. During his residence in Shelburne Falls he married Miss Mary Ann Sherman, his second wife, and in the winter of 1S55 they removed to Independence, Iowa, where they still reside. Here, in 1856, he edited (as part proprietor) the Civilian, which had recently been established as a Democratic newspaper, although under Judge Tabor it was frankly anti-slavery. Its politics, however, were afterwards changed again, and it became the predecessor of the present Coiisenventy-five he went to Illinois and rented land six years. In the spring of 1850 he came to Buchanan county, Iowa, and moved upon the farm where he still resides, in Washington. His first purchase of this farm was one hundred and sixty acres, which was made in 1849, paying only about ninety cents per acre. He has since made different purchases of land, till now he owns about six hundred acres in all, about three hundred and fifty acres of which constitutes the place where he re- sides. In 1872 he built himself one of the finest resi- dences in the county. He is largely interested in the stock business, h;.vinj one hundred and seventy head of cattle, twenty head of horses, two hundred hogs, and six hundred sheep. Mr. Lane was married in New York in 1845 'o Miss Elizabeth Correll, who was born in New York in 1825. They have a family of five children — Mary, born in 1857, now wife of L. C. Tifft, a farmer and resident of Washington township; George, born in 1853; Alonzo, born in 1856; John, born in 1857; Fredie, born in 1869. The sons arc all single and make their home with the father and help him carry on the place. Mr. Lane has the highest respect of the whole community. He has the honor of being one of the first settlers of the county, and one of the most solid men financially in it. He is politically a sound Republican, and is bringing his sons up in the same ]jrinciples. Thomas Peasley was born December 25, 1837. His early years were spent in Dubuque county, this State, engaged principally in farming. He commenced to do for himself at about the age of twenty by renting a farm. He came to Buchanan county in 1862 and purchased eighty acres of land in section fourteen of Albert Clark. His first payment was only eighty dollars. Mr. Clark formed such a favorable opinion of him that he gave him a deed for the land without taking a mortgage for the balance. This was promptly paid and he imme- diately bought an adjoining eighty acres, so that he owns now a clear one hundred and sixty acres without a mortgage or a lien of any kind against it — a thing many of his neighbors cannot boast of who used to put on airs with their wealth, when he in his old clothes was toiling hard for a farm. His farm is under a fine state of cultivation and ranks with the best in the county, affording him a pleasant home which he seems to be en- joying as he deserves. His industry and frugality have gained the high esteem of his neighbors, which it is his pleasure to possess, for he has fought hard against fate and has conquered. Mr. Peasley was married in i860 to Miss Sarah Busby, of Dubuque county. They have a family of five children, one son and four daughters — Anna, born in 1861; Mary, born in 1863; William, born in 1865; Lizzie, born in 1867; Ida, born in 1870. Mary is a teacher and has the highest praise of all as a disciplinarian. The family are still united and are a bright, intelligent one, that any man should be proud of. Lindall J. C. Tifft was born in Rensselaer county, New York, February 3, 1848. He made his home with his father, Abram B. Tifft, till he was about twenty- five years of age. About the year 1855 he moved with his parents to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he spent his early years. In the fall of 1868 the family came to Bu- chanan county, locating two miles east of Independence. The family returned to Zanesville in March, 1873. Since this date Mr. Lindall Tifft has made this county his home and been doing for himself, engaging in farming, with the exception of about one year when he engaged in the hotel and butter business in Hazle- ton. He was married September 17, 1872, to Miss Mary E. Lane, the only daughter of C. Lane, whose lengthy sketch will be found in another portion of this history. His first enterprise after marriage was to rent eighty acres of land owned by his father-in-law. This he worked two years, at the expiration of which time he purchased eighty acres of land in section ten and another in section seventeen, in Buffalo township. He moved upon the last mentioned piece and farmed it, renting the other piece. He made this his home for about four years, when he traded the eighty acres on sec- tion ten for hotel property in Hazleton. The following October he traded the property back for the same eighty acres and purchased at the same time a full one hun- dred and sixty acres where he still resides in Wash- ington township. By more recent purchases his farm now contains two hundred acres. He has a number one farm and is largely interested in the stock business, own- ing as high as fifty head of cattle, six head of horses, and other stock. This farm is admirably calculated for the purpose to which he turns it. There are living springs upon it that in the severest winters do not close. Mr. Tifft is a young man who deserves great credit indeed for his success. With his clear business tact and unceas- ing industry he has secured one of the best farms and homes in the county. Though still a young man he is independent, and ranks among the solid men of his township. Michael Many was born in Ireland in 1836, came to America in 1853, and to Buchanan county in 1857. He was married in this county in 1863 to a lady of Irish birth. They have two children living and two deceased, the former two daughters, Ann and Margaret. Mr. Many owns eighty acres of land, earned by his own exer- tions, showing what stamina there is in the Irish people. They came here hard-working and honest; have helped to make this one of the best nations of the earth, and nothing can be more pleasing than to see them enjoying good homes in their adopted country. Fate and fortune have struck hard against Mr. Many. Sickness and doc- tors' bills and accompanying ills have attended him in bad fortune — resulting in many losses. Had he been only saved these troubles he could have been one of the rich men of the county. But, in spite of all this bad luck, he is to-day independent and well-to do. LIBERTY. This township corresponds to the Congressional town- ship, eighty-eight north and range eight west of fifth prin- cipal meridian. It is, therefore, six miles square; and, as it is laid out in regular sections, and these regularly numbered, there is not the difficulty experienced in lo- cating tracts of land that there is in the irregular surveys of the Eastern States. The method by which the western States were laid out in regular squares and numbered will be explained in its proper place. In 1847 tl''6 county was divided into precincts, of which there were three — Washington, Spring or Centre, and Liberty. The last then embraced the south half of Mid- dlefield, the south half of Liberty except sections 19, 20, 21, 30, 31, and 32, all of Cono except section 6, and sec- tions 12, 13, 24, 25, and 36 of Newton. The north half of Liberty then comprised a part of Spring precinct. Quasqueton was the voting-place of Liberty precinct, as it had been at one time for the entire county. On September 5, 1859, Liberty township was reduced to its present size and form. SURFACE.. The greater portion of this township lies in a fine loca- tion, with hills and valleys, the former of no great height and with gentle slopes; between these, especially on the prairies, are belts of slightly depressed land, with gentle slopes toward the water-courses, covered with a thick, tough sward which precludes washing. Such places are called "sloughs." There being no gullies in these to carry off the water, and the rains from the surrounding hills passing but slowly through the luxuriant growth of grass which grows upon the sloughs, these places are usu- ally very moist. This characteristic may be aggravated by certain physical causes which will be explained in an- other chapter. The hills become relatively higher in the vicinity of the river and the larger creeks, and have more abrupt slopes and narrow valleys; hence the land is of less agricultural value than that more remote. There are scattered along by the river frequent low and level lands, sometimes of considerable extent, known as "second bottoms," which are very productive. Though some of these "bottoms," either from peculiarities of subsoil or surroundings, or from the slight elevation above the river, are too wet for purposes of tillage. SOIL. The soil varies considerably in the different localities of the township. There are three distinct soils, each pe- culiar to the prairie, timber and bottom lands; and these, variously blended together and iiiingled with sand, con- stitute a great variety, whose value, agriculturally, depends upon the amount of the sand and the depth of the mixture, and also very considerably upon the kind of subsoil; for this materially affects the drainage. The difference in the productiveness of these several soils is a result of the de- gree of fineness or coarseness, and the kind of rocks, whether quartz or limestone, out of whose comminution they were formed, and of the amount of humus or organic matter contained. These peculiar diflerences and their causes will be explained at length in the geological de- partment. The soil of the prairies is an arenaceous loam, usually quite deep, very durable and productive. The sloughs often have even a greater depth of soil, are richer, heavier, having received valuable additions in the washings from the hills and from the decay of the rich vegetable matter which has grown in them, the dampness not permitting the annual fires to destroy this growth. In this way a deep vegetable mould is formed. Even when the sloughs are not fit for jjlough lands — though they frequently would be if properly drained — they constitute one of the most valuable parts of the prairie farm for grass-growing purposes. The native grass growing upon them is often cut twice, and these lands produce two large crops of ex- cellent hay. Timothy will grow first rate on the dryer ones, and red-top grows most luxuriantly when once started upon them. In part of the woodlands the soil is very similar to that of the prairie, and has perhaps a greater amount of veg- etable matter. It is a deep, sandy mould, of great pro- ductiveness and durability, and is considered to be some- what quicker than the prairie soil. However, in differ- ent parts of the timber region, the quality of the soil varies considerably, depending much upon conditions mentioned before. In some places it is clayey, at others it is sandy; this variableness is noticed in the prairie regions, espe- cially in those parts near the river. Where the white oak timber grew or is growing especially abundant, the soil is invariably found to be thin and poor. The "butternut" or "second bottoms" have long been prized and recognized as the best of soils. These are of diluvial origin, having been deposited during the Cham- plane epoch, when the bed of the river was the entire e.x- 1 tent of its bottom lands. .Some of these are devoid of trees; others have been encroached upon by the forests of the adjacent hills. The prairie is recognized, on the whole, as being the best for corn, and the timber and "bottoms" unrivaled for the production of wheat; for on these this grain is not so likely to "smut" or " blast." and has the advantage of the "quickness." As a whole, the soils are admirably 29s 296 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. adapted for the growth of cereals, grasses, and northern fruits. TIMBER. Almost one-half of this township was, at the advent of the settlers, densely forested. This region embraces all or the greater part of sections 5, 8, 9, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30; 32, and 33, and fractions of others. The native trees are the white oak, bur oak, red oak, black oak, white (or soft) maple, sugar (or hard) maple, white elm, red (or slippery) elm, linden (or basswood) walnut, butternut, hackberry, poplar, aspen, cotton wood, shagbark, bitter-nut, ash, and water-birch. But few- evergreens appear; red cedar and white pine were formerly found in considerable numbers on the cliffs of the rivers and creeks. Among the shrubs and smaller trees are the wild plum, crab-apple, hawthorn, black-haw, willow, Virginia creeper, wild grape and other vines. The hard maples were once so numerous in the sugar bottoms, that not a little sugar were made from them. Large trees being quite numerous till comparatively recent times, the manufacture of hard-wood lumber was an important industry; but now there are but few valua- ble trees left and the others are being rapidly taken from this region for fuel. If the present rate of destruction continues, there must, within a few years, be a dearth of wood fuel. Timber, without the land, has been sold as high as sixty dollars per acre. This shows the value of the wood. STREAMS. The general undulatory character of the surface, gen- tly sloping toward the creeks and to the river, causes the township to have an excellent drainage system, which is further effected by the numerous streams which flow in and through it. The Wapsipinicon, familiarly known as Wapsie, flows through the southwestern part of the town- ship, entering it on the east, one and a-half miles from the southern boundary, continuing with large deflections in an almost easterly course to the vicinity of Cedar Rock, three-quarters of a mile north of Quasqueton, when its course is changed to the southeast, and, pur. suing this direction it enters Cono, two and one-fourth miles from the eastern boundary line; whence it flows in the same direction through Cono and the southwest corner of Newton into Linn county. Pine, Nash, Hal- stead, and Blank creeks are the principal tributaries of the Wapsie in the township. Pine creek, which receives its name from scattered pine trees which formerly grew upon the bordering cliffs, and of which only a few re- main, rises in Byron, and, after entering this township, follows a semicircle course, in a southerly direction, through the west central part of the township into the Wapsie, less than two miles, as the crow flies, from Quasqueton. The two confluent branches of Halstead creek rise at a considerable distance apart in the town- ship to the north, and flow in a southerly and southwest- erly direction till within a mile of the river, when they come together and empty into it a short distance from the mouth of Pine creek. Before their branches unite, the larger and more eastern one is called Merrill's creek. and the other Dry run, and the stream formed by the two is usually called by the name given above. Nash creek rises within the township, flows to the southwest, and drains a considerable area. The last named creek flows through the southeast corner of the region de- scribed. These streams flow over rocky, pebbly, or sandy beds, are fed by numerous springs, and are, therefore, clear, cold and valuable. Their banks are usually high, but the channels formed by them are not always large enough to carry away all the water which falls upon the large area drained by them, during the severe storms of the summer months. Pine, the larger of these tributaries, is a brook of per- haps twenty feet in width, and carries a considerable volume of water to the river. As it flows with con- siderable rapidity, and as a larger part of its course was through a formerly heavily forested region, dams were constructed at an early day across it and the power util- ized for sawing logs, and latterly for other purposes. Of the places dammed, one was at Pine Creek bridge, and the other further north at a place known as Eddie's mill. Owing to the growing scarcity of timber, and the un- certain supply of water — and this last was probably ac- celerated as the surrounding hills became bald and no sheltering trees invited the clouds to give a regular sup- ply of water and retarded its rapid evaporation, thus forming reservoirs for the continual supply of the stream — these dams have been abandoned, and the water now flows with gentle, gurgling sounds where it was wont to plunge madly propelling the industrious saw, which caused the woods to echo with its music. The power observed in the rapids at Quasqueton was that which first attracted man to this place. It was util- ized at a very early day, and since that time it has been an important factor in the development of this region and of a large part of the county. INDI.^NS. It does not appear that this vicinity was ever the home — if such their semi-permanent camps can be called — of any of the Indian tribes; but it was frequently their camping place during their hunting, fishing, and trapping expeditions. As they had been pretty thoroughly sub- dued prior to the immigration of the whites, there were not the difficulties and the horrors of Indian wars here that attended the settlement of other parts of the Mis- sissippi valley. The Indians were not particularly trouble- some, save when drunk, or from their inveterate habit of begging. They were exceedingly jealous of each other in regard to the treatment received by them from the set- tlers. When on their begging tours each expected to receive from the givers the same amount of everything; and woe to him who expected to be rid of a band of these nuisances by giving to one of the braves or squaws the amount of meal designed for all. No traces of these Indians remain, save the Indian trail, which is on the west side, nearly parallel with the river. When the grass is burned in the autumn this trail can yet be seen. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 297 There was once a grave of a noted chief, marked with a heap of stones, in front of L. Sail's residence, Quas- queton, to which the Indians would make periodical visits and make many expressions of great sorrow. This grave was opened before the war by a number of boys, the bones scattered about, and the skull sold to Mr. J. M. Berthall, of Quasqueton, in whose possession it still remains. The Indians were much grieved at this wanton act, and since have not visited the spot so frequently. All traces of the grave are now destroyed, even though at their first visit after the exhumation they gathered to- gether the bones, reintened them, and piled stones over the spot. SETTLEMENT. The early settlement of Liberty township was not at- tended with the same difficulties and privations, nor fraught with the dangers from hostile Indians, and from other sources, as were an accompaniment in the early development of some of the western states; yet, they were of such a nature as would cause even the bravest and hardiest to hesitate before advancing to meet and grapple with them. Less than fifty years ago no prairie sod had here been turned by the plough ; no tree had been felled with the ax, and no "saplings" so arranged as to form a shelter from the inclemencies of the seasons. Then there recurred the stretches of hill and dale, of soft emerald green, a sea of waving grass, an expanse variega- ted with beautiful wild flowers, or a waste of brown turf from the autumnal fires, or a broad, undulatory extent of drifting white. Then the springs and the brooklets run- ning deep and narrow from them, were difficult to find in the dense tall grass that bordered them; and no ob- structions, save those of nature, or the industrious beaver checked the waters of creek and river; then the forest trees grew large and the Indians and the wild beasts and birds enjoyed possession undisputed by those who have since made so many changes. The first white settler in this township and in the county, was William Bennett, who, in February of 1842, came to Quasqueton from Ede's Grove, Delaware county. Bennett is said to have been a roving speculator, and not by any means a good man. He was attracted to this spot by the rapids in the river, which suggested the building of mills in order to utilize the power which he saw in the swiftly running water, and the locating of a county seat. The first house in Quasqueton was built by Bennett, who, with his wife and three little girls lived in it. This house was constructed of logs with a roof of bark covered with dirt. It stood on the bank of the river, some twelve rods above the mill, and near the foot of Walnut street. Before the last of .4pril (1842), S. G. Sanford and family were living in a log house, a quarter of a mile south of Quasqueton on the Cordell place. His brother, H. T. Sanford, a carpenter, lived with him. Ezra G. Allen lived in a hut where S. Swartzel now lives. On the last day of April, a band of immigrants arrived in this township, two of whom are residing in the county at the present time. In this band there were seven men, two women, and three children, whose names were as follows: R. B. Clark, Dr. E. Brewer, Frederick Kessler, 38 J. Lambert, — Simmons and Dagget, Mrs. R. B. Clark and Mrs. Frederick Kessler, Mason, and Seth Clark, and Sarah C. Kessler. Messrs. Clark and Brewer built the first house on the west side of the river, near the spot where William Broadstreet's house now stands. These men came from Exeter, Greene county, Wisconsin, and immediately made claims. Dr. Brewer was originally from Middlesex county, Massachusetts, and since the founding of Independence, has been one of its leading citizens. Mr. Clark was born where Cleveland, Ohio, now stands, and his only playmates for several years, were one brother and the children of the Indians then residing there. He was the hunter of his party and a hardy backwoodsman. Mr. Kessler was from Pennsyl- vania, and died many years ago in the mining camps of California. The last built an apology for a house, half a mile west of Clark and Brewer's, on the Boies farm. It was inhabitable during the summer time, but was not an adequate protection against the terrible storms and cold of the ensuing winter. The spring of this year was an extremely early one; al the time this company landed here, grass was two feet high on the lowlands. The following summer was very dry, and there was a frost every month that year, which nearly killed the potatoes and vines, and on the tenth of September there came one which killed the corn. There was but very little corn planted or growing, owing to the extreme dryness, and it was very poor before it was killed. Potatoes were small and few in a hill, and there was no wheat raised this year. The failure of the small crops that were planted did not make a very pleasing outlook for these settlers lor the coming winter. The first white child born in the township, and in the county, was born during this summer. It was Charles B. Kessler, who was born July 13, 1842. He was born in old Liberty, and gave his life that liberty might be to all the land. Enlisting in the war of the Rebellion in 1862, he served until April, of 1864, when he died in the south. In the course of the summer one Styles came to Quas- queton and lived in a small cabin which was situated but a few rods from the mill. Soon after he enlarged his house and for a time kept a hotel. This was the first public house; but then, as for years afterward, every set- tler endeavored to feed and lodge all who might come to his house. Besides these there were Hugh Warren, a loafer, and a few young men, who boarded and worked with Bennett. Their names were Jefifers, Warner, Day, Wall, and Evens. Bennett made claim to the "eighty" that includes the mill site, and during the summer built a log dam across the river, and, on the first of October, raised the frame of a mill. His men made large claims, and it is said that, by the first of July, nearly the whole of the middle portion of the county was claimed by some fifteen or twenty men. But it will be seen that these men re- mained only for a short time, and were of little influence in the development of the county. On the fifth of October William Hadden came to the Brewer neighborhood and stopped with Mr. Kessler 298 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Meanwhile, Dagget and Simmons, hunters and trappers, were stopping with Brewer and Clark, preparing to take claims and commence farming. And on the fifteenth of the same month there came to the same neighborhood a brother of Mrs. Kessler and Nathaniel and Henry B. Hatch. Later in the fall there came to the township Wil- liam Johnson, who claimed to be the Canadian patriot who had lived for years among the islands of the St. Lawrence. He was accompanied by a very attractive young lady whom he introduced as his daughter Kate, the veritable queen of the Thousand Islands. Johnson located in the Postle neighborhood, about midway between Indepen- dence and Quasqueton. His object was to found a town which should become the county seat — a town in oppo- sition to the one Bennett was endeavoring to build up. He had no business, and was light fingered, and an im- postor. On the eleventh of November it began snowing and blowing at a terrible rate. As Kessler's house was but poor protection, it was determined to move that family to the house of Clark and Brewer. These gentlemen had a large and comfortable log house, well finished, and having a stone fire-place. The roof was of log shingles, or "shakes," as they were usually called, laid in tiers, with poles to hold them down. The floors were of split logs, and were quite smooth and white. Although the distance between these places was less than a half mile, yet the men, carrying the two children and circling Mrs. Kessler, were almost exhausted when they reached their destination, so great was the fury of the storm. There were nine men in the house, and, during the most severe part of the storm, even they were frightened at its vio- lence. The storm lasted two days. On the morning of the third day the sun rose clear. It was then found that three feet of snow had fallen in the timber, and it lay from one to fifteen feet deep on the prairies. As soon as the weather permitted, the men started to find the de- serted house. It was found almost hidden by the snow, which had drifted into the house until it was filled solid. Mr. Kessler dug out a room six feet square over the spring, which he called "crystal palace," from the fes- toons of crystal which were formed by the steam arising from the warm water of the spring. A road to the tiui- ber was broken, which was covered again and again with the snow, and this being packed down, made the road quite as high as the house. Nine steps were made in the snow to get to the wood and fourteen to get down to the spring. As the snow continued to drift it was found im- possible to go for corn, of which they were likely soon to be in need. The amount raised was not sufficient to last them through the winter, especially as there was a camp of Musquakie Indians north of them who were very poor and depended largely upon these settlers for food. AVhen starvation began to stare them in the face H. B. Hatch started down the Wapsie with two yoke of oxen in search of corn. He succeeded, after going twenty miles, in securing that many bushels of corn. The wea- ther was quite pleasant when he left the settlement and remained until he got about half way back, when there came on a terrible blinding snow storm. In order to make the oxen face the driving tempest, he was obliged to go on the "off" and windward side and keep them in the right direction by holding to their horns. The cut- ting wind and the blinding snow precluded the idea of seeing at all. There were no beaten tracks that could be followed, no fences to guide; and as there was nothing to direct save the "sense of direction," it seems almost a miracle that at length, after hours of toil, he should have reached the "lone tree," a land-mark very near to his destination, for which he was aiming and which he did not see until within a few feet of it. Had he missed the tree he must have perished, and his friends would have suffered for food. This large family then feasted on boiled corn and honey and venison; but corn prepared in this way does not satisfy the hunger; it has rather the effect of increasing it, so that when very hungry they would grind corn in a coffee mill and make griddle cakes. At times, by way of variety, they would procure the bark of slippery elm, and this was considered a great treat. For six weeks they did not have a bit of bread in the house. The nearest mill was on the Maquoketa, sixty miles away. At the time of the storm Clark and Kessler had seven- teen deer, besides a large supply of honey, but all this was not a large supply for so large a number, and the snow was so deep that the deer could get nothing but browse to eat; consequently they were very poor, and many were found dead in the drifts. Besides the difficulties in procuring food and in keep- ing from freezing, there was another in endeavoring to keep a cheerful mind in the midst of these barren soli- tudes and in the tedium of such a life. The nearest post offices were far away, at Dubuque and Marion; so there was no daily mail, with its letters and papers, to vary the monotony of this long, cold winter. The hardships of this hand on the west side of the river were suffered no doubt by others who had settled in the township; but while these scenes were enacting in the Brewer neigh- borhood, there were events happening on the east side of the river that cause the history of Liberty to be of more than ordinary interest. The principal characters in these were Bennett and Johnson. Bennett, fearful that the inhabitants might think more of Johnson than of him- self, and that he might be successful in building up a county seat, became jealous of him and determined that he should leave the country. The Indians were afraid of Bennett, and the gang of which he was the leader had a similar feeling. As Bennett kept whiskey, he was enabled through the love his followers and some of the Indians had for it, and by means of a small sum of money, to ac- complish his purpose. He induced ten whites and five Indians to drink, and while they were under the influence of liquor it was resolved that the one leaving before ac- complishing the object should receive twenty lashes, none but Bennett, however, knowing what was the ob- ject. They then started for Johnson's house, taking plenty of whiskey with them, and gained entrance by pretending that they had been out hunting and were nearly frozen. Johnson, not suspecting their intentions, made every effort to make them comfortable. When the men arose as if to go, by an adroit movement Johnson HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 299 was seized, stripped, tied to a tree, and given thirty-nine lashes, and told that if he did not leave within twenty- four hours he would receive a more severe scourging. As soon as they were gone his daughter Kate, and his niece, who was now with them, assisted him, then in a lacerated and almost frozen condition, into the house. They then packed up, and at 2 o'clock at night, in December, 1842, fled down the river, the nearest house after leaving Clark's being over twenty miles. They reached Clark's about daylight, where they got their breakfast, and where Dr. Brewer dressed Johnson's wounds. There was a heavy fall of snow the next afternoon, and after several days of travelling through the deep snow they reached Marion. In about two weeks Johnson returned, leaving his family at Marion, with Sheriff" Gray, of Linn county. They found Bennett with his gang, but they refused to be arrested. The sheriff, not having a sufficient number to overpower them, returned for help. The next day Bennett, with Jeffers, Warner, Day, Wall, and Evens, started for Coffin's Grove. It is said that Bennett barely escaped the officers; that several times they were in sight of him, but that he was enabled to elude them, as he had snow-shoes, and, they being mounted on ponies, he had the advantage. By others it is stated that he himself escaped on a horse. His followers were not so well pro- vided for. There was twenty inches of snow on the ground when these five fugitives started out, taking with them plenty of whiskey, but no food. The first day they got as far as Buffalo creek, where they encamped for the night, without food and without sufficient protection for such inclement weather. The night was extremely cold, and before daylight they resumed their journey in order to keep from freezing. Before they had travelled far, Warner was taken with a cramp and buried in the snow. Day and Wall could not travel as rapidly as the remain- ing ones, and were left behind. .Two besides Bennett succeeded in reaching Coffin's Grove, but so great was their numbness and exhaustion that they were unable to speak. A Mr. Muckley yoked up his oxen and started out to find the missing ones. Wall was found, pitched forward, with extended hands, and with an icicle extend- ing from his mouth to the snow. He had remained there from 8 o'clock till 2, and as a result of the exposure he' lost both feet, and the flesh came off from his hands. Warner lost one foot. Just how many of these finally survived the effects of this trip is not positively known, but it is stated that the one who endured it with the least harmful results, was the one that took no whiskey with him. In January deputy sheriff Taylor, with Green and Thompson, followed Bennett up to the Turkey river, where they found him living with the Indians. He drew a revolver on his pursuers, which, being accidentally dis- charged, killed an Indian. He then fled. Styles, Par- ish and Reece were arrested as accomplices in the flogging affair, and w-ere imprisoned. Johnson moved off the next spring to the Skunk river country, in Mahas- ka county. A short time afterwards he was shot through the heart while in his own house. As Bennett was seen lurking in that vicinity about that time it is su[)posed that he fired the shot. Bennett was the last survivor of this gang, and was last known to be in Potose, Wiscon- sin, where he was carrying on a low groggery. Such is the story of those " first settlers," those unworthy precur- sors of civilization. The spring of 1843 was very cold, and the summer also very cold and wet. Teams crossed the river on the ice at Quasqueton on the seventh of April, and the ice did not go out of the river until the last of that month. In June of this year the river was the highest ever wit- nessed by the oldest Indians. There were, in the spring of 1S43, the following occu- pied habitations on lands: Sanford's, afterwards the Cor- dell place; Ezra Allen's, at the " Spring, " now S. Swartz- el's farm; Clark & Brewer's, now Broadstreet's; Frederick Kessler's, now the Boies farm; Spencer's, afterwards Mal- com Mc Bane's. During this spring Malcom McBane and John Cordell came to this township. Mr. McBane was born in Virginia, and lived for a number of years in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he was engaged in farming. On his arrival here he entered the eighty, which now forms a part of the village of Quasqueton, his house being on the same site as that on which "Smoky" Taylor's now is. He was one of the progressive, public- spirited kind, and was one of the three composing the second board of supervisors of the county. He remained here until his death, which occurred April 25, 1865. Mr. Cordell was born in Liverpool, England, and came to America when about seventeen years old. He lived in Belmont and Tuscarawas counties, Ohio, engaged in farming, the greater part of the time, until he came to Iowa. He immediately, on his arrival, entered the farm that is called by his name. This is said to have been a very hard season for these pioneers. In addition to the depressing influence of the cold and wet spring and summer, there was not a plenti- ful supply of food for immediate consumption, and there was great difficulty in getting clothing and shoes. For several years if a man was seen who was not dressed partly in skins he was at once set down as a stranger. During this time the majority of the people wore mocca- sons, made in a peculiar manner from the skins of deers' hind legs. At this time there was only a small pair of "corn buhrs " in the mill, which Avas not yet enclosed. All the bolting was done by hand. The season was not conducive to health. Late in the autumn all of John Cordell's family, save himself, were sick, and one of the children, Allen, died, this being the first death in the township. During the fall of 1843 James Biddinger, then a young unmarried man, came to this township from Tus- carawas county, Ohio, and deeded the eighty on which he now lives. Save Dr. Brewer, he is the oldest Hving resident in the county. At the raising of his house every man, woman and child in the county was present. In 1843 there came also Hugh Warren, who made claim to land north of Quasqueton, David Stiles and J. A. Reynolds, a blacksmith. In 1844 Levi Billings set- tled on the Swartzel place, and James Cummings on the farm now owned by John Merrell. There also came for 300 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. a short time R. L. Thopson, a physician. Two years afterwards Joseph Collier and Isaac and J. F. Hathaway located two miles east of Quasqueton, and Samuel Cas- key, now a resident of Quasqueton, entered the Cecil farm. He afterwards sold this claim, intending to buy one from the Scott brothers, in the Miller neighborhood, which embraced a large tract of land, extending to the river. They wanted two yoke of oxen and ten dollars, which was regarded by Mr. Caskey to be too large a price. He then deeded the Russel Halstead place. In March, 1846, occurred the first marriage in the township and in the county. Miss Mary Ann Hathaway was married at this time to Dr. E. Brewer, Joseph A. Reynolds, the justice of the peace for Delaware county, officiating. During these years and afterwards the Indians were the most numerous class of human beings. Wandering bands of the Musguakies and Winnebagoes encamped in the timber west of town and near the " mouth of the pine. " They and the settlers were very friendly, and often traded with each other. The account books of Dr. E. Brewer show entries against Magotoke, Petake- ma, Apalove, Apalnpe, Nolloosick, Wana, and others of the former tribe, and against Coeapaboe, Chuchul, Wamanoo, and others of the latter tribe of Indians. The settlers were wont in those early days to diversify their labors with hunts after bears and bee trees, and the common deer. Of bee trees there were many, and, at times, some of the pioneers had even barrels of this honey at one time. During the spring and early sum- mer they used to go to the prairies between the rivers to the westward, going sometimes as far as Ackley, to hunt buffaloes and elks, principally to capture their young. At the time they would go for the latter purpose, the young of these animals would be about the size of a young calf, and would be taken by running them down with horses. They would take cows with them so that the captured infant elks and buffaloes might have their customary food, and arrange cages or pens on their wag- ons in which to bring them home. One such trip was made by R. B. Clark, James Bid- dinger, and two others, who took with them a team, one cow, and horses to ride. They returned with three young elks. In the spring of 1844, Clark, Kessler, and several other men, started out on an elk and buffalo hunt, taking several cows, tents, fast horses, ox-teams to haul their loads, and provisions to last six weeks. They returned with eleven buffaloes and seven elks. Only one buffalo and two elks lived. It being so late in the season when they started they had to chase them so much they died of overheat. In the spring of 1845 the company started out earlier, and took more cows. They were gone seven weeks, and came in with a drove of little fellows. Seven elks and four buffaloes lived. The first buffalo that was captured Clark kept until it was three years old ; it got so cross he had to kill it. The others were sold to Asa Blood, sr. He broke the elks to harness, and drove them before a sleigh. They would go as far as one would like to hold the lines on a cold day, but could not be taught to back. The township had a steady and healthy growth for a number of years, and has had such even up to the pres- ent time. Until railroads crossed Buchanan county it frequently happened that the farmers were enabled to sell, at their own doors, all of the surplus raised by them to the new- comers, and to those bound for the far west. During the fall of 1857 corn and oats each sold for thirty cents per bushel— the next spring for one dollar. In 1858 oats and wheat were blighted and there was scarcely an ordinary yield of corn. POLITICAL. At the first precinct election there were thirty votes cast; at the second, in 1849, the same number — ten Democratic, fifteen Republican, and five Anti-slavery. The first township officers were: N. G. Gage, justice of the peace; Clark Burnett, Galin Shurtliff, and J. P. Miller, constables; Morris Todd, assessor ; A. Waldron, clerk; and H. B. Hatch, William Logan, and H. M. Stephens, trustees. The present officers are: A. P. Burrhus, clerk; H. S. Boies, assessor; J. Irwin, John Copeland, and W. D. Boies, justices of the peace; Hugh Hurrey, Samuel Cas- key, and J. McDoald, constables; and Philip Yarnell, James Van Orsdoll, and B. C. Hale, trustees. QUASQUETON. In the early settlement this point was a noted ford, and the Indian trails from all directions centered here. The name means "swift running water," and was origin- ally Quasquetuck. S. V. Thompson changed "tuck" to "ton." We have seen already that William Bennett was the first settler of this town. With the mill as a nucleus the village gradually grew around it. The site is a splendid and beautiful one, having not only the advan- tage of an excellent water-power — now not utilized — but of being in proximity to plenty of timber, and having very productive lands on every side. It is what is known as an "opening," and lies in an oak valley, having hills on every side save to the south. The river flows at the west side of the valley next to the hills; from the river, on the east, there is a stretch of land which extends with a scarcely perceptible ascent to the prairie hills almost a mile away. These hills extend in almost a semicircle around the town. At the first temporary land sale held in Marion in 1843, 'he Quasqueton land, though bid upon, was not sold, but it soon came into the possession of William Hadden. Mr. Hadden kept the first store in this village — quite a small affair. One peculiarity of this gentle- man was that he refused to sell land to dealers in liquors. In 1844 he had the frame of the mill enlarged and the whole completed, putting in a run of corn and wheat buhr-stones and other machinery. Two years afterward D. S. Davis became a partner, and the mill received ad- ditional improvement, so that a good article of flour was made. A saw-mill was built by them the same year, just below the grist-mill. Prior to this the principal part of the milling was done at Cascade and Rockdale, Dubuque History of buchanan county, iowa. 301 county ; these were the most convenient places, as Du- buque was then the tradiuL^ place, as it was for years afterward. The first post office was established in 1845, with William Richards as postmaster. About this timS D. S. Davis acquired possession of the greater part of the vil- lage. Prior to this the conditional titles that Hutton would impose on all land sold, and afterwards an unfor- tunate litigation concerning ownership, checked the growth of the town; for a good title to lots could not be obtained. In 1846 Davis had the principal part of Quasqueton platted and laid out in regular form. To and from this place people came and went. In 1852 there were not more than half a dozen houses on the east, and one or two on the west side of the river. During this year a bridge was built across the river, a turning and cabinet shop was built on the west side, by S. V. Thompson, the Hastings block was erected by D. S. Davis, and the mills, coming into the possession of J. G. Hovey, were further improved. Until the fall of this year there was no regular school, the "L" of the present school-house having been built during the summer. From this time, till the "financial panic," there was a period of great prosperity and growth; 1855 and 1856 being the great immigration years for the town and town- ship. In 1856 the Hastings house, Ashley block, and other buildings were erected. J. M. Benthall and the Lewis Brothers tore down the old mill, and erected a larger one just below the saw-mill. On the thirteenth of December, 1856, the first number of the Quasqueton Guardian was issued by Rich & Jordan. Two years later this firm, although largely assisted by the citizens of Quasqueton in starting the paper, moved to Indepen- dence, which then had an immediate prospect of railroad communications with the east. Quasqueton, however, not receiving the anticipated railroad, has since that time languished, and many of the whilom citizens who left the town, having no hope of its future growth, have occupied important positions in other lands. In 1858 surveys w-ere made for the Wapsipinicon Valley railroad, and the Wapsipinicon Valley Land company issued scrip, and endeavored to build this road. Meanwhile, in 1856 the I. C. railroad made surveys, and raised hopes. In 1870-71-72 surveys were made, and a considerable amount of grading done for the Anamosa & Northwestern, but Quasqueton remained without the iron horse. In April of 1880 a ta.\ was voted for the Chicago, Bellevue & Northern road, and during the latter part of 1880 a mysterious survey was made for a Chicago & Manitoba railroad ; but whether Quasque- ton gets either of these roads is now only a matter of conjecture. A PRIMITIVE POLICE — QU.\SQUETON MUTUAL PROTECTION COMPANY. In the second number of the Guardian appeared the following announcement : The Quasqueton Mutual Protection company held its third quar- terly meeting on Saturday evening, at which time tile following gentle- men were elected a vigilance committee for the ensuing quarter: M. McBane, captain; D. Robbins. lieutenant: D. S. Davis, J, C. Neidy, D. Lotherman, .S. W. Hardin, E. A. Alexander, J. Heighlly, E. Mosher, J. M. Benthall, B. E. Logan, J. Biddinger, D. Hitch, M. Todd, S. Caskey, W. Blank. A statement of the aims and results of the associa- tion was furnished by Dr. Bidwell, their secretary, and published in connection with the proceedings of the fiuarterly meeting. The company was organized early in the preceding year (1856), for the purpose of protecting the community in some measure from the dejiredations of horse thieves — an evil from which, in common with other new communitie.s, it had greatly suffered, and against which the ordinary safeguards of the ordinary forms of law, and its regularly constituted executors were entirely inadequate. In the language of Secretary Bid- well, "It is constituted upon a strong basis in more senses than one; and its influence thus far is presumed to have been decidedly beneficial, inasmuch as no at- tempt has been made since its organization upon the property of any one of its numerous members. Conse- quently its physical force has never yet been tested. For the sake of offenders, as well as of the community, it is to be hoped that its moral force may continue as hereto- fore sufficient for their intimidation. The organization is mutual and only to be called into service when a mem- ber is the sufferer. Any citizen may become a member by signing the constitution and paying the sum of one dollar." The officers of the company at that time were: L. Ayrnault, president; William iMartin, vice-president; E. C. Bidwell, secretary; D. S. Davis, treasurer. It will be noticed that the organization comprised many of the leading citizens; all, probably, who owned horses, and the methods of the "riding committee," in dealing with offenders, were no doubt summary, as the jury was already impannelled and the court always in session. That the necessity for the organization did not cease with the second year will be seen by another e.xtract from the Buchanan county Guardian of June 9, 1859: Tlie reguhir quarterly meeting of the Mutual Protection society was held at School-house hall, Quasqueton, on Monday evening, June 6, 1859. In the absence of the president, J. M. Benthall was appointed chairman. After reading the minutes of the previous meeting, a mo- tion was made and carried that the secretaiy procure a brand for the purpose of branding horses; and that all members have their horses branded within thirty days after the publication of these proceedings, or be excluded from the benefits of the society. Branding 10 be done by order of the secretary, A "riding committee," consisting of si.xteen persons, was then ap- pointed for the ensuing quarter. Cii.\RLEs E. Kent, Secretary. This organization was kept up for several years, but of the precise date of its disbanding we have not been in- formed. CHURCHES. PRESBYTERIAN. The first religious meeting held in Quasqueton is thought to have been Presbyterian; but there were no regular services until 1851, when G. G. Cummings, a Wesleyan Methodist came. There was once an organi- 302 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. zation of this denomination, but no church was built and the society has long since died out. At an early day there was a Presbyterian church organized by Rev. Joseph W'hitam, of Virginia, and called the Free Presbyterian church. Mr. John Merrill deeded this society two acres of land, and did the greater part toward building an edifice on the same. This build- ing is known as "Hickory church," and is situated about two miles north of Quasqueton. There is a sect called Free Methodists that has quite recently effected an organization, and hold services in Quasqueton. Their leader was known as "Tommy Gates," who seemed to have considerable influence among his followers. C0XGREG.\T10NAL. June 26, 1S53, the Congregational church was organ- ized by the Reverends Alfred Wright and W. Reed. The services of this church were first held in the school- house; but, in 1854, the "brick church" was com- menced, and completed the following year by a commit- tee — "a body corporate for religious purposes." The society was very prosperous for a number of years. One of the early resolutions adopted by them was: "That we will not receive into the church, nor admit to the communion, nor invite to our pulpit, slaveholders nor the advocates of slavery. The pastors of this church have been : Alfred Wright, Bennett Roberts, H. N. Gates, Albert Manson, G. H. Bissel, Charles Dame, E. G. Carpenter, and G. N. Dor- sey. Rev. Mr. Manson was the pastor of this church at two different times; the first time he served eight years, and the second two. Rev. W. S. Potwin is their minister at this time. The Congregationalist .Sunday-school was organized May 2, 1875. B.^PTIST. The Baptist church was organized March 10, 1855, by the following named persons: A. G. Firman, E. A. Mil- timore, D. Leatherman, Permelia Leatherman, J. D. Reese, H. G. Hastings, A. G. Hastings, E. W. Hastings, *-^ and J. W. Gagely. William Ramsey and A. G. Hastings were the first deacons, and A. G. Firman the first min- ister licensed to preach. Their first meetings were held in the Davis block, and subsequently m the second-story of the school-house, in the "brick church," and the Methodist church. The Baptist church was first occupied in January of 1868, though not then entirely completed. The building is thirty-six by fifty-six feet, and cost about four thousand dollars. It is the only church in town that is adorned with a steeple and has a bell. The first minister was Elder Daniel Rowley, who was followed by Elders Joseph Wood, A. G. F'lrman, John Fulton, John Cauch, and B. H. Damon. Elder Fulton served from 1861 till 1868; since 1868 Elder Cauch has supplied this church and the one at Winthrop, except one year, when Elder Damon was pastor, and during one year of sickness. METHODIST. No records were kept by the Methodist Episcopal church until 1870. It appears, however, that at the beginning of 1852 the Quasqueton society was organized by Rev. William Brown, and consisted of but three per- sons, viz: William and Elizabeth Cooper and Henry Norton. These worshipped in the west wing of the school-house until 1856, when, under Rev. Mr. Ash- bough, the church was built. About this time there were four appointments in this circuit, to wit: Quasqueton, Spring Grove, Buflalo Grove, and Pine Creek. At pres- ent this society is one of the two appointments of the Quasqueton circuit of the Dubuque conference; the second appointment is at Rowley, which was organized in 1868. Rev. Mr. Norton is in charge of these appointments at the present time. SECRET SOCIETIES. INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. According to the mir^utes of the society, the first meeting of Quasqueton Lodge No. 59, I. O. O. F., was held September 25, 1854. At this date, "in pursuance of a dispensation issued by the M. W. G. M. Richard Cadle, and countersigned by R. W. G. Secretary William Garrett, dated August 30, 1854, the R. W. D. D. G. M. J. G. Dimmett instituted and constituted a lodge of the I. O. O. F., to the petitioning brothers, J. W. Singer, J G. Hovey, William Martin, J. M. Bryan, and G. W Smith. Its first officers were; J. W. Singer, N. G. ; J G. Hovey, V.G. ; William Martin, secretary; J. M. Bryan treasurer; G. W. Smith, C. ; and E. D. Hovey, warden The last meeting of this lodge was on May 28, 1861. On January i, T862, Franklin Lodge No. 59, I. O. O. F., was organized, with a charter issued in lieu of the one issued to Quasqueton Lodge, by Abraham Hunsik- er, S. Yockey, C. E. Kent, T. A. Jernegan, and H. B. Hatch. The present officers are: James McDonald, N. G. ; Hugh Hursey, V. G. ; C. E. Kent, secretary; Henry Biddinger, treasurer; William Harris, C. ; A. P. Burrhus, warden. FREE .\ND ACCEPTED MASONS. A dispensation was granted to A. W. Trout, G. W. Butterfield, W. H. Eddy, and seven others, in 1875, to hold a Masonic lodge in Cono township. Quasqueton being within the jurisdiction of another lodge, one could not be held there without its consent. On the seventh of June, 1876, a charter was granted to form a lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, under the name of Prospect Lodge No. 350. A home was built in that township and lodge held there until 1878, when in June the grand lodge, in session at Cedar Rapids, granted the removal of said lodge to Quasqueton. The first officers were: A. W. Trout, W. M. ; G. W. Butterfield, S. W. ; W. H. Eddy, J. W. ; W. J. Miller, secretary. The present officers are: A. W. Trout, W. M. ; John Crowder, S. W. ; William Harris, J. W. ; Henry Biddin- ger, treasurer; Henry N. Northrup, secretary. SCHOOLS. Quasqueton has long had a graded school in which she has felt great pride. Of the earliest schools not HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 3°S much is known. The main part of the present school- house was built in 1855. At the election March 4, 1867, the independent district of Quasqueton was deter- mined. S. \V. Heath was president of the first board of directors of this district. In 1869 a ward school-house was erected by this district two miles east of town. This contains one department, and the village schools proper contain three, under the management of a principal. Mr. N. E. Leach now holds that position. BRIDGES. The bridge built in 1852 was swept away by the July flood of 1858. A second was soon constructed, and in March of 1865 it was carried away with the mills of the west side. These two bridges were built by private sub- scription, and were situated immediately below the dam. In 1867 a bridge was built by the county, at the place where the present one is located. The ice broke away the east span of this bridge in February of 1871. This was replaced the next year by an iron span; and the year following, the west span was torn away and replaced in the same manner. During a part of the years 1877-8, there was a paper printed by A. B. Vines, called The People's Paper. It is not highly spoken of. On the seventh of January, 1 88 1, J. and W. S. Cauch issued the first number of a neat and newsy sheet, called The Weekly Telephone. The saw-mill was torn away during the fall of 1878, and on the morning of the first of January, 1881, the flouring mills were burned. It seems not a little strange that, as Quasqueton had an earlier commencement and as good, if not better, advantages of location, water-power, etc., that Indepen- dence should so far exceed it in numbers and surpass it in enterprise. Thirty years ago the mail from the west was carried gratuitously from Quasqueton to the county- seat. In the days of stage-coaches, Quasqueton was the more important place. A railroad and the advan- tage of having the county seat, caused the present dif- ference between them. SETTLEMENT NOTES. C. Woodward Butterfield, the youngest of five children and son of a physician, was born at Johnson's Creek, Niagara county. New York, in 1823. His education was received at the village schools and the Genesee semin- ary. During his minority he was employed as a clerk in a mercantile establishment, and, for several years, he managed his father's farm. In 1850 he, with his mother and sisters, came to Cook county, Illinois, where he continued at farming ; and, in 1857, he moved to Quasqueton. Here he farmed some and worked at carpentering until 1871, when he was appointed postmaster at Quasqueton, which office he has retained until the present time. During the year 1880, he opened a store of general merchandise. His first wife was Mary L. Cook, by whom he had two children, Frank and Lilian, the latter of whom is dead. In i860, after the death of his first wife, he married S. Adalaide Shurtleff, by whom he has two children, Ollie Emma and Milton Galen. During the year 1864, Mr. Butterfield served nine months in the quartermaster's department. In early life he was a Democrat, but, on the passage of the Fugitive Slave law, he became a Republican, and since the or- ganization of the party has been its earnest supporter. Jesse J. Mowrer was born near Reading, Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1827, and, when but two years of age, his parents moved to Redsburgh, Wayne county, Ohio, where he made his home until 1850. During early life he attended school winters, and labored upon the farm the rest of the year. When eighteen years of age he was apprenticed to a tanner and currier. After learning his trade, he worked at it in Canton, New Haven, Ontario, and Tylesville, Ohio. In 1850, he im- migrated to Quasqueton. Here he had no particular business until 1859, when he built a tannery, and manu- factured for two years. Then, on account of failing health, he made a trip to Pikes Peak. A short time after returning, he began clerking for A. Hunsicher. In 1868, with Thomas Jernegan as partner, he bought a stock of general merchandise. In three years he bought his partner's interest, and has remained in that business until the present time. In 1854, he was married to Sarah Parker, of Quas- queton, and is the father of eight children : Esther, James W. (who is dead), Ellen, Hattie (also deceased), Cora, Lucy, Jesse, and Gertie. In politics, Mr. Mowrer is a Democrat; in religion, a Congregationalist. Dr. Alexander W. Trout was born in Tazewell county, Illinois, September 11, 1844. His common school edu- cation was received at the district schools, the high school, of Fremont, and the Eureka college. In 1862 he enlisted in the Seventieth Illinois infantry, and, after serving six months, was discharged; but in 1863 he again enlisted, by responding to the call for one hundred days' men. After his return from service, he began reading medicine with Dr. Samuel Wagonseller, at Pekin, Il- linois, and during the winters of 1865-6 and 1866-7 he attended lectures at Rush Medical college, Chicago, graduating in 1867. ThenYor about two years the doc- tor practiced medicine with his former proprietor, at Pekin, Illinois, and in 1869 located in Quasqueton, where he built up a large practice and gained a host of friends. In 187 1 he was married to Mattie M. Donohugh, of Quasqueton. He has but one child, Erma, who was born December 28, 1877. He was one of the originators of the Masonic lodge at Quasqueton; was the first worthy master, and, save one year, has held that office to the present time. He is an old line Democrat, and is recog- nized as the most efficient worker of that party in Liber- ty township. WilHam Harris was born in Longworth, Berkshire, England, in 1832. He was educated at private schools. When twenty years of age he came to America, with his cousins, on a tour of inspection, with a view of remain- ing if the country was liked. The State of New York proved pleasing. He first located near Newburgh, and engaged in farming. Here he remained until 1852, when he went to the vicinity of Janesville, Wisconsin, and continued at farming. After a time he removed to 302 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IO^VA. Chicago, remaining only a short time, when he came to Quasqueton, Iowa, where he soon started a meat market, of which he is now the proprietor. In 1858 he was married to Anna Elizabeth Preston, a native of England, and then of New Windsor, Orange county. New York. He is the father of three children: Willie Samuel, born October 4, 1862, died July, 1865; James Ellison, born January 14, 1867; and Mary E., born December i, 1872. Mr. Harris is a member of the Episcopal church at In- dependence. Through some mistake he did not become naturalized until 1878. His sympathies have always been with the Republicans, and he is a working member of this party. He is a conscientious Christian and a man of sterling worth. James W. Gageby was born near Greenesburgh, West- moreland county, Pennsylvania, January 20, 1828. In 1838 his parents went to Greenesburgh, Decatur county, Indiana, from which time, until 1844, he worked upon a farm, and attended the distiict school during the win- ters — having had to support himself after he was twelve years old. When sixteen he was apprenticed to his uncle to learn the cabinet-maker's trade, with whom he worked until he was of age. In 1849, he came to Ma- rion, Linn county, Iowa, where he remained three years, working at his trade. During this time, in 185 1, he was married to Cynthia A. Hobart, by whom he had one child, Hobart D., born January 27, 1852, died October 19, 1854. She died September 10, 1870. In 1855 ^e moved to Quasqueton, where, for two^ years, he carried on a shop of his own, but was obliged to give it up. He worked at painting and carpentering for a time, and then started another shop; but soon gave this up on account of the washing away of the dam which furnished power for his lathe. Then, for ten years, he worked at his trade with Noah Leighton, and, in 1879, 'n partnership with Dr. J. Cauch, he bought a stock of goods and is > now engaged in a furniture store. In 1856 he was mar- V ried to Susan A. Washburn. He has five children: Ida O., born September 20, 1856; Ashei" R., born June 23, 1859; Mary E., born May 2, 1862; O. Grant, born June II, 1865; and Burton, born October 18, 1867, died September 10, 1870. Henry Biddinger was born near Urichsville, Tusca- rawas county, Ohio, in 1826. His education was gained at subscription schools. In 1837 he went to New Port, Vermillion county, Indiana, where he remained four years, serving an apprenticeship of eighteen months at the saddler's trade. In 1847 he returned to Ohio, and during the spring of the following year he went to Quas- queton, remaining till fall when he went to Dubuque and there finished learning his trade. He then located at Marion, Linn county, Iowa, where he worked at his trade until the fall of 1853, when he returned to Quas- queton and started a harness shop, which he has con- tinued till the present time. During the year 1853 he married Sarah M. McBee, of Marion. He is the father of five children — Josephine, born December ii, 1854; Sarah Ellen, born February 28, 1856; Flora, born April 16, 1859; James William, born April 19, 1862, and Lowell Henry, born May 29, 1870. Mr. Biddinger, I though of a Democratic family has been a Republican from the organization of the party. No man in Liberty township is better known than "Hank" Biddinger, and none more favorably. Alfred P. Burrhus was born in Patterson, Putnam county. New York, March 22, 1839. He was educated at the public schools and the high school at Poughkeep- sie. In the spring of i8=;6 he came to Quasqueton. The first two years he and his brother were engaged in the daguerreotype business, travelling with a car. Dur- ing one winter he taught one term at the Scott school- house one-half a mile from Forcstville, Delaware county. He then became interested in a line of hacks from Dyersville to Cedar Falls — the former place being then the terminus of the Denver & Pacific railroad. In 1859 he discontinued this business and until 1866 was engaged in farming. During the winter of 1862-3 he lost every- thing he had by fire, yet the next spring he bought his present home. In 1866 he was awarded the contract to carry the mail to Winthrop, and afterwards, in 1873, to Marion from Quasqueton; and when the B. C. &: N. railroad was completed, also to Rowley from the same place. Save an interim of one year he has continued to carry the mail to these points. In the fall of 1872 he started a livery stable, and during the fall of 1875, his barn thirty by thirty-six feet, ten valuable horses, harness, etc., were burned, but within three weeks he had again built a barn and was again started in the livery business, in which he is still engaged. In 1859 he was married to Lizzie Crooks, of Quasqueton, by whom he had three children — Fred Crooks, born September 25, 1S60; Adaie Lou, born .August 24, 1862, died September 17, 1863; Lois Nina, born June 11, 1866; Artie Elizabeth, born May 18, 187 1. His wife died September 24, 1872. In October, 1873, he married Martha Alice Crooks, of Quasqueton, by whom he has one child — Alfred Penny, born April 26, 1877. Mr. Burrhus is an active, working Republican, and has been frequently a delegate to the State and congressional conventions. Rev. John Cauch was born in London, England, in 1830. He attended an academy in London, but finished his education in this country. In 1843 he came with his father, an Episcopal minister, and settled at Elgin, Illinois. For several years he worked on a farm and attended school during the winter seasons. In 1850 he attended the Elgin academy, and afterwards, for several years, the Kalamazoo college. He was licensed to preach as a Methodist minister in 1854, and preached the first year in the Canton circuit. After 1861 he became an elder of the Baptist society. In 1870 he came to Quasqueton as pastor of the Baptist society of that place and Win- throp. He attended lectures at Eclectic Medical bchool, Cincinnati, and graduated at the Bennett college in 1873. In 1855 he was married to Elizabeth Watson, of Aurora, Illinois, by whom he has five children — Elizabeth, born September 24, 1857; Willis S., born August 11, 1859; Lois, who died early; Nellie, born February 4, 1869; and John, born January, 1871. Mr. Cauch and his son W. S. edit and publish the only paper in Quasqueton, called The Weekly Telep/tpiie, which made its first appearance HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 3°5 January 7, 1881. It does credit to its name, communi- cating the news of the week to a large number of sub- scribers. J. M. Benthall was born in Princeton, Massachusetts, September 12, 1832; moved to Lowell in 1835, where he remained until 1850. During this time he gained an academic education and learned the dry goods business, spending one year in Boston in order to learn more about it. In 1854 he immigrated to Iowa, remaining a short time at Dubuque, closing business connected with his father's estate. In the month of April, 1855, he came to Quasqueton and entered into the milling business, to- gether with general merchandise, till the year 1862, when he entered the army in the Tenth Minnesota, serving three years to a day, first in the Indian wars of Iowa and Minnesota, going west in 1863 on an expedition to the Missouri river under Brigadier General Sibley; the balance of the three years in the South. On his return he went into business with C. H. Lewis, dissolving after two years. Began farming in 1870. In 1875 bought an elevator at Rowley, with grain and commission business, which he sold out in 1879. ^'^ '^55 he married Mary E. Stratton, of Boston, Massachusetts. She died in the spring of 1858, leaving a son, Frederick J., born Septem- ber 10, 1857. In 1870 he was married to Elizabeth D. Wilson, by whom he has had two children — Eugene D., born December, 1872; Mary, born February, 1877. He was regular war correspondent of the BuchSinan County Guardian. John B. Ginter was born in Defiance, Wayne county, Ohio, January 2, 1842. In the fall of 1849, 'I's parents removed to Quasqueton. His father entered about three hundred acres of land, and the family remained upon the farm until 1865. His father died in 1853, and in 1867 the homestead was divided, and Mr. Ginter received forty acres. In 1864 he bought property in town and lived there four years. He then moved to the old homestead, and, by industry and energy, succeeded in saving enough to buy the Stoneman place. He now has a farm of one hundred and forty-one acres. Pays a great deal of atten- tion to horticulture. Married Mary E. Thorp, of Man Chester, Iowa, in 1865. Have had two children — Carrie F., born March 7, 1866; Kate, born November 13, 1772. Mr. Ginter was a Douglas Democrat, and one of the right kind. George Ginter was born in Wayne county, Ohio, Feb- ruary 22, 1837. During early life he worked on the farm, acquiring his education at district schools, which was, as he says, "a very small smattering at that." Came into Iowa with three teams in 1849. At that time there was a saw-mill and grist-mill at Quasqueton, and his father bought that piece of property of eighty acres with the house upon it, which is standing at the present time, oc cupied by his brother, Henry Ginter. His father entered one hundred and sixty acres in Cono, and two hundred and twenty in Liberty. In the spring of 1864 he went on a tour to Pike's Peak. His father died in 1853, and he assumed the management of the land, and continued till 1867. He now runs a fiirm of forty acres. In 1867 he married Mary J. McDonough, of Quasqueton. Colonel O. Wilson was born in Orwell, Vermont, Feb- ruary 26, 1805. His father was Judge Ebenezer Wilson, judge of the circuit court in Genesee county. New York, and member of the assembly of New York for a succession of years, until his death in 1830. The family is of Scotch descent, their name being formerly spelled with two I's. When but three years old his father moved to Middlebury, Genesee county, New York. In 1841, moved to Batavia, Illinois. He received his education at the Middlebury academy. Engaged in mercantile business with his brother in Genesee county, for ten years. After several business changes, moved in 1866, to Quasqueton, purchasing the beautiful Thompson property. In the spring of 1830, he married Betsy Hoyt, of Middlebury, New York, who lived eleven months, leaving one son, W. Scott Wilson, born April 28, 1831. In 1838 he married Antiverta Egesta Smith, of Genesee county. New York, by whom he has had five children: first boy dying in infancy, born December 31, 1838; Libbie Delia, born December 18, 1839; James S., born December 11, 1840; girl, born July 30, 1841, dying before it was named; Arthur Douglas, born Janu- ary 5, 1846. The colonel was a prominent member of society and highly respected by all. He died January 22, 1875. William Lewis was born in Scandinavia, Erie county, New York, January 2, 1833. In 1840 his family re- moved to Chemung, McHenry county, Illinois, where his father built a saw-mill on the Piscasaw, between Big Foot and Long Prairie. From there he moved to Buffalo Grove, Root county, Illinois, and, in 1S50, moved to Independence, Iowa, — the family being about the third on the west side. His father started a chair factory, erecting a building twenty-two by forty, two stories high, on the site now occupied by Clark's drug store, which business he contmued about a year and a half His edu- cation was received at the district schools. He attended one of the first schools at Independence, O. H. P. Ros- zell being the teacher. In December, 1853, he went to California bv New York and the Isthmus, where he en- gaged principally in mining, making lots of money and losing it again, roaming in parts ol the Pacific coast for fourteen years. In October, 1867, he again landed in Bu- chanan county, where, in 1869, he bought out Mr. Day's drug business, which business he has continued till the present time, save an interval of six months, when John Chesley had the stock of goods. In 1863 he joined company H, Second cavalry, California volunteers, in which he served until after the war. Mr. Lewis was married in 1878 to Sarah J. Hovey. Dr. H. O. Dockham was born in Wentworth, Cross county. New Haven, April 27, 1831. His education was acquired at the district school, Newbury seminary, and Darthmouth college, graduating in 1851. He attended the Woodstock Medical school, Vermont, graduating in 1857. His intervening time was spent in teaching and assisting in proof reading in German, Latin, etc., for the Riverside Publishing company, Cambridge, Massachu- setts. He went as assistant to Professor Morse, of Northwestern university, to Europe, making a tour of 3o6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. the continent, being absent two years. On his return he located at Boston as a practicing physician, continu- ing there until 1875. During this time he made two extensive trips, each of four months duration, at one time going as far north as the straits of Belleisle to ob- tain cod liver oil, and for recreation. He came to Iowa in 1876, and was medical examiner for the Iowa Life Insurance company, making his headquarters at Win- throp, Iowa. The next year he moved to Quasqueton, and located there permanently. In 1862-3 he had a commission from the Government as surgeon; he then enlisted in company D, Second Massachusetts heavy ar- tillery. He served one and one-half years in the field, and was soon appointed regimental assistant surgeon, which position he held to the close of the war. In 1850 he married Mary A. Burback, of Haverhill, Vermont. Six months after his marriage his wife was killed by fall- ing off of an overloaded piazza, on the fourth of July, 1851. In 1854 he married Roxana Howe, of Corinth, Maine, by whom he has had six children — Emma C., born December 20, 1857; B. H., born November, 1859, supposed to have been lost at sea in May, 1876; Charles K., born November 27, 1861; Ella J., born June, 1863; Henry W., born October 17, 1865; George H., born December 20, 1867. His wife died February 12, 1868. In March, 1877, he married Miss Mary E. Whitney, daughter of James W. Whitney, of Quasqueton. Richmond L. Wright, son of Rev. Alfred Wright, was born in Paris, Monroe county, Missouri, October 8, 1837. In 1846 he came to Anamosa, and in 1853, to Quasqueton, where his father organized a church of his denomination. His education was acquired at district schools and a part at Cornell college. In 1855 he en- gaged in burning brick with his uncle. Ransom Wright, to which business he has devoted a part of his time ever since. In 1857 he began to work his father's farm near town. In the spring of 1858 he bought eighty acres, and now has three hundred and ten acres in Liberty. In 1870 he bought the Rock Glen farm. In 1875 he built a cheese factory and creamery. In 1863 he married Lizzie Pease, by whom he has four children: William Pease, Louise B., Delia C, and Charles Alfred. Rev. Alfred Wright died in Marshall county, Novem- ber 18, 1865, aged sixty-two; a native of Massachusetts ; graduated at Amherst and Auburn Theological seminary. He spent his life in the home mission service — fifteen years in Missouri, but the last nineteen in Iowa. He organized the Congregational church at Anamosa, and eight years afterward removed to Quasqueton. Edward D. Hovey was born May 22, 1825, in Tioga county. New York, of Scotch descent, and one of seven children. He was educated at the district school, at- tending three months of the year. After he had arrived at the age of fourteen, he worked at the carpenter and joiner's trade, continuing till he was nineteen years old. Then he engaged in the milling business, and continued at Union in Broom county during 1846. He then went to Laporte, Indiana, and commenced the wagon trade with his brother, remaining there three years and a half In 1850 he came to Iowa, roaming through the State, and finally settling at Burlington; there engaged in wagon-making. In 1852 he came to Quasqueton, and engaged in milling three and a half years — also at Inde- pendence, and at Fairbank one year. He then went to Quasqueton again, living on his farm near that town for five years; has worked at his trade since. He owns a farm of one hundred and si.xty acres under well improved. He married Mary E. Cooper; one child — Clara E., born December 5, 1839. Mr. Hovey is a Republican in pol- itics. Charlie E. Kent was born in Suffield, Hartford county, Connecticut, July 7, 18 16, of Welch descent — his mother's family coming from Wales in 1837. In 1825 he moved to Suffield, Portage county, Ohio, and was educated chiefly in district schools, also attending the academy at Talmadge. When seventeen, he commenced clerking in a store of general merchandise, continuing until 1837, when he went to Richmond, Virginia, clerk- ing in a wholesale dry goods house with an uncle until 1840; then went into business with William Jones at Mogadore, Ohio, and continued for a number of years — then 5it Cleveland in the grocery trade till 1850. He then went to Medina, where he was engaged in a general store until 1855. He then came to Quasque- ton, clerking for Benthall a short time, when he went into business with Robert Lewis. In 1865 he had R. N. Soper as partner, and continued business until 1878, since which time he has supervised his farm of eighty acres. He was married in 1844, to Margaret Wilson, and again, January 2, 1852, to Harriet A. Forman. Ale.xander Crooks was born at Monavore, Derry coun- ty, Ireland, May 17, 1819. In 1825 he emigrated to Quebec, Canada, thence to New York city. He was educated at public school until between twelve and thir- teen. Clerked in grocery store two years; he was then apprenticed to a tailor and served three years; worked at his trade till August, 1838, then removed to Carroll county, Ohio. Worked as journeyman one year and then opened shop till October, 1856, when he came to Quas- queton. Opened a shop for three years more; clerked with Hunsicher; since which time he has been engaged principally in official business. In 1865 he was elected sheriff of Buchanan county, serving two years — lived then at Independence. A Republican in politics, he has held all of the township offices, except trustee. Always has been an active worker in politics. Was married June 24, 1839, to Hannah Johnson, of Lueburgh, Carroll county, Ohio. Has had seven children : Mary D., born May 16, 1840, died August 29, 1872; Elizabeth, born November 20, 1842, died September 24, 1S72; Martha A., born June 11, 1846; Melville J., born January 6, 1849; Alvin B., born June 22, 1852; Ivan A., born Oc- tober 28, 1855; and Elvvood C, born September 8, 1858, died 1875. Joshua Perkins was born in \Voodstock, Maine, June 3, 1827, his father being a Baptist minister. His edu- cation was received in the various towns in which his father was located. In 1845 he engaged in peddling until 1848. Went to Newton, Massachusetts, where he worked three years in the paper mill of James Rice, jr. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 307 Went then to Chelsey, where he was in the express busi- ness between there and Boston. He was then on a farm for nearly two years; also worked some at the carpenter's trade. He then went into the grocery business with a partner; then alone for a few months. In September, 1857, came to Quasqueton. Worked at carpenter work and bought a house for three hundred dollars, paying one hundred dollars in work. Has been engaged in car- pentering ever since; for the last seven years gradually working out of it as he has improved his farm of over eighty acres. In 1858 he married Lucy F. Leatherman, daughter of Daniel Leatherman, of Quasqueton. B. G. Taylor was born in Bradford county, Pennsyl- vania, December 8, 1825. Until fifteen years of age he lived on a farm ; then went on the road, travelling through northern Pennsylvania, western New York, and Ohio, for nine years — save one year spent in the pineries of Pennsylvania — in the jewelry business. January 13, 1854, he came to Quasqueton, bringing teams to Chica- go by rail. First year was engaged in farming and team- ing, then in trade for over two years. In 1861 he sold out to Mr. Vincent, intending to improve the one hun- dred and forty acres of land he then owned, and has re- mained there ever since, adding to his farm until he now owns over eight hundred acres, nearly all under good cultivation. He is largely engaged in stock-raising. In 1851 he was married to Mary Kershner, of Danesville, New York, by whom he has two children : Ella, born June 13, 1853; Delia K., born February 8, i860. Is in politics a Republican, and has been frequently a delegate to the county convention. William D. Boies was born near Buffalo, New York, August 24, 181 9. His education was acquired in the common schools and Springville academy. Worked with his father on his farm until he was twenty-eight. On the twentieth day of May, 1847, he came to Boone county, Illinois, where he entered one hundred and sixty acres, and buying other pieces until he had a farm of four hundred acres. In 1873 came to Quasqueton, where he purchased the "Hatch place," consisting of about five hundred acres, to which he has added as much more, so that he now has one of the largest farms in the county, nearly all under cultivation or in pasture. Here he started the first cheese factory of the vicinity, manufacturing the milk of seventy-five cows into that staple, and raising besides large numbers of cattle and hogs ; of these last selling about two thousand dollars worth per year. In 1846 he was married to Sarah Bugbee, of Erie county, New York, by whom he has had six children : Eugene, born May 3, 1848 ; Horace L., born November I, 1850; Inez, born April i, 1852; William D., born January 3, 1857 ; Charles E., born January 15, 1859 ; Alice S., born October 17, 1861 ; died August 9, 1863. In politics he is a Republican ; having served several terms as supervisor of Boone county, Illinois. He is an active member of the Methodist church. William McCay was born in Antrim, Ireland,October, 1825. He went to school during the winters at the National schools. When twenty-one he came to New York city ; worked in a ])rovision store for three years, then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, engaged as a laborer, remaining two years. In the fall of 1852 came to Newton township ; entering, in the course of two years, two hundred acres, which he spent some time in improving — at the same time buying and selling. At one time he had a farm of over four hundred acres. In 1850 he married Elizabeth McKee, of New York city. He has one child, Mary Elizabeth, born January 22, 1858. He was naturalized in 1851; voted the Democratic ticket until 1861 ; but has been a Republican since that time. A. T. Cooper was born in Peachbottom, York county, -^ Pennsylvania, October 31, 1833 ; when one and a half years old he removed to Belmont county, Ohio. After nearly two years went to Tuscarawas county, Ohio ; thence to Harrison county, where he remained until 1S50, gaining his education at district schools and work- ing on a farm. In this year he came to Quasqueton, where he attended one term of the Quasqueton schools. He devoted most of his time to his father's farm until he was twenty-two. He then broke prairies and ran a thresher for nine years. Then he bought a farm near town, and commenced improving it. He has added to it several times since, until he now has two hundred acres of prairie and some timber land. In October, 1878, moved to town in order to educate his children ; since which time he has supervised the farm. He was married November 7, 185S, to Susanna Logan, of Quasqueton, by whom he has four children: Hugh Ramsey, born October 15, 1859; Berta, born September 28, 1863; Mina, born July 29, 1865; Lizzie, born May 21, 1875. Was a Republican until the great Greeley campaign, when he become a reformer — -now sympathizes with the Green- back party. Solomon Swartzel was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, November 25, 1813 ; remained there until of age, aiding his father. He bought one hundred and thirty acres of woodland, and cleared up seventy-five acres. Having a large family he determined to emigrate. In the spring of 185 1 he started with a top buggy to seek a location ; travelling through Indiana and Illinois, and saw nothing which he would pull up stakes for, until he came to Buchanan county. Here he bought of Billings one hundred and ninety acres, and then went to the land office at Dubuque and entered two quarter sec- tions. There was nothing upon the place but an "Indian shanty." Twenty-eight years ago he built the house that is now standing on the place ; hauling the lum- ber from Dubuque. On the twenty-eighth of May, 1835, married Judah Stabler, of Montgomery county, Ohio, by whom he has five children : Henry, born August 6, 1836; David, born October 30, 1837; Mary Ann, February 26, 1839; Elizabeth, July 9, 1841; Carolina November 21, 1843. September 30, 1862, he was married to Martha Nerdigh, of Liberty township. She was born in Harris- burgh, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, April 20, 1829. Mr. Swartzel has managed his farm as a stock and grain farm. He has kept for a number of years Co8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. thoroughljred horses, cattle and hogs. He raised the celebrated horse " Silas Rich," which afterward sold for seventeen thousand dollars. James Riddmger was born in Mill township, Tusca- rawas county, Ohio, on the second day of June, 1820. Here he received his education and farmed until twen- ty-three, though during seven summers he worked on the Ohio canal as steersman. In the fall of 1S43 he came to Quasqueton, and in the following February deeded eighty acres on which he now lives, afterwards adding largely to it. He has been engaged principally in grain farming. He was married in 1845 'o Rebecca Cum- mings, of Harrison county, Ohio, by whom he has eleven children: Philip, born May 15, 1846; Sophia, born May 17, 1849; Samuel D., born September 30, 1855; Caro- line, born September 10, 1857; Lillie E., born April 30, 1859; James H., born January 3, 1861; John Franklin, born April 26, 1864; Luella M., born January 25, 1866; Mary Etta, born April 15, 187 i ; Allen Taylor, born Au- gust 29, 1874; and Gertie, born March 5, 1878. Mr. Biddinger is the oldest resident citizen of the township, and has the respect of all that know him. M. R. Adams was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, October 23, 1840. His education was acquired in the district schools of Ohio and at the schools in Quasque- ton. In 1856 he came to Buchanan county, where he attended school and worked at farming. After about three years, having spent one season in Ohio, he bought one hundred and sixty acres, partially improved, to which he has added until he now has two hundred and sixty- seven acres in Liberty township, which he manages as a stock and gram farm. December 24, 1861, he was mar- ried to Nancy Jane Logan, of Quasqueton. He has five children: Gelia W., born April 4, 1863; Ulysses G., born April 4, 1865; Hattie Zula, born June 16, 1866; Charles F., born January 25, 1869; Lewes E., born October 25, 1877. In politics Mr. Adams is a staunch Republican. Warren Chase was born October 14, 1843, in Ellicotts- ville, Cattaraugus county. New York. In 1856 he immi- grated to Iowa, stopping over at Sandwich De Kalb county, Illinois, arriving at Waucon, Allamakee county, in 1857. Here he followed the life of a laborer. His education was acquired at the schools of \\'aucon and Independence. In February, 1859, he came to Quas- queton, where he farmed for himself for two years. In 1866 he bought one hundred and sixty acres, unim- proved, in Cone township. After farming this and im- proving fiity acres, he sold it, returned to Quasqueton, and engaged in teaming and carrying into effect a mail contract to Anamosa. In 1870 he finished a contract on the asylum and several bridge contracts, and in 1871 commenced well-drilling, in which he continued until 1875. February 26, 1876, he was admitted to the bar at Independence, since which time he has engaged in the practice of law. On the eighth day of August, 1862, he enlisted in company H, Twenty-seventh Iowa volunteer infantry, serving in Minnesota, his regiment going up among the Chippewas, paying them off, etc. He then went south, his regiment serving in western and northern Mississippi. He was discharged at Moscow in August of 1863. October 14, 1863, he was married at Quas- queton. He has six children: Charles, born October 29, 1864; Anna M., born February i, 1866; Fred, born September 20, 1867; Minnie, born August 11, 1869; Chloe, born June 21, 1872; Myrta, born September 29, 1877. In politics he was a Republican until 1872, when he became an Anti-monopolist, and is now allied with the Greenbackers. John C. Neidy, one of seven children, was born near- ly opposite Harrisburgh, Cumberland county, Pennsyl- vania, August II, 182 1. When about ten years of age he removed to Wayne county, Ohio, where he remained until 1850. His education was obtained in winters, at the district schools, he being engaged in farming during the rest of the year. In 1850 he came to Liberty town- ship, settling upon one hundred and sixty acres of tim- ber land, which he then owned. Finding that it was too hard work, especially as there was plenty of prairie land, he entered eighty acres in the same township, and not long after got forty acres, at government price, buying eighty acres more to improve, to which he added until he had nine hundred and twenty acres. A part of this he divided with his children, retaining one hundred and sixty-five acres. He has been an extensive grain farmer, though now, with his son David, he is running a stock and dairy farm. September 7, 1843, he was married to Nancy Wilso.i, of Wayne county, Ohio, by whom he has four children: William H., born August 6, 1844, died July 3, 1847; Lucinda Jane, born September 26, 1846; David Wilson, born June 6, 1849; Mary Susan, born May 17, 185 1. From the foundation of the party he has been a zealous Republican. Jolin Moore was born in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, October 4, 1816. In 1828 he went to Tusca- rawas county, Ohio. His education was gained at dis- trict schools, as is the case with farmers' sons. When about eighteen he conducted the home farm himself, and continued on the place until 1855. In the fall of this year he immigrated to Buchanan county. Here he first bought one hundred acres, and traded his Ohio farm for more, partly timber and partly prairie. This land is now managed as a stock farm. October 28, 1841, he was married to Sophia Biddinger, of Tusca- rawas county, Ohio, by whom he has nine children: Mary Elizabeth, born September 21, 1842 ; Nancy El- len, born November 27, 1844; Sarah Catharine, born June 21, 1847, died November 4, 1874; John Taylor, born December 14, 1849; MarviUa, born May 9, 1852; Louis L., born February 20, 1855; Rachel A., born May 10, 1858; James Henry, born February 21, i85o; and Martha Adella, born December i, 1862. He has been a Republican since the organization of the party, and is "one of the few " that never have aspired to office. Malcolm McBane was educated in the common schools of Ohio. His occupation was that of a farmer, at which he occupied himself in Ohio until the spring of 1843, when he came to Quasqueton and made claim to the eighty upon which Avery Taylor's house now stands, and afterwards getting the eighty adjoining it. This he sold, and then bought the William Biddinger farm, upon HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 309 which he died April 25, 1865. His first wife was Polly Biddinger, of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, by whom he had six children: Sarah, born April 5, 1839; John, de- ceased; Susan, born February 19, 1844; James, born December 12, 1848; Katherine, born November 14, 1851; Franklin, also deceased. November 14, 1862, he was married to his second wife, Martha P. Turner, of Quasqueton. He was a member of the first board of supervisors in the county, a professor of religion, and a Republican. Stephen Pearsall was one of ei,i;ht children. He was born in Chenango county. New York, November 13, 1833. In 1838 he removed with his parents to Bellvi- dere, Boone county, Illinois. His education was ac- quired at Belvidere, at the public schools, going to school during the winter and farming the rest of the year. In October, 185 1, he came to Liberty township, where his father entered one hundred and sixty acres. This is now in the possession of Mr. Stephen Pearsall, who has added to it one hundred and five acres of tim- ber. His farm is all fenced, and one hundred and si.x- ty acres under cultivation, being supplied with large barns, a substantial house, and a good growing orchard. In politics he is a Democrat. He has often been a del- egate to State, congressional and county conventions. He is the son of Hiram Pearsall, a Methodist clergyman well known in the community. The Rev. Mr. Pearsall was ordained elder twenty-four years before his death, which occurred when he was seventy-three years old. James A. Utterbeck was born in Culpeper county, Virginia, September 23, 1815. When about a year old he removed to Harrison county, Ohio. His education was received at the district schools of that State. His life-long occupation has been that of a farmer, being in that business in Harrison county. In 1853 he removed to Helos county, Indiana, where he purchased a farm and lived on it for two years, and then came to Liberty township (at that time called Spring). Here he first bought eighty acres of prairie and twenty of timber. He afterwards added an eighty, so that he now has one hun- dred and sixty acres under cultivation. His farm is now devoted to stock-raising, though he formerly r;iised over one thousand two hundred bushels of wheat in one year. He was married to Laura Blackwell of Virginia, on the thirty-first of December, 1835, by whom he has six chil- dren: Robert B., born September 12, 1836; Mary A., born January 17, 1841; Albert, born April 3. 1843, died July 25, 1865; Thomas J., born March 21, 1845; Sarah, born February 20, 1851, died February 15, 1865; Joseph, born September 27, 1853. He is a member of the Dis- ciples, having become so shortly after his marriage. In politics he is now, as he was formerly, a Republican, though he was a delegate to the first county Greenback convention. Benjamin Miller was born in Wayne county, Ohio, September 8, 1838. In April, 1854, he came to Wash- ington township, where he first worked with his brother Ephraim on a farm. He then engaged in carpentering for a time. In 1859 he bought a farm and lived on it until the fall of 1862. After the war closed he farmed one season in Byron townshiii, and then bought a farm of eighty-five acres, on which he has lived until the pres- ent time, managing it as a dairy and grain farm. In the fiill of 1862, he enlisted in the Twenty-seventh Iowa, company H, infantry; served till the close of the war, being at Nashville, Plea.sant Hill, Meridian, Tupelo, Old Town Creek, etc., being in Major General A. J. Smith's Nineteenth corps. Was also in the Red River cam- paign. On the twenty-second day of September, 1859, he was married to Jane Megonigle, of Byron township, by whom he has four children: Eunice E., born Sep- tember 16, 1861; Eva Bell, April 8, 1868; Carlos Ar- thur, May I, 187 1 ; and Delias Burton, December 31, 1875. He is a prominent member of the "Winebren- narian" church — or, as they prefer to be called, "the Church of God." Lewis Singer was born in Lewisburgh, Preble county, Ohio, December 30, 1827. Was educated in the graded school at Lewisburgh. \Vhen about sixteen years of age he was apprenticed to learn the wagon and carriage making trade, and served three years. He then worked at his trade for three years at Lebanon, Ohio, when he returned to Lewisburgh and started a manufactory of his own, having a steam engine to furnish power for planing, sawing, etc. After about two years he sold out and came west. During the fall of 1856 he came to Liberty town- ship, where he purchased four hundred and forty acres of timber and prairie. He now has three hundred and sixty improved, feeding a large number of cattle and hogs, and manages quite a large dairy, raising the grain necessary to feed his stock. He was married to Phrebe C. Potter, of Preble county, Ohio, September 23, 1855, by whom he has eleven children: Gertrude, born Au- gust 19, 1857; Jeanette, March 13, 1859; Roscoe, Febru- ary 10, 1861; Grant U. S., November 29, 1862; Lewis W., August 1, 1864; Carrie P., September 28, 1866; Kate J., January 10, 1869; Laura M., September 23, 1870; Isa- bel, August 28, 1875; Libbie, March 20, 1877; Joseph A., December 28, 1879. He has been a leading member of the Congregational church for a number of years. Politically he is a Republican, though he has never min- gled actively in politics. Jesse Kitch was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, May 28, 1822. He worked on his father's farm, and during the last year or two of his residence at home, farmed for himself. In May, 185 1, he came to Liberty township. November 14, 1850, he was married to Jane Eberhardt, of Tuscarawas county, by whom he had seven chtldren: Aerihu, born October 17, 1851; Elmer, born September 25, 1853; Eudora, born August 25, 1856; Jasper, born August 30, 1858; Wilson, born September 23, i85o; and Seymour, born November 6, 1862. His wife died December 4, 1864. On the twenty-sixth of November, 1865, he was married to Mary E. Megonigle, of Byron township, who has one child. In pohtics he is a Democrat, but is not in any sense a politician. William Morgan was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, March 28, 1836. When four years of age he removed to Vermillion county, Indiana, where he remained nine years. In 1847 he came with his parents to Buchanan 3IO HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. county. He attended school at Quasqueton two winters, and worked at farming with his father until he was thirty- one years of age. In August, 1862, he enlisted in com- pany H, of the Twenty-seventh Iowa Infantry, and served three years. He was in the engagements of Nashville, Pleasant Hill, Meridian, Old Oaks, Tupelo, and in General A. J. Smith's corps. He received no wounds, save that in the last battle at Fort Kearny, his musket exploded and injured his right wrist. After re- tiring from the war he purchased a farm of eighty acres, on which he lives at the present time. He manages this principally as a grain and stock farm. November 30, 1865, he was married to Mary Cosedear, of Winthrop, by whom he has four children: Edith E., born March 13, 1867; Charles, born April 11, 1869; Viola, born May 14, 1872; and Freddie, born July 7, 1878. In politics he is a Democrat, who prefers men not extreme in party opinions. Alexander Sproul was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on the third day of May, 1844. His occupation has been that of a farmer, engaging with his father until he was about twenty-four years of age. During the win- ter of 1869, he came to Liberty township, where he en- gaged to work a farm of one hundred and ten acres, belonging to his father. November 5, 1874, he was married to Catharine McBane, of Winthrop, by whom he has two children: Stella M., born November 7, 1875; and Nina, born January 19, 1878. He has been a member of the Baptist church about seven years. In politics he is a Republican, always ready to work for and vote with that party. Nelson E. Leach was born in Edensburgh, Vermont, January 22, 1844. When thirteen years old he removed with his parents to Dundee, Kane county, Illinois. He was educated at the Elgin academy, graduating from that institute in i860. He then began teaching and has been in that profession for eighteen years, teaching first in country schools, in Kane county. In 1865 he was elect- ed principal of the west side Elgin schools, remaining there five years. He then had charge of the schools at Escanaba, Michigan, for three years, then at Huntly, McHenry county, for two years. He then came to Iowa and taught at Jesup and North Manchester. In 1880 he came to Quasqueton, where he had charge of the schools. On the twentieth day of April, 1879, he was married to Miss Rhoda Winward, of Hazle Green, Dela- ware county, Iowa. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. Samuel Postel was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, on February 7, 1825. When about nineteen years old he re- moved with his parents to Tuscarawas county. In October, 1848, he came to Buchanan county, spent the winter and then removed to Otter Creek, Linn county, where he remained three years. He then came to Liber- ty township, and bought the farm of eighty acres on which he now lives. Since then he has added to his land until he now has a farm of three hundred acres — two hundred being under cultivation. He works this large tract as a stock farm, endeavoring to feed all the grain he can raise. Out of the wilderness of thirty years ago, he has made a fine farm, a good home, and his house is surrounded by barns, numerous outbuildings, and a good orchard. On the seventh day of September, 1847, he was married to Isabella Barr, of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, by whom he has nine children: Isaac, born May 29, 1849, died March 23, 1851; Mary, born September 18, 1851; John, born May 5, 1853; Allen, born April 5, 1855; James, born April 24, 1857; Sarah, born May 6, 1859; Elijah, born July 6, 1861; Ralph, born June 11, 1863; and Edward, born November 9, 1867. In politics he was born and raised a Democrat. Mr. Postel is one of the oldest settlers of the county, quiet, unassuming, and highly esteemed. PERRY. This township is situated in the western part of Bu- chanan county, and bounded on the west by Black Hawk. It was organized as an independent township February 17, 1853, by order of the county judge, as follows : "Ordered by the county court, that townships 8q and 90, of range 10, of Buchanan county, and also the west tier of sections in township 90, range 9, and sec- tions 5 and 7 and the west half of section 18, 89, 9, be, and the same are hereby, separated from Washington precinct in said county, and shall, until further orders, form a separate precinct, to be called Perry precinct; and all orders, so far as they conflict with the above or- der, are hereby revoked." Changes have since been made. Township 89, 10, was set off by itself March 5, 1855, under the name of Alton, now Fairbank; and the west tier of sections in 90, 9, was attached to Superior, now Hazleton. Sub- sequently, the part belonging to 89, 9, was severed there- from, leaving a square township of thirty-six sections, as it is at present, being the same as congressional town- ship 89, 10. THE FIRST ELECTION was held at the house of John Cameron, in said town- ship, April 4, 1853, when Henry Bright and W. S. Clark were elected justices; Charles Melrose, Gamaliel Walker and John H. Anderson, trustees; and W. S. Clark, clerk. SETTLEMENTS. Charles Melrose, a native of Scotland, came from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and settled in the township in June, 1849, with his family. He is undoubtedly the first settler in the township. The same year he entered, as he supposed, the land where he lived; but there was an error in the entry, placing him in the north part of town 88, 10, instead of 89, 10, this being near the pres- ent village of Jesup. Not supposing land in that locali- ty would ever be valuable, by much effort and the aid of the then United States senator, G. W. Jones, a special act of Congress was passed, vacating his entry and plac- ing it on the section he intended. The same year, Gamaliel Walker settled in the north- west, near Littleton, on the farm where he now resides. He is probably the second settler. He has a family of four children, and has a good and productive farm, a fine, large house, and an orchard said to be the best in the township. James Minton came with Walker, and continued to live with him until his marriage, which occurred soon af- ter his arrival; and then he moved to Fairbank, where he lived for a number of years. He is now in Kansas. John Cameron settled in the northeastern part of the township in September, 1850, coming from Indiana. He brought with him six grown-up girls, who constituted his family. His daughters were: Emeline, who mar- ried Martin Campbell and lives in Indiana; Adaline, who married Jonathan H. Anderson, and lives in P'air- bank township; Rosannah, who married Emory Miller, and lives in Perry township; Minerva, who married D. D. Clark, of Indiana (she is now dead); Nancy J., who married William Marshall, and lives in Fayette county ; Sarah Catharine, who married J. D. Moody, a dentist living in Mendota, Illinois — she has learned the dentist trade and is now working in the office of her husband. In 1853 Mr. Cameron returned to Indiana and was mar- ried to Mrs. Rachel Rinehart, by whom he has two chil- dren, William G. and Anice. He has thirty-two grand- children and eight great-grandchildren. He assisted in the organization of two Methodist Episcopal churches in the township; filled the ofifice of county supervisor for two years, and is a free and accepted Mason. His business has, for the most part, been farming; but he has sold goods a part of the time, having been one of the proprietors of the second store opened in the town- ship. He is past seventy years of age. The first relig- ious services in the township were held at his house. Martin Depoy and family came in 1850. The year before, Mr. Depoy was here and entered his land. He was a native of Virginia. He left there and went to Ohio when but six years of age, where he grew to man- hood and married a sister of John Cameron. He then lived quite a number of years in Indiana; he is now a resident of Jesup, where he was in the grocery trade some six years, but has now retired from business. H. S. Bright in 1850, settled near Littleton, on what is known as the Buckmaster place; he is living in Fair- bank township. Jacob Slaughter, with his family, settled here on the farm now owned and occupied by him. James Shrack, a German, came with his family, in 185 1, and settled in the northwestern part of the town- ship. He is very fond of hunting; and in those early days when game was plenty, he watched for the swift- footed deer. He is also an expert trapper. He has five children — Mary, William and Charles (twins), George and Emma. N.'VTUR.iVL FE.\TURES. The surface of this township is generally rolling prairie. The soil is a lightish loam, except along the ^^'apsie river, which passes through the township, where it is 312 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. light and sandy. There are some fine, large barns, among which are those of E. & C. H. Little, who keep a large stock of cattle. The principal streams are the Wapsie and Little Wapsie, which empties into the large stream at Littleton. There are also some small creeks in different parts of the township. The timber for the most part is in the northwest and along the Wapsie river. SECRET ORGANIZATION.S. A Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons was organized in Jesup in 1866, and installed by D. S. Deering, P. M., and in the June following it obtained a charter from the grand lodge. The members and ofificers at that time were J. M. Hovey, W. M. ; J. N. Hovey, S. W. ; R. O. Laird, J. W. ; R. F. Williams, treasurer; J. R. Jones, secretary ; A. N. George, S. D. ; C. M. Newton, J. D. ; W. R. Harding, tyler; C. H. Kenyon, A. Strong, and R. S. Searls. The present ofificers are George S. Murphy, W. M. ; F. A. Weir, S. W. ; A. H. Farwell, J. W. ; J. D. Laird, secretary, and George Rickard, treasurer. They have a membership of forty. INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. Perry Lodge No. 158, was organized af Jesup January 21, 186S, with five charter members: F. C. Merrill, Charles A. Wattles, Jonathan Richmond, R. S. Smith, and G. Harding. The lodge was instituted by Sanford Wells, D. D. G. M., assisted by brethren from Waterloo lodge. Eleven persons were instituted into its mysteries on that night. They elected the following as its first officers: H. C. Merrill, N. G. ; Charles Wattles V. G. ; S. W. Kenyon, secretary; R. L. Smith, treasurer, and E. B. Cook, permanent secretary. The present officers are Eli C. Brown, N. G. ; Horace G. Wolfe, V. G. ; Holden Cook, secretary, John Dickinson, permanent secretary, and Ira R. Deming, treasurer. The membership is thirty-eight. ENCAMPMENT. Parkersburgh Encampment, No. 62, was organized at Farkersburgh, Butler county, October 2, 1873. If* 'he spring of 1880, having obtained a dispensation from the chief patriarch, it was removed to Jesup, where they hold their meetings in the Odd Fellows' hall. The present officers are George S. Murphy, C. P. ; F. C. Merrill, H. P. ; M. Cone, S. W. ; Horace G. Wolfe, J. W. ; Jacob Hohl, scribe, and E. C. Brown, treasurer. EARLY EVENTS, ETC. In the early days, during some of the seasons the set- tlers subsisted on hulled corn, and especially when the winters were severe. The nearest mill was twenty-five miles away, at the village of Quasqueton. The first store was kept by Sufficool & Marshall, in 1856, at what is now called Littleton. Sufficool subsequently sold to John Cameron. The early settlers had for food venison, sometimes beef, chickens, wild and domesticated, and corn bread. Some of the settlers ground the corn, in which they made bread in a common coffee-mill. The colony at one time made up a purse and sent John Cameron to Dubuque for groceries, nearly seventy miles away. At this time Mr. Cameron brought the first plough to the township. They made their bedsteads of poplar poles, these being the best their houses could af- ford. The first buildings were also made of poles. The first hotel was kept by B. C. Hale, in Littleton, and the second one was a mile north of Jesup, kept by a Mr. Boardman on what was then the State road, probably in 1856. The early physicians were Drs. McGonigal and Allen, and James Muncy, who is now a resident of the township. The first postmaster was Charles Melrose, and John Cameron the first mail carrier; and the first mail consisted of three letters. The very first wedding in the township was at the house of John Cameron, in 1 85 2 — Martin Campbell to Emeline Cameron, by 'Squire W. S. Clark. They lived in the township for a short time then moved to Indiana, where they are now living. A daughter of Isaac Spencer was the first white person that died in the township. Nancy Melrose was the first white child born in the township, April i, 1850. She is the wife of Nelson Hovey, residing in Dakota Territory. The first bridge made in the township was across the Wapsie at Littleton, and was made of wood, but now the river is spanned by a large iron bridge in place of the wooden structure of early days. The first wheat in the township was raised by John Cameron, Martin Depoy, Gamaliel Walker, Jacob Slaughter, and Charles Melrose. They all united together, cut their first crop with cradles, and stacked it altogether in one place. A machine came from Clayton county and threshed it for them. J. R. Jones built the first grain elevator in the township, which is now standing, but idle, there having been no use for it in the last few years. The first school taught in Jesup was at the house of R. S. Searls. William Boss was the first depot agent, and the present one is Mr. W. Smith. RIVERS, CREEKS .\ND SPRINGS. The Wapsie river runs through the township in a southeasterly direction ; Buck creek, in the north; Camp creek, in the northwest; Schrack's creek is in section seven, running north, and Silver creek is in the eastern part. There are some large, fine springs along the Wap- sie river. The leading productions are corn, oats and hay. There are also large numbers of cattle, hogs, horses, and a few sheep; considerable attention is also paid to dairy- ing. THE VILL.VGE OF LITTLETON. The first appearance of a village was here with a store, hotel, blacksmith shop, saw- and grist-mill, in 1856. The followini; is a correct statement of the business at the present time: A grocery store, kept by Ed. Hay- ward; a wagon-shop, by Charles Stanford, who is also the magistrate; blacksmiths, T. Smith, Shultz & Coger. Mrs. Lydia Melius has a manufactory of palm leaf hats, which is the only one in the county; a grist-mill, by Hovey & Kraft; a public school-house, capable of accom- modating fifty students; two houses of worship, owned by the Presbyterians and Methodists. JESUP. This place is located in the southwestern part of the township, on the Illinois Central railroad. This road was built here in i860, .^t that time there was a small HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 313 village at Barclay,. Black Hawk county, which, when the road was built, was relocated at Jesup. Many of the buildings which were moved here are now pointed out by the early settlers. It takes its name from an officer of the road by that name. R. S. Searb kept the first store, and also was the first postmaster, and shipped from here the first car load of stock. A. Grattan, a present resident, is the pioneer blacksmith. The first hotel was kept by one Marvin, who had located here just before the road was built to the place. The present business is represented by the following catalogue: Hotels — "The Evergreen," O. A. E. Laurer proprietor. "The Julian," R. S. Benedict. Blacksmiths — John Dickinson, A. Grattan, E. Scott and Nathan Miller. W'agonniakers — D. C. Brott, E. Parker, and William \\'ilkins. Harness shop — Frank Randall. Physicians — James Muncy, F. A. Weir and H. M. Crayton. Grain dealer — C. Hoyt. Lumber dealer — Thomas Taylor, and also dealer'in coal. Wood yard — Frank Hatch. Groceries — Ira Deniing, L. Reynolds, D. Kressner and Eli C. Brown. Dry goods — J. A. Laird, C. M. Newton, T. F. Renyon, and Cheesbro & Marsh. Bouts and shoes — Charles Stevens. Hard- ware — Thomas Ta\lor and Elias Parker. Jeweler, watch and clock repairer — R. E. Martin. Postmaster — R. E. Martin. Millinery — Mrs. Burkhardt. Jesup Nurserj-, wine and fruit growing — F. C. Merrill. Mr. Merrill manufactures grape wine, in quite large quantities and of a good quality. Newspaper — Buchanan County Jour- nal, A. H. Farwell, editor and proprietor; established, October 10, 1879. Attorney — James Dalton. Military company — Company I, of first infantry, Iowa national guards, of Second brigade. The officers are: F. C. Merrill, captain ; H. J. Wolfe, first lieutenant, and C. C. Smith, second lieutenant. It is composed of sixty men. This company was organized February 17, 1877, with F. C. Merrill captain; H. G. Wolfe, first lieutenant, and C. P. Baldwin, second lieutenant. A public school employ- ing three teachers and having two hundred students. Painters — Peter M. Deyo and William Case. Four houses of worship, belonging to the Methodists, Presby- terians, Baptists and Catholics. Jesup, during its twenty years of existence, has had only three postmasters, R. S. Searls, R. O. Laird and Robert E. Martin, the present incumbent. There are in the place three vacant grain elevators. One warehouse owned and occupied by Charles Hoyt. It was incorporated March 8, 1S76, as an incorporated town. The officers were : John Ander- son, mayor ; G. E. Marsh, recorder; and the city trus- tees were: H. M. Crayton, G. O. Marsh, Murat Sayles, E. Parker, and I. A. Stoddard. R. O. Laird was city treasurer. The jiresent officers are: James Dalton, mayor; George S. Murphy, recorder, and the city coun- cil, S. D. McLain, J. D. McNalley, H. C. Kenyon, A. H. Farwell, R. C. Martin and H. M. Crayton; J. H. Hovey, treasurer; J. D. Dobell, street commissioner, and John Dickinson, city marshall. At the last election in March, 1881, the people voted to have no liquor license whatever in the city, and now there is not a saloon, even for the sale of beer. They are a happy people and of good repute. SHIRT M.\NUF.'\CTORY. A shirt manufactory was established here in the spring of 1880, by R. & H. Conk, and it is now in successful operation, employing annually some ten hands, mostly girls. B.\NKS. The Farmers' bank was established August 11, 1879, with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars, and the fol- lowing officers elected : Lewis S. Hovey, president; J. W. Dickinson, vice-president; George S. Murphy, cashier; Thomas Taylor, J. R. Deniing, C. Hoyt, Lewis S. Hovey and J. W. Dickinson, directors. The present officers are: Thomas Taylor, president; J. A. Laird, vice-pres- ident; George S. Murphy, cashier. The Buchanan County bank was organized March 19, 1881, with a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars. The officers are: Lewis C. Hovey, president: John W. Dickinson, vice-president; James Dalton, cashier. The directors are: W. M. Young, J. T. Graham, H. M. Cray- ton, G. W. Watkins, C. M. Newton, J. M. Hovey, L. S. Hovey and John W. Dickinson. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. .■\ Methodist society was organized in the township at the house of John Cameron, in 1853, with five members, viz : John Cameron, Rachel Cameron, Thomas T. and Elizabeth Cameron, and Lucinda Anderson. The first preacher was Rev. Mr. .'Vshcouch. After a few years, this church was transferred to Littleton, where they now have a house of worship and a membership of about thirty. The present preacher is Hiram Bailey. .\ Methodist society was organized at Jesup in i860; for a time holding services in a hall and school-house. In 1869 they built a large and commodious house of worship, valued at four thousand dollars, and they now have also a good, comfortable parsonage, and a member- ship of about two hundred and a flourishing Sunday- school. The early members were: John Cameron and wife (who had at this time moved to Jesup), lohn Cooper, Fannie Cooper, R. L. Smith and wife. Bertha Smith, Charles Campbell and Nancy Campbell. Among the early preachers were J. Hankins and Revs. Moore and Thomas. The present pastor is U. Eberhart. THE B.^PTISTS. The Baptists organized a society in Jesup about Sep- tember, 1866. At first they held their services in Fuller's hall, and afterwards in the public school-house. John FuUerton was their first preacher. This society was made up in part, from a society in Barclay, which dis- banded, and many of the members united with the society at Jesup. They are the owners of a good house of worship (with an organ and bell), which was dedicated February 19, 187 1, and is valued at four thousand dollars. Among their early members were Mr. Abbott and wife, Jacob Wolfe and wife, William Smith and wife, Mrs. E. Parker, and T. S. Stone and wife. The present member- ship is fifty, and the present preacher is F. Bower. PRESBYTERI.^N. The first Presbyterian society was organized June 4, 1853, in the northeast part of the township, and called 314 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Pleasant Grove church. James S. Fullerton was the preacher. The first members were Alexander Stevenson and wife, Robert Wroten and wife, Martin Depoy and wife, and Mrs. Susan Slaughter. This society was trans- ferred to Littleton in the fall of 1856, with a member- ship of twelve. Their first settled preacher, and the present one is Rev. J. D. Caldwell. They built a house of worship in 1865, at a cost of one thousand dollars. SECOND PRESBYTERIAN. A church was organized at Jesup, April 20, 1856. This was composed, in part, of members of the former church at Barclay. The first and present preacher is J. D. Caldwell, and the membership is about twenty-one. They own a house of worship at Jesup, which is worth probably two thousand dollars, and is provided with an organ. SCHOOLS. Most of the early schools in the county were supported by contributions of the people, and the Perry schools were no exception to the rule. In 1853 a log school- house was built on land belonging to John Cameron, in the northeast part of the township, and the first teacher was W. S. Clark, who had twenty-five scholars. The early teachers were W. S. Clark, Laura Curtis, Charlotte Cutter, Maggie P. Agnew and Miles Randalls. The first school-houses built were one at Littleton and one that was called "the white school-house." There were in the township eight schools, and the one at Jesup employs three teachers. The first cemetery established was in 185 1, on land owned by John Cameron, and the first person buried there was a daughter of a Mr. Spencer. In 1856 it was removed to Littleton appriopriate grounds having been donated by Charles Melrose, to which an addition is now being made. In 1870 another one was established in the south part of the township, about one mile east of Jesup. This is owned by a company. There are quite a number ot graves here, and some fine tombstones. A saw-mill was built at Littleton about 1854, by Moses Little and H. J. White. A grist-mill was built there by the estate of M. Little and H. J. White, in 1856. A stage passes through Littleton tri-weekly, carrying the United States mail. Moses Little was intimately connected with the inter- ests of the northern part of Perry township. He came to Iowa in 1854, being a native of New Hampshire. He made his first settlement, where S. F. Searls now lives. His children were : Martha, who is now Mrs. B. C. Hale, living near the old homestead; Ebenezer, who still owns a part of the original farm; Captain E. C. Little, who was a brave officer in our late war, and who is now dead; Charles H. Little, who is married, and lives at the old home ; Electa, who is the wife of T. K. Hovey, living in Littleton ; and Moses, jr., married, and a merchant in Lowell, Massachusetts. Mr. Little died in 1856, and his widow still resides at the old home. Rev. J. D. Caldwell, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- vania, studied at Greenville academy, entered Jefferson college in 1851, and graduated in the class of 1853. In the fall of 1853 he became a member of Western Theological seminary at Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, and graduated therefrom, on the seventh day of May, 1856. The next day after his graduation he was married, and then immediately started for Iowa, and settled in Little- ton in 1856. He lives on a farm of eighty acres, preaches at the Presbyterian church there, at Jesup, Fair- bank and Hazleton, and also practices medicine. His children are as follows: Otis O. W., Luella H., Hattie J., Sallie D., Alice M., Edith May, John U., and Jesse Boggs. When the early settlers came, deer were plenty, and occasionally an elk; bears have been seen there, but none were ever caught, as we could learn; also wild turkeys were seen, but seldom. There were also otter, beaver, fish, mink and musk- rat ; of the above named, the mink and muskrat alone remain. Then the otter and beaver were plenty along the Wapsie and its tributaries. The fish were scarce, but some have been caught. James Shrack who lives in the north part of the town- ship, seems to have been about the only hunter that had sufificient knowledge and sagacity to catch the beaver, otter and fish. At one time, when out hunting, he saw a panther, but the "varmint" was too nimble, and escaped without a scratch. Wildcats and wolves, then as now, were plenty. Bodies of deer, with their horns firmly fas- tened together, have been found here. NEWSPAPERS. A newspaper was started at Jesup, in the spring of 1869, by Cole & Shinner, called the Jesup Recorder. It continued thus for about one year; then Cole purchased the interest of Shinner, and continued its publication for a year; and then moved it to Earlville. In about 1874 W. H. Hutton started another one, called the Jesup Vindicator, which, in the spring of 1879, he moved to Independence, having changed its name to the Buchanan County Messenger, where it died. October 10, 1879, A. H. Farwell established the Buchanan County Journal, which he has ever since pub- lished; and it has, under him, become a live, wide- awake paper, every way worthy of its large patronage. Gamaliel Walker was born in Genesee county. New York, in 1817. Moved to Ohio with his father, Samuel Walker, when he was one year old. Lived in Erie coun- ty, Ohio, until he was nineteen years of age, when he moved to Knox county, Illinois. Remained there only about six months when he came to Iowa, locating in Lynn county in the year 1838. Worked on the Missis- sippi river two winters, making Muscateen his home. Settled in Buchanan county in 1875, on the Wapsie, when he bought the farm where he still resides. At first he owned one hundred and sixty acres but has bought since so that he has owned six hundred acres, but has given farms to his children so that now he owns one hundred and forty acres. Mr. Walker got the first deed of land ever given in Perry township. They lived one year with only two families within five miles of them. No house between him and Independence. Those were early and ■Oii€d' j^cii'Cecz::) HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 315 rough times, and yet, as they look back upon those early days spent in their log cabin, they cannot help but re- member them with some degree of pleasure. Mr. Walk- er was married May 8, 1843, 'o Miss Sarah Vinton. They have four children living: Clarke, age thirty-four, married and living in Buena Vista county, Iowa; Char- li^tte, age thirty-one, married James Sankey, and is living in this county; Simon, age twenty-six, married and lives joining his father; Laura A., age sixteen, single and lives at home with her parents. As will be seen by this sketch Mr. and Mrs. Walker were among the very first settlers of this county. They have braved the storms of life and finally anchored upon a fine farm of their own hon- est earnings. They have reared a good family and have a fine home in which to spend their last days. Mr. Walker only knows of one person living who was a resi- dent of this county when he came, and that is Mrs. Morse. James A. Brison was born in Scotland in 181 1. He moved with his father, Alexander Brison, to Canada in 181 7. Mr. J. A. Brison came to America in 1868, lo- cating in Buchanan county, Iowa. In 1869 he pur- chased the farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Perry township, where he still resides. Was married in 1839 to Miss Agnes Dickman, of Scotch parentage. Have eleven children — seven sons and four daughters, two of whom are married, ^^'e find Mr. Brison a very fine gentleman, having a nice farm and home. Both Mr. and Mrs. Brison are members of the Presbyterian church. Joseph Milton Hovey was born in Grafton county, New Hampshire, July 3, 1826. When he was four years old the family moved to Bradford, Orange county, Ver- mont. His parents were poor, and as a consequence his advantages for an education were very limited. At fifteen he was sent out to shift for himself. He drifted to Plymouth county, Massachusetts, where he engaged in learning to make boots and shoes, faithfully devoting his spare money to the purchase of books and his leisure hours to the acquirement of an education of which he felt the most urgent need. In 1846 he went to southern Illinois and became a school teacher, always being him- self the most earnest student. After three years he re- turned to New England and soon took up his abode again in Massachusetts — this time as bookkeeper and partner in the business of manufacturing shoes. From too close application, his health became impaired and for two or three years he devoted himself solely to an effort to regain it, and in 1865, mainly in pursuit of that object, he emigrated to Buchanan county, Iowa, and was among the early settlers of the town of Jesup. He has almost constantly occupied positions of trust, and was in 187 1 elected to the legislature, serving acceptably. In 1850 he was married to Alma E. Hibbard, of Orange county, Vermont. They have one son — Carroll M., aged ten years. They are members of the Baptist church, and are living now in the house erected by themselves at Jesup in 1867, happy in their domestic and social rela- tions, and in the enjoyment of the confidence of their acquaintance. J. A. Wroten was born in Ross county, Ohio, in 1S23. Moved with his father, Robert Wroten, to Indiana in 1835. He, with his father's family, came to Iowa in 1850, locating in Fairbank township. Mr. J. C. Wroten was married in i860 to Miss Celia J. Diehl, of Pennsyl- vania. Have four children: Frank O., aged nineteen; Jesse E., aged seventeen; Martin A., aged fourteen; Mary A., aged twelve; all living at home and constitute a nice family. Bought the farm of eighty acres where he now resides, in Perry township, in 1865. Mr. Wroten has been engaged at the carpenter trade for the past fif- teen years. He has a nice farm and home. John William Flummerfelt was born May 4, 1838, in Marion county, Ohio. Moved with his father, Charles Flummerfelt, to Delaware county, Indiana. Came to Iowa, Franklin county, in 1855. Remained there until 1858 when he came to Buchanan county. Bought the farm of two hundred acres where he now resides, in 1869. Mr. Flummerfelt was married September 19, 1862, to Miss Mary Ann Smith, a resident of Buchanan county. They have two children: Laura J., aged fifteen; and Luella Nett, aged twelve. Mr. Flummerfelt makes stock quite an item in connection with his farming. He is one of the prominent men of Buchanan county. Has a fine farm and nice home. Murat Sayles was born in Oswego county. New York, in the year 1834, and lived with his father, Sumner Sayles, on his farm and attended school until he was twenty-one years of age. At the age of thirteen he moved with his father to Cook county, Illinois, where his father still resides, very comfortably situated as to this world's goods. When Mr. Murat Sayles was twenty-one years of age he commenced doing for himself by work- ing for a neighbor on the farm one season; then came west to Fayette county, Iowa, where he spent about one year at such work as the extremely new country afforded — broke up prairie, worked at the carpenter's trade, in a saw-mill, etc. After showing himself a live young man by doing what his hands found to do, and later by mak- ing profitable investments, Mr. Sayles, after leaving Iowa the second time in 187 1, returned the third time, and purchased the farm he now owns, consistmg of eighty acres, for which he paid two thousand dollars. This property he has improved wonderfully, built a new house and barn, and made a fine home. Mr. Sayles was mar- ried in the year 1857 to Miss Lydia M. Andrews, of Cook county, Illinois. They have five children living: Eva A., aged twenty, married George M. Conifort in 1877; Ella M., twenty; Charity E., fourteen; Mabel M., eleven; Ernest R., six. All except the oldest daughter are living and constitute a very happy family. While Mr. and Mrs. Sayles have grandchildren, they do not appear to be peo- ple past the middle of life. They are both social and cheerful. They have fought the battles of life together, and have always come off victors. They are both mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Sayles is a leading man in the church and in his community. He is a strong temperance man, and a good, square Republi- can. Mrs. Delia Bright was born in Hardy county, Virginia, 3i6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. in 1823. At the age of six years she moved with her father, Isaac Ncff, to Piqua county, Ohio, where they re- mained about two years, when they removed to Marion county, where they remained about nine years. In 1840 they moved to Delaware county, Indiana. In 1851 they came to Iowa, locating in this county. They bought one hundred and sixty acres in 1850, and bought an addition where they now reside, so that they have a fine farm of two hundred and twenty acres. They built a fine brick residence in i860, and built the barn in 1872. Mrs. Bright was married to Mr. Henry Bright in 1850, who died in 1865. They have four children living: David S., aged twenty-nine; Lucinda J., twenty-four; William Moses, twenty-two; Emelia P., twenty. All are married and living on farms in this county. We find Mrs. Bright very pleasantly situated on a fine, big farm, and in a nice residence, with her children all settled around her. Stephen F. Searls was born in Lake county, Ohio, in 1827. At the age of twenty-one, in the year 1848, he moved to McH^nry county, Illinois, where he remained till the year 1856, engaged principally in buying and driving his fat cattle to Chicago. He came to the State of Iowa in the spring of 1856, locating in Perry town- ship, and purchased the farm of eighty acres, where he still resides, in Litdeton. He built his barn in 1858, and built his house in 1S65. He bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in 1875. It corners on the centre of the townsliip. The farm where Mr. Searls re- sides is indeed a fine place. He has an excellent house, surrounded with every natural ornament to make a home desirable. His farm in the country is well supplied with good buildings, cattle-sheds, wind pump, and every con- venience of a farm. Mr. Searls has made the handling of stock his principal business for the past thirty-one years. He has sold within the past week sixty-five head of cattle, and has fifty-five left, besides ninety-four head of hogs. As will be seen .by this sketch, Mr. Searls was one of the first settlers of the county. He swam the Wapsie many a time before iron bridges were inaugu- rated. Mr. Searls is a man of great energy, has accu- mulated quite a handsome property, and is one of the drive-wheels .of the business community. Mr. Searls was married in 1853 to Miss Maria Kane, of Illinois. They have two children: George W., aged twenty-six, single, makes his home with his father, who is also en- gau-ed in the stock business; Edward P., aged nineteen, single and at home. We must add that it is a pleasure to meet such people as Mr. and Mrs. Searls. \ Orsamus Wilder was born in Rutland county, Vermont, J in 1805. At the age of twenty-four he moved to Niagara county, New York, where he remained about five years, when he moved to Lorain county, Ohio, remaining there about twenty-five years, when he came to Iowa, in 1864, locating in Perry township, on the farm .of eighty acres where he still resides. He was married in 1835 to Miss Elmira Wright, who died in about one year after their marriage. He was married a second time in 1838, to Miss Betsy Francisco, of Ohio. They have one child — Elmira, aged thirty-one, married in 1877 to Mr. William Baker, living in Michigan. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wilder are members of the Congregational church, and are highly esteemed. W. R. Davenport was born in the State of New York in 1827. Came to Iowa in 1865. Purchased the farm of eighty acres where his family now resides. He is a railroad engineer by trade, at which most of his time is employed. Built a fine house the same year he came to Iowa, and built a barn about six years later. Has planted shade and fruit trees, and put his (arm under a good state of cultivation, so that now he has one of the good farms of the township. Mr. Davenport was married in 1852 to Mrs. Phoebe Ann Austin, of New York. Have three children — Emma T., twenty-seven, married Peter Rubert in 1878, living in Perry township; Charles E., twenty-one ; William Orville, nineteen ; both single. Charles is a fire- man on the railroad. William O. is living at home and taking care of the farm. Mrs. Davenport, by her first marriage with Mr. Austin, has two children — Lonzo Austin, thirty-one, living at home; Daniel, twenty-nine, married and living in Burlington, a conductor on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. William H. Vincent was born in Greene county, Ohio, in 182 1. At the age of thirteen he moved with his father, W. H. Vincent, to Delaware county, Indiana, where he entered eight hundred acres of land and lived upon it un- til his death, which took place in April, 1875. Mr. Wil liam Vincent came to Iowa in 1856, locating in this county, Washington township, where he purchased a farm and remained eight years. Bought the farm of one hun- dred acres where he now resides, in Perry township, in 1864. Built a cabin by joining two log structures, one twelve by fourteen, the other sixteen by eighteen. Roofed with split three-foot clapboards. In 1S67 he built his present residence, and in 187 i he built a barn. Has set out shade and fruit trees, and placed his farm under a perlect state of cultivation, so that now he has one of Bu- chanan's good farms. Mr. and Mrs. Vincent, as will be seen by this sketch, were among the first settlers of this county. In those days the country was wild, inhabited by the wild red man and the wild animals of the plains. Neighbors were scarce and luxuries of life few. Mr. Vincent was married January 23, 1843, to Miss Elizabeth J. Booth, born in Virginia in 1822. Have six children living, four daughters and two sons — H. W., thirty-five, married Mrs. Mary Deacon, in 1865, living three-quarters of a mile east of his father; J. O., thirty, married Miss Maggie Weliman, in 1877, living one quarter of a mile east of his father; Nannie A., twtnty six; Rinda, twenty- two; Mattie, eighteen; Lizzie, fifteen; all living at home, and constitute a bright, happy family circle. We find Mr. and Mrs. Vincent verv comfortably situated in their own home, surrounded by relatives and friends. They are among the substantial citizens of the township, mor- ally, politically, and financially. Mr. Vincent is a good, square Republican. J. W. Booth was born in Greene county, Ohio, in 1828. Came to Iowa in 1869, locating in Perry township. Bought a farm of one hundred and thirteen acres, where he still resides. Set out shade and fruit trees, and put his farm under a good state of cultivation, so that now he has HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 317 one of the best farms of the county. He makes farming his special business. Was married in October, 1857, to Miss Catharine Phillips, of Ohio birth. Have seven children — J. F., twenty-two ; Mary A., twenty; Hannah M., eighteen; James O., sixteen; Hattie E., eleven; Luella, nine; Thomas H., five; all living at home, and constitute a most agreeable family. Both Mr. and Mrs. Booth are members of the Methodist church. They are among Buchanan's good citizens; they have the respect of the community and the good-will of their neighbors. Philan P. Hayes was born in Steuben county, New York, 1815. Lived with his father, Cephas Hayes (who died in this county in 1867, at the advanced age of seventy-nine), on the farm till he was twenty-one years old, when he bought a farm of one hundred acres, and faimed till the year 1855. He then came to Iowa, locating in Buchanan county, and purchased a farm of four hundred acres, where he still resides. Mr. Hayes was one of the very first settlers of this county. When he came, there was scarcely a house or fence in sight, but Indians could be seen on every hand. In a word, this was a wild country, and only tamed by the stout-hearted men of Mr. Hayes' ability. He built a house, the year he came, nineteen by twenty, and hauled his timber in wagons from Dubuque. In the year 1876 he built a fine residence, large and commodious, and one of the finest homes in Buchanan county. Built a very fine barn in 1S67 ; and set out Iruit and shade trees when he first came, so that now he raises plenty of fruit, and possesses all the advantages of a fine establishment. Mr. Hayes raises quite an amount of stock, besides carrying on farming quite extensively. Mr. Hayes was married July 9, 1836, to Miss Sarah Shaw, of New York. Have two children — Guy C, thirty-four, married and lives in Hampton, this State; Fay S., twenty-eight, single, and lives at home. We find Mr. and Mrs Hayes very pleasant people and well off in worldly possessions. L. C. Koile was born in Indiana in 1S43. Lived with his father, S. T. Koile, on the farm till he was twenty-one years of age, when he enlisted in company A, One Hun- dred and Sixtieth Indiana infantry. It being just at the close of the war, he only remained about four months in the service. Came to Iowa in 1865, locating in Buchanan county. Moved on the farm where he now resides in 1870 ; has one hundred acres. Mr. Koile was married in 1864 to Miss Emeline Vincent, who died in 1868, leav- ing one daughter, Mary, fourteen, living with her father. Married the second time in 1870, to Miss Harriet A. Oakley, of this county. Have four children — Rosa, nine; Carlton, eight; Ralph, seven; Olive, five; all living at home and constituting a fine family. Mrs. Koile has a son, A. Eugene, twelve, who also makes his home with them. We find Mr. and Mrs Koile very pleasantly situ- ated on a nice farm, and helping to make up the good neighborhood north of the Wapsie. Mrs. Missourie G. Updyke was born in 1842, April 9th; lived with her father, Samuel Gear, in the Province of Quebec, until she was twenty-one years of age, when she went to Michigan with her uncle, William Allen, in 1863; married Mr. R. S. Updyke November 11, 1866; came to Iowa May 6, i86g, locating on the farm of one hundred and sixty acres, where Mrs. Updyke still residi.s. Mr. R. S. Updyke died March 8, 1879. Have had five chil- dren, three of whom are dead. Vice-President .Arthur's father was Mrs. Updyke's father's school-teacher in his boyhood, and Mr. Arthur is a cousin of some of Mrs. Updyke's relatives. She has photographs of some of his sisters. Mrs. Updyke is a very pleasant lady indeed, and carries the features of a once beautiful lady; but life's troubles and disappointments have made their marks of care and silvered her raven locks. David Brott was born in the State of New York, 1822. At the age of twenty he moved to Michigan, where he spent about thirty one years on the farm. In the year 1872 he moved to Iowa, locating in Jesup, where he pur- chased a fine property and set up a wagon-shop, which he has run ever since; keeps two men in his employ con- tinually. Mr. Brott was married in 1844 to Miss Jane Hoffman, of Michigan. Have only one child living — Julia A. — aged thiity-three, married to Mr. C. Smith, and lives in Jesup. We find Mr. Brott one of Jessup's staunch men. Is a good mechanic and takes an interest in the welfare of his city. Mrs. Rebecca McLaughlin was born in Warren county, Ohio, in 1830. At the age of twenty she married Mr. Hiram C. McLaughlin, and moved on a farm in Butler county, Ohio, where they remained till they came to Iowa, which was in 1858. Bought a farm of one hun- dred and twenty acres one mile east of Littleton, where Mrs. McLaughlin still resides. They built a fine brick house and put the farm under a fine state o( cultivation. Mr. McLaughlin died May 14, 1872, leaving a family of seven children — Mary K., aged twenty-seven, married William Sankey, living at Littleton ; Otho, aged twenty- five, married Frances Keiser, live in Kansas; Katie, aged twenty-two, married Moses A. Bance, farming the home place; Charles, aged nineteen, Adelia, aged eighteen, married George Wellman and lives in Iowa; James B., aged fifteen, Henry C, twelve, single children, make their mother's house their home. They are a fine family and have a nice farm and home. Samuel Miller was born in Preble county, Ohio, in 1833; lived with his father, Adam Miller, and attended school part of the time till he was fifteen years of age. Assisted his father at the caipenter's trade till he was twenty-one years old. At the age of twenty-two he and his father were partners in the grocery business in New Lexington, Ohio. Sold out in 1856 and engaged in the carpenter business about one year, when he came to Iowa and purchased fifty acres of land in Perry township. This was in the days that tried men's souls. The tide of inflation had just receded, emigration had stopped, banks had failed, and the circulation of money had al- most stojjpcd. Mr. Miller engaged at farming and car- pentering, just as he could to make things go. Used to work for corn and, having no team, used to carry it two miles on his shoulder to a corn-cracker and return with his grist on his back. The railroad came through as far as Independence in 1859. Good crops that year cheered the people up, and in i860 they had the great crop of the 31^ HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. west. In 1 865 he purchased one hundred and twenty acres where he now resides, and has since added to it till he now owns four hundred and forty-one as good land as lies out doors, worth at least, with the present improve- ments, twenty-five dollars an acre. In 1867 Mr. Miller built his house and barn, set out wind-breaks, fruit and shade trees, till now he has one of the most pleasant homes in Buchanan county. In addition to his extensive farming Mr. Miller has made stock raising a very prominent branch of business, keeping as high as two hundred and twenty-five head in all. Mr. Miller was married, October, 1855, to Miss Sarah A. Wikle, of Ohio. They have four children — Alonzo P., aged twenty-three, Mattie E., aged twenty-one, William C, aged seventeen, Warren F., aged fourteen. Alonzo and Warren are at home helping their father, and William C. is attending school at Hopkins. Mattie E. is an unusually intelligent and attractive young lady. Has taught several very successful and satisfactory schools and displays considerable taste in the art of landscape painting. Mr. Miller is a gentleman in every sense of the word, and politically believes in greenbacks. John Keane was born in Clair county, Ireland, in 1852; lived on his father's farm and worked his place untill he was twenty-one years of age, when he came to America. He stopped first in Fitch- burgh, Massachusetts. Engaged in laying water pipes in that city about two months when he went to Chicago and worked in the rolling mills two and one-half years. Then came to Iowa and worked two years for Mike Consodine, on the farm. In 1878, he married Miss Ellen Consodine of this county. They moved on the farm of one hundred acres where they still live and which they own. They are very comfortably settled and seem to be enjoying their prosperity. John C. Melrose was born in this county in 1859. Attended school and lived upon the old home farm till the summer of 1879, when he taught the Littleton school. The following year he attended school at Hopkinton (Leno.x collegiate school), taught last fall's term of the Littleton school and is at present teaching a very suc- cessful winter term at the same place. Mr. Melrose is known throughout the county as a very fine scholar and successful teacher. Is a gentleman in every sense of the word, and very successful as a disciplinarian. Miss Jane bpragg was born in New Brunswick, in the year iSii. Was married to William Spragg, in 1829. Came to Iowa in 1857, locating in this county, bought a piece of land and have lived on the same for the last eighteen years. Mr. Spragg died July 4, 1858, leaving a family of ten children — Frederick, who died in the army in 1863, at the age of thirty-three; William, now forty- eight; Daniel S., forty-six; Elizabeth, forty-four; Mary, forty-two; George, thirty-nine; Sarah, thirty-five; Eunice, thirty-one; Christopher, twenty-eight; Abner M., twenty- six. All the children are married and doing well, some in this State and some in western homes. Mrs. Spragg is a very pleasant, smart woman, and seems much younger than her age indicates. J. B. McKibben was born in Greene, Michigan, in 1853. He resided with his father, William McKibben, on his farm and attended school till he was twenty-one years old. His father was taken away by death when J. B. was about twelve years old. After his m.ijority he run the home farm in the interests of the family, there being three sisters and two brothers. When he was twenty-five years of age he came to Perry township and farmed for E. C. Little. Since then his time has been occupied in accumulating the almighty dollar. W. W. Grooms was born in Greene county, Pennsyl- vania, in the year 1837. At the age of six he moved with his parents to West Virginia, where he remained till he was seventeen years of age, when he came to Burling- ton, Iowa and run a saw-mill for his brother, O. P. Grooms, for six years. In the year 1859 he went to Pikes Peak and remained in the territories till 1875. In 1864 he enlisted in company A, Seventh Iowa cavalry, Served his country three years, and was mustered out. In 1875 Mr. Grooms located in this county and pur- chased a farm of one hundred and five acres, where he still resides. He deals in stock considerably. He has his work done on the farm in the summer and works at the carpenters' trade himself. Mr. Grooms was married in 1869 to Miss Lizzie Chidester, of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania. They have no children. Mr. and Mrs. Grooms are very pleasant people. They have friends on every hand and a mutual interest in the neighbors. Mr. Grooms is a Republican. C. H. Little was born in La Salle county, Illinois, in 1847. He came to Iowa with his parents in 1853, and located where Littleton now stands and from whose fam- ily it was named. Mr. Little's father died in 1856. Mr. C. H. Little made his home with his mother and family till he was twenty-one years of age, when he married Miss Elmira M. Hovey (daughter of E. S. and M. M. Hovey), of Iowa. They have three children — Sarah C. ten years old; C. H., seven years old, and Mattie A., one year old. They constitute a bright and happy family. Mr. Little and his brother, E. Little, own three hundred and twenty acres of land, where Mr. C. H. Little resides. They are very extensively engaged in the stock business, usually keeping from one hundred to one hun- dred and fifty head of hogs, and from fifty to one hundred head of cattle, and from ten to twenty head of horses. Mr. Little has at present the finest lot of fat hogs that it was ever our pleasure to see. Mr. Little is a good, square Republican and a brother of the distin- guished Captain Little, a sketch of whose life will be found in the chapter of General Biography. L.J. Labour was born March 10, 185 2, in Steuben coun- ty. New York. He lived with his father, Peter Labour, on the farm till he was fifteen years of age, when he came with his father to Iowa, locating on the farm where he now resides in Perry township. Since then he has been engaged in business in Independence and Jesup about three years. Mr. Labour studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1877. He practiced in Colfax, Jasper county, Iowa, two years, when his father's health failed and he had to return home to assist him with his business. Mr. Labour was married October 23, 1872, to Miss Eva A. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 3'9 Rich, of Jesup. They have one child — Hattie Beatrice "will be five years old next February twenty-third day" — Hattie's own words. Mr. Labour is justice of the peace, and from his natural ability together with his knowledge of law we should judge he may look forward to success. John Cooper was born in England in 1831. He helped his father at the carpenter trade till he was about twenty years of age; assisted in building the Crystal Pal- ace in London, and other large buildings of that coun- try. At the age of twenty-two he came to America, locating in Elgin, Illinois. He made his father's house there his home for about two years, when he was mar- ried and moved to Minnesota, Spring Valley, remaining there two years. As some will remember, the winters of 1855 and '56 were noted for heavy falls of snow in that region. The people were almost driven to desperation on account of the hardships that followed. The snow was so deep that travel was suspended, food for people and provisions for cattle became scarce, and death stared many in the face. People thought themselves well off if they had a little bran and shorts to eat. They killed their cattle to keep them from starving to death. Mr. Cooper operated a brick kiln through the two summers very successfully. He returned to Illinois and pur- chased a small farm, and engaged in threshing three years. In the year 1861 he moved to Perry township, and purchased a farm of eighty acres, on which he still resides, but has since added eighty acres. He has al- ways been quite e.xtensively engaged in the stock busi- ness, and has had as high as ninety-nine head of cattle at a time. At present he is engaged in the dairy business, and milks twenty-three cows. Mr. Cooper was married in 1855, April 5th. He has nine children: E. Resa, twenty-four; Mary Ann, twenty-three ; Walter H., twenty-one ; Frederick W., nineteen ; Hattie J., eigh- teen; Martha M., fourteen; Ivis .\. and Ida E., twins, aged thirteen. These two young girls look so much alike that their nearest neighbors cannot tell them apart. The next is Fannie B., aged seven. These children all make their father's house their home except E. Resa, who is married to Mr. George Lochhard, and lives in Nebraska. We find Mr. Cooper, after many hard fights with the world's difficulties, now very comfortably situated on his own farm — showing what a man can do if he only has the stout heart to brave the difficulties that overwhelm so many. Frank Rust was born in Switzerland in the year 1836. He came to America with his father's family at the age of eight. At the age of fourteen he went to Wisconsin. At the age of sixteen he came to Iowa with his father, who bought the farm where Mr. Frank Rust now lives, and which he owns. In the year 1863 Mr. Rust en- listed in company B, Fourth Iowa cavalry; served his country till the war closed, when he returned home, and where he has resided ever since. Mr. Rust was mar- ried in 1855 to Miss Alvina Heath, of Black Hawk county, Iowa. They have ten children living : Edwin J., twenty-three, married Emma Trumbar, and is living in Kansas; Jane L., twenty-one, married Peter Trumbar, and is living in Kansas; Martha L., twenty; Mary E. seventeen; Anna M., fourteen; Dora B., twelve; Frank- lin J., ten ; William H., five ; Eva C, three ; Edison Garfield, aged six months. All the unmarried children make their father's house their home, and constitute a ver)i happy family. Mr. Rust has a good home and a fine farm of seventy-three acres. He came here when this country was one bleak, unbroken prairie, but he has stuck to his text till he now has neighbors and friends on every hand. Mr. Rust is one of Iowa's Republican sons of liberty. J. D. McNally was born in Upper Canada, in the town of West Hoxburgh, in 1838. He lived with his father, John McNally, and attended school, and farmed until the age of twenty-one, when he came to the United States, locating in Bangor, New York, where he again engaged in farming. In the year 1862 he enlisted in company F, One Hundred and Forty-second regiment. New York infantry, and served his country nearly three years, when the war was closed and he was mustered out. He was a faithful soldier indeed; never off duty one hour, never taken prisoner nor wounded, though in six- teen hard fought engagements, where men fell all around him. He carried on farming about five years after he came home from the war, after which he came to Iowa, and made his home for one year with Mr. R. S. Woos- ter. In 187 1 Mr. McNally bought the property where he now resides, in the suburbs of Jesup. Mr. McNally was married in 1866 to Miss Leruga Leonard, of Mora, New York. They have only one child, Lottie Belle, aged nine years. Mr. McNally has a fine home and family. Mr. McNally is an indispensable man in his neighborhood, is a splendid hand in sickness, and is everybody's friend. Mr. and Mrs. McNally have been members of the Methodist Church for the last twenty years. Mr. McNally is a steward of the same and treas- urer of the Sunday-school, and is also one of the city council. E. C. Gates was born in Halifax, Windham county, Vermont, in 1852. He moved to Illinois with his fath- er's family in 1854. He remained there on a farm about seven years, when they came to Iowa, locating in Fair- bank township. In the year 1862 they returned to In- diana, but remained only one year, when they returned and located on the same farm they had left. Mr. E. C. Gates has been a man of general business, besides spend- ing considerable time at school. He taught some, and afterwards attended school at Hopkinton. He after- wards graduated at a commercial school in Indepen- dence. Since then he has been engaged principally in teaching school. He has clerked in a store and attended the post office. The last two summers he has been en- gaged in the creamery business. Mr. Gates is still en- joying single blessedness. He is a man of marked abil- ity, and is one of Buchanan's good teachers. He was appointed numerator in the last census of Fairfield town- ship. George Parish was born in King Sutton, North Hamptonshire, England, March 13, 1820. He came to America when he was eight years of age. At the age of 320 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV, IOWA. ten he went to learn the cabinet trade, and worked at it five years. In the meantime his employer moved to Michigan. He returned to New York State at the age of seventeen. In the year 1840 he returned to Michigan, and worked out two years, and earned money and bought forty acres of land. The first year he engaged with Mr. W. W. Upton, whose wife took sick, and Mr. Parish was sent on horseback in search of a girl. He soon re- turned with one on his horse behind him. The same is now his wife, and this little circumstance is often talked over by them and remembered as a happy romance. They were married in the spring of 1841, and moved on to his forty acre farm. They lived on it two years. After several changes in location, he sold a farm of one hundred and sixty-six acres in 1S65, and came to Iowa on a visit. He returned and bought a mill property in his own town, Cascade, and run it about three years, when he sold out and moved to Iowa, it being the year 1868, and bought a farm of three hundred and twenty- two acres, where he still resides. Mrs. Parish's maiden name was Betsy Ann Cranson. They have two daught- ers of their own and an adopted son: Charlotte, aged thirty-eight, married to Mr. E. D. Johnson, a merchant of Littleton; Mary, aged thirty-six, married to J. D. Coger, who also resides in Littleton; Charles H., the adopted son, is also married, and lives at Otterville. Mr. Parish has all his life kept a daily account of his business transactions. They are a happy, kind-hearted couple, and seem to be enjoying their last days, as well as their first. George B. Hovey was born in Orleans county, Ver- mont, in 1845. Came to Iowa at the age of nine years with his lather, George Hovcy, now living at Indepen- dence. At the age of seventeen, Mr. G. B. Hovey commenced doing for himself Bought a farm in Da- kota, and farmed it four years, when he sold out and re- turned to this county, on a six months visit. Went to Illinois in 1871 and engaged in the pump business. At the expiration of four years he came to Iowa, and moved on his father's farm in Perry township, where he still re- sides. Mr. Hovey was married July 3, 1872, to Miss Emma J. Ross, of Illinois. They have two children: Edmund L., aged seven years, and Mary A., aged five years. Mr. Hovey is quite extensively engaged in the stock and dairy business, and is making money. They are a pleasant, happy family, and have an interest in their neighbors and their neighboi^s have an interest in them. Mrs. L. A. Bryant was born in the State of New York, in 1826, and is the daughter of George Leonard. She married Mr. D. C. Bryant in 1854, and lived in New York fourteen years after marriage, moving to Jesup in 1868, where they purchased a farm, where the family still reside. Mr. Bryant died in May, 1879, leaving a family of three children: Eli J., aged twenty-five years; single, and helps carry on the farm; Adna L., aged twenty-two years, married Mr. .Arthur Hutton, editor of the Argus in Webster City, Iowa; Elmer E., single, and helijing his brother on the farm. Mrs. Bryant has a nice property and is keeping the family together, acting well the part of a daughter by caring for Mr. Bryant's mother, who is seventy-three years of age, and who makes her home with Mrs. Bryant. Her sons are exemplary young men, and have the friendship and respect of the commu- nity. They are perpetuating the good name their father bequeathed to them. C. A. Marsh was born in the State of New Jersey, in the year 1859. He attended school most of the time until the year 1875, w^hen he came west to look after some lands his father had previously purchased, being in all sixteen hundred and seventy acres, and situated mostly in Buchanan and Black Hawk counties. He at once commenced the improvement of a seven hundred acre farm just outside the limits of Jesup. He has built a beautiful house, set out shade and fruit trees, and adorned the place in every way calculated to make a pleasant home. He has now two large barns, and is erecting the third. Mr. Marsh is quite a lover of fine hor?es, havmg at the present time, seventy head. He ships his fine horses to New York city, and sells them in the high priced markets. He has some exceedingly fine horses, one of which cost him four thousand dollars. Mr. Marsh was married in 1878, to Miss Eva Baily. They have a fine little girl who, it is hoped, will live to enjoy with them their many advantages and their attractive home. R. E. Martin was born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the year 1845. At the age often years he moved with his parents, three brothers and three sis- ters, to Winnebago county, Illinois. Here he attended school two years, when his father died, after which he was called upon to help maintain the family. At the age of eighteen he entered the army in company A, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Illinois. He served his country two years faithfully and was never off duty one hour during the whole time. After his army life he taught school for five years. In the year 1869 he mar- ried Miss S. A. Brannan, of Winnebago county, Illinois. In the year 1870, he moved with his family to Jesup. Here he ojjcned a barber-shop and run it very success- fully for one year. He then returned to Illinois and re- mained only a short time. After several changes in bus- iness he entered the services of Laird & Brother (mer- chants of Jesup), as clerk, a position he retained six years. At the expiration of this time, he went into the dry goods and jewelry business on his own responsibility. At the end of one year he closed out the dry goods bus- iness and bought a restaurant stock. The year following he was elected postmaster. This transaction, by the way, demonstrates the popularity of Mr. Martin, as the op- position was strong, but Mr. Martin's friends brought him through with a handsome majority. He has been postmaster ever since, to the entire satisfaction of all. His family consists of his wife, Charles W., aged eight years, Carl E., aged six years, and Nettie, aged three years. Mr. Martin, through his own exertions has se- cured a competency of this world's goods. He has, ever since his connection with Jesup, been a servant of the Ijeople by holding different offices of trust. A. W. Farwell was bo:n in Caledonia county, Ver- .MR. CHARLES MELROSE. The late Mr. Charles Melrose was a native of Scotland, being born near Edinburgh in the year 1803. He made that country his home till he was twenty-five years of age. His parents died when he was small, and he was raised by a man by the name of Boston. In the year 1828 he came to America, locating in Saratoga county, New York State, where he remained several years. He was then married to Miss Isabel Bunyon, and moved to Michigan, where Mrs. Melrose died about four years afterwards, leaving one child, then two years of age, but now forty- five years of age, the wife of Barney Brown, and resides at Lester, low^a. In the year 1840 Mr. Melrose went to Indiana, where he remained about nine years, engaging in farming principally. In the year 187 1 he and Miss Hester Price were united in marriage in Wells county, Indiana. In the fall of 1849 ^^^- Melrose came to Iowa, locating in Perry township, where he purchased about four hundred acres of land and made his home till his death, which was in the year 1876, March 9th. He left a family of six children by his present wife. Their fam- ily consisted of twelve children, six of whom are not living. Jane, the oldest, is the wife of Truman Briggs, and resides in Dakota. The next oldest living, Charles, is now thirty-four years of age and engaged in caring for the home place. Nancy A. is the wife of Nelson Kerry, also residing in Dakota. James is twenty-nine years of age, and is foreman in a livery stable in Alma, Colorado. Thomas, twenty-six years of age, is in connection with his brother Charles, in the interest of the homestead. John, the youngest child, is twenty-two years of age. He is engaged in acquiring an education and teaching school. Mr. Melrose's emigration to this county was in such an early day that the people in different parts of the county were their neighbors, and they knew them nearly all. At the time they raised their log houses they had to go to Quasqueton to secure help. A little incident of interest, related by Mrs. Melrose, is worthy of notice, illustrating the life of the early settler. On one occasion the Indians, who were frequent annoyances, came to their house begging. The only food in the house being offered them, which was only sifted bran, was indignantly re- fused. They left for a few minutes, when they returned blackened and making rude demonstrations. The men- folks being away from home, Mrs. Melrose and Mrs. Clark and their children being the only occupants, of course agitation spread through the house. Presently a fire was kindled to the long grass, which soon surrounded the premises. .Mrs. Clark's first impulse was to pray, which suggestion Mrs. Melrose followed only for a mo- ment, when she arose statmg that faith without works was dead, and hurried out to fight the fire. With the assist- ance of two gentlemen who saw^ the flames and came to the rescue, they succeeded in conquering the fire with- out its doing any further harm to Mr. Melrose's property. This fire spread over quite a scope of the country, doing considerable damage in neighboring localities. Those who had the privilege of meeting Mr. Melrose in those early days can testify to his generosity and phil- anthropic spirit. Many are the meals he gave to new- comers, and many are the days he spent in helping emi- grants locate their farms, and many are the times he has stood in other men's stead when debt and ruin were crowding them hard. These are recollections of Mr. Mel- rose that many will take pleasure in rehearsing. He was universally loved and respected; and the honor done him by his sons in having his portrait inserted in this work is certainly a just and dutiful act upon their part. Mr. Melrose was a Christian gentleman, a member of the Presbyterian church and an elder of the same. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 321 mont, in the year 1S50. He lived on the farm with his father and attended school till he was fifteen years of age, when he moved with his parents to Iowa Falls, Har- den county, Iowa, where the family, except himself, still reside. He engaged as an apprentice in the printing of- fice of M. C. Woodruff (editor of Iowa Falls Sentinel), and remained with him four years. In the year 1872, he married Miss Ella Dodge, of Iowa Falls, and moved to Siou.K City, Iowa. He worked on the Sioux City Joiir- nal, with Perkins Brothers, two years. From thence he went to North Piatt, Nebraska, their he published a pa- per called the Westei-n Nebraskian. At the expiiation of one year, he sold out to Mr. \\ . H. Michael, and came to Jesup, Perry township, this county, where he still re- sides. He purchased a half interest in the office and paper called the Jesup Vindieator. At the expiration of nine months he sold out to his partner and engaged in farming. One year proved to him that farming it was hard work, and so he returned to his old occupation. In the fall of 1879, he started the paper called the Buchan- an County Vindicator, which he still manages very suc- cessfully. Mr. Farwell is a number one journalist. His paper has a wide circulation and is one of the leading papers of the county ; purely Republican and is not afraid to speak its sentiments. John Cameron was born in Lancaster county, Ohio, in 181 1 ; came to Iowa in 1850, locating in Perry town- ship, where he bought a farm, and in 1862 sold it, pur- chasing a farm south of Jesup. He remained there about eight years, when he sold it and bought a grocery store in Jesup. This business he continued three years, when he traded it for the farm now owned by William Slaughter. On this farm he lived two years, then moved to Otterville and again engaged in the grocery business. He continued it only two years, when he sold it, and buying a farm, rented it and remained in town two years. Then he sold his farm, and again went into the grocery business at Jesup. At the end of two years, he closed out his stock and moved to the farm where he now re- sides. Mr. Cameron's first wife was Miss Mary Rine- hart, of Indiana. She died in 1849, leaving six children. In 1852 he married Mrs. Rachel Rinehart, of Indiana. They have two children — Anice, aged twenty-three, wife of F. E. Randall, harness maker at Jesup; and W. T., who married Miss Cora Hines, and lives with his father, farming the place. Mr. Cameron is one of the first set- tlers of Buchanan county, and has been familiar with its history and rapid development. Sarah C. Little was one of the first who settled in Buchanan county. Her husband, Moses Little, came to Iowa from La Salle county, Illinois, in the year 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Little were formerly from New Hamp- shire. Mr. Little purchased a section of land when he came to this county, it being the ground that Lit- tleton now occupies, and his name the town bears. Mr. and Mrs. Little came to this county with a fam- ily of six children: Martha, who is now forty-one years of age and the wife of B. C. Hale, living at Quasque- ton; Ebenezer, aged thirty-eight, married and farming the home place; Electa B., aged thirty -six, married to T. K. Hovey and living at Littleton; Edmund C, who died in the year 1874, at the age of twenty-nine (was captain in company C, Ninth Iowa infantry, receiving his commission w-hen lacking three days of eighteen years of age, and died from the effects of a wound re- ceived while serving his country); Charles H., aged thirty-four, married and living on his own farm ; Moses, aged thirty-two, married, and in the mercantile business at Lowell, Massachusetts. The Little family, as will be seen in different parts of this history, have been con- nected very conspicuously with the interests of Buchan- an county. They now own about six hundred acres, besides C. H.'s farm of two hundred and thirty-six acres. They are among the prominent citizens of the county, and are honoring the good name left by Moses Little. William N. Comfort was born in Canada in the year 1 82 7, and came to the United States at the age of eigh- teen, locating in Cook county, Illinois. In 1855, he purchased a farm of eighty acres. In 1869 he sold his farm, and coming to Iowa, he purchased the farm of two hundred and forty-four acres where he now resides, in Perry township. He built the nice house and barn, and set out the fine shade and fruit trees, that now make this one of the fairest farms in Buchanan county. Mr. Comfort was married in 1849 to Miss Matilda Blackman, of St. Charles, Illinois, and they have seven children. Z. A., aged thirty, married and lives on his own farm, about one mile east of his father. W. J., aged twenty- eight, is married and lives on a farm south of Jesup. George Nelson, aged twenty-six, is married and lives on a farm opposite his father's. E. W., twenty-two, is sin- gle and lives at home. Elmer Ellsworth, seventeen, and Mary M., fourteen, both live at home. Mr. Comfort is one of the leading men of Buchanan county, and has by his own exertions accumulated quite a handsome property. He is very extensively engaged in the stock and dairy business. Mr. Comfort, though well off in this world's goods, does not allow that to occupy his en- tire time and attention; he is an ardent Christian and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He al- ways has a word of cheer for the depressed in spirit, and is ever ready to turn his fellow man from the paths of vice and sin to the way of life everlasting; and though he has one of the finest houses in the county, he gave liberally when his society built the Lord's house in Jesup. Russell Andrews was born in Broome county. New York, in 181 2, and moved to Chicago at the age of twenty-three, which was before the now famous city was an incorporated village. Mr. Andrews lived in the same county and watched its growth up to its present mam- moth proportions. In those days Indians infested that neighborhood. In 1874 he came to Iowa and pur- chased a farm in this county. Since that time he has visited the mines of Colorado and several of the terri- tories. In 1878 he purchased the beautiful farm where he flow resides. Mr. Andrews was married April 23, 1837, to Miss Hulda Martin, of Massachusetts. She died July 27, 1874, leaving seven children living. Lydia M., aged forty, wife of Murat Sayles; Jessie I), thirty- 322 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. six, married and living in Denver, Colorado; Mary E., thirty-four, wife of D. A. Spearin, who also lives in Col- orado; Cardine F., thirty-two, single and living in Mon- tana; Willis E., twenty-six, married, and farming the home place; Stephen R., twenty-four, single and living in Michigan; and Betsy A., twenty, single and living in Lead- ville. We find Mr. Andrews one of the go-ahead, har- dy, energetic men who have developed the great re- sources of Buchanan county. Though he is now an old man, he is yet full of life and business. Mr. Andrews is living with his son Willis, who has two nice twin boys, seven months old. They are the first grandchildren of the Andrews name, and it is hoped they will grow up with the business ability of their grandfather. William H. Gates was born in Lebanon, New Hamp- shire, in 1819. At the age of twelve he moved with his parents to Canada, but returned in two years to New Hampshire. At the age of twenty he moved to Brad- ford, Vermont, where he engaged in the carriage bus- iness. In 1857 he came to Iowa and purchased a farm of one hundred and thirty-four acres in Perry township, where he still resides. He built a fine residence and set out fruit and shade trees and improved his farm general- ly. Mr. Gates has been the choice of his fellow citizens at several elections. He has held the offices of township trustee, and clerk, and at the last election was elected supervisor. Mr. Gates was married in October, 1841, to Miss Mira A. Hyde, of Bradford, Vermont. This sketch is written on the twenty-ninth anniversary of his mar- riage. They have eight children living: Wille H., aged thirty-six, married and lives in Osceola county, Iowa; Jane H., aged thirty-four, married to VV. N. Har- rison, and lives in Sterling, Illinois; Katie E., single, and at home; George W., aged twenty-six; Charles H., aged twenty-four; Edward F., aged seventeen; Harry W., aged fifteen. Mr. Gates is very comfortably situated in this world's goods, and is one of Buchanan's model farmers and men, and has contributed largely to its growth and welfare. He has friends wherever he is known and is enjoying life as he has a right to. Mr. Gates invented the first patent ever patented in this county-it being a well auger, which has proved quite a success and has been a source of profit to a considerable extent. Alexander Boyack was born in Foifershire, Dundee, Scotland, in the year 1829. He came to this country at the age of twenty-three, locating in Rockford, Illinois, where he remained in the grain business about four years. He came to Iowa in 1S54, locating in Indepen- dence. He opened a stone-quarry, and furnished a gen- eral line of building material. He furnished the material for the erection of the court house, and the school- houses east and west. He hauled the first load of rock to build the new magnificent asylum before the ground was surveyed for its erection. In 1872 he bought the farm in Perry township, where he still resides. He is engaged in the stock-raising and dairy business quite ex- tensively. Mr. Boyack was married in 1851, to Miss Sarah Thompson, of Glasgow, Scotland. They have seven children, all of whom make their father's house their home. Mr. and Mrs. Boyack have been members of the Presbyterian church ever since their marriage. They are now the possessors of a splendid farm, a good home and are among the substantial people of Buchanan county. W. S. Richmond was born April 5, 1841, in the Do- minion of Canada. At the age of four he came to the United States, locating in Cain county, Illinois, where he attended school and worked on the farm until he was thirteen years of age, w-hen he moved to Brema county, Iowa, and worked in a mill and on a farm until he was eighteen years of age. Shortly after he went to Pike's Peak and engaged in the mining business; but returned in about one year with some success in his pocket. Soon after his return he enlisted in the three months' service. After fulfilling this agreement he again enlisted in com- pany H, .Second Iowa cavalry, and was under the doc- tor's care, flat on his back, about one year afterwards. As soon as he was able to be about, his patriotism again manifested itself by reenlisting, but was not accepted on account of disability. He engaged in the milling bus- iness in Littleton as soon as his health permitted. He continued at this about six years, when he purchased, and moved on, the farm where he now resides, in Perry township. Mr. Richmond is a heavy farmer and feeder. He has on hand about one hundred head of hogs and forty head of cattle, and is at present largely engaged in the dairy business. Mr. Richmond was married on March 7, 1863, to Miss Betsy M. Hovey, of Perry town- ship. They have four children: Alice A., aged sixteen; Adda M., age fourteen; Albert G., aged twelve; Aha H., aged eight months. Mr. Richmond is serving his second term as township trustee. He has a fine farrp and all that the heart of man can ask for. J. D. Dobell was born in Otsego county. New York, in 1840. At the age of three he moved with his parents to Chemung county, where he resided until sixteen years of age, when he moved to St. Charles, Illinois, and went into the baking business, but soon after changed his plans and engaged in farming and teaming, until he en- listed in company C, Nineteenth Illinois infantry. He served his country three and one-half years. In the bat- tle of Chickamauga he was severely wounded, from the effects of which he lay in the hospital seven months. He was a faithful soldier, but will be a disabled man all his days. He returned home in 1864, and engaged in teaming and carried on a restaurant about one year, when he sold out the restaurant and engaged in the butchering business, which he continued about one year, and then clerked five years in a dry goods store. In 1876 he moved to Jesup, Iowa, bought a city block and built a fine residence, where he still lives. Since com- ing to Jesup he has been engaged in merchandise and farming. One thing we wish to add to Mr. Dobell's army history, is that though he lost the ball of his right shoulder, he tried to join the army four months after his wound; and though he was not admitted till seven, he served his country eight months. The time he was wounded he lay three days on the field. Mr. Dobell was married August 20, 1865, to Miss E. M. Whitcomb, of Palatine, Illinois. They have one child, Leroy, aged HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 323 nine. Mr. Dobell is now very pleasantly situated, with friends on every hand, and seems prepared to enjoy life in the future. Charles Hoyt was born in Essex county, Vermont, in 1839. He, in company with an older brother, came to Iowa in 1857, bought a saw-mill in Fayette county, and run it until 1861, when Charles enlisted in company F, Third Iowa infantry. He served his country through the war, making in all about five years. He was in about twenty different engagements, and was never wounded or taken prisoner, in all the conflicts. After his return from the army, he returned to Manchester, Iowa, where he engaged in the grain business until the year 1869, when he moved to Jesup. Here he built an elevator and again engaged in the grain business. He bought as high as one hundred and fifty thousand bushels of grain a year. He was married, in 1866, to Miss B. F. George, of Fayette. They have six children: Eva, aged twelve; Minnie E., aged ten; Jesse H., aged eight; Charles E., aged si.\; Elwell E., aged four; and an infant, not named, all of whom are at home, and constitute a very nice, happy family. Mr. Hoyt is one of Jesup's prominent business men. By his own exertions he has accumulated quite a handsome little fortune. T. F. Kenyon was born in Oneida county. New York, in the year 1844. His father, O. L. Kenyon, was a merchant in Rome, New York. Mr. T. F. Kenyon's early days were spent in school. Clerked eight years for the firm of R. V. Yates, of Utica, New York. In the year 1862 he entered the army, enlisting in company G, One Hundred and Seventeenth regiment. New York in- fantry. After serving his country faithfully two years, he came to Buchanan, and located in Jesup, in the year 1868, where he commenced the general dry goods busi- ness, and continued it very successfully for four years, when he sold his entire stock to C. M. Newton, and en- gaged as travelling salesman for the firm of Boies, Fay & Co., of Chicago. This business he followed three years, and then returned to Jesup, and again engaged in the general mercantile business, which he is carrying on still and very successfully. Mr. Kenyon is one of those sub- stantial business men who are the pillars of trade in their community. His gentlemanly bearing and easy manners command at once your respect and admiration. Is a jolly bachelor, and enjoys life hugely. F. E. Randall was born in Broome county. New York, in the year 1856. His father. Nelson Randall, died when F. E. was but four years old. He lived with his mother, and attended school most of the time until he was about fifteen years of age, after which he "worked on the farm and helped his grandfather, Augustus Randall, at the shoe trade. In the year 1874 he moved to this county, and resided near Independence about one year, when he came to Jesup and commenced the harness and saddle business, with Mr. Thomas Styer. He soon bought out his partner, and has ever since run the busi- ness alone ; keeps hired help, and does all the business of the town in this line. Mr. Randall was married in the year 1876, to Miss Anice C. Cameron, of Jesup. They have two children : Bertha, age 3 — birthday on the third of October, same day as that of her father ; Fannie, aged one year. Mr. Randall has a new and beautiful home. Is doing a good business. Is a gentleman in every sense of the word, commands the respect of the community, and has friends on every side. George S. Murphy was born in Delaware county, Ohio, in the year 1846. His father, James Murphy, was a farmer, and moved to Iowa, Black Hawk county, in the year 1856, where he purchased a farm. Mr. G. S. Murphy lived at home and attended school until the year 1869, when he went to Dakota territory, and re- mained two years. Returned to Sibley, Osceola county, Iowa, and engaged in the agricultural im|)lement busi- ness. In the year 1873 he was employed as cashier in the Osceola County bank, which position he held five yeais, when his health failing, he had to spend several months in recruiting. In 1879 came to Jesup, and or- ganized the bank of which he is cashier. Mr. Murphy was married in the year 1872, to Miss Hattie Franklin, of Black Hawk county, Iowa. Have one child, Mary, aged six years. Mr. Murphy was the youngest son of a family of seven children. Has had a wide experience in the world. He is one of Jesup's foremost business men, and, as a cashier, is a grand success. H. G. Wolf was born in Monroe county, Pennsyl- vania, in the year 1844. His father, John Wolf, moved to Wisconsin in the year 1855. He lived at home and in his father's family till he was seventeen years of age, when he enlisted in company B, Thirty-first Wisconsin infantry. Served his country nearly four years ; was wounded at Peach Tree Creek, Georgia. Received six gunshot wounds in the left side from his ankles to his neck, losing middle finger on left hand at same time. Was taken prisoner in same battle, and was held in the prison pens four months, when, by a daring effort in com- pany with thirty-five others, escaped at the peril of their lives, and rejoined Sherman's army at Savannah, on the twenty-third day of December, 1864. They then drove Johnston's army to Raleigh, where he surrendered. Was soon after mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky (on January 21, 1865). Then settled in Brandon, Iowa, and worked at the carpenter trade two years, when he engaged in the furniture business in Vinton. In 1870 he came to Jesup, and engaged in merchandise, and is still in that business. Mr. Wolf was married in 1872, to Miss Bertha A. Smith, 01 Jesup ; has four children : Ransome L., aged nitte; Cora^£is aged seven; Howard H., aged five. The fourth is a little daughter of two months, unnamed. Have a fine home,and, though they do not keep the wolf from the door, are a happy family. Mr. Wolf is a lover of fine stock, and makes it a branch of his farming. Jacob Hohl was born in Germany in 1844; lived with his father in Canada, and attended school till about four- teen years of age, when he started in the butcher busi- ness with William Head, and remained with him fifteen years. He then commenced the business of buying and shipping cattle to eastern markets, at the same time car- rying on the butcher business. This he continued until 1870, when he came to Iowa, locating in Jesup, where he 324 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. has since resided and wiiere he still carries on the butch- ering business, and shipping stock east. Mr. Hohl was married October 3, 1877, to Miss Jane Bocard, of Elora, Ontario. They have two children — Frederick, twelve, and Barbara, six years old. They constitute a happy family, and live in a nice home. Mr. Hohl is one of Jes- up's wide-awake business men, and has fought the battles of life without inherited money to help him. He has a nice farm and home, and much other property, to show what can be done when a man works with a purpose. Mary E. Grattan was born in Wayne county, New York, in 1820. Her father, Richard Wilcox, died when she was nine years old. She attended school, and se- cured her own livlihood till she was twenty-eight years of age, when she married M. A. Grattan, who proved a kind husband and provided a good home. He is a black- smith by trade and worked at it in Yorkshire for eight years. They then moved to Waterloo, Black Hawk county, Iowa, where Mr. Grattan worked at his trade four years, when they moved to Jesup and engaged in farming four years, after which he again returned to work at his trade, and is still one of the village blacksmiths. By their united industry they have bought a nice home and are well prepared to spend their last days happily. While Mr. and Mrs. Grattan are seventy-one years of age, they are very active, and so full of life that they appear twenty years younger than they really are. R. S. Searls was born in Ohio, in the year 1823. He lived with his father, Richard Searls, on the farm, till he was twenty years of age, after which he attended school three years in Kirtland, Ohio; taught school one term, and clerked in his brother's (O. C. Searls) store two years; made a visit to Illinois, and, on his return, in the spring of 1848, was shipwrecked on Lake Michigan; paid his last twenty-five cents for his breakfast at Paines- ville, Ohio, having lost everything on the lake; engaged in the stock business two years, after which he moved to Mc- Henry county, Illinois, where he continued the stock business three years. He moved to Iowa in 1855, bought a section of land in Fayette county, and built a house and improved the farm. Stock and grain were so low that he rented his farm and engaged in merchandising in Jesup. He was Jesup's first postmaster. He continued in business four years, when he went to buying and ship- ping stock. He bought the farm he now owns in 1865; has built fine buildings, set out trees, and improved the farm, until it is now among the best in Buchanan county. Mr. Searls was married August 29, 1852, to Miss C. A. Damon, of Ohio. They have two children — Arthur R., married and living in Jesup; Letta Bell, aged nine years. As will be seen by this sketch, Mr. Searls has risen by his own exertions from the starting point to a position of independence. R. R. Miller was born in Westminster, Windham county, Vermont, in 1832. He lived with his father, Robert Rodgers Miller, on his farm, and attended school until he was twenty-one years old. (The man Rodgers who skated away from the Indians on the Hudson river, was a great uncle of -Mr. Miller's father, and for him he was named Rodgers.) At the age of twenty-one Mr. Miller went to work in the insane asylum at Providence, Rhode Island ; was overseer of a ward in that institution two years, when he went to Livingston county, Illinois, and purchased a farm. He came to Iowa in the year 1866, and purchased a farm of three hundred acres, one hundred and sixty of which is situated on the eastern edge of Black Hawk county, and the balance on the western edge of Buchanan county, all lying in one body, being only divided by the county line. The first cost was ten dollars per acre, and was raw prairie, without the first improvement upon it. In the year 1867 he built a house twenty-two by twelve, where his present house now stands. In 1869 he built the very fine house that now adorns the farm, which cost about three thou- sand dollars. The same year he built the horse barn, across the road from the house. In 1877 he built an- other fine large barn just south of the horse barn. Dur- ing this time Mr. Miller set out fruit and shade trees, planted wind breaks, and put his farm under a splendid state of cultivation. Mr. Miller has always made stock- raising a business in connection with his extensive farm- ing, and has as high as fifty head of cattle, one hundred and twenty hogs, and eight horses at a time. He is at present quite extensively engaged in the dairy business — milks thirty-nine cows — has a third interest in a large creamery on his farm, known as the Big Spring creamery, a full account of which will be found in another part of this history. Mr. Millei was married March 23, 1857, to Miss Amanda Wright, of Westminster, Vermont. They have no children of their own, but have adopted a bright girl — Florence W. — six years old. Though Mr. Miller's house and part of his farm is situated in Black Hawk county, his Buchanan county friends wanted him lecog- nized in the history that contained their interests. We find Mr. Miller one of the drive-wheels of the commu- nity, and, as will be seen by this sketch, he is one of the big farmers of Iowa. Both Mr. and Mrs. Miller are members of the Baptist church. Eli Cutshall was born in Maryland, Frederick county, in the year 1813. At the age of eight he emigrated with his father, Samuel Cutshall, who was a soldier in the War of 181 2, to Ohio, locating within two miles of Dayton, which was at that time a very small town. Here Mr. Cutshall lived upon a rented farm for fifteen years, when they moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father entered a quarter section of land, which Mr. Cutshall farmed till the year 1839. He came to Iowa in 1855, and purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Perry township, where he still resides. He has since bought land so that he now owns two hundred and thir- ty-nine acres. When Mr. Cutshall came to this county his nearest neighbor was one mile off, and only two houses between him and Waterloo, long before the city of Jesup ever was thought of Mr. Cutshall built his house in 1866, planted fruit and shade trees, and put his farm under good cultivation. Mr. Cutshall was married in September, 1841, to Miss Dorcas Price, of Indiana. They have eleven children living: Anna M., aged thirty- seven, married Mr. James Thayer in 1872, and lives in Nebraska; Samuel L., aged 35, married Jennie Moyer HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 325 in 1870, and lives in Clay county, Iowa: Thomas J., aged thirty-three, married Katie Wolf in 1871, and lives in Osceola county, Iowa; Mary Jane, aged thirty-one, married David Whitney in 1871, and lives in Osceola county, Iowa; Sarah M., aged twenty-nine, married Ankney Buckmaster, who died in 1879, and Mrs. Buck- master now resides in Nebraska ; Kallie, aged twenty- seven, single, and lives at home ; Joseph H., aged twen- ty-five, single, and lives in Nebraska; George W., aged twenty-one, Hester L., aged nineteen, Eli G., aged six- teen, C. W., aged fourteen — all of whom make their father's house their home. As will be seen by this sketch Mr. Cutshall has always been a frontiersman, but as his reward he is now very pleasantly situated in regard to this world's goods. They are a fine family, and friends to everybody. We are pleased to say that Mr. Cutshall is a Republican. They are members of the Methodist church. Mr. Cutshall's son, Samuel, enlisted in com- pany B, Fourth Iowa cavalry, in 1863, served his country over two years, and was in several engagements, and helped drive old Forrest off his roost. He was never off duty, nor wounded, nor taken prisoner. Mrs. Caroline Hills was born in Grafton, New Hamp- shire, in the year 181 1. At the age of six she moved with her father, Daniel Richards, to the State of New- York. She married Mr. Edwin Hills in the twenty-third year of her age, in 1834. They moved to Walworth county, Wisconsin, in 1S42. At the end of eighteen months they moved to Winnebago county, Illinois, where they remained till 1852, when they came to Iowa, locat- ing one-half mile east of Littleton, where Mrs. Hills still owns^sixty acres of land. Mr. Hills died May 11, 1854. Mrs. Hills lost a little (laughter, Adelia, aged twelve years, just five days pVe'Vious to her husband's death. Mrs. Hill's son, William Oscar, enlisted in company G, at the age of seventeen. He served his country faithful- ly till he was taken sick as the army lay in the open field hospital after the battle of Atlanta. He was sick four weeks before he was taken to the hospital, and only lived two weeks afterwards. He died at Chattanooga Novem- ber 12, 1865, and was buried in the beautiful cemetery there. To such dead boys, who died in their youth for their country's cause and freedom's, the world cannot give too much praise. Mrs. Hills is a member of the Presbyterian church, and though she has no relatives in this State, yet she is not alone. Her circumstances are very pleasant and comfortable in this world's goods, and she is spending her days in trying to make others happy. In the year 1868 Mrs. Hills adopted Mary E. -McWil- liams, at the age of eight, who has lived with her ever since, and has borne the name of Mary E. Hills up to her marriage with Mr. Elon D. Sanders, who farms Mrs. Hills' farm. Though Mrs. Hills is sixty-nine years of age, she has never needed to use glasses, and can thread her needle by lamplight. E. D. Johnson was born in Huron county, Ohio, in 1839. At the age of sixteen he moved with his father, Jefferson Johnson, to Kent county, Michigan, where E. D. worked on the farm and attended school till he was twenty-two years of age, when he went to clerk for R. C. Luce, at Grand Rapids, Michigan. He remained with him five years, when he enlisted in company B, Twenty- first Michigan volunteer infantry. He served his country one year, when he was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of Stone River, Murfreesborough. He lay in the world-renowned, infamous Libby prison three months, when he was exchanged. Immediately afterward he re- ceived an injury of the spine, which has since made him an invalid, who can only walk by the aid of crutches. Though he could not stand erect after his hurt, he re- turned to his former employer and clerked for him. In the year 1867 he engaged in the mercantile business upon his own responsibility, and continued it for five years in Michigan. In the year 1872 he came to Iowa, locating in Littleton, and again engaged in the same business, and has since been thus engaged till within the last week he has sold to Mrs. Barber. Mr. Johnson's ability as a business man cannot be excelled in the coun- ty, and if it were not for his deplorable physical condition he would be one of the drive-wheels of the community. He is a good, honest Republican. They have two very bright little daughters, who, it is hoped, will live to bless them in years to come. Rev. J. D. Caldwell was born in Mercer county, Penn- sylvania, in 1828, and came to Iowa in 1856. His early life was spent on the farm and in school. After coming to Iowa he was a missionary under the auspices of the Home board of missions of the Presbyterian church, supplying all the Presbyterian churches in the counties of Black Hawk, Buchanan, and Greene. He has made Littleton his home for the last twenty-five years, and has preached there and at Jesup all this time. Mr. Caldwell had, previous to his theological studies, made medicine a study. He took lectures in Chicago since engaging in his ministerial labors, and has praciiced since 1875, in connection with his pastoral duties. Mr. Caldwell was married in 1856 to Miss Anna E. Hastings, of Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania. They have eight children : Orlan- do, aged twenty; Luella H., aged nineteen; Hattie J., aged seventeen ; Sally D., aged fifteen; Alice M., aged fourteen; Edith M., aged ten; John D., aged six; Jesse B., aged four — all of whom make their father's house their home. Rev. Mr. Caldwell graduated in Jefferson"" college, of Pennsylvania, in 1853, and has a diploma of the same. He has also a diploma from the Society of Inquiry of the same institution. He graduated in the Western theological seminary, of Allegheny City, Penn- sylvania, in 1856. He has braved the dangers and en- dured the hardships of a frontier life in his Master's, cause. His success as a physician has been such as would satisfy greater professional ambition than his. Mrs. Lucy L. Barber was born in the State qf New York in the year 1822. Came to Iowa from Michigan in the year 1S64, and located on a farm in this township near Kier post office. Her husband, John A. Barber, died in the year 187 1, at the age of fifty-nine, leaving a family of three children: Eliza J., aged thirty-five, mar- ried E. V. Barkley in 1870, they now reside in Grunby county, Iowa; Etta D., aged twenty-five, married M. V. Wilber in 1873, reside in this county; Emma J., aged 326 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. eighteen, iiiariied J. E. Hayward November lo, 1880, engaged in the mercantile business in Littleton. He is a promising young man, and we predict for him a suc- cessful business career. Mrs. Barber has lived in Lit- tleton for the past four years, and has been speculating quite extensively in land and lots. Mrs. Barber is a member of the Presbyterian church. Richard Cook was born in Lincolnshire, England, November 22, 1821. Worked at farming from about 1829 to 1844. In April of 1844 he crossed the waters to Canada, landing in the city of Quebec June 9, 1844. In four years he had saved enough from his wages to send for his parents and brothers, and they came to America in 1848. He, in connection with his brothers and sisters, took care of their parents for some twenty years, when they went to the better land. He was mar- ried to Miss Margaret Robinson, of Warrensburgh, War- ren county. New York, March i, 1849. She was of Scotch parentage, coming directly from Scotlard to New York. Mr. Cook and wife attended college at Fort Ed- ward, New York, under the management of Rev. I. E. King; pursuing the scientific course, with Greek and French languages, and remained there about two years. Taught eleven years in the city of Troy after leaving clo- lege. Since teaching he has been employed as commer- cial agent, selling linen goods on the roads, and so con- tinues at this writing, November 25, 1880. Has been a Methodist local preacher for the past thirty years. Has lectured on temperance, also education and natural science. Has reared four orphan children — two boys and two girls, all of whom are doing quife well, and it is hoped his labor is not lost. He is fifty-nine years of age this day. Is hale and hearty, weighing two hundred and thirty-eight pounds, and hopes to live a little longer to fight the battle of life this side of the river, and then hopes to have the company of those who are gone be- fore. Mr. Cook is a Master Mason and not ashamed of the credit — a member of the Evening Star Lodge No. 75, West Troy, New York. H. M. Craton, M. D., was born in Richland county, Ohio, in the year 1833. At the age of nine years he moved with his father, George Craton, to Rousburgh (now Ashland county), where he lived seven years and attended school, when he moved to La Grange county, Indiana. Resided there six years with his father on the farm. Thence to Wisconsin with his father and located in Greene county, where he commenced the study of medicine. Attended lectures at Rush Medical college, Chicago, and at Keokuk, Iowa. Commenced the prac- tice of medicine in the year 1866 in the town of Anark, Illinois. At the expiration of six months he located in Rock Grove, Illinois. In the year 1867 he came to Jesup and commenced the practice of medicine, where he still practices and is doing a very satisfactory business. Dr. Craton was married in 1854 to Miss Rachel Rough, of Indiana. They have three children: George A., aged twenty-four, married to Miss Cook and living in Jesup; Ida A., aged twenty-two, married to W. H. Cook; Mar- tha A., single. In 1862 Mrs. Craton was taken away by death. The doctor was married again in 1865 to Miss H. M. Hawley. They have one son, aged eight years. Has been the people's choice for mayor and other posi- tions of trust. Elias Parker was born in the State of New York in the year 1829. Lived with his father till he was three years of age when his parents died (only two weeks between their deaths). His uncle. Orange Parker, took him to rear. He lived with his uncle and attended school most of the time till he was about fifteen years of age, when he went to his uncle Samuel Parker, in Eaton, Madison county, and learned the blacksmith trade and worked as journeyman until he was twenty-three years of age. He then set up his own shop and made edged tools. It was in those days when axes, etc., were made slower and bet- ter than they are now. At the age of twenty-seven he came to Iowa (1857), locating in this county at Little- ton. Here he worked at blacksmithing for six years. He then purchased a farm three miles west of Indepen- dence and farmed four years; then rented and moved to Jesup and started a smith and wagon shop, which he still runs with hired help very successfully. He has lately added to his business a large stock of general hardware and is doing a fine business. Mr. Parker was married when he was twenty-six years of age to Miss Amelia C. Brown, of Madison county. New York. Have five children: Ida, aged twenty-four; Olen B., aged nineteen; Julia I., aged fourteen; Freddie E., aged ten; Leora A., aged six. Mr. Parker has by his own exer- tions accumulated quite a competence, and is a wide- awake, pleasant business man, and one of the drive- wheels of Jesup's business engine. Isaac Muncey was born in the State of New York, Utica, Oneida county, in 1829. He lived with his fath- er in Utica until he was nine years of age, when his family moved to Illinois, locating thirty miles west of Chicago, in DuPage county. Mr. Muncey resided at home upon the farm until his father's death, which took place in 1840. His oldest brother being married, and the next one soon after, it devolved upon him and a brother next older than himself to look after the farm and care for their mother. Mr. Muncey says then was when he saw hard times, and a ten-cent piece looked as big as a cart-wheel to him. They sold cows for eight dollars that would to-day bring thirty-five. He says the far west complains of hard times, but he thinks they lack his experience or they would call them pretty good. In 1866 Mr. Muncey moved to this county, and engaged in stock raising and farming, often having on hand as high as two hundred head of cattle at a time. In 1867 he broke seventy acres of land and sowed it all to wheat, raising twenty-six bushels per acre, which he sold in Jesup at one dollar and forty-five cents per bushel. He owns three hundred and fifty acres of land and con- trols it all, besides being interested in a creamery with Messrs. Miller & Harris. He was married in 1856 to Mrs. Hulda Arnold, of DuPage county, Illinois, and they have four children: J. N., aged twenty-three; Fan- ny, nineteen; Frederick, seventeen; Emma, seven — all living at home. J. N. is helping his father in his busi- ness, and is a bright, active young man. Mr. Muncey HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 327 is very pleasantly situated in a beautiful home just in the suburbs of Jesup. Though over fifty years of age, he is full of life and vigor; he is one of the moving ele- ments in the business circles of the town. We cannot imagine a more desirable position than his, in the midst of a bright, happy family, and surrounded with friends. In 1879 he was chosen a member of the legislature, as a straight, square Republican. Thomas Taylor was born in Lamville, Vermont, in the year 1826, and lived with his father, E. Taylor, and at- tended school till he was twenty years of age, after which he learned the carpenter and joiner's trade. In 1856 he moved to Wisconsin pinery at \Vausaw, and worked at his trade about a year, when he engaged in the mercantile and lumber business. At the expiration of two years he sold the dry goods part of his business to his brother.in-law, R. E. Parcher, and continued in the lumber trade for six years. He handled lumber in a wholesale style by floating it down the river, and supplying towns down as far as St. Louis. In 1866 Mr. Taylor came to Iowa, this county, and purchased a farm of two hundred and seventy acres in Wcstburgh town- ship. At the same time he commenced the lumber business in Jesup, renting his farm. In the year 1876 he added a general stock of hardware to his lumber business which he is yet running, also supplying the city with lime, coal, etc. He sold his Westburgh farm and purchased one within a mile of the town. Mr. Taylor was married in the year 185 i, to Miss Lucinda Parcher, Monsville, V'ermont. They have two children — Nella L., aged twenty-five, and Robert Edward, aged eighteen, who helps his father in his business. Mr. Taylor is a wide-awake business man, and although he has several irons in the fire, he never lets any of them burn. They are a happy, prosperous family, and among the leading families of the place. Mr. Taylor is also a great lover of improvements, and has on his farm some of the finest cattle in the west. If you want to see a good square Republican, go and look at Mr. Taylor. Thomas G. Kelley was born in Chester county, Penn- sylvania, in the year 1830, and moved to Clark county, Ohio in 1856. In 1861 he bought a farm in this county, Perry township, of two hundred and eight acres, and moved onto it in 1866, where he still remains. Mr. Kelley is a machinist by trade, and most of his time since coming to Iowa has been occupied in that capacity. He was married in 1854 to Miss Elizabeth Bowls, of Chester county, Pennsylvania. They have no children living — lost an infant son, Town- send, in 1861. Mr. Kelley built a house in 1856; and has improved his farm until now he has one of the best farms of Buchanan county, and seems to be driving bus- iness on every hand. He is a Republican both by faith and practice. R. A. Cameron was born in the State of Indiana in 1845, his parents dying when he was small. He came to this county at about the age of seven with an uncle, Thomas Cameron, and lived with another uncle, M. L. DePoy, till eleven years ago, when he was married to Miss .\nna O'Brien, of this county. They have three children: Ada M., ten; Eva I., eight; Gary S., four. They are a bright, nice little family of girls. Mr. Cam- eron purchased the farm of eighty acres where he now resides, in 1878. Politically he is a Democrat, and relig- iously a Presbyterian. He is a gentleman who has an interest in his neighbor's welfare as well as his own. Dr. James Muncey was born in the State of New York in 1825 ; lived with his father, Isaac Muncey, on the farm till 1837, when he moved to Illinois, near Chicago, where he attended school principally till he was twenty-one years of age. In the winter of 1858, there being no school in that vicinity of the country, Mr. Muncey together with seven other boys built an additional room to a man's house and hired a lady teacher for one dollar and a half a week. The school consisted of eight boys and four girls. Mr. Muncey's, father died in 1840. Mr. Muncey attended medical lectures at Philadelphia and gradua- ted at Chicago. Commenced the practice of medicine in Campbell, Illinois, in 1851; crossing the plains to Cali- fornia, where he practiced about three years. Returned in 1854 and located in Black Hawk county, spending his winters in hospital practice in Chicago. Has prac- ticed in Black Hawk county, and in Chicago about twenty-five years. Dr. Muncey carried the first pill bags that were used in Black Hawk county. In 1867 he moved to Jesup and built a handsome residence where he still resides. Is still practicing medicine; a large amount of his practice is in Black Hawk county. In the spring of 1854 he purchased five hundred acres of land which he stocked and improved and sold at quite an advance. Dr. Muncey was married in 1856 to Miss Anna McCloud, formerly of Montreal, Canada, and of Scotch parentage. Have four children, twosonsand two daughters. The doctor has friends on every hand; is liv- ing happily in the midst of a fine family and a good home. Is one of Jesup's indispensable men. He is medical director of Barely township. Black Hawk county; Perry tow-nship, and also of the city of Jesup. Mrs. Muncey, and her daughter Nora, have displayed wonderful taste in mounting birds, and have a fine collection of their own work. The doctor has the finest flower garden in the county. Over three hundred varieties, it presents one of the grandest feasts for the eye the west affords. James O'Brian was born in Ireland in 1822, emigrated to America in 1836, locating in the State of Delaware in the town of New Castle. Remained in the State about twenty-one years. Moved to Butler county, Ohio, in 1857. Came to Iowa in March, 1862, and purchased the farm he now lives on, there being three hundred and seven acres in all. Mr. O'Brian is quite extensively en- gaged in the stock business. Was married in 1846 to Miss Martha Kelley, of Delaware, who died, leaving three sons and three daughters, three of whom are living and three dead. Married the second time in 1870 to Miss Elizabeth Miller, formerly from Holmes county, Ohio. They have one little daughter, Effie Louisa, age nine. We find Mr. O'Brian a very pleasant gentleman and from this on you will find him a good, square Repub- lican. T. W. Rich was born June 29, 1825, in the State of 328 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. New York. Lived with his father, Samuel Rich, on the farm till he was nineteen years of age, when he went to Vermont and attended school four months in Grand Isle county; after which he worked on the farm for a man six months. Spent the following winter at home on the farm and attending school; but attended school only nine days. After various changes in business and loca- tion, occupying the time from 1843 to 1868, we find the subject of this sketch, locating in Jesup in the spring of the latter date. Here he bought the farm (now owned by I. H. Stodard) and moved on it in the fall of the same year, where he resided till February last, when he sold and again returned to Jesup and bought the property where he now resides. About five years of the thirteen, when he owned the farm, he spent as travelling salesman, and has been engaged at the same since coming to town. Mr. Rich was married September 13, 1845, to Miss Matilda S. Berry, of Franklin county, New York; have nine children living — Sarah M., age thirty-three, married Mr. Marcellus Denio in 1866, who was an engineer, and was killed on the railroad .'\pril 8, 1879 ; she was married again February 26, 1880, to Mr. Roy Wel- lington, now living in Harvard, Illinois; George F., age thirty, married Miss Julia Smith, October 2, 1879, liv- ing at Harvard Illinois; Lester M., twenty-eight, single, lives at Cedar Rapids; De Forest T., age twenty-four, married Miss Ida Beckley, March 10, 1878, lives in this county; Frederick S., age twenty-two, single and lives in Illinois; Charles A. Rich, age twenty, single, lives at home; De.xter H., who died September 14, 1865, at the age of nineteen months; Estella E., age fourteen; Mary E., age nine, both living at home. Mr. Rich is one of Buchanan's prominent citizens, and Jesup's first business men. He is a man who has large experience in the world, has a nice home and fine family. B. F. Munger was born in Columbia county, New York, in 1835. His father, David Munger, moved to Ashta- bula county, Ohio, when B. F. was a mere child. Here he resided till the year 1855, when he came to Iowa with his parents and located in this county, Fairbank town- ship, where his father had previously purchased one hun- dred and twenty acres of land. i\Lade his home at his father's until the year 1863, when he married Miss Sarah Richardson, formerly of Ohio (an old school-mate and friend). He rented a farm the first year, and joined the one hundred days service and served his time out and returned to his farming interests. Bought pieces of land at different times till now he owns the wholesome num- ber of five hundred and sixty acres, besides several valu- able lots in Hazleton. Is extensively engaged in the stock and dairy business, besides farming extensively. They have four children — Mavro, twelve years old; Bertie, six years old; Katie F., two years; Lousis S., six months old. They are a wide-awake little family. Mr. Munger is in- deed one of the big farmers and stock raisers in Bu- chanan county. He is a good neighbor, besides being one of those who are helping to make it an honor to be a Fairbank farmer. O. P. Soper was born in Franklin county. New York, n 1S27. .\t the a^'j of ekven he moved with his father. Joseph Soper, into the Brasher, St. Lawrence county. Went to Illinois in the year 1850, thence to Wisconsin. Spent a year in the pinery, during which time his father died, and he returned and brought his mother to Iowa, it being the year 1851, and entered two hundred acres of land in Fairbank township, where he still resides. The first house he built was a log hut, fourteen by eighteen feet. His neighbors came from seven to eight miles around to the raising. Fifty-two took dinner. They came to get acquainted with the newcomer, as well as to do the raising and get a good bite. Has since added to his acres till now he has three hundred and four in all. Built his present dwelling in 1864. Has planted fruit and shade trees, and has his farm under a splendid state of cultivation, so that now he can lie in his own shade and eat his own apples. Mr. Soper was married in 185 1 to Miss Hannah Gray, formerly of New York, but raised in Wisconsin. Have ten children — J. M, aged twenty- seven, married, and lives at Quasqueton ; Phcebe Caro- line, aged twenty-four, married J. M. Smith, lives one- half mile east of her father; Alondon, aged twenty-two; Hannah Electa, aged twenty; Lavina Naomi, aged eighteen; Charles M., aged sixteen; Mary, aged fourteen; Julia, aged twelve; William, aged ten; Anna, aged two. All the single children are living at home and constitute a wide-awake, lively family. As will be seen by this sketch Mr. Soper was one of Buchanan's first settlers. Mrs. Amelia Wright was born in New York in 1835; moved with her father, Darius Hewett, to Illinois, in 1839. Married Mr. William C. Wright, in the year 1856, who died in July, 1878, leaving a family of seven children, two of whom are now deceased. Their ages and names at present are as follows: Letty, aged twenty- two, married Mr. Clem Dorland and now resides in Fair- bank; Dodo, aged seventeen; Kittie, aged fourteen; Gelea, aged twelve; Cora, aged nine. All the single chil- dren make their mother's house their home. Mr. Wright bought the piece of land of ninety acres, where the fam- ily still reside, in the year 1854. Has made several ad- ditional purchases, so that there are two hundred and eight acres in all, eighty-five of which are in Mrs. Wright's own name. We find Mrs. Wright a very genial, pleasant •woman. She is an earnest member of the F"ree Will Baptist church, and is raising her family to fear God and keep his commandments. Captain H. F. Sill was born in Livingston county, New York, in 1835. Came to Iowa in 1852, and preempted one hundred and twenty acres in Fairbank township. Returned to New York, came back to remain perma- nently in 1858, when he purchased forty acres more, and has since added to his farm. He owns now three hun- dred acres. In 1862 he enlisted in company C, Twenty- seventh Iowa infantry. When the company was organ- ized he was chosen second lieutenant, and was chosen first lieutenant in a few days. In 1864 was chosen cap- tain of the company; served his country in that capacity three years, when the war closed and he returned home. Was in such favor with his men that he bears the hon- ored title still, and will while he lives. Captain Sill was married in 1867 to Mrs. Augusta Laton; have five chil- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 329 dien — two sons and three daughters — Henry M., aged thirteen; Anna M., aged twelve; Austin W., aged seven Minnie B, aged four; Myrtie A., aged two. The captain engages in the stock business along with his extensive farming. Has what he deserves — one of Buchanan's best farms and good homes. Joseph Wolgamott was born in Maryland in 1824. His parents moved to Holmes county, Ohio, when he was a babe. Came to Iowa in 1855. Bought the farm of two hundred and seventeen acres where he now resides, in Fairbank township. Was married in 1851 to Miss Atha Buckmaster, of Ohio. Have seven children living — five sons and two daughters. Mr. Wolgamott came into this county in an early day. Commenced a frontier life in Ohio, and has had a full share of experience in this line. Long may he live to enjoy the reward of early privations. A. R. Wolgamot was born in Holmes county, Ohio, January 10, 1852. At the age of four he came to Iowa with his father, Joseph Wolgamot, and located in Fair- bank township on a farm. Mr. A. R. Wolgamot com- menced business for himself July 12, 1876, engaging in the drug business in Fairbank. Read medicine and practiced three years previous to that. Resided upon the farm till twenty years of age, after which he attended school at Hopkins three years. Was married June 10, 1877, to Miss Clara G. Graham, of Delaware county. Have two children — Winnie Olta, two years old; Lita May, seven months old. Has recently built a splendid house, in fact the best one in Fairbank. B. F. Ranney was born in Cattaraugus county. New York, in 1856. At the age ot twelve he came to Iowa with his father, J. C. Ranney, locating in the town of Fairbank. Mr. B. F. Ranney commenced doing business for himself soon after he was sixteen years of age, first working on the farm, but in March, 1880, he commenced the grocery business in his town, and continues it still, very successfully. He still enjoys single blessedness. He is politically a Democrat, and has an interest in the business welfare of his community. J. C. Myers was born in Marshall county, Illinois, in 1843. He came to Iowa in 1855, and engaged in farm ing with his father, Jacob Myers, until he was twenty- one, when he engaged in the mercantile business in Fairbank, in which he has been engaged exclusively since. Mr. Myers was married, in 1866, to Miss Rebec- ca J. Shults, of Fayette county. They have two chil- dren: Minnie Bell, age fourteen; and Harry E., aged eight. Mr. Myers has a fine stock of goods and a fine trade, and has one of the finest homes in the town. He is a natural business man, and from the fact that he has been in business in one place for the last seventeen years, we may predict permanency in the future — new styles, but the same old merchant. G. B. Ward, M. D., was born at Centre Point, Linn county, Iowa, in 1856. He lived at home with his father, Dr. A. B. Ward, until his death, which occurred March 30, 1879. He attended school at Ann Arbor, in the department of medicine and surgery and graduated luly I, 1880. He had previously studied medicine under his father, and took a course of nine months' lec- tures in 187 7-8, and practiced, for a time, in Fairbank, where he has practiced since his graduating. It is but justice to say that Dr. Ward is a young man of fine ability. He has a complete understanding of his pro- fession, and we predict that he will, in no far future day, rank among the leading physicians of Iowa. Dr. Ward was married, May 12, 1880, to Miss Ella J. Berry, of Ohio. Dr. Ward's office shows he is a man of an in- quiring mind and of splendid taste. He has a geolog- ical collection, arranged in fine order, making a very interesting and attractive office. J. I. Minkler was born in Canada, in 1830, and came to the United States in 1840, and located iai New York. He went to Illinois in 1856, and remained about three years, when he returned to New York, and remained two years. In 1861 he returned to Illinois and lived there until 1864, when he came to Iowa and located in the village of Fairbank, where he has resided ever since. He owned a half interest in, and run, the mill about two years. He engaged in the dry goods business in 1856, in company with his present partner, F. \V. Nichols, and has continued the business successfully since. Mr. Minkler owns several farms, and has an interest in some others, owning in all about nine hundred acres. They own and run the mill in partnership. Mr. Minkler was married, in 1856, to Miss Martha Kent, of New York. Mr. Minkler got his start in the mining business, in Cali- fornia, in 1851 to 1853. As will be seen by the sketch, he is one of the wealthy men of Buchanan county. He is a pleasant, genial gentleman, and a friend to everybody. Dr. J. A. Ward was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1831. At the age of fifteen he moved with his father, Benjamin Ward, to Iowa, locating in Independence, in July, 1854. Dr. Ward commenced reading medicine with Henry L. Kirkem, of Springsville, Ohio, and fin- ished his study with Dr. Blymin, of Mansfield, Ohio. He commenced practice in Springsville, Ohio, and con- tinued about one year, when he moved to Independence and commenced his practice there, in 1854, and con- tinued until the breaking out of the war, when he joined the army and served three years, as assistant surgeon, in the Ninth Iowa cavalry. He returned to Indepencence after the war closed, and resumed the practice of medi- cine until the year 1875, when he located in Bradford Chickasaw county, where he practiced two years. He then moved to Jesup and practiced three years, and then came to Fairbank, in 1879, where he has purchased a stock of drugs, and, besides a successful business in that line, is enjoying a fine practice. Dr. Ward was married, in 1840, to Miss Irena Wilson, of Ohio. They have two children: Anna, aged thirty, married to Daniel Carson, and resides in Lynn county, Iowa; and Katie, aged twenty-three, married David Anthony, living in Jesup, Iowa. The doctor is a gentleman in every sense of the word, and rightfully enjoys the people's confidence, which he abundantly possesses. C. H. Procter was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1827. He went with his father, Leonard Procter, to the State of Vermont, when only a child. At the age of twenty-five, he moved to Charleston, Illinois, whore he 33° HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. engaged at the carpenter's trade four years, when he moved to Decatur, Illinois, and remained there in the neighborhood of fourteen years. He worked in a pump shop principally. He came to Iowa, this county, in October, 1868, and located in Fairbank, where he still resides. He has carried on blacksmithing and wagon- making principally. He run the grist-mill three years. Mr. Procter was married on December 29, 1846, to Miss D. A. Strong, of Pomfret, Vermont, who was born in February, 1827. They have only one child living, Cora A., aged sixteen, single and living at home. He has always been a Republican. L. Boutwell was born in Cattaraugus county. New York, in 1828. At about the age of nine he moved with his father, Charles Boutwell, to Illinois, locating in Cain county, where Mr. L. Boutwell spent his best days, en- gaged principally in farming. Enlisted August, 1862, in company I, One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Illinois infantry. Served his country about three years, when he was discharged at Washington in 1865. Was indeed a faithful soldier, and though he received a severe injury in his back, and a fit subject for the hospital a great deal of the time, yet he was too plucky to ever go there. Mr. Boutwell was married in 1850, to Miss Polly Nichols, of Illinois, who died in 1866, leaving two children: Charles, who is now twenty-eight years of age, married and lives in Nebraska; Eunice, twenty-two years of age, and mar- ried to Eresta Ward, and lives in Fairbank. Mr. Bout- well was married the second time, in 1866, to Mrs. Mary J. Taylor, of St. Charles, Illinois. They have one child, George, ten years old. Mr. Boutwell has served his voting friends as constable for the past four years, besides being among that number who honored his State and county by giving Garfield a sweeping majority in 1880. Dr. E. Wiltse was born in Canada in 1851, came to the United States when only about three years old with his father, Ale.xander Wiltse, who located in Colesburgh, Iowa, and remained there about two years, when they moved to Strawberry Point, where his mother still resides. Mr. Wiltse died October 7, 1876. Dr. Wiltse lived at home and attended school until he was nineteen years of age, when he attended school two years at Upper Iowa university. At the age of twenty-one he attended the Bennett Medical college, of Chicago. Commenced the practice of medicine in 1874, in Fayette, Iowa, where he remained till the year 1877, when he came to Fair- bank and established as a physician, where he is still practicing. Dr. Wiltse was married in 1873, to Miss Lucy Ann Dean, of Iowa. We feel that it is but justice to the doctor to say that he is a pleasant gentleman, and well worthy of the confidence the people repose in him. To give a little variety to our sketches, as well as to add a pleasant word for the doctor, we may state that he is a good, square Republican. John Leehey was born in Ireland, in 1840; came to America in 1844, located first in Massachusetts, where he lived only about one year, when he went to Brattle- borough, Vermont; moved to New York in 1851 ; moved to Pennsylvania in 1852; moved to Illinois in 1853; came to Iowa in 1855, and located in Dubuque county. Bought the farm of two hundred acres where he now resides in the year 1864, moved upon it in 1866, built his present residence in 1878. Has put up barn build- ings this last summer. Has planted fruit and shade trees, and has his farm under good cultivation. Was married in 1868, to Miss Ellen O'Connor, of Irish birth. Have four children: Moses D. , ten; Florence, five; Michael, three; Joseph, two — a rousing family of boys. We find Mr. and Mrs. Leehey very pleasant people. They have a nice farm and good home. Mr. John Leehey enlisted in company F, Tsventy-first Iowa volun teer infantry, in September, 1862. Served his country two and a half years. Lost a thumb in the battle of Port Gibson. Was discharged in February, 1864, on account of wounds. Was in two severe engagements. Alexander Stevenson was born in Pennsylvania in 1808. His parents moved to Ohio when Mr. Stevenson was a babe, locating m Ross county, where he remained until about the age of twenty-eight, when he went to Tippe- canoe county, Indiana, and remained six years, then moved to Boone county, and spent ten years. ^ Came to Iowa in 1850, locating in Fairbank township, where he bought forty acres of land and forty the year following, where he built a house and two barns, and resided until the spring of 1878, when he moved house and barns to the farm owned by his son John, where the two families now reside. Mr. Stevenson was married in 1834, to Miss Mary Ann Cameron, of Ohio. They have only one child living, John C, forty years of age, and was married September 4, 1861, to Miss Mary E. Wilson, of this county. Have six children living: Laura J., seventeen; Elmer, twelve; Effie, nine; Mertie, four; Eber, six; Ralph, two. Tliey constitute a bright, happy, lively family. Mr. J. C. Stevenson owns one of the best farms of Buchanan county, tw-o hundred and ninety acres in all. Has fine buildings and a nice home in every respect. Mr. Alexander Stevenson was among the first settlers of this county, and his name will be honored in the far future as among those who went forward with stout hearts to open the broad, fertile prairies of the great west. Samuel Wilson was born in Clarion county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1810, June loth, where he resided until he was forty-five years of age. In the meantime he had moved to Illinois, but returned disgusted with the unhealthiness of the country. Came to Iowa in 1855, purchased one hundred and twenty acres, paying eight dollars per acre in gold. Built his present fine brick residence in 1864, hauled the brick and quarried the stone himself. Built his barn in 1861. Mr. Wilson was married December 24, 1835, to Miss Sarah Henry, who died July 19, 1851, leaving a family of five children: Lewis P., forty three; Clarissa J., forty; Mary A., thirty-five; Alvin H., thirty- two ; Albert P., thirty. Mr. A\'ilson was married the second time, January 4, 1852, to Miss Mary A. Law. Have two children: Samuel L. Wilson, twenty-seven; Elizabeth M., twenty-five. Mr. Wilson ranks among the earliest set- tlers of this county. Was a pioneer in Pennsylvania. Was the first child born in Taba township, Pennsylvania. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 331 Has spent many a day in the western solitude, perfectly contented, anticipating and working for the comfortable days he is now enjoying. Has as good a farm and fine a home as one need wish. C. O. VVellman was born in New York in 1829. Came to Iowa in 1854, and bought the farm of one hundred and twenty acres, where he still resides, in Fairbank township. Built his house in 1869. Has his farm under good cultivation. Bought ten acres of timber in 1862. Was married in 1853 to Miss Elizabeth Agnew, who died in September, 1879. Has four children — Eugene, twenty-six, married and living in this township; Maggie, twenty-four, married James Vincent, and lives in Perry township; George O., twenty-two, married and lives with his father; Cora, twelve. Mr. Wellman is one of Bu- chanan's substantial farmers and sound Republicans. Henry Wilbur was born in Windham county, Vermont, in 1810, where he spent his early years on the farm and at- tending school. At the age of seventeen he went to the vicinity of Troy, New York, Rensselaer county, and en- gaged with Mr. John Gary, assisting him on his farm and in his tannery, and remained with him about six months, when he was taken sick with a fever, and after his recov- ery returned home to Vermont, where he taught school two winters and worked on the farm two summers, and then returned to New York. At that time there was only one steamer running between Albany and New York, so he took passage on a tow-boat to the city, where he lived about eight years, employed as hotel clerk most of the time. From the year 1835, Mr. Wilbur resided princi- pally in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, with the ex- ception of two years spent in Ohio, until 1857, in the month of'June, when he came to Iowa and bought the farm of one hundred and eight acres, where he still re- sides, in Fairbank township. He has since added to his possessions, until now he owns one hundred and fifty- three acres. He built his house in 1868. Mr. Wilbur has changed bis horiie and farm from a log hut and wild prairie to a fine residence and well cultivated fields, a change that may well make any man ieel that he has con- quered a kingdom. Mr. Wilbur was married in June, 1834, to Miss Ann J. Porter, of Nashua, New Hampshire, who was born in Lyme, New Hampshire, January 14, 1813. Have four children living and four deceased — Ann Augusta, forty-five, married in 1856 to John R. Lay- ton, who died in August, 1866, from effects of army service, leaving one son, Willie W., now twenty-one years of age; Mrs. Layton was again married, in May, 1867, to Mr. F. H. Sill, and resides in Fairbank township. Henry P. Wilbur, who was second lieutenant in company C, Ninth Iowa infantry, and died May 22, 1863, at the age of twenty-five, near Vicksburgh, while serving his country. Frederick M. Wilbur, who died July i, 1864, at the age of twenty-five ; he was the second son who lost his life in his country's cause. Sarah C, thirty-eight, single, and lives at home. Rowland G., who died De- cember 9, 1844, at the age of seventeen months, drowned at Medford, Massachusetts. Ellen B., who died October 25, 1846, at the age of fourteen. Clara F., thirty-three, married, in October, 1868, to Mr. G. W. Camp, and lives in Fairbank township. Melverton, twenty-seven, married January i, 1874, to Miss Etta D. Barber, also living in Fairbank township. As will be seen by this sketch, Mr. Wilbur has been one of the pioneers of Buchanan coun- ty. He is one of Buchanan's substantial farmers, and a straight Republican. Since the above was written, the publishers have re- ceived the following obituary notice of Mrs. Wilbur: Died, March 8, 1881, after many months of intense suffering, Mrs. Ann J , Wilbur, wife of Henry Wilbur, of Fairbank. Iowa. Mrs. Wilbur was born in Lyme, New Hampshire, January 14, 1813, and was married in Nashua, New Hampshire, Junes, 1834, reniovmg immediately to New York city, where her husband then resided. After a few years residence in New York and Massacliusetts, they returned to Nashua, which place tliey made their home until the spring of 1857, when they came to Iowa, that they might be nearer their older children. In leaving her New England home, Mrs. Wilbur severed many ties, for she was surrounded by warm, true friends, whose names were often spoken during thai last, long illness. In 1861 her two eldest sons. Henry and Frederick, volunteered in the war for the Union, and now the anxieties of a mother's heart began to be manifest in lines of care, and a look of trouble in the beautiful, dark eyes. The terrible blow, caused by the death of her son Henrv, at Vicks- burg, in May, 1863, was followed by another in 1864, when her son Frederick, who had returned from the army wasted by disease, yielded up his young life. These sacrifices told fearfully upon the mother's strength, and from this time on life's journey was often trod with falter- ing footsteps and failing strength. Ever gentle, kmd and thoughtful for the comfort of others, she went bravely on, waiting her Heavenly Father's call, and the rest which he has promised. She leaves a husband, son and three daughters, who mourn the loss of a faithful, devoted wife and mother. Rev. Bailey preached an im- pressive sermon from Hebrews, fourth chapter, ninth verse. P. N. Freeman was born in Massachusetts in the year 1826. At about the age of eighteen months his father, Harry Freeman, moved to the State of New York, where he remained till his death, which was in 1863. Mr. P. N. Freeman commenced to do for himself at the age of twenty-two, engaging in farming. Resided in that State till the year 1855, when he came to Iowa, locating on the southern line of Fayette county, where he lived thirteen years. In 1868 he sold and purchased the farm of two hundred and forty acres where he now resides, in section twenty-seven, Hazelton township, this county. Has since made some purchases of land, till now he owns in all three hundred and eleven acres. Mr. Free- man has a good house and farm buildings. His farm lays beautifully, and is under a good state of cultivation generally. Has shade and fruit trees planted, and every convenience of a western home provided. Mr. Free- rnan was married in 1849 to Miss Mary Dunton, who was born in the State of New York,in 1827. Have four children living : Walter M., twenty-six April last ; Flora C, eighteen in March ; Fannie, fifteen in December, 1880; Prentice M., thirteen, January 11, 1881. Mr. Freeman is one of those men who believes in voting for men instead of party. He belongs to the order of Odd Fallows. Mr. Freeman's interests have been associated with this county for the past twenty-five years. He is one of Buchanan's drive-wheels and business farmers. W. N. Norcott was born in Schoharie county, New York, in 182 i, where he lived until he was twenty-three years of age, when he moved to Brown county, and lived there sixteen years. Came to Iowa in May, 1870; 332 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. bought the farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres where he now resides in Fairbank township. Is engaged in stock raising and farming. Was married April 13, 1843. to Miss Margaret Becker, of New York. Have four children living: Howard, thirty-six, married Ezabel Ganan, in 1877, now residing at Waterloo, is a painter by trade ; Violet, thirty-one, married J. P. Anderson, of Otterville, January, 187 1 ; D. A., twenty-nine, married in 1879 to Miss Laura Williamson, reside at Otterville, farmer ; Willard, twenty-seven, married Miss Rachel Rust, September, 1876, farming in Perry township. Mr. Norcott has the horticultural department of farming in a good shape, has plenty of apples, berries, etc., etc. Has his farm under a good state of cultivation, and now owns one of Fairbank's best farms, and is a good farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Norcott are members of the Methodist Episco- pal church. Among the other many excellent qualities of Mr. Norcott, it may be mentioned that he is a good, stiff Republican. Weldon Gallop was born in Otsego county. New York, in 1 80 1. Spent his best days in that State, engaged principally at (arming. Moved to Pennsylvania in 1850, remained there about ten years. Came to Iowa in i860, and bought a farm of two hundred acres in Fairbank township, where he still resides. Mr. Gallop was married in 1820 to Miss Minerva Holcomb, of New York. Had ten children, all of whom are living and facing the re- sponsibilities of life for themselves : Luceba, Ennety, Elmira, Abner, Porter, Minerva, Ludema, Daniel, Celestia. Mr. and Mrs. Gallop are very active, consider- ing their ages. Have thirty-four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. J. B. Roberts was born in Ripley county, Indiana, in the year 1839, where he remained until the year 1855, when he moved to Wisconsin, and remained until June, 1856, when he came to Iowa, locating in Fayette county, Oren township. He purchased a farm and resided till 1866, when he sold his place and purchased the farm of eighty acres where he now resides in Fairbank township. Has turned his attention principally to farming. In 1863 he enlisted in company F, First Iowa cavalry; served his country two years and four months ; was never wounded nor taken prisoner. During his whole service was only off duty about six weeks, and only returned home when the rebellion was put down. Mr. Roberts has held positions of trust most of the time since his con- nection with Fairbank township ; was clerk of the board of township directors seven years, and assessor six years. Mr. Roberts was married in i860, to Miss Louisa M. Carpenter, of Fayette county ; have five children : John H., nineteen; Gilford W., seventeen; Chester M., thirteen ; Cora E., ten ; Griffith, one year ; all living at home. Both Mr. and Mrs. Roberts are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Roberts is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Odd Fellows order. FAIRBANK. This township is located in the northwestern part of the county. It was, at the time of its organization, called Alton, but, about one year after, the name was changed to Fairbank. In the meantime, a village had been located in the north also called Fairbank, and a post office of the same name. One of the founders of the village was a Mr. Bacon, whose grandmother's name was Fairbank. He suggested the name to his partner, F. J. Everett, to which all agreed; hence the name. ORGANIZATION. It was organized as a separate and independent town- ship March 5, 1855, as evidenced by the county court record, which is as follows : State of Iowa, Buchanan County, s. s., March 5, 1855: It is ordered by the court that township ninety, north, of range ten, west, be detached from Perry township, and that it shall hereafter be and form a separate township, to be called Alton, and that an election be holden in said township on the first Monday in .April next, at the house of George Beatty, in said township, and that George Beatty, Miles Soper and Sampson George be the judges of said election. The court urther orders that the west tier of sections in township ninety, range nine, be detached from Perry township, .and hereafter form a part of Superior township. About one year after the above order was made the name of the township was changed to Fairbank, and the name Superior has been changed to Hazleton. ELECTION. The election referred to in the above order, accord- ing to the best information that we can obtain, was not held until August, 1855, and then in a log house belong- ing to Charles Cheesbiough, but used as a school-house. The following were honored with an election to office : J. M. Soper, Jacob Minton and William Beatty, trustees; W. S. Clark, clerk ; Fred Patterson, assessor ; W. S. Clark and Fred Patterson, justices; and Justus Durham and James Patchen, constables. The present township officers are : O. S. Payne, Thomas McDonald and Phil- lip Kroft, trustees; J. S. Stevenson, assessor; C. B. Ever- ett and J. Sheridan, justices; J. C. Raney and B. F. Wright, constables ; and A. R. Wolgomat, clerk. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 333 SETTLEMENT. William S. Clark made the first permanent settlement in this township in 1849, in the southern part, on the farm now owned and occupied by John C. Stevenson. He was a native of New York, and had five children. He was the first magistrate here; also one of the pioneer teachers, and the first clerk of the township In 1858 he, together with his family, went to Calift)rnia, where he resides. He was a man of marked ability, of whom the settlers speak with great respect. Alexander Stevenson settled here in September, 1850, coming from Indiana. He was born in Pennsylvania October 14, 1808, and married in Indiana to a sister of John Cameron. They have had four children, one only of whom is living — John C. Stevenson — with whom the old folks reside. Mr. Stevenson is still in the full enjoy- ment of health and of his mental faculties. He is one of the pioneer Presbyterians, and has been an elder in that church for forty years. His son, J. C. Stevenson, has si.\ beautiful and interesting children. Robert Wroten settled near Stevenson's in the fall of 185 I, being a native of Delaware. He also was a pio- neer Presbyterian. His children are as follows : John, married, and living in Perry township; Jesse, married, and living in Washington township; Jane, married to Asaiah Anderson, and residing in Washington township; Alexander, married and living in Minnesota; Rachel, married to George Van Emman, and living on the old family homestead ; Eliza, married to Fremont Gates, and still living in the township ; Thomas, living in Washing- ton township ; and Almira, married to H. Bantz, and living in Washington township. Mr. Wroten died June 10, 1867, and his wife January 10, 1878. Jesse, their son, died in the army in our late war. Justus A. Durham settled in this township in 1852, in the southern part. At the time he came his family con- sisted of five persons. He continued to reside in the township up to the time of his death, which was in 1879. His wife survived him and still lives in the southeast part of the township. Alice married Allen Bryant. Thomas Durham is yet a single man, and lives in the county. F. J. Everett, a native of New York, settled in the north |)art of the township in 1853. At that time he was an unmarried man. He and C. \V. Bacon, who came with him, built the first log cabin in that part of the township, near the present residence of Mr. Everett. They had not been there but a short time before they built a saw-mill on the Wapsie, in what is now the vil- lage of Fairbank. They worked in the mill themselves, and were quite successful in this enterprise. In the fall of 1854 Mr. Everett was married to Sarah L. Baldwin, with whom he went to keeping house in the cabin built by himself and Bacon the year before. In i86o he opened a general store on the very land where he first commenced, and where he now lives and does business. He has filled the offices of justice of the peace and school director. The names of his children are Clarence, who is married to Axie French, and lives in the village; Gros- venor, Newton, Charles, Mary and Sallie S. All except Clarence are young and live at home. Mr. Everett, in addition to his business in the village, is a part owner of a grist-mill in Black Hawk county and quite an exten- sive land owner in Fairbank. C. W. Bacon settled here (as already stated), with Mr. Everett, in 1853. At that time, as we have said, they were both unmarried men, and for some time lived and owned their property together. But in i860, becoming dissatisfied with the west, he sold his interest in the pro- perty, and went back to New York, where a few days since he died. Frederick Patterson came here about January, 1854, and settled near Everett. He was in season to assist in building the cabin of Everett and Bacon. He soon commenced the erection of a building which, upon its completion, he used for a hotel; and this was probably the first one in the township. The same building, with some additions, is now used as a hotel by Jacob Myers. Mr. Patterson also laid out an addition to the village of Fairbank, called Patterson's addition. He, with R. Con- able and others, built a steam saw-mill in 1855. In 1859 he sold out and went to Michigan, and then to Mis- souri. He returned here in about 1876, and now lives in Oren township, Fayette county. He has two children: George, married, and living in Missouri, and a daughter, Edith, who is a school teacher. Jordan Harrison became a settler here in the fall of 1853, coming from Ilinois, but he was a native of North Carolina. He entered the land, where he first settled, and upon which he now lives. He had three children — two boys and one girl. William H. and George B. are both married, and living in the township. Jacob Minton settled here in 1852, building his log cabin in the south part of the township. He had quite a family of children, some of whom are now living here, respected and honored men and women. He, on the fourteenth day of April, 1865, abandoned his family, leaving his farm to his wife, who nobly raised the chil- dren, and went on with the management and improve- ment of the place, and died there a few years since. Mr. Minton went to Indiana, where he remained a short time, and thence to Texas, where he now is. He subse- quently married a woman that left the township about the same time that he did. George Beatty, in the fall of 1853, settled in the central part of the township, on the farm now owned and occu- pied by Joseph Wolgomot. He was a Protestant Metho- dist preacher, and built a stone church at Fairbank vil- lage, mostly with his own means. He died some years since, and his wife is now living with Mrs. J. Harrison, her daughter. J. M. Soper was one of the pioneers in this township, settling here in 1852, in the north part. He was one of the organizers of the township, being elected one of the trustees. He was a man of excellent business ability, and popular in the neighborhood. In an early day he frequently went to Dubuque for goods; and during these trips he made the acquaintance of many immigrants, who were looking for homes, and induced them to settle in Fairbank; and some of them are still there, and 334 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. among the very best citizens. But a few years since he moved to Franklin county, where he now remains, and is the owner of a fine, large farm. He has four children — three boys and one girl, as follows: George Wesley, mar- ried, and living in Hampton, Franklin county, engaged in buying stock ; William W., also married, and a merchant in Dakota Territory; Albert M., married, and engaged in farming near his father's, and Lavina, married to Colonel Andrew Rieves, residing at Hampton. RELIGIOU.S SOCIETIES. FREE WILL BAPTISTS. This society was organized here in 1859, with about eighteen members. Among the early ones were Deacon James Sanborn, J. A. Durham and wife, S. P. Cramer, Morrill Sanborn, E. Sanborn, Deacon Norris and wife, and Jason Nichols and wife. The present membership is forty. They have a good house of worship and an organ. The property belonging to the church, includ- ing a house and two lots, on which it stands, is worth fifteen hundred dollars. The present preacher is L. D. Felt. PRESBYTERIAN. The Presbyterian church was organized here in 1S56, at what was called the Stone church, with six members, among whom were F. J. Everett, C. W. Bacon, and James Sankey and wife. The first, and ]3resent pastor, is J. D. Caldwell. There are now about fourteen mem- bers, holding services in the Methodist Episcopal church, which they assisted in building. EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN. This society was organized November 18, 1868, with twenty-seven members. The first preacher was a Mr. Buckrer. It now has a membership of between thirty and forty souls. Before the erection of their house of worship, which was in 1865, they had services in the pub- lic school-house. The present pastor is Rev. R. H. Mach- mueller. The society owns a house of worship, a par- sonage, and an organ in the church, the whole valued at one thousand dollars. The religious services are con- ducted in the German language. ROMAN C.\THOLIC. This church, designated as the Church of the Immac- ulate Conception, was organized here in about 1858, at the McCuniff school-house. Father Shields was the first priest, then the resident priest of Waverly, who was suc- ceeded by John Gosker, the resident priest of Indepen- dence. In 1868 a large stone church was built here, ninety by forty-four feet. The first settled priest was Eugene Sullivan, who was succeeded by G. Stack. The present priest is Thomas Murtagh, who settled here in December, 1875. There are some one hundred and thirty families, and probably six hundred communicants. The parish owns a house of worship and pastoral resi- dence — the whole property is worth not less than eight thousand dollars. In this church are represented seven different nationalities — Irish, German, French, Belgians, Polanders, Americans and Austrians. METHODLST EPISCOPAL. A society of Methodists was organized here in 1865 with eight members, at what is called the Stone church. A house of worship was completed in the fall of 1873. They now have a membership of some forty persons, own a parsonage, a church, and an organ. The whole property is worth two thousand five hundred dollars. The present pastor is P. M. Gould. The first sermon in the township was in 1852, at the house of Alexander Stevenson, by Rev. D. Gill, of Independence. VILLAGE. In 1854 a village was laid out in the north part of the township by F. J. Everett and C. W. Bacon, and called Fairbank. Afterwards an addition was made thereto by Frederick Patterson, and called Patterson's addition. The first store kept here was by John McCuniff, in 1855, and the building in which he kept it was made of oak lumber procured at Everett & Bacon's mill, mentioned above. The present business men of the place are as follows: Physicians, J. A. Ward, E. D. Wiltsie, W. G. Dwyer, and G. B. Ward; drug stores, A. R. Woigomot, J. A. Ward, and F. J. Everett ; flouring mill, situated on the Little Wapsie, that passes through the village, owned by Minkler& Nichols, and operated by W. H. Miller; hard- ware, C. E. Redfield; general stores, Minkler & Nichols, J. C. Myers, H. Higby, and F. J. Everett, the pioneer; shoe shop, Ernest Martin; shoe store, L. D. Lowell; grocery, B. F. Raney; cooper shop, Barnard McGuire; postmaster, H. Higby; carpenters and wagon makers, George DeLong and John Ball; hotels. Grove house, by Jacob Myers, and one by A. Chase; millinery store, Misses Keith & Parris; blacksmiths, C. R. Ward, a Mr. Parsons, and A. J. Ward; harness shop, B. F. Stevens; egg and butter packing house, J. W. Redfield. A fine public school-house on the west side ot the river, employing two teachers. Houses of Worship — Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Free Will Baptist, and German Lutheran. POST OFFICE AND MAIL ROUTE. The first office was established here in 1854, and C. W. Bacon appointed postmaster, who kept it in the little log cabin built by him and Everett. Fred Patterson was the first mail carrier, going once a week to Independence. In 1866 an office was established in the southern part of the tosvnship, called Kier, and James M. Walker was ap- pointed the first postmaster; E. L. Hopkins is the pres- ent incumbent. They now have a tri-weekly mail from the village of Fairbank to Independence, and one twice a week from Waverly, Bremen county, by way of Oelwein SURFACE, SOIL, TIMBER, AND PRODUCTIONS. The township is somewhat level: about three-fifths being timber land, the rest prairie. The timber land is a sandy loam, with a clay sub-soil; the prairie a rich black loam, and very productive. Nearly one-fourth of the township (in the southern part) is covered with timber, mostly white, burr, and "pin" oak, poplar, bass, cherry, hickory, birch, butternut, walnut, soft maple, and cotton- wood. There are large quantities of wild fruits on the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 335 bottoms, such as plums, apples, and grapes. The prin- cipal productions are corn (which is the staple), and wheat (which on the clay land does finely), hay, potatoes, oats, and tame grass in large quantities. Considerable attention is paid to stock raising and dairying. Many of the farmers have ten or fifteen cows, and some as high as forty and fifty. The milk and cream is used by the creameries in the township. They have also given much attention to the raising of hogs, having some of the best varieties, such as the Poland China, Berkshire, and Chester Whites. As one passes through the township, he is struck by the beautiful scenery that meets his eye upon every hand — large farm houses and barns, and all convenient out- houses, with groves of cotton-wood trees — fields with fine grass and growing corn; pastures with large numbers of cattle, most of them, as we noticed, indicating, by their large, square backs, that they are of the Durham family. At nearly every farm house is seen a wind-mill, used for pumping water for the stock. The first wheat raised here was in 1851, in the south- ern part, where the first settlement was made by W. S. Clark and Alex. Stevenson. This crop was cut with cra- dles, and threshed by treading it out, in scriptural man- ner, with horses. The yield is spoken of as very good. The Little Wapsie, in the western part, is a beauti- ful stream and called Little Wapsie, to distinguish it from the other of like name into which it enters at Littleton. Buck creek is in the extreme western part; Jones creek, in the northwestern, and tributary to the Little Wapsie. There are also some fine springs here, in which is the very best and purest of water, especially those located on the land of Sampson, George H. Wilbur, Mr. Nichols, F. Pingree and A. Gallop. There is, situated in the southern part on section thirty-three, a stone quarry. It has been worked since about the fall of 1850, and probably covers some six or seven acres. Lime has been made from it, but the rock being hard and of a darkish color, the lime has not met with favor. The rock is excellent for building and has been largely used for that purpose. A creamery was first started by Prairie Grove grange, as a cheese manufactory, and operated some three years as such; but, for some reason, did not prove satisfactory. In 1878 it was converted into a creamery proper, and run one season by a Mr. Andrews, who sold to R. I. Jakway. He operated it one season, then sold out to Ihe present owner, A. j. Barnhart, of Independence, who has operated it since August, 1879. It was first run by horse power, but in the spring of 1881 a six horse power steam engine was put in. They use two eleven-barrel churns, each having a capacity of three hundred and fifty pounds of butter at a time; and, dur- ing the busy season, they churn on an average four times a day. There are three branch creameries, where milk is set; but all the churning is done at the home cream- ery. The branches are in Lester and Bennington town- ships. Black Hawk county, and Perry. Two men are employed at each of these branches most ot the time, and four men at the home creamery. There are also four teams gathering cream among the farmers, and two drawing cream from the branch creameries. In 1880 they received during the season as high as seventeen thousand pounds of milk per day, and paid out for milk three thousand dollars per month to the farmers. It is called the Fairview creamery, and is located at about the centre of the township, in a good agricultural neighbor- hood, and is patronized by all the large farmers and many others in the locality. There is connected with the creamery a refrigerator large enough to hold a car- load of butter at one time. The business will probably be doubled in the season of 188 1. A creamery was established in the village of Fairbank in May, 1880, by Chester Smith, but now operated by Chester Smith and J. M. Wolgomot. It is run by horse power, and has but one churn, with a capacity of one hundred and fifty pounds of butter at each churning. They have a branch creamery m Bremer county. At this branch they employ two men, at the home creamery three men, and have five teams drawing cream and milk. It is the intention of the owners to have an engine soon, and to increase their business. A cemetery was established in Fairbank village in 1856. There are quite a large number of graves here, and some fine monuments. It is now owned and con- trolled by a cemetery company. Another was organized near Kier postoffice, in the southern part, where are also a large number of graves. In 1855 a school was kept in the house of Charles Cheseborough, by Emma Connor; and, in the same year, another in the north part of the township, by Miss Lou Addis; also, about the same time, one in what is called the Sill district, by Moody Clark. Among the early teachers were Captain H. H. Sill, N. Baldwin and J. Byron Wait. The schools now employ, each, one teacher, except the one in Fairbank village, which has two teachers and about two hundred students. There are in the township eight schools, and the houses good and convenient. The first crop that was ever raised in the township, by a white man, was corn, by W. S. Clark, in 1850. The first grist-mill in the township was built by J. G. Hovey, on the site where the present one stands, about 1854. The first death here was that of a child of Sol- omon Ginther, in 1852. The first white child born in the township was Thomas Wroten. The first marriage of which we have been able to ob- tain any knowledge, was between Solomon Ginther and Miss E. Phillips, solemnized by W. S. Clark, in the southern part of the township in 1850. SECRET SOCIETIES. A lodge of Free and Accepted Masons was established here on the eighth day of June, i860, and instituted by E. Brewer, D. D. G. M. The first officers were: W. S Mathews, W. M.; H. Higby, S. W. ; J. J. Roberts, J. W. ; W. C. Nelson, treasurer; and J. Strichland, secre- tary. The membership is now thirty-six. The present officers are: J. C. Myers, W. M.; J. W. Redfield, S. W.; J. Conway, J. W.; S. P. Lee, treasurer; and H. F. Sill, 336 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. secretary. They are now in good working condition. The name of the lodge is Fairbank No. 148. An Ancient Order of United Workmen, was estab- lished here March 24, 1881, and instituted by George B. Smeallie, D. D. G. M. W., and called Fairbank Lodge No. 222. The officers are: Chester Smith, P. M. W.; J. M. Wolgomot, M. W.; Frank Howard, foreman; A. J. Ward, overseer; Charles Wright, guide; H. M. Mil- ler, recorder; G. B. Ward, financier; F. W. Nichols, re- ceiver; H. D. Miller, I. W.; Henry Hober, O. W.; E. Nichols, A. J.; Pulrer and W^ D. Miller, trustees; G. B. Ward and J. Hodgkinson, examining physicians. The present membership is twenty-five. MILLS. There was a saw-mill built here as early as 1854, by Bacon & Everett, near where Fairbank village now stands, on the Wa])sie, and remained probably two or three years. A grist-mill or flouring mill built here about 1855, by Naylor and Harrington, is still in operation, and now the property of Minkler & Nichols. There were at one time two steam saw-mills here but a short distance from the village of Fairbank and situated on the Wapsie river. John McCuniff started a distillery here, about 1S56, on the east side of the river, near where the Methodist Episcopal church now stands; a good ex- change. It was there for three or four years and did quite a business; then, for some reason unknown to us, he closed up the business. This is the only distillery ever in the township or county. In 1850-51 the settlers suffered many deprivations, and sufferings in some instances, living on corn-bread alone. A. Stevenson and family at one time sub- sisted for weeks on boiled corn. This was owing to the condition of the creeks, which were so high that people were not able to ford them. Sampson George, when he first moved to the township, used to go to Indepen- dence on foot, a distance of twelve miles, and take home in a basket what groceries he could. The only mill in the county at this time was one at Quasqueton, some thirty miles away. In .1850 and 185 i there were large numbers of Indians in the township of different wander- ing tribes, but they were always friendly, offering no hos- tilities whatever. ORCH.\RDS. •There are in this township some very fine orchards, and among them we may mention that of John Sheridan, who at the county fair in 1880 had some fine specimens of apples, which were large and well flavored. I). W. Hopkins has also a small but productive orchard. PERSON.\L MENTION. O. P. King was born in the State of New York, Jeffer- son county, in 1844. At about the age of twenty one he came to Iowa with only his valise in his hand, stopped in this county and worked on the farm for Mr. John Oza and Mr. Burwell the first summer. In the spring of 1864 he and his brother, C. E. King, purchased eighty acres of land in Fairbank township, where they farmed about one year and a half together, when O. P. King bought his brother's interest and remained one year afterwards, when he sold it and purchased the farm of two hundred and sixty-five acres where he now resides, in the same township. He built himself a good house in 1870, and also built a barn the year following. He has fruit and shade trees in good condition. Mr. King has of late years turned his attention principally to the stock and dairying business, and has at present eighty- one head of cattle and about sixty-five head of hogs, and milks twenty-seven cows. He is at present engaged in raising and feeding fine cattle. Mr. King was mar- ried in 1866 to Miss Sarah Custard, born in New York in 1846. They have three children — Frank, aged twelve March 26, 1880; Kelly, aged nine Octobers, 1880; Ella, aged five March 17, 1880. Mr. King is one of the prominent citizens and leading farmers of his township. He is a pleasant man and good neighbor, and one of that great army of Iowa farmers who need not fear to meet competition and comparison with those of any other State of the Union or out of it. D. W. Hopkins, was born in Berkshire county, Mass- achusetts, in 181 8. At about the age of twenty-seven, moved to New York, where he resided about eight years, when he moved to Indiana, remaining only about two years. Came to Iowa in the spring of 1855, located in section twenty-two, in Fairbank township. Bought the farm of eighty-two and one-fourth acres (where he now resides) in the year 1868. Built his house in 1872. Set out two acres of fruit trees, and has his farm under fine cultivation. Was married in 1841 to Miss Laura Taylor, of Massachusetts. Have no children of their own, but have adopted a son, Edger L. (an only child of Mrs. Hopkins only sister), at the age of two years, who is now twenty-seven years of age and is farming his father's place. Mr. Hoi)kins is one of Buchanan's early settlers, and has a good farm and fine home to show in return for early sacrifices and privations. Elisha Sanborn, was born in Rockingham county. New Hampshire in 1826. At about the age of twenty-one he went to Boston and engaged in business for about three years, then went to Wisconsin in 185 1 and hired out to work on the farm four years. He entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in Fairbank township, this county, in 1854. Moved upon it in 1855 and still resides there. He has since added twenty-nine acres of timber land. Mr. Sanborn has brought his farm up from the condition of a wild prairie traversed by deer and other wild animals of the plain, to a grand home in the midst of civilization. He has erected fine buildings and planted fruit and shade "trees. Mr Sanborn was married in May, 1855, to Miss Esther Ann Sawyer, of New York. Have two children, Herman E., age twenty-one, and Clara Augusta, age eighteen ; both single and living at home. These people have a fine home and seem to ajjpreciate it. Mrs. Lucia Nurse was born in Rutland county, Ver- mont, in 1829. She married Mr. Joel D. Nurse, in 1845. She moved to Illinois in 1855. She came to Iowa in 1867. Mr. Joel D. Nurse died October 26, 1878, leaving a family of four children: V. C, aged thirty-two, married and runs the farm; Alice, aged twenty HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 337 six, married Olville ^Valker, and lives in Dakota; Frank, aged thirteen, lives at home and attends school; Anna, a bright little girl of eight summers, who keeps her mother company on the farm. Mrs. Nurse and family have made their present residence in Fairbank township their home for the past thirteen years. Mrs. Nurse is one of those ladies who still show in their manners the advantages of eastern birth and early culture. Mile L. Higby was born in Pomfret, Chautauqua coun- ty, New Y'ork, in 1830. He settled in Oren township, Fayette county, Iowa, about one mile across the line from Fairbank, in 1857. His farm there consists of one hun- dred and seventy acres. He removed to Fairbank, April I, 1881 — having rented his farm. He has four village lots, lying together, on which he is building a commo- dious residence, as a quiet and cosy retreat for his declin- ing years. He was married in Chautauqua county, in 1854, to Jane Wilson, whose parents were early pioneers in that county. They have four children — one girl and three boys: Emma, Duane, Arthur, and Leon. He en- listed as a private in the Thirty-eighth Iowa infantr}', August 15, 1862, and continued in the service until the close of the war. He was at Vicksburgh, Mobile, Fort Gains, and Fort Morgan. At the latter the land forces did the principal part of the work — the gun-boats doing little more than to attract the attention of the forts. He was also in several skirmishes. The most serious en- gagement in which he took part was the attack on Mobile. But he came through, as through all the rest of his bat- tles, without a wound. I. B. Agnew was born in Mount Vernon, Knox county, Ohio, in 183 1. He came to Iowa in 1855, locating on the farm where he still resides, in Fairbank township. He bought, at that time, two hundred acres, and has since bought sixty acres. He built his fine house in 1877, and his barn in 1868. He engaged in the stock and dairy business quite largely, as well as farming extensively. He has his farm under perfect cultivation, and trees bearing fruit, so that he has one of the best farms, and a home that ought to satisfy any man. Mr. Agnew was married, in September, 1856, to Miss Sarah R. Dille, of Indiana. They have five children living: Ward B., aged twenty; Mary E., aged eighteen; Nancy E., aged fifteen; Sarah E., aged eight; and Freddie D., aged seven. They all make their home with their father. We must add here that Mr. Agnew is one of those pleasant men that a fellow likes to meet. Among his excellent qualities as a gentleman, we are pleased to state he is a good, square Republican. E. W. Wellman was born in Geauga county, Ohio, in 1853. At about the age of three, he moved with his father, Obed Wellman, to Indiana, where he lived till he was twenty years of age, which was in the year 1853, when he came to Iowa, and located on the farm where he now lives, in Fairbank township. He bought it of the Government, there being eighty acres in the piece. He built a good house in 1878. He has the farm all under good cultivation, and makes farming his principal bus- iness. He was married, in 1872, to Miss Phoebe A. Webster, of this county. They have two children: Edith Myrtle, aged seven; and Adelbart E., aged three — a couple of bright little children. Mr. Wellman is one of Buchanan's substantial farmers, and one of the Na- tion's good, sound Republicans. HAZLETON. This township was granted an independent organization by the county judge in April, 1S53, under the name of Superior, with thirty-six sections, and bounded on the north by Fayette county. On the first day of August, 1853, the people had their first election, and the follow- ing were elected township ofificers: James Huntington and Samuel Sufficool, justices of the peace; Nathan Ped- dycord, E. P. Spear, and John Kint, trustees. The name of the township was changed to Haxleton about 1862. The officers of Hazleton township for 1881 were as fol- lows: John Kiefer, B. H. Miller, and Patrick O'Brien, trustees; O. M. Bunce, clerk; Wayne Nelson, assessor, S. O. Hillman and William Bunce, justices of the peace; Peter Putnam and Charles Morton, constables. The surface of the township is generally rolling. The soil i.i a light loam, though some poitions are sandy; yet the larger part is good and productive land. The timber is white, red, and burr oak, butternut, walnut, and hick- ory. Nearly one-fourth of the township is in timber. The streams are the Otter in the west, Little Otter in the northeast. South creek in the east, and Phillips' creek in the west. SETTLEMENT. Samuel Sufficool and D. C. Greeley made the first permanent settlement here February 21, 1847, '" the northwest part of the township. They were natives of Ohio, and had emigrated to Iowa the year before, stop- ping at Marion, Linn county, from whence they came here with ox teams. They came to the county the sum- mer before and put up some hay in Buffalo township. They built a shanty, jjassed the time until spring came hunting, cutting wood and splitting rails, with no com- 338 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. panions but the Indians and wolves, for at this time their nearest neighbors were seven miles away. In the spring they built a log house, this being the first house in the township, and soon after its completion Calvin Tuttle and wife came and moved into it, with whom Sufificool and Greeley lived. That season they broke sixty acres of land, and raised a little sod corn. No further settlers came until September, 1847, when William Bunce, wife and child, arrived and built, a log house near Sufficool and Greeley. The child who came with Bunce and wife is now O. W. Bunce, clerk of the township, and a hardware merchant of Hazleton village. John Kint and family, consisting of a wife and four chil- dren, settled here August 17, 1848, on section two, the land he afterwards entered and now owns and lives on. With Kint came Oilman Greeley and wife and his two sons, W. H. Greeley and Stephen L. Greeley, and built a log house near the others. In June, 1848, Isaac Sufificool, the father of S. Suffi- cool, and family came, and on their arrival moved into the house of Sufficool and Greeley. Orlando Sufficool the same year settled in the southwest part of the town- ship, upon land which he had entered in 1847 and now owns and lives on. He was then quite a young man; now he is married and the father of four children, and the owner of a good farm of two hundred and fifty acres. He was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1824. Of the early settlers Samuel Sufficool still resides in the township, the owner of eight hundred acres of land, and has a wife and two grown daughters. D. C. Greeley died October 4, 1854, leaving a widow. John Kint was born April 8, 1815, in Pennsylvania. When young he learned the cooper's trade. In 1836 he went to Ohio, and there married, March 25, 1837, a sis- ter of D. C. Greeley. They had five children^Daniel, George H., Betsey Ann, Florence Ellen, and W. H. Kint. Betsey A. married Thomas M. Sparks, -ivho vol- unteered in our late war, where he lost his life. She afterwards married Peter Young, with whom she is now living in Hazleton. Daniel married Sarah Buchart, and resides on section two. He has four children. George married Eliza Sparks, by whom he has seven children, and lives in Fayette county. W. H. Kint married Anna Graves, and has four children, residing in Knox county, Nebraska. Florence Ellen married Jacob Hasbrook, and has four children, and lives near John Kint's. Oilman Greeley and wife are dead. The whereabouts of W. H. Greeley are not known. Quite a number of years ago he mysteriously disappeared, and nothing has been known of him since. Stephen L. Greeley is in Ne- braska. A. Belt settled here in 1S52. He came from Indiana, being a native of Ohio. He resided in the township for some years, and now lives in Byron township with his son, E. C. Belt. He has been a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church for forty years. The first religious services held in the township were at his house. He had six children, all of whom are now living. Isaac Sufficool and wife died in 1866 in this township. James Girton came in 1851. He settled near Coy- town, and now lives on the same farm where he first set- tled. He had a large family of children, and is now seventy-four years of age. Fayette Gillet, a native of New York, settled in the west part of the township in 1854. At that time he en- tered the land upon which he now lives. He has three children. W. C. Nelson, a native of Pennsylvania, a German by descent, settled here in 1853, at old Hazleton, which was for a long time the only village in the township. He was the pioneer physician. The village was fortu- nate, for at this early day even, they had the honor of having a doctor of their own. In those days, in the sparsely settled country, the doctor made long and te- dious rides on horseback to visit his palients, frequently away weeks at a time, travelling among the sick. He also taught the first school established at the village above mentioned ; and also w-as townshi[) clerk for a number of years. He died here in 1862, leaving a wid- ow and four children: George, Thomas, ^Vayne A. W. and Catharine. His widow afterwards married General S. Bell, and is now living in the village of Hazleton. E. W. Tenney settled here September 28, 1853 — a native of Sutton, Massachusetts. He was the son of a physician, and by profession a railway engineer. On his arrival here, he opened a store at the old village of Hazleton, he being the second one to make the venture in the township. He continued in business until about 1873, when he retired lor a time. In about 1875, he married a Miss Haines, by whom he has one child — a girl. In the fall of 18S0, he again embarked in busi- ness, becoming a member of the firm of Miller & Os- mer, dealers in lumber, the style of the firm being Mil- ler, Tenney & Co. He is one of the directors of the People's bank, at Independence. L. D. Engle settled here with his family in 1851. He had seven children, only two of whom are now living; his wife is also dead. He was born in Ontario county, New York, in 1805, and when twelve years of age he went with his father's family to Ohio, where he remained until twenty-two years of age. Then he returned to New York and resided there six years, during which time he married and soon left with his bride for Oiiio. After he had lived in Iowa twenty years, he made a trip to Cali- fornia, where he remained some four years. He has re- turned and is now living in the township, having retired from business, and is now passing his life in peace and quiet. W. \V. Gilbert, a native of Ohio, settled in the town- ship in the spring of 1854. At that time he was not a married man, but in 1857 he married and settled down to housekeeping in this township. He has two children, a boy and a girl, Ella and Fred. In 1870 he bought a place about one-half mile east of Independence, where he now resides. He has been quite a hunter, keeping a fine pack of trained dogs; and even now he takes down occasionally the old gun that has, in his hands, killed many a swift-footed deer, calls the dogs together, and starts for the timber for a hunt and a day's sport. If a skulk- ing wolf comes lurking about, then the fire and enthu- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 339 siasm of early years kindles up, and he starts in pursuit. Mr. Gilbert has about his place many trophies of his hunts in the days that are passed, such as horns of the deer, skins of animals he has killed — reminders of nar- row escapes from the sharp claws and teeth of the l)nx, and the feet and horns of the dying stag. VILLAGES. In 1852 a store and post office were started near where Sufficool and Greeley made the first settlement in 1841. The store was started by Allen Coy, who was also post- master; but the store was soon purchased by Edward Hutchins. The building where the first store and post office were, is now occupied by J. L. Biglow as a resi- dence; and the place is called Coytown. All that is left of this first village is a few farm houses. In 1853 E. \V. Tenney opened a store two and a half miles south of the former one, and a post office was established there and called Hazleton, Tenney being appointed to the office of postmaster. C. Weistman also opened a store here in 1856, and this place was the centre of business for the township until September, 1873, when the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern railroad was built through, about one mile west from the village. Then the shops, stores and, in fact, nearly all the dwelling houses, were moved to the new village called Hazleton. The following is a correct statement of the present business men, etc., of the new village of Hazleton: Physicians — B. M. Corbin and W. E. Baker. Grain dealers — D. A. Daus and John Kiefer. Station agent of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern railroad — W. S. Hogue. Dry goods and groceries — Pret. King and George W. Phillips. Blacksmiths — T. H. Under- wood, F. S. Bertrand and G. R. Kayes. Hardware — Miquett, Long & Co. Saloons — A. Nellis and C. Weist- man. Dealers in lumber — Miller, Tenney & Co. Car- penters — General S. Bell, William Truax and M. S. Wheaton. Hotel — Henry O'Neil. Harness shop — Birch & Farley. Shoe shop — Ephraim Walker. Meat market — Moses Urkhart. Watch and clock repairer — Henry Fourtner. Creamery — ^Adam Kiefer; established in the spring of 18S0, and represented as doing a profit- able business. A public school, employing two teachers, the present ones being Mrs. D. Osmer and Julia Bunce. Stephen Paul Sheffield represents the legal profession. W. Bunce and S. O. Hilman are justices of the peace. An opera house was erected in the spring of 1881 by Pret. King, and called King's opera house. It is eighty feet long and forty feet wide. IMurphy & Hunter and B. H. Miller are stock dealers. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern railroad passes through the centre of the township from south to north. EARLY EVENTS. The first wedding was in 1848, W. H. Greeley to Mary Ellen Sufficool, at the residence of the bride's father; D. C. Greeley, esq., tying the knot; and the wedding oc- curred near where the first settlement was made. They had two children — a boy and a girl: Oilman and Kesiah. The boy is in Nevada, and the girl now the wife of Nelson Clough, and still lives in Hazleton. Wallace S. Sufficool was the first white child born in the township, January 21, 1849. The first wheat was raised by Samuel Sufficool in 1848. Allen Coy was the first postmaster. The first and only saw-mill was built in 1854, by John Moorehouse, on Otter creek; but before it was completed he sold it to Isaac Sufficool, who fin- ished and operated it for a number of years. The first physician was W. C. Nelson, who settled there in 1853. A tannery was started here in 1862, by E. W. Tenney, W. A. Nelson, and S. Faulkner, which was the only one ever established here. It remained for four years. William Bunce made the first entry of land here, June, 1847, on section ten — D. C. Greeley, W. H. Greeley, and Orlando Sufficool, made entries at the same time. In the early days, the nearest grist-mill was at Quasqueton. Most of their supplies came from Marion, Linn county. Samuel Sufficool and D. C. Greeley attended the first election ever had in Buchanan county, August, 1843, which was held two miles east of Independence, in what was called "Centre precint." Each was honored with an office — D. C. Greeley being elected county surveyor, and Sufficool county judge. In 1848, good mess pork sold for two dollars per hundred, and slow sale at that price. The timber was full of hogs. In the early years, the inhabitants received their mail at Quasqueton, about twenty-five miles away. Alien Coy was the first post- master, and was succeeded by E. W. Tenney, and the of- fice was moved two and one-half miles south from where it was first established. Tenney was appointed in 1856 or 1857, by James Buchanan. The next was O. C. Searls; then E. W. Tenney again; after them Thomas Morton, C. Weitman, and W. S. Wheaton, the present incumbenL ANCIENT ORDER OF UNITED WORKMEN. On the twentieth day of November, 1877, the Ancient Order of United Workmen was established here. It was instituted by W. H. Buford, D. D. G. M., of Iowa, and called Good Will Lodge, No. 139. It had, on the night of its institution, a list of twenty-eight mem- bers. The first officers were as follows: R. G. Merrill, P. M.; S. H. Coon, master; J. B. Bennett, financier; O. M. Bunce, foreman; E. D. Thomas, overseer; J. A. Spear, recorder; and Peter Young, receiver. There is now a membership of twenty-five, and it is in a good, healthy financial condition. The present officers are, William J. Darling, P. M.; Peter Young, master; G. M. Miller, financier; O. Hunter, foreman; E. C. Lawrence, overseer; J. S. Girton, recorder; and A. G. Merrill, re- ceiver. This, in fact, is an insurance order, taking none but good, sound members, who are able to pass a critical, medical examination. At the death of a member his estate gets two thousand dollars. CEMETERIES. The first cemetery here was established in the fall of 1849, in the northeast part of the township, near where the first settlement was made. Here lie the remains of its very first settlers, D. C. Greeley, whose sterling worth of character will lie in the minds of those who knew 340 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. him, and never be forgotten by the old settlers. A second one was established in 1855, in the centre of the township, which is now quite well filled with graves. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. The Methodists had the first religious organization, as early as 1852. It was formed at the house of A. Belt, and among the first members were, A. Belt and wife, Nathan Peddycord and wife, C. S. Belt, and Mr. Russell and wife. The first sermon preached was by Rev. Mr. Shippen, the stationed preacher at Independence. The society had occasional services at school-houses, private houses and halls. In May, 1879, they built a house of worship. Rev. H. Bailey is the present pastor. The first Presbyterian church was organized here in 1864, at the house of John Long, by the Rev. J. D. Caldwell. Since the building of the Methodist Episco- pal church they have worshipped there, as at present. The Rev. J. D. Caldwell is still the preacher. An organization of the Free Will Baptists was formed here, in July, 1879. They held services in the school- house, in district No. 9, in the southwest part of the township. They have no regular preacher. SCHOOLS. The early schools were supported by voluntary sub- scriptions from the inhabitants. In the fall of 1852 a big log house was built in the northeast part of the township by D. C. Greeley and John Kint. A school was taught there in the winter by Elizabeth Amelia Sayles, and it had twelve scholars. The teacher, Miss Sayles, married D. C. Greeley, with whom she lived for about two years, when he died. She subsequently married John D. Max- well, of Webster City, where she now lives. This school- house was primitive in the style of its architecture, the whole being constructed of logs, including the desks and seats, which were made of hewn logs. The chimney was built of rock. An incident occurred during the con- struction of the house that seems worth relating here. Greeley and Kint had got the house up e.xcepting the roof, when, during the night, a snow-storm came. In the morning Kint went to the house and there found Greeley standing within the walls in snow four inches deep, looking somewhat disappointed. Greeley re- marked to Kint, "that he would have a school here this winter, if he had to to do all the work himself" In a short time the house was completed and the school com- menced. Among the first school-houses were one at Coytown and one at Hazleton village. Abraham Wykoof, D. C. Greeley, Stephen L. Greeley and C. W. Lillie, a prominent citizen of Independence, were some of the early teachers. There are now ten schools in the town- ship, and the one at Hazleton village employs two teach- ers. The school-houses in the township are good ones, convenient, and mostly new. There is in the northeast part of the township, near where the first settlement was made, a limestone quarry, covering about twenty acres of land. The stone has proved to be of a good quality, standing well the weather and storm, and answering well for building purposes. The rock lies in tiers from four to twelve inches thick. and from six to ten in length. The stone is very white, and easily worked. In the spring of 1879 a patent lime- kiln was erected here by Bunce & Co., who are also the owners of the quarry. The kiln has the capacity of burn- ing one hundred bushels of lime in twenty-four hours. Since its establishment a good and profitable business has been done, — supplying the adjacent places with lime. In 1S80, thirty-two hundred bushels were burned here. The lime is of an excellent quality, being very white and strong; and thus far its users have been well satisfied. Bunce & Co. have a fortune here, if it is properly managed. In early days there was a large number of deer in all parts of the township, and occasionally an elk was seen, but not common. The skulking wolves were in large numbers, as now. Of fur-bearing animals, the otters were plenty, from which the principal stream in the town- ship takes its name. There were a few beavers; but now nothing is left but the mink and muskrat. William Bunce and W. W. Gilbert, in the winter of 1854-5, had, between them, a pleasant competition, to see which would kill the most deer. These Nimrods slaughtered, that winter, thirty-seven deer, and to Gilbert was given the honor of killing one the most. In those times venison was plenty and good. Since the winter of 1855-6, no deer have been seen in the township. During the winter of 1854-5 there were two or tliree elks killed here. There were wild-cats and lynxes. A large lynx was killed by W. W. Gilbert, with which he had an encounter; but, being mounted upon a horse, which understood him, he suc- ceeded in killing him. He tracked him to a tree, where he was found ready to leap upon his pursuers. At the discharge of the gun the horse leaped forward; and the lynx, being wounded, jumped from the tree and lighted upon the very spot where horse and rider had stood. The lynx received a second discharge, and then, with hunting- knife, was dispatched. Gilbert says, in relating the story, " that, for a moment, this was not a very pleasant place to be at." A gray fox was also killed here by this Nimrod. The winters of 1857 and 1858 are spoken of by the old settlers as very severe indeed, being characterized by cold weather and deep snow. There was much suffering in the township, and several persons were frozen to death while travelling over the prairie. PERSONAL MENTION. James Dow-ling was born in Scotland in 1834. He lived with his father, Samuel Dowling, assisting at his trade in weaving until he was sixteen years of age, when he enlisted in the British service, where he remained two and a half years, fighting through the Crimean war. He was at the taking of the great Redan. He came to America in 1858, and staying a few months at New York and a short time in Chicago, he finally went to Rankakee City, Illinois, where he engaged in farming for three months, the first time he had ever served in that capaci- ty. He bought a ditching machine, which he was han- dling very successfully, when his adopted country called, and he joined the noble force that squelched the Rebel- lion. He enlisted in company A, One Hundredth Illi- nois volunteer infantry, and served the country three HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 341 years. He was in twenty engagements, and was wound- ed by a gunshot in the battle of Chickamauga. Mr. Dow- ling was never taken prisoner, nor off duty one hour ex- cept when wounded, and then he joined his regiment before he was fully recovered. Returned home in 1865 and entered a piece of land and purchased forty acres joining the same. In the spring of 1866 he was married to Miss Margaret Victoria Murphy, of Wayne county, Illinois, who was born March 16, 185 1. Here he leased his mother-in-law's farm during her life, which proved to be ten years. In 1876 he came to Iowa and bought the farm of eighty acres where he now resides, south of Hazleton, and has since purchased seventy acres. Mr. Dowling has a nice little family of five children; Nettie, aged thirteen; James, aged ten; John aged eight; George Washington, aged five; Charles W., aged three. Mr. Dowling and his wife are members of the Methodist church, and Mr. Dowling has always fought for, and voted the Republican ticket. Alexander Bass was born in Scotland February 4, 1837. At the age of twenty-one he came to America with his father, Andrew Bass, locating in Wisconsin, where Mr. Alexander Bass resided about five years, when he went to Minnesota and farmed till the year 1867. He then returned to Wisconsin and remained nearly two years. In the spring of 1869 he came to Iowa and purchased the farm of eighty acres where he still resides, in section twenty-five, Hazleton township. Mr. Bass was married June I, 187 1, to Miss Margaret Edgar, who died Janu- ary 2, 1S80, at the age of forty-three years. She was born in Scotland June 2, 1837. Mr. Bass has two chil- dren living and one deceased: Jennie Helen, aged eight; Maggie E., aged six; Mabel A., born October 11, 1877, died August 27, 1879. Prettyman King was born in Defiance count)-, Ohio, in the year 1841. Attended the Ohio Wesleyan univer- sity at Delaware, Ohio, in the year 1S60. Enlisted in the three months' service, after the expiration of which he again attended school three months ; then enlisted in the Fifth battalion for six months, and at the expiration of the time, he enlisted at Camp Garrett, Kentucky, in the Thirteenth Ohio volunteer cavalry for three years, or dur- ing the war. The regiment was organized at Camp Chase, and entered the service in Virginia. Served his country over three years, entering the anny as a private, was promoted to orderly sergeant, then to sergeant major, then to second lieutenant, then to first lieutenant. Afterwards was appointed adjutant, and then captain of his company. Captain King was in the front ranks at the surrender of Lee, April 9, 1865. Afterwards ordered to City Point, and turned over ordnances and horses. Went then to Columbus, Ohio, and was discharged. Was in three open-field sabre charges, and had two horses shot from under him. At four different battles supported field artillery. Was in twenty-four battles — the first and last battles of the Rebellion. Under the I command of General Burnside he lay thirty days in the rifle pits in front of Petersburgh, and helped blow up the rebel fort, using eight tons of powder. Was in the Ninth corps which made the charge and carried three lines of the rebels' works, and held their position till 5 o'clock p. M., when they were ordered back to their own lines in wild retreat. Lost five thousand men killed in the charge. Military tactics required the following up of the left wing; the centre was already broken. General Burnside went to the commander, General Mead, and urged this movement, stating that his men "were melt- ing away like snow," but, on account of jealousy, it was not granted, and this terrible loss of life was the result, prolonging the war at least a year, and leaving a bitter feeling in the heart of every surviving soldier toward General Mead. After Mr. King's return home from the war he at- tended commercial school in Ohio. Mr. King was married to Miss Mattie Demorst, of Delaware, Ohio. Returned home to assist his father two years in the hotel, mililnery and mercantile business. Mrs. King died of hemorrhage while on a visit home in the year 1868, after which Mr. King came to Iowa, and engaged in the dry goods business with Mr. J. F. Hodges, of In- dependence, for two years. Returned to Ohio on a visit of one year, came back to Independence in 1872, and married Miss Amelia Manz. Have three children : Wyatt, aged seven; \\'illiam, aged five ; Maud A., aged six months. Engaged in the mercantile business with Keifer Brothers, of Hazleton, in March, 1877, where he is still in business, but no longer in partnership. Mr. King is a man of rare experience. His affability and gentlemanly bearing gives him rare advantages as a business man. Among his many other excellent qualities we may state the fact that he is a good, sound Repub- lican. J. R. Cowell was born in New York, in 1835. At the age of twenty-one he went to Wisconsin, where he re- sided eight months, and returned to New York State and engaged in farming about eighteen months. He came to Iowa in 1858 and spent about two years, and fenced and improved forty acres of land, it being a part of eighteen hundred acres his father, C. R. Cowell, had purchased at government price about the year 1854. He then rented his farm and went back to New York, and stayed two years. Returned in 1862 and moved upon his land, where he still resides in Hazleton township. Owns in all one hundred and sixty. Mr. Cowell was married in 1861 to Miss Marcia Morse, who died in 1868, leaving three children : E. E., aged eighteen ; C. W., aged sixteen ; F. A., aged fourteen. Mr. Crowell was married a second time in 1874, to Miss Fannie House, who died in June, 1878, leaving two children : F. M., aged four; C. J., aged two. Mr. Cowell is a member of the Baptist church, and, politically, is a good Republican. J. W. Barr, was born in Buchanan county, Washington township, Iowa, in 1848. Has, with the exception of some travelling, always made his home here, engaged in farming principally. He owns a farm of two hundred acres where he resides in section thirty-three Hazleton township, the forty where the buildings stood was bought from the Goverment by his father, Thomas Barr, in the year 1855. Mr. Barr was married in 1874 to Miss 342 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. Elizabeth I. Curley, who was born in Hohnes county, Ohio, in 1854. They have two children, Galileo C, age five; Clara F., age three. We are pleased to meet such a man as Mr. Barr. He is one of the very first men who helped lay the foundation of Buchanan county. He remembers well when his neighbors were more of the red than the white. When deer and other wild game inhabited the groves and prairies and the conveniences of life were scarce. But he has a property that well pays him for his many privations. Orin Harrington, was born in Canada in 1833, and came to the United States in 1853, stopping two years in Illinois, working on the farm as a hand. Came to Iowa in 1855, spent about two years as a hired hand when he purchased eighty acres in section twenty, Hazleton township, where he resided fourteen years, when he moved to Independence and their lived two years, work- ing at the carpenter's trade, and improved some lots he owned there. In the spring of 1873 he purchased the farm of two hundred and forty acres where he now resides, in Hazleton township. Has splendid buildings and his admirably, farm under good improvement. His farm lies one hundred and twenty acres on each side of the road. On the west side of the road he has a natural grove of one hundred and twenty acres. He has a great facility in feeding stock. He has barns and sheds well arrranged for this avocation, which he takes quite an interest in along with his farming. He sells about twenty-three hundred dollars worth of stock a year, besides his hay and grain. He owns seven hundred and eighty and one-half acres of land, all told. Mr. Harrington was married about the year 1855, to Miss Sarah S. Long, born in New York in 1839. They have seven children living, and three deceased. Eva, age twenty-three, mar- ried Webster Smale, and lives in Lamars Plymouth county; O. Chester died, June 19 1880, at the age of nineteen; Walter, age seventeen; Ellen, age fifteen; Amos, age eleven; Fred, age seven; Penn, age five; Arthur, age three. The single children are all living and constitute a wide-awake bright family. Mr. and Mrs. Harrington are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Harrington is one of Buchanan's early settlers, and is one of its successful business farmers to-day. He is one of the substantial men Of the county, and one of the driving-wheels of the community. And he is among those sound-headed men, who are satisfied with the present condition of the country, and means to vote to keep it the same. Albertus Gillet, was born in Courtland county. New York, in the year 1S32; commenced to work for himself at the age of fifteen. At the age of twenty-two he came to Iowa and purchased the farm of three hundred and twenty acres where he now resides in Hazleton town- ship. Moved onto it in 1856, commenced breaking and built his house. He has made many additional improve- ments, besides having his farm under a fine state of cul- tivation, has shade and fruit trees and every convenience of a good home. Has since made some changes in buying and selling, so that now he owns two hundred and eighty acres all in one body. East of the house there is a natural grove of forty acres that surpasses in beauty anything of the kind we have ever seen in the west. It is a natural sloping mound. Mr. Gillet was married July 4, 1859, to Miss Emma L. Parish, who was born on Long Island, New York, April, 1842. They have two children — Edward M., aged nineteen, and Cora L., aged twelve years. Mrs. Gillet's grandfather, on the mother's side, was a brother of the noted Colonel (afterwards Gen- eral) Miller, who was asked by General Scott, at the bat- tle of Lundy Lane, if he could take a battery which was the key to the enemy's position. His famous reply was, "I will try, sir." He tried, succeeded, and the fight was won. Mrs. Gillet has a brother residing in Nagasaki, Japan, engaged in furnishing ship supplies and groceries to the American and German navies. Mr. Gillet sends him all his butter — even during the hottest weather. We had the pleasure of seeing some exquisite presents sent by this brother to his sister, containing views of his place of business and his residence. Never before, to our comprehension, were the east and west brought so near together. Fayette Gillet was born in the State of New York in 1824. He resided at home with his father, Nathan Gil- let, and attended school until he was twenty-one years of age, when he commenced life for himself by engaging in farming. When twenty-six years of age he married and moved into an adjoining county and resided until the year 1854, when he came to Iowa and purchased the farm where he now resides, in Hazleton township. He owns one hundred and twenty acres, and built a fine stone house in the year 1868. His farm is under good culture, with trees bearing fruit, and the farm bears the appearance of a pleasant home, Mr. Gillet was married in ^L1rch, 1850, to Miss Eunice Amanda Eldridge, who was born in Chenango county, New York, in 1830. They have three children living and one deceased: Mary Lucinda, twenty-nine, married H. E. Merrill, resides in this township ; Frank H., twenty-seven, married Maggie Ann Spragg, and resides in Montana; Ada Malvina, died August 5, 1865, at the age of five years; C. Leon F., nine. Mr. and Mrs. Gillet are good neighbors, and Mr. Gillet is a good, sound Republican. RoUin Miller was born in Wyoming county, New York, in 1843. At the age of six he moved, with his father, Adam Miller, to Illinois, where they remained about three years, when they came to Iowa, locating in this county, Washington precinct. He farmed his fath- er's place and lived at home till he was twenty-three years of age, when he was married and moved to his own home. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, where he now resides, in Hazleton township, in 1867. He built his house the same season, and now owns in all three hundred and sixty acres of excellent land. The editor finds the canvasser's notes so obscure in regard to the children of Mr. and Mrs. Miller (both, as it would seem, having been previously married), that he feels compelled to leave out their names altogether. Mr. Miller was an abolitionist previous to President Lin- coln's emancipation proclamation, and ever since a Re- publican. He is a man who enjoys life and the society HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 34^ of his friends, and has the respect and good wishes of all his neighbors. Thomas Morton was born in Spencer county, Indi- ana, August 7, 1813. At the age of sixteen he moved, with his father, Francis Morton, to Wabash, Indiana, where he resided four years, when they moved into Illi- nois, where Mr. Francis Morton died in 1842. In the year 1839 Mr. Thomas Morton went to Wisconsin and lived about twenty-eight years, engaged in farming. He came to Iowa in the spring of 1867, locating in "Old Hazleton," where they made their home about five years, engaging in the hotel business. He purchased the farm of eighty acres where he resides, in the east edge, at Hazleton station, in the year 1872. He has put up fine improvements, both in buildings and shade and fruit trees, besides putting his farm in a fine state of cul- tivation. When the railroad came he laid forty acres off in town lots. Mr. Morton was married in 1835 to Miss Susan Kelly, who died in 1845, at the age of thirty, leaving a family of five children — four sons and one daughter — all of whom are married and doing for them- selves. He was married the second time in 1844 to Miss Frances A. Brown, who was born in Highland county, Ohio, June 15, 1S26. They have five children living and one deceased: Sanford B., who died Septem- ber 7, 1846, at the age of two years ; Sarah C, born No- vember 14, 1846, married Wallace Sadler, and resides in Hazleton township, on a farm ; Mary C, born November 9, 1848, married William Sadler, and resides in the vil- lage of Hazleton ; Thomas J., born April 4, 1852, mar- ried Mary Ann Haghwood, and resides in Hazleton ; John F., born June 28, 1854, married Carrie Benette, and also resides in Hazleton ; Stephen A. Douglas, born October 18, i860. Mr. and Mrs. Morton are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically, Mr. Morton is a greenbacker. H. R. O'Neil was born in Ripley county, Indiana, February 20, 1854. He came to Iowa, with his father, Ruel O'Neil, locating in Fairbank township, in April, 1856. Mr. O'Neil made his father's house his home un- til he was about twenty-two years of age, two years of which time he farmed the home place on shares, at the expiration of which he attended school two years at Keo- kuk. In the spring of 1877, he entered in partnership with C. Weitman, in the general mercantile business in Hazleton, which he continued about one year; then en- gaged in the stock and lumber business for another year. He then purchased the hotel in Hazleton in 1878, which he still retains. Mr. O'Neil was married August 15, 1880, to Miss Mary E. Jarrett, who was born December 28, 1854, in the State of Indiana. Mr. O'Neil took pos- session of his hotel as landlord (his wife being landlady), on the fifteenth day of January, 1881, through the ur- gent request of their fellow townsmen, and we can testi- fy to the fact that they are well calculated for the busi- ness. They keep a quiet, genteel house, set a good table, and give general satisfaction in accommodations and prices. Peter Young was born in Germany, near the borders of France, in 1829, May 7th, and came to .America when about twelve years of age, entirely alone, inaking Defi- ance county his home till 1863, engaging in farming and carpentering. He came to Iowa in November, 1863, and purchased a property in Old Hazleton in January, where he made his home better than a year carrying on the carpenter's and joiner's business. In 1865 he pur- chased a property in Coytown, and resided there three years, where he engaged in the carpenter's and joiner's business, owning a farm of eighty acres in Buffalo town- ship at the same time. October 14, 1868, he purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty acres where he re- sides, one mile west of Hazleton station He owns also ten acres of timber in section ten, Hazleton township. He did not move upon his place till the year 1869. The same year he built his fine residence; he built his barn in 1873. He has a beautiful natural grove of about five acres just back of his house, which not only adds beauty to his home, but comfort in both summer and winter. The natural location of Mr. Young's farm cannot be ex- celled for beauty in the county. The house stands on an eminence overlooking the village of Hazleton, the railroad track north and south for several miles, and the country far beyond. His improvements are of a fine character. Besides fine buildings, he has his farm un- der a perfect state of cultivation ; fruit trees, etc., planted, and every want of a nice home supplied. Mr. Young was married in 1864, December 6th, to Miss Betsy Ann Sparks, who was born in Williams county, Ohio, Octo- ber I, 1843. They have nine children: Stejjhen Elmer, born October 26, 1865; Mary Elizabeth, born June 18, 1867; Jacob Henry, born October 31, 1869; Carrie May, born October 10, 1871; Nora L., born September 17, 1873; Nettie E., born March 19, 1875; Fffie E., born March 14, 1877; Mertie F., born October 24, 1878; Daniel Nelson, born January 4, 1881. They are pleasant and intelligent, and take an interest in the com- munity, and have the best wishes of all their neighbors. They take great pains in giving their children an educa- tion — a worthy example to all. Mr. Young is a member of the order of Free Masons. G. M. Miller was born in Wyoming county. New York, in 1837. At the age of twelve he went to Illinois with his father, Adam Miller, and lived near Rockford about three years. His father was a car[)enter and joiner by trade, but engaged in sheep-raising during his stay in Illi- nois, besides working at his trade. G. M. Miller came to Iowa September 13, 1852, locating in Washington town- ship. His first purchase of land in the county was in section thirty-two, Hazleton township, which was in 1853. He purchased the farm of two hundred and ten acres, where he now resides, in Hazleton township, and has since added to it, till now he owns two hundred and eighty acres in all. He built his fine residence in 1871, and his barn in 1875. Benjamin H. Miller was born in Thompkins county, New York, in 1840. At about the age of four he moved with his father, E. Miller, to Illinois, near Rockford, where they made their home till the year 1866, when he came to Iowa and purchased the farm of three hundred and forty acres of land where he still resides, in Hazle 344 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. ton townshi]3. He enlisted in company A, Sixty-third Illinois infantry, in the three months' service, but served his country nearly five months. Mr. Miller was married in October, 1863, to Miss Lucy M. Payne, who was born in Rockford, Illinois, in July, 1844. They have six chil- dren — Gertie A., aged sixteen; Warren A., fourteen; Mattie E., ten; Samuel B., seven; Bennie H., five; Ul- ster S., three. Mr. Miller has one of the best farms in Buchanan county. He has one of the finest groves, of four acres, in the county. It is planted in straight rows. He has also a fine orchard, and knowing the require- ments of a fine home has supplied them. He has held positions of honor and trust several times — served as jus- tice of the peace four years, town clerk, and trustee. He is one of Buchanan's wide-awake farmers. Mr. Miller is affable, pleasant, and a solid Republican. Mrs. Eunice Sjjragg was born in New Brunswick in i8i2. She lived with her father, Moses Brundage, till she was twenty-two years of age, when she married Ed- ward Spragg, who was born in New Biunswick in 181 o, and died July 11, 1878. They spent their early and best days on the farm in New Brunswick, came to Iowa in 1865; purchased the farm of one hundred and sixty acres where she now resides, in Hazleton township. They had seven children, only two of whom are now living — Cath- arine, who married Robert Alder, and died at the age of twenty-seven, leaving one child, Edward K., now eigh- teen, who makes his home with his grandmother; Moses, who died in November, 1S49, at the age of thir- teen; Sarah Matilda, who married B. Curtis, October 18, 1868, and died June 25, 1880, at the age of forty-two, leaving two children ; Ezra, aged forty-one, is married and resides in Montana, and has one child; Eliza Ann, who died at the age of nine; Eunice, who died at the age of eighteen months; John, twenty-six, single, who resides in Montana. Mrs. Sprapg is a very pleasant, ac- tive lady, for her years; is one of those apt ])ersons who can calculate dates, ages, etc., very readily, and remem- bers well the story of her life. She has a nice farm, and is living in hope of reaching the better land when she takes her departure. Antoine Menuez was born in France in 18 16, and came to America, at about the age of seventeen, with his father, Henry Menuez, and located in Oswego, New York, where he remained about twenty-two years, engaged principally at the carpenter's trade. He came to Iowa in the year 1855, and purchased the farm of one hundred and ten acres where he now resides, in Hazleton township ; he has now one hundred and thirty acres. He built himself a fine residence in 1879, and a number one barn in 1874; has fruit and shade trees planted. Mr. Menuez has one of the good farms of Buchanan county, and en- gages in stock raising in connection with his farming. Mr. Menuez was married, in r84i, to Miss Pauline Prud- homnie, born in France in 1S30. They have nine chil- dren — Mary Ellen, thirty-one, married Marcus Burns, and resides in Marion, Iowa; Catharine Augusta, twenty- nine, married Justine Jarder, a farmer of Hazleton town- ship; Anthony Henry, twenty-five, married Rosa Staguls, and resides in Hazleton township; John B., twenty-one, married Jessie Sparks, and resides in Hazleton township; Francis Domnique, nineteen; Mary Frankie, seventeen; Peter Washington, fourteen; Frank, twelve; Leo, eight. All the single children are residing at home, and consti- tute a happy family. As will be seen by this sketch Mr. Menuez is one of the first settlers of Buchanan county, and has been one of its successful men. He has a fine farm and nice home. Mr. and Mrs. Menuez are mem- bers of the Catholic church. They are fine people, and we should esteem it a pleasure to be one of their neigh- bors. L. O. Hellman was born in Clinton county, Ohio, in 1823. While still young, he went with his father, Ben- jamin Hellman, to Grant county, Indiana, where he en- gaged in farming till the year 1856, when he came to Iowa, locating in Buffalo township. Here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of Government land, but sold eighty acres of it, and improved and lived upon the balance till 1864, when he sold it, and" moved to Hazle- ton township. He purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty acres, where he still resides, and has in all two hundred and twenty acres. Mr. Hellman was married in 1846, to Miss Elizabeth Coate, of Indiana. They have nine children living and two dead; William, thirty-three; married Mary M. Miller, and resides in Buffalo township ; Nancy, thirty-one, mar- ried A. G. Pringle, and resides in Dakota Territory; Ben- jamin, who died in 1869, at the age of nineteen; Mar- garet, twenty-eight, married R. E. Ketchem, and lives in Mainard, Fayette county; Harriet Amanda, twenty-six, single; Isaac, twenty-three, single; Allen, twenty-one; Oscar, nineteen; Albert, seventeen; Caroline, died in 1869, at the age of two years and a half; Esther, seven. The single children all make their home with the father. Mr. and Mrs. Hellman are members of the Christian church. Mr. Hellman is well ofT in the world's goods, has a large and interesting family, is a good neighbor and friend, and a good and stiff Republican. John G. Classon was born in Grafion, New Hamp- shire, in 181 7. He went to the State of Vermont, when he was thirteen, and resided there till he was twenty-one, when he returned to New Hampshire, and remained until 1842, when he returned to Vermont, where he resided till the year 1855, engaging in the manufacture of carriages in Thetford the whole time. In May, 1855, he came to Iowa, and moved upon the farm of two hun- dred acres, which he had previously purchased in Bremer county. Those were early days. They had to go a dis- tance of thitty-six miles for their groceries, etc., but the wave of civilization soon reached them, and neighbors and towns were near at hand. He sold his farm, and caine to this county in September, 1863, and purchased a farm in Homer township, where he lived five years, and sold out to a good advantage, and purchased the farm of eighty acres, where he now resides one mile west of Hazleton. They have a beautiful home. It is protected in the winter from the cold piercing winds, and in the summer from the hot rays of the sun. Its natural location can- not be excelled in the county, close to the railroad, close to neighbors, and close to school and church. They HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 345 have trees bearing fruit, apples, plums, grapes, berries, etc., and everything that the heart could desire, and every attraction of a western home. Mr. Classon was married September, 1841, to Miss Mary Ann \\d\s, who was born in Merrimack county. New Hampshire, in 1817. They have four children living, and two deceased: Ellen Louisa, thirty-eight, married Mr. Lewis Clark, who died August 7, 1868; she is still a widow, and resides at Cedar Falls. Harrison, thirty-five, married Miss Hattie Harrington, and lives near his father's. Francis A. died at the age of twenty-six, September 12, 1871, in Kansas, and married William H. Merrill. Adelaide A., thirty, married Henry Bessie, and resides in Hazleton. William E., twenty-six, single, and makes his home with his parents. Both Mr. and Mrs. Classon are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Classon is a Republican. Henry Erdman was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1825. He came to America in 1840, locating in New York about six years, when he moved to Wisconsin, and engaged in blacksmithing about six years. Mr. Erdman came to Iowa in 1863, and purchased the farm of one hundred and forty acres, where he now resides in Greeley's Grove, Hazleton township. Mr. Erdman was married in 1855, ^° '^'ss Mary Ann Stevens, of New York, who died in 1870, leaving a family of four children: Frank, twenty-four; Cirena, twenty-two; Hattie, sixteen; Willy, fourteen — all living at home except Frank, who is in Dakota working for himself. Mr. Erdman was married the second time to Miss Eliza Lee, of Wisconsin. We find Mr. Erdman very comfortably, situated. He has a fine farm, a pleasant home, anxi an interesting family, and is one of Buchanan's solid men, and besides all this, he is enjoying the satisfaction of being a good and sound Republican. I. L. Bigelow was born in Troy, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1823. When still a boy he went with his father, R. D. Bigelow, to Upper Canada, where he lived about four years, when they moved to Wisconsin, where he worked at the blacksmith trade about ten years. He came to Iowa in May, 1850, where, locating in Washington township, he spent three years. Bought the place where he still resides, in Williamsburgh, in 1868. Farming and blacksmithing were his principal business. Mr. Bigelow was married in 1847, to M'ss Harriet E. Varyason (fifty three years old), of Wisconsin. They have five children: Sabina E., thirty-three, single; Charlotte E., thirty, married William Scott Cushman, resides in this county; .\manda Melvina, twenty-eight, married Stephen C. Roddel, who died in 1873; John Day, twenty-seven, single; James B., twenty-two. Mr. Bigelow was one of the early pioneers. There were only two married men in Independence at the time he came. He ground the corn for his bread seven weeks, in a coffee-mill. He has passed seventeen days at a time without seeing the face of a white man. There was only one corn mill in the county, and people came for sixty miles to grind. They could grind about two bushels a day. Though they can remember some severe hardships, yet they look upon those days as being full of pleasure and happiness. True fellowship then existed. Henry Finch was born in New York in 1839, where he resided till eighteen years of age, when he went to Wisconsin and engaged in the lumber business for about fourteen years, except the three years he spent in the army. Enlisted August 15, i86^, in company K, Twen- ty-fifth Wisconsin infantry. He was in the battle of Vicks- burgh ; under Sherman's command afterwards, and the his- tory of the war found in this work, will tell of the many hard fought battles and skirmishes Mr. Finch was engaged m. He was wounded in battle, from which he was off duty three months, and from which he has never fully recov- ered. He is still in possession of the Minnie ball which caused the wound. It is battered and disfigured, show- ing the terrible force with which it struck. He was never taken prisoner, nor off duty one hour, save when he was wounded, and was one of the Government's profitable soldiers. He came to Iowa in 1873, and moved upon the farm of two hundred and sixty acres which he had purchased in 1867, situated three miles south of Hazle- ton. Mr. Finch was married in 1868 to Miss Ida F. Howard, of New York, and they have five children: Bertha, ten; Abram, nine; Ida, six; Willie, four; Wil- bur, two. A bright, wide-awake, interesting little family of children. Mr. Finch has one of the best farms of Buchanan county for their home, and is one of the best men of the county. He is a patriot, heart and soul, and a Republican to the backbone. Stephen Patrick was born in England in 181 7, where he engaged as a farmer's hand until the year 1848, when he went to Canada and farmed six years. Came to the United States in 1854, locating in Hazleton township, where he purchased the farm of ninety acres where he has since resided, two miles south of Hazleton. Built his residence in 1865. Mr. Patrick was married in 1845, to Miss Ann Jocklin, of England, who died, on their way over, at Quebec, in 1848, leaving one child, Charles, now thirty-four years of age and married to Miss Sarah Shafer. They have four children and reside in the same house with his father. Mr. Patrick was married the second time in 1849, to Miss Ann Newcombe, born in England in 181 2, who came to America alone in 1848. She is now an old lady and very much afflicted with rheumatism, but bears the traces of early beauty. Mr. Patrick is a member of the Free Will Baptists. Is a model man in his neighborhood. Has the good will of all his acquaintances, and is, of course, a good, sound Republican. Charles Patrick enlisted in the Third Iowa battalion in 1865, and served his country until the close of the war. J. I. Nichols was born in St. Lawrence county. New York, in 1839. At the age of seven he went to the State of Illinois with his father, Jason Nichols, where they resided seventeen years. He came to Iowa in 1865, locating in Fairbank township, where he resided three years. He bought the farm of eighty acres where he now resides, about two miles south of Hazleton, in 187 1. Mr. Nichols was married December 31, 1864, to Miss Lovina Kelley, born in Canada, September 13, 1842. Have five children: Martha Ann, fourteen; F. W., 346 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. eleven; Eunice E., nine; Cora A., seven; J. H., born May 9, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols are members of the Free Baptist church, and have the good opinion of their neighbors. R. G. Merrill, jr., was born in New York in 1848. In the spring of 1854 his father located in Hazleton town- ship, where the family has since resided. His father died January 17, 1865. Mr. R. G. Merrill enlisted in company H, First Iowa cavalry, in 1864, at the age of sixteen, and served until he was discharged on account of the war being over; the business of the cavalry being principally skirmishing, they had a full share of that to do, which was almost of daily occurrence. He is glad to say that he was slightly wounded, just enough to give him a token of the war. After his return from army life he engaged in farming three years, since which time he has been in the well-boring business. Mr. Merrill was married in 1S68 to Miss Cordelia Jackson, born in Can- ada in 1850. They have five children — Estella, age eleven; Annitta, age ten; Ralph, age eight; Gardner, age three, and Cordelia, born July 16, 1879. Mr. Mer- rill is one of the first settlers of this county, and one of its solid men to-day, and one of the supporters of the Greenback party. Gilman Nelson Bunce was born in this county in 1850, and made his home with his father, William Bunce, on the farm until he was about twenty-one years of age when he commenced work for himself by engag- ing in farming till the spring of 1878, when he engaged in the lime business. He bought his property where he resides January, 1879. Mr. Bunce was married in 1874, to Miss Mary Russell, who was born in Wisconsin in 1857. The hme-kiln of Hazleton township, and the only one in the county worked by Page's patent, was first started by Nelson Bunce in 1879. It is situated on his premises in Coytown, and it is running very success- fully. He has burnt over four thousand bushels in the last season. He finds ready sale for it all, which encourages him to go ahead with the business even stronger next year. He is determined to supply the demand at the lowest possible rates. M. S. Wheaton was born in Seneca county, New York, in the year 1832. At the age of three he went with his father, 'Squire Wheaton, to Delaware county, Ohio, where he remained sixteen years, and where most of ten years were spent in school. He came to Iowa in 1850, locating in Anamosa, and engaging at the carpen- ter and joiners' business, contracting and hiring a gang of hands. In 1862 he went to Cedar Rapids where he spent five years as contractor and came to Hazleton in 1867, where he has been engaged in the dairying busi- ness and is postmaster. He was elected justice of the peace two years, and is at present notary public. Mr. Wheaton was married in 1857 to Miss Elizabeth D. Pat- ten, of Anamosa. They have four children living — Alice E., age twenty-two April 19, 1880, married Dr. W. E. Baker, a practicing physician in Hazleton; Orson Eugene, age twenty-one, operator at Robertson on the Burlington & Cedar Rapids railroad; Judson C, age thirteen, attends school and helps his father in the store; Willard W., age nine, attends school. We wish the privilege here to speak of Mr. Wheaton as his acquaint- ances speak of him. As a gentleman he is a number one; as a friend he cannot be excelled; as a business man he is affable and honest; as a notary public he is abundantly able; as a justice of the peace he is consid- erate, a man of sound judgment, who is willing that law should rule, but prejudice and friendship never; and finally, he is one of Buchanan's soundest Republicans. E. R. Truax was born December 18, 1854, in Grant county, Indiana. At the age of ten he came to Iowa with his father, Isaac Truax, and located in Hazleton township. At the age of nineteen Mr. E. R. Truax commenced life for himself by engaging in farming. He purchased forty acres of land in Hazleton in the spring of 1876. He was married February, 1878, to Miss Erie Walker, who was born in Buchanan county, Iowa, Sep- tember, 1857. They have two children — Maud, age two, and Minnie, age one. Mr. and Mrs. Truax are very pleasant people and possess the good opinion of their acquaintances. Mr. Truax is a good, solid Republi- can. Isaac Truax was born in Preble county, Ohio, in 181 7, where he resided until his majority. Starting west about that time and spending some years in Illinois and Indi- ana, he came to Iowa in the fall of 1864 and bought the farm of two hundred and twenty-one acres where he now resides, in Hazleton township. He built his present residence himself, with the assistance of his son, in 1875. Mr. Truax was married August, 1848, to Miss Anna Hillman, who was born in Clinton county, Ohio, in 1828. Had five sons, four living and one deceased — Eli, born in July, 1849, married September, 187 1, to Miss Catha- rine C. Clawson, of Iowa. A terrible tragedy connected with the death of Mr. Eli Truax and wife while on a visit to Kansas this winter cannot be neglected here. They arrived at the house of their relatives, Lyman Culver, in southern Kansas on the eleventh day of November, 1880. They were enjoying the society of their friends till, on the night of the twen- ty-first. About three or four o'clock in the morning, the house was discovered to be enveloped in flames. The occupants of the house were all sleeping up-stairs, and their first warning of danger also disclosed to them the terrible fate which so soon awaited them. Mr. Truax, taking in the situation at a glance, effected an escape by kicking out a window and jumping to the ground. His wife handed him their two children, William Earl and Orval, being five and one years old respectively. These were rescued in safety, but Mrs. Truax and her aunt by this time were wrapped in flames, and were so burned before they could be taken from the ill-fated building that Mrs. Truax died at 9 o'clock, and her aunt, Mrs. Culver, died at 6 p. m. the same day. Mr. Truax, in his exertion to knock out the window, severed the femoral artery of his right limb, which caused his death on the fourteenth of December. Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Truax, the grandparents of the orphan children, are car- ing kindly for them, and expect to give them a home as long as they live. Thus ends a brief account of an aw- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 347 ful event that will ever hold a sad place in the hearts and memories of their friends. The second son, William, twenty-nine years, married Miss Sarah J. Barney, and lives in Hazleton, and is a carpenter by trade; Edger R., twenty-six years, married Erie Walker, and lives in the neighborhood of his father, and farms; John B., twenty- one years, married Miss L O. Lawrence, and lives with his father, and helps carry on the home farm ; Isaac D., fourteen years, lives at home. Both Mr. and Mrs. Trua.x are members of the Christian church. They have the esteem of the community in which they live, and Mr. Truax is known and respected as one of Bu- chanan's good, sound Republicans. W. A. Nelson was born in Wayne county, Ohio, April 22, 1853. His father, William C. Nelson, removed to the State of Indiana, and remained about five years. In i860 he came to Iowa, locating in Hazleton town- ship, where his father engaged in the practice of med- icine, which he continued till his death, which occur- red December 4, 1863. Mr. W. A. Nelson made his home with his father till the year 1861, when he enlisted in com- pany F, Twelfth Iowa volunteer infantry, and served his country three years and two months. He was in twenty- three different engagements, the principal battles being: Fort Henry, Fort Donaldson, and Shiloh, where he was taken prisoner and remained a prisoner of war six months and eleven days, during which time he visited the infamously famous Libby Prison. He was exchanged in the spring of 1863, and at once rejoined the Union forces and fought till the close of the war. Mr. Nelson was an inmate of the hospital through sickness about two months. Before his recovery he volunteered to go out and quell the disturbance created in Missouri, by Quantrell. He was on the Red river expedition in Smith's corps under the command of General Banks. He returned in iS 64 and engaged in farming. By his father's will he came in possession of a farm of onehundred acres in Fayette county, which he moved upon in 1865, and remained there eight years. In the fall of 1874 Mrs. Nelson's father, Mr. Henry Koons, made her a present of the farm of one hundred and thirteen acres, where he now resides, one half mile north of Old Hazleton. Mr. Nelson was married, October 28, 1866, to Miss Catharine Koons, who was born in Williams county, Ohio, August 7, 1850. They have three children — William Henry, aged thirteen; Theresa May, aged ten; and Rosetta, aged six. They are a bright, intelligent trio. It is but due to Mr. and Mrs. Nelson to speak of them here as their neighbors do, they are Christian peo- ple, assisting all in cherishing good and crushing out evil. Henry Coy was born in Defiance county, Ohio, in 1832, where he lived till the year 1S64, engaged in farm- ing. In that year he came to Iowa and purchased the farm of two hundred acres where he still resides, in the vicinity of Old Hazleton. His farm now consists of three hundred and sixty acres. Mr. Coy was married in 1 86 1, January 20, to Miss Mary A. Koons, born in Williams county, Ohio, April 17, 1843. They have four children: William Henry, aged eighteen; Nancy Bell, age fourteen; Mary Elizabeth, aged nine; Martin Clark, aged three, born oti his father's birth-day. They are a wide-awake little family. Mrs. Coy is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Coy is one of Bu- chanan's prominent farmers and will not submit to the shackles of any party, but votes for the best man and interests. D. W. Thomas was born in Wisconsin in 1859. Lived there with his father, Edwin Thomas, upon the farm till he was about eight years of age when they moved to Minnesota and remained three years. Came to Iowa in 1870, locating in Hazleton township, where his father bought a fine farm south of Hazleton, and still resides. Mr. D. W. Thomas is one of the energetic young men of his community, and is undertaking the responsibilities of life for himself Is, politically, a Democrat, and is happy to say is at present enjoying the realization of single blessedness. Morton Hayes was born in New Brunswick in 1843, and came to the United States in 1855 with his father, Thomas B. Hayes, locating in this county upon the farm where his father still resides, in Hazleton township. In the year 1864, Mr. Morton Hayes enlisted in company F, First Iowa cavalry, and served his country nearly two years, when he was discharged on account of the war closing. His health was so impaired by the hardships that he has never fully recovered. He bought the farm where he now resides, two miles north of Hazleton vil- lage, in 1S69. Has since added to it till now he owns one hundred and twenty acres. And here we wish to state that besides being good land it has one of the finest natural positions of any farm in the county. It is level, and yet at such an elevation that one can see the horizon at a distance of ten miles around. The chimney of the asylum can be seen on a clear day, which is twelve miles distant. The village of Hazleton is in plain view, and at the same time the church steeples can be seen plainly at Oelwein. Mr. Hayes was married March 20, 1870, to Miss Angeline Zimmerman. They have two children: Mertie E., aged six; Herbert M., aged two. They are both interesting little people. Mr. Hayes is one of the first settlers of Buchanan county, and is to-day not only one of its prominent men financially, but one of its strong Republicans. Elizabeth Sax was born in Portage county, Ohio, in 1823. She lived with her father, Mr. George Ivaly, till his death, which was in 1837. After this event she was compelled to face life and all its realities alone till the year 1853, when she married Mr. John Sax, who was born in the State of Pennsylvania, in 18 13, and died January 10, 1879. They have two children living and three deceased: Nancy, aged thirty three, married to Robert Swartz, and reside in Hazleton township — have three children; Ida, aged twenty-two, married Henry Mille, April, 1878 — have one child, Libbie, nearly two years old. Mrs. Sax has been a resident of this county nearly twenty years. She is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of Buchanan's best land; is a pleasant, congenial lady, and is held in the highest esteem by her neighbors. 348 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. James Girton was born in Columbiana county, Penn- sylvania, December 19, 1811. Moved to Illinois and re- mained three years. Came to Iowa in 1851, and bought the farm of eighty acres where they now reside, north of Old Hazleton one-half mile. Purchased forty acres since, so that now they own one hundred and twenty acres. Built their stone house in 1869. Mr. Girton was married in 1832 to Miss Sarah Lemon, who was born in Columbi- ana county, Pennsylvania, in 1814, November 23d. Have six children living and three deceased: Joseph, aged forty-two, married Calista M. Porter, who died January 19, 1880; Margaret, aged forty, married H. T. Reynolds; Angeline, aged thirty-five, married Louis Woods; Lucin- da, aged thirty-one, married John B. Woods, and resides with her parents; William, aged twenty-nine; Amanda F., aged twenty-three. Mr. and Mrs. Girton were among the first settlers of Buchanan county. L. D. Engle was born in the State of New York, On- tario county, in the year 1805. At about the age of fourteen he went to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where he lived till he was twenty-two years of age, when he returned to New York and farmed about four years, again return- ing to his former home in Ohio and engaging in farming for about three years. He then sold out and went to Williams county, Ohio, and purchased a farm, where he lived twelve years. In 1846 he sold out and went to Wisconsin and purchased a farm and farmed six years, when he again sold and came to Iowa. He bought the farm of one hundred and twelve acres where he now re- sides, in Hazleton township. Mr. Engle was married October 22, 1829, to Miss Lydia Kinsman, who died March 28, 1875, in Hazleton. Mr. Engle is the father of seven children, two of whom are living and five de- ceased. Nancy A. Painter now resides in Fayette county. L. H. Maxfield was born in Connecticut April 26, 1848. At the age of five he moved with his father, A. B. Maxfield, to Milwaukee, where he remained about ten years, engaging principally in the printing business. In 1862 he enlisted in company E, Twenty-fourth Wis- consin infantry, when but fourteen years of age. He served his country during the war, and remained in the regular service afterward. Returning to Milwaukee, he engaged in the printing business about nine months, then again enlisted in the regular army and remained three years. For several years he was employed in different places; and was married in 1873, June 7th, to Mrs. Adalaide Buchet, of Dubuque, whose husband died in 1871, leaving a family of three children — Joseph F. M., sixteen, Rosa P., thirteen, and Frank A., eleven. Mr. and Mrs. Maxfield have a bright little daughter, Lucy v., aged five years. They have a fine farm of ninety-three acres, upon which they live, in Hazleton township. They have a pleasant home indeed. Mrs. Maxfield is an exceptionally intelligent woman, with qualities which cannot fail to make home happy. Joseph L. Gerton was born in Columbia county, Penn- sylvania, in 1838. When about nine years old he moved with his father, James Gerton, to the State of Illinois, remaining there until 185 i, when he came to Iowa, locat- ing in Hazleton township. In the year i860 he began to do for himself by engaging in farming. In 1S61 he enlisted in company F, Twelfth Iowa volunteer infantry. April 6, 1862, he was wounded, at the battle of Shiloh, and taken prisoner. After remaining in rebel custody two months, he was exchanged, and again joined his regiment; but after remaining three months longer, was discharged on account of disability caused by his wound. After a partial recovery, he engaged in farming for sev- eral years, then went into the American house in Inde- pendence for two years, at the expiration of which time he went to Tama City and kept hotel a year. Return- ing to Hazleton, he again engaged in farming until in 1876 he engaged as clerk for Mr. Whiteman, dry goods merchant. He remained with him about two and one- half years, since which time he has been in the same business with Kiefer & King. Mr. Gerton was married in 1865 to Miss Celestia M. Porter, who died January 19, 1880, leaving a family of two children — Nettie May, ten years old, and Jessie J., five. Religiously, Mr. Ger- ton is a Universalist, and politically is a Greenbacker. He is a natural business man, affable and pleasant in all his transactions. W. H. Kiefer was born in St. Joseph county, Indiana, in 1856. His first years were spent in school and on his father's farm (George Kiefer), till he was about fourteen years of age, when he came to Iowa, locating at Inde- pendence. Here he learned the cooper's trade, and con- tinued at that business about four years, when he engaged as clerk with his brothers in the mercantile" business in Hazleton, and has since been in their employment. Mr. Kiefer was married in 1879 to Miss Ella Bates, of this county. They have one child, Oma, one year old. Mr. Kiefer is not only a number one business man, but is a Christian gentleman and a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is a trustee of the same. He is also a good, sound Republican. Adam Kiefer was born in Indiana, in 1847, where he remained till he was twenty-one years old, engaged prin- cipally in farming, but spent about two years as an ap- prentice to the mercantile business in Mi shawaka, St. Joseph county. In the year 1869 he came to Iowa, locat- ing in this county. He and his brother John bought and improved a farm of one hundred and fifty-five acres, which he lived upon nearly two years, at the expiration of which time his brother John took charge of the farm, and Adam engaged in the mercantile business for about four years in Independence. In the spring of 1877 he and his brother John went to Hazleton and purchased a fine building and laid in a complete stock of general merchandise, and commenced a business in which they have been engaged ever since, having retained at the same time their connection with farming and stock rais- ing. They have always been energetic and enterprising business men, and are evidently in the way of success. Their trade has been large, and their future prospects are indeed most encouraging. Mr. Adam Kiefer was mar- ried in 1876 to Miss Marvilla Moore, of Winthrop. They have two sons: Earl, aged four; Kyle, aged two. Mr. Kiefer and his brother own the whole block of build- ings on their corner, and consequently they have the most HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 349 valuable property in Hazleton. Mr. A. Kiefer, besides being a model business man, is a Christian gentleman. He is a prominent man in the Methodist church, and is a steward of the same. Among the many excellent things we may say of Mr. Kiefer, not the least is that he is a good, square Republican. John Kiefer was born in Indiana in 1850, where he remained till he was twenty-two years of age, when he came to Iowa, locating in Hazleton township, upon a farm which he and his brother Adam had purchased two years previous. He resided upon the farm six years, when he moved to Hazleton and engaged in buying grain, which business he is still engaged in, having also an interest in the dry goods store with his brother Adam. His grain business has been quite a success, command- ing the trade for miles around. He buys about seventy- five thousand bushels of grain and flax-seed per year. Mr. Kiefer was married October 1 7, 1 880, to Miss Lizzie Drummond, of Dubuque. Mr. Kiefer is one of the en- terprising business men of this county, and is one of the drive-wheels of the community. He is a Republican. Thomas C. McKenzie was born in St. John's, New Brunswick, in 1849, and came to Iowa in February, 1877. He made his home with his brother, S. A. Mc- Kenzie, and taught school one year, when he engaged as attendant in the hospital at Independence for two years. In July, 1880, he engaged as clerk with Messrs. Kiefers & King, in Hazleton, where he still remains. Mr. Mc- Kenzie is an intelligent, active business man, and enjoys the happy lot of single blessedness. John M. King was born in New York in 1830. When about nine years of age he went with his father, Nathan King, to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where they remained eight years, and moved to Cass county, Michigan, and lived there nine years. Here J. M. King com- menced to do for himself by working at brick-making in Beloit for two years, and came to Iowa in 1851. He located in this county, Byron township, where he remained till 1862, when he enlisted in company G, Sixth Iowa cavalry. He served his country over three years, and was in seven battles, each conflict being with the Indians, his service being on the plains. He was never wounded or taken prisoner, but we are sorry to state almost entire- ly lost his eyesight. For two years he was totally blind, but lately is partially recovering the sight of one eye. This was caused by drinking alkali water. After his re- turn from the army he sold his homestead and purchased the one of two hundred acres where he now resides, in Hazleton township. Mr. King was married in May, 1854, to Miss Elizabeth Kirkendale, of Holmes county, Ohio. They have seven children: De Noris, aged twenty-five; Mary Ann, aged twenty-three, married J. C. Allen, and lives near Waterloo; Christopher, aged twenty-one; Em- ma Lovina, aged eighteen; Joseph, aged ten; Fred., aged six; and Bertha Bell, three years old. All the chil- dren except Mary Ann are single and living at home. They are an intelligent family. Mr. King is ranked among Buchanan's honest men — those who have their country's interest at heart. Mr. King and his two sons are substantial Democrats. T. B. Hayes was born in New Brunswick, Kings county, in 1801. He remained in New Brunswick dur- ing his early years, engaged principally in farming. When he was fifty-five years of age he came to Iowa and purchased two hundred and forty acres of land where he now resides, in Hazleton township. Since coming to Iowa he has turned his attention exclusively to farming. Mr. Hayes was married on November i, 1825, to Miss Augusta Ketchem, of New Brunswick, who died on March 4, 1832, leaving four children: Charlotte, now fifty-four years old, married Abraham Coulpitt, of New Brunswick, and has one child, Matilda; Harriett Ann, was the second child, who is now fifty-two years old, mar- ried Robert Morrison, of New Brunswick, and has twelve children living; Samuel H., aged fifty, married Anna Southworth, and has three children; John K., aged forty-eight, married Emaline Burnett, of New Brunswick, and has four children. Mr. Hayes married his second wife in 1833, Eleanor Coulpitt, of New Brunswick, who was born in 1810. They have seven children: Augusta, aged forty-seven, married Joseph Southworth, and lives in Pocahontas county, this State, and has three children; Oren, aged forty-five, married Fannie Snyder and has seven children, and lives in New Brunswick; Mary J., aged forty-three, married C. L. Belt, of Nebraska, and has five children; Morten, aged thirty-nine, married Anna Zimmerman, and has two children, and lives in Hazleton township; William M., aged thirty-seven, married Eliza McKinsey, who died December 28, 1880, leaving a family of four children. Mrs. Hayes was a very estima- ble lady and will be long mourned by her neighbors and friends; James, aged thirty-two, married Jennie Gill, has three children, and lives in Buffalo township; Nettie, aged twenty-five, single and teaches school. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hayes are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Hayes is the father of eleven children and grandfather of forty-four, and greatgrand- father to nine. He raised a family of six boys and none of whom have ever been known to indulge in the use of any intoxicating liquors, or use tobacco in any form. F. B. Fillmore was born in Walworth, Wayne county. New York, in the year 1830. He was educated at Wal- worth academy. He being the younger son, remained at home with his father, Honorable Luther Fillmore, and carried on his farm till his death, which was in the year 1854, after which he engaged in farming at different points until the year 1866, when he came to Iowa, locating in this county. He bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Grundy county, which he sold in 1868, and bought the farm of eighty-five acres where he now resides, in Fairbank township. Mr. Fillmore was mar- ried, in the year i86r, to Mrs. Maggie A. Becker, of New York, who was born in Lyons, Wayne county, in 1828. They have no children, but Mrs. Fillmore has a daughter, Emma, by her first husband, Mr. D. M. Becker. Emma is now twenty-seven years of age, and married R. S. Bowen, in 1870. They now reside at Winterset, Iowa. We feel like adding to this sketch in behalf of Mr. Fillmore and lady, that they are very pleasant people indeed, and we should esteem it a pleas- 35° HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. ure to be connected among tlieir neighbors and friends N. M. Miguet was born in France in 1841. \\'hen about five years of age he came to America with his father, John P. Miguet, who located in Dubuque county, where they remained nine years. In the year 1856 they came to Buchanan county and purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Hazleton township, where N. M. Miguet now resides. Mr. John P. Miguet died March 10, 18S0. By his father's will he came into possession of eighty acres of the old homestead. He had previously, and has since, purchased different pieces of land, so that now he owns the round number of four hundred acres. He owns one of the best farms of Bu- chanan county, which, from its location and other nat- ural advantages, is exceedingly desirable. It affords one of the grandest views in the State; has fine buildings, and is under a state of careful cultivation, and has fruit and shade trees planted, and doing well. Mr. Miguet was married September 17, 1S63, to Miss Caroline Long. They have six children: John, aged fourteen years; Ed- ward, aged twelve years; Carrie, aged ten years; Ella, aged seven years; Emma, aged two; boy babe three months old. Mr. Miguet has been a resident of the State for thirty-three years, and of the county twenty- four years. He is one of those men who helped to lay the first lines of Buchanan's successful history, and has, at the same time, been very successful himself Mr. Theodore Messenger was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1841. At the age of twelve years he moved with his father, George Messen- ger, to the State of Illinois, and located in the northern part of the State, and remained their till the year 1864, when he enlisted in company F, Forty-sixth regiment, Illinois volunteer infantry. He served his country until the war closed, when he returned home and worked at the carpenter's trade. He was married and farmed his father-in-law's place tw'o years, when he came to Iowa in the fall of 1869, and bought the farm of ninety acres on which he now resides, in Hazleton township. He built his house in 1876, and his barn in 1S72. His farm is under the finest state of cultivation. He farms with C. H. Miller, and now owns one hundred and sixty acres of Buchanan's best land. It is in splendid condition, has a good house and barn, and every convenience of a num- ber one home. Mr. Messenger was married in 1868, to Miss Caroline High, of Pennsylvania. They have two children: Leonora A., aged twelve years; Octavia Carrie, aged three years. Mr. Messenger has an interesting family, and has reason to feel that the lines have fallen to him in pleasant places. Mr. T. C. Nelson was born in Wayne county, Ohio, April 27, 1841. At about the age of seven he moved, with his father, William C. Nelson, to Kosciusko county, Indiana, near Warsaw, where they remained about five years, when they came to Hazleton township. Mr. William C. Nelson died in December, 1862, at his home in the village of Hazleton. He was a physician, and practiced seven years in this county. Mr. T. C. Nelson's first exertions for himself were in the capacity of a school teacher, which was when he was only sixteen .years of age. He followed this avocation for about eighteen years, when he turned his attention to farming principal- ly, which he still continues. Mr. Nelson was married in 1 November, 1858, to Frances E. Sufficool, of this county and township. They have three children living : Arthur L., twenty-one; Charles I., fourteen; Fred Ellsworth, twelve. Mr. Nelson was married the second time to i Louisa Bender, November 4, 1879. They are living up- on their own farm and in their own home. A coinci- dence that is perhaps more amusing than instructive we beg leave to mention here: That the subject of this sketch, Mr. Thomas C. Nelson, is of the same name with the writer, Thomas C. Nelson, of Ashland county, Ohio. Mr. T. C. Nelson, we are glad to say, is a very intelligent and pleasant man, and we are perfectly will- ing to accept and recognize him as a relative. He is, besides all this, one of those sound Republicans that on- ly a Nelson is capable of being. He enlisted in 1861 in company F, Twelfth Iowa volunteer infantry. He was fourth corporal, serving his country about thirteen months, when he was discharged on account of disabili- ty, caused by a gunshot wound in the right hand, which he received at the battle of Shiloh. He was slightly wounded at Fort Donelson, but never off duty from any cause save the time he was wounded. He was in three battles — Fort Henry, Shiloh and Donelson. Mr. Frederick Zatsch was born in Prussia in 1823. He came to America in 1856; worked in a saw-mill in Michigan one year, and came to Iowa in 1857, locating in Independence, where he worked at the carpenter's trade about fifteen years. He bought the fine mill prop- erty where he now resides, one mile south of Hazleton, in 1872. He owns, besides a fine home and a mill, a splendid farm of one hundred acres. Mr. Zatsch is do- ing a splendid business with his mill. It is in perfect running order, and he does splendid work and gives gen- eral satisfaction. Mr. Zatsch was married in i860 to Miss Augusta Thorman, of German birth, but a resident of Fayette county. They have three children: Clara, twenty; Emma, fourteen; Frederick, nine. They are all living at home, and constitute a happy family. Mr. and Mrs. Zatsch are members of the Lutheran church. G. W. Phillips was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, in 1819. At the age of twenty he went to Rock county, Wisconsin, where he lived twenty-five years, engaging in farming and blacksmithing. Came to Iowa in 1863, locating in Fayette county, in the city of West Union, where he engaged in staging about four years ; afterwards run an auction store for a time. He remained in the place about six years. After various changes in busi- ness and residence, covering several years, Mr. Phillips came to Hazleton, January 15, 18S0, and purchased a general stock of merchandise, and is doing a good busi- ness. He is one of those wholesouled, genial business men who will always have friends. Mr. Phillips' first wife, Olive L. Jones, died in Rock county, Wisconsin. His second wife, Lena Carpenter, whom he married at West Union, died in Linn county, at Centre Point, where he married his third wife, Emma Morse, who is still living. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 351 Mr. Phillips is the father of seven children — four by the first wife, one by the second, and two by the third. This sketch is written on New Year's day, iSSi. Mr. Phillips is wide-awake and enjoying himself on the oc- casion. E. W. Tenney was born in Worcester county, Massa- chusetts, in 1830. At about three years of age he moved with his father. Dr. John W. Tenney, to the town of Webster, where E. W. lived and attended school till about the age of sixteen, when he engaged with a corps of civil engineers, and continued at the business from 1846 to 1852, when he engaged in the mercantile busi- ness about one year. In 1855 he came to Iowa, locating in Old Hazleton, where he engaged in the mercantile business, and followed it up for nineteen years. When the new town of Hazleton sprung up, on account of the railroad, he moved to it and purchased a fine residence, and had lived a retired life till the fall of 1880, when he engaged in the lumber business. Mr. Tenney was married on October 18, 1877, to Miss Lucena F. Haines, formerly of Manchester. They have one child, Lena Luella, aged twenty-two months. They have a pleasant home. Mr. Tenney, as will be seen by tlie sketch, is one of Buchanan's first settlers. He is one of the county's solid financial men, and one of the State's good, solid Republicans. H. J. Fourtner was born in Hancock county, Ohio, in 1845. ^^ ''^s age of two he moved with his father, Samuel Fourtner, to Dubuque, Iowa. Lived with his father on the farm and attended school till he was twenty- one years of age, when he engaged in the threshing busi- ness, and continued at it about sixteen years — he had previously worked at it with his father, making about nineteen years in all. Had in the meantime acquired the trade of repairing watches, clocks and jewelry. Has been a resident of Hazleton township for the past twenty- four years; moving to New Hazleton in 1876, when the railroad came through. This is the fourth winter he has run a jewelry repairing shop in Hazleton. Mr. Fourtner was married in 1871, to Miss Louisa A. Gutcher, of this county, by whom he has four children; Ida, Edward, Elsie and Zadie. Dr. William E. Baker was born at Providence, Rhode Island, February 2, 1852. Moved with his parents to La Salle county, Illinois, in 1859; removed from there to Cedar Rapids, in this State, in 1865. Resided with his parents until he commenced the study of medicine under the supervision of Drs. E. L. Mansfield and George P. Carpenter, of Cedar Rapids. He remained with these gentlemen about two years, attending, in the meantime, a full course of lectures at the Ruth Medical college, at Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Baker was married at Cedar Rapids, on the tenth of October, 1876, to Miss Alice E., daughter of M. S. Cheaton, esq., by whom he has one child, a son. At the instance of his medical preceptor, he settled at Hazelton, where he has secured a very large practice for a young man, and has gained the con fidence of the community as a thoroughly skilled physician. Dr. Baker is a Presbyterian in religious belief, and a Republican in politics. A. H. H. Hitchcock, sr., was born in the State of Con- necticut in 1 80 1. At about the age of eighteen he went to Rochester, New York, where he worked at the mill- wright business for nearly thirty years. In the year 1850 he moved to Walworth, Wisconsin, remaining about seventeen years. Came to Iowa in 1868, locating in Ha- zleton township, where he purchased a farm of one hun- dred and twenty acres and resided till the year 1877, when he moved to the village of Hazleton, occupying the fine residence he had built the year before. He sold his farm on account of poor health. Mr. Hitchcock was married in 1828 to Miss Julia A. Reed, of New York State, who was born in 1805. They have four children living and three deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock are members of the Congregational church. George Hall was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, in 1814. At about the age of nine he moved with his father, William Hall, to Knox county, Ohio, where he resided till he was twenty-four years of age, when he was married to Miss Sarah Hughes, and moved to Holmes county, Ohio, where he bought a farm and lived upon it thirteen years. In the year 1849 he moved to Indiana, and re- mained till the year 1864, when he came to Iowa, locating first in Lynn county, where he remained only about six months, when he got a chance to sell his farm at quite an advance, and bought again in the same county. In the year 1873 he moved to Fairview and kept a hotel about three years, when he bought the farm of eighty acres where he now resides, in Hazleton township. Mr. Hall's first wife died in A|jril, 1862, leaving a family of two children, a son and daughter — William D., who was killed in the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, in the year 1864, July 7th, at the age of twenty-four; Caroline M., married a Method- ist minister, and is residing in Indiana. Mr. Hall was married to his second wife, Rosa Cranmer, in 1863. They have three sons — Robert F., George J., and Sherman; all living at home and attending school. George A. Long was born in Wyoming county, Penn- sylvania, in 1843. Came to Iowa in 1855 with his father, J. M. Long, locating in Hazleton township. Lived at home on the farm till he was twenty-four years of age. Attended school altogether in private houses. Bought his father's farm after his death, which occurred in the year 1867. Lived upon his farm till the spring of 1873, when he sold it and purchased a farm in the northwestern part of the township, and farmed it till the spring of 18S0, when he sold it and took a trip to Montana and through the far west generally. Travelled with teams al- together. Bought three hundred and twenty acres of fine land in Gallatin Valley mountain; but, on account of his family becoming dissatisfied, he returned via Utah. In September, 1880, he traded his Montana farm for ninety acres, near Hazleton. Bought an interest in the hard- ware business with Miguet & Bunce, the firm name read- ing Miguet, Long & Co. They are a good, solid firm, and doing a good business. Mr. Long was married in 1868 to Miss Laura Kindle, of Indiana. Have children — Sylvia E., aged nine; Bertha J., seven; Ulvia C, two; they are a nice, wide-awake little family. Mr. Long is one of Buchanan's enterprising business men. 352 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. H. Miguet was born in Hazleton township, this county, in 1857. Lived on the farm with his father, F. Miguet, and attended school till he was nineteen years of age, when he went to college at Keokuk, Iowa, remaining five months. Bought a half interest in the hardware business with Mr. Bunce, in Hazleton, January 14, 1878. Decem- ber 3d they took Mr. George A. Long in as third partner. Mr. Miguet still lives in the enjoyment of single blessed- ness. Though he is a younger man than would naturally be expected to be engaged in as heavy a business as he is, yet he is very proficient and capable. Dr. B. M. Corbin was born in Bourbon county, Ken- tucky, in 181 7. At about the age of sixteen he moved with his father, Daniel Corbin, to the State of Indiana, where he spent his best days. Dr. Corbin commenced the practice of medicine in Milton, Indiana, in 1848. Came to Iowa in 1864, and located in Hazleton, where he still resides and practices. Dr. Corbin was married, in 1872, to Mrs. Eliza J. Aubrey, of Iowa. He bought the property where he now resides when he first came to Iowa, but built his house in 1870. It is indeed a fine residence. The doctor received his medical education in the Ohio Medical college, at Cincinnati, Ohio. Grad- uated and received his diploma in 1851. The doctor has been practicing ever since coming to Iowa, and has taken rank as a leading physician in the county. O. M. Bunce was born in Williams county, Ohio, in 1848. Came to Iowa with his father, William Bunce, in the fall of 1849, locating in Linn county. He made his father's house his home, and attended school till he was twenty-one years old, when he engaged in the grain bus- iness in Hazleton, continuing at it about eighteen months. In the year 1877 he engaged with C. Whiteman in the mercantile business, remaining with him about eighteen months. In October, 1876, Mr. O. M. Bunce and W. H. Hunnington purchased a stock of hardware of Mr. Whiteman. They continued business together for about one year, when M. H. Miguet bought Hunnington out, and continues as Mr. Bunce's partner still. Mr. Bunce was married In February, 1870, to Miss Julia Allen, of this county. Mr. Bunce, as will be seen by this sketch, has been interested in Buchanan's welfare since a boy ; has watched its progress, and at the same time watched his own interests, so that now he is in possession of a fine business and a good home. Samuel Sufficool was born in Stark county, Ohio, in the town of Canton, January 4, 1822. At the age of eleven he moved with his father, Isaac Sufficool, to Por- tage county, where they resided about three years, then moved to Williams county where they made their home for about nine years. Samuel Sufficool came to Iowa in 1845, stopping one year in Lima county and purchasing the land where Mt. Vernon now stands. He sold this land and came to Buchanan county in 1846, locating in Hazleton township; D. C. Greeley accompanying him, they being the first and only white men in the township. Mr. Greeley died about twenty-five years ago, leaving Sufficool the only land mark of the township's early ex- istence. It was a wild, wierd place then; now it is the scene of so many happy and contented homes. Then it took the bravest of men with the stoutest of hearts to oc- cupy the land ; and now the little child is perfectly safe in the midst of kind neighbors and friends. Mr. Suffi- cool's first purchase of land was the one hundred and sixty acres which Mr. Henry Coy now owns, north of old Hazleton. He bought a half section where he now resides, in the year i860. He has since made different purchases of land, till now he owns five hundred and eighty-eight acres all told. He built his fine residence in the summer of 1876. Mr. Sufficool was married June 6, 1858, to Miss Lydia M. Prettyman, daughter of a Methodist minister. She was born in Williams county, Ohio, May 30, 1834. Her early life was spent in Ohio, largely engaged in teaching. She came to Iowa in 1857 on a visit, at which time she became acquainted with Mr. Sufficool. They have two daughters — Phrenie, age twenty-one, and Ida, age nineteen — two very pleasant and intelligent young ladies. Jabe M. Watson was born in the State of New York September 8, 1847. At about the age of seven he came to Iowa with his father, David Watson, locating in Hazle- ton township. Mr. J. M. Watson made his home with his father till the spring of 1880, when he moved upon the eighty acres where he resides, in section twenty-three. Mr. Watson was married March 4, 1880, to Miss Alice Woeman, who was born in this county April 16, 1862. As will be seen by this sketch, Mr. Watson is one of the pioneers of the county. They came with scarcely enough to commence farming with, but by their united industry and frugality they have in all three hundred and forty acres of as good land as there is in the county, illustrating what pluck and energy can do. Mr. Watson has a young orchard and shade trees planted, so that in a few years he will have every want of a western home supplied. Jacob Kiefer was born in Portage county, Ohio, in 1842. At about the age of four years he moved with his father, Ceorge Kiefer, to the State of Indiana, where they made their home twenty-two years; came to Iowa February 2, 1870, and bought the farm of eighty acres where he resides, in section thirty-six, Hazleton township. He built his house in 1S75. He has his farm under good cultivation, and has fruit and shade trees planted. He enlisted in company F, Forty-eighth Indiana in- fantry, in October, 1861. He served his country nearly four years. He served out the time of the first enlist- ment and immediately reenlisted. At Huntsville, Ala- bama he was wounded and taken prisoner. He went to help put down the Rebellion and came home with his work accomplished. Mr. Kiefer was married in 1865 to Miss Lydia Russell, who was born January 30, 1845, in Indiana. They have four children — Flora A., George Willis, Harvey Eugene, and Amos Clenton. Mr. and Mrs. Kiefer are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Kiefer is a good, sound Republican. Augustus Hurlbut was born in Chittenden county, Vermont, in 181 1- At the age of twenty-three he went to Huron county, Ohio, remaining in that State twenty years, engaged in farming principally. In the fall of 1852 he came to Iowa, and bought a half-section in Ha- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 353 leton township, of which he sold all but one hundred and twenty acres where he now resides; also owns a small farm in Wisconsin, Richland county. Mr. Hurl- but was married March 15, 1836, to Miss Margaret Pierson, who was born in Pennsylvania, ^Vashington county, October 7, 181 1, and died October 8, 1876. He has two children living and two deceased. Sarah E. is married and resides in California. Wilton W. is mar- ried and lives in Kansas. When Mr. Hurlbut moved into Hazleton, only nine families were in the township. He has been one of the driving-wheels of its prosperity; and is one of its sound Republicans. James E. Friars was born in the province of New Brunswick, December 16, 1830. At about the age of sixteen he commenced to do for himself, by engaging in farming in partnership with his two brothers, Arthur and Christopher. When about twenty-five years old, he went to Maine and engaged in the lumber business on Mach- ias rivet about five years. In June, i860, he came to Iowa, locating in Hazleton township. The first season he spent as a hired hand on a farm. The second season he farmed a place on shares, and continued on this plan six years, then purchased the eighty acres where he now resides, in section twenty-six. About the year 1870 he bought another eighty in section twenty-four. He has a beautiful farm indeed ; plenty of shade and fruit trees and every convenience of a western home. Of late years he turns his attention almost wholly to stock rais- ing and dairying, having on hand one hundred and seven head of stock all told, fifty head being cattle. Mr. Fri- ars was married September 4, 1859, to Josephine E. Smith, who was born in Maine November 6,1841. They have four children: Quinton E., aged twenty; Roswell E., eighteen; Stella E., sixteen; and Louis E., ten. They lost a little daughter, Cora E., May 5, 1874, at the age of five years and ten months. The death of the little daughter was a sad event in the history of the fam- ily. She started to school full of bright anticipations and wonder as to what her first day at school would be like, when an ill-fated prairie fire came near the school- house, and she, child like, struck with its beauty, acci- dentally set her clothes on fire. Upon discovering this, she started toward the house, but this only added fury to the flames, which burned her so terribly that she only lived about six hours afterwards. She was the family pet and the idol of her friends — a bright little flower, still missed in the family circle. They also lost a little daughter, Nellie E., on the twenty-fourth day of August, 1878, aged two years and three months. Orin Moe was born in Lorain county, Ohio, in 1843. When about eighteen months of age he moved with his father, Edwin Moe, to Racine county, Wisconsin, where he resided till he was twenty-one years of age. Septem- ber 3, 1864, he enlisted in company H, First Wisconsin heavy artillery, and served till the close of the war, and was mustered out at Milwaukee about the tenth of July, 1865. After his army life was over, he returned to Wis- consin and engaged in farming two years, then came to Iowa and purchased the farm of eighty acres where he resides, in section thirty-four, Hazleton township. He also owns fifteen acres of timber in section twenty-seven, same township. Farming is his principal business, though also engaged in stock raising and dairy. Mr. Moe was married November 15, 1865, to Lucinda M. Clark, who was born in the State of New York August 2, 1S46. They have six children: Lennie C, Allan S., Cliff"ord O., Zelia L., Edwin N., Ray W., born March 27, 1880, and Roy S., a twin of the latter, died July 14, 1880. Mr. Moe was assessor in 1878-79. Edward Hillman was born in Germany, in the year 1840. Came to the United States in April, 1866, locat- ing first in Dubuque. In 1873 he purchased the one hundred and twenty acres where he now resides in Ha- zleton township. Has since purchased fifty acres, making in all one hundred and seventy acres of as good land as lies out of doors. Built his house in September, 1879, and it is indeed a fine farm residence. Mr. Hillman was married February, 1869, to Miss Mary K. Bletsch, born in Germany in the year 1847. They have three children: Freddie, Gustavus, and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Hillman are members of the Catholic church. James A. Spear was born in Essex county. New York, February 16, 1849. At about the age of eight he went with his father, Alden Spear, to Wisconsin, where they remained about six months, when they came to Iowa, locating in Hazleton township. Mr. James A. Spear commenced to do for himself in 187 1. Bought the farm of two hundred acres where he resides in sections twelve and thirteen, Hazleton township, in 1874, and built his house the same year. It is situated in a natural grove of about twenty acres. Has fruit trees bearing, and his farm under good cultivation. Mr. Spear was married September 14, 1870, to Miss Adda Watson, born Febru- ary 24, 1850, in Fairfield county, Ohio. Mr. Spear is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. C. Whiteman was born in Germany, in 1834. Came to America in 1852. Previous to this he worked at his trade, which was blacksmithing, and after coming to the United States he followed it twenty-five years ; some of the time in Pennsylvania and the rest in Iowa. He came to Iowa October, 1855, locating in Hazleton in 1856, and worked at his trade till 1870, when he engaged in the mercantile business. Was postmaster nine years, resigning in 1879, at the same time closing out his store. Afterwards he engaged in the stock business for a time. Mr. W'hiteman was married August 7, i860, to Miss Emma Linderman, who died in 1869, leaving three chil- dren : Ida, Delia, and Alfred. Mr. Whiteman married his present wife, Sarah Underwood, on the eighth day of March, 1880. Charles L. Foster was born in Patriot, Indiana, in 1842. At about the age otsix he moved with his father, Thomas Foster, to Wisconsin, where they remained till 1852. After two or three removals, Mr. Foster, in the year 1867, came to Iowa, and purchased the farm of eighty acres, where he still resides in Hazleton township. This piece of land he has brought from its natural, wild state of prairie to a good well-cultivated farm and a pleasant home. He has over one acre of shade trees planted, deals in stock considerably, in connection with 354 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. the farm, is milking six cows, and is wintering twenty head of cattle. Mr. Foster was married in September, 1866, to Miss Rosa Bell, who was born in Boone county, Illinois, April 8, 1844. They have two children: George A., born May 8, 1873, and Mabel, born August iq, 1879. Mr. A. Nellis was born in the State of New York in the year 1813. At the age of twenty-one he went to Canada, where he lived about twenty-five years, engaging in the wagon-making business. In 1859 he went to Michigan, and remained about two years. He came to Iowa in 1861, locating at Quasqueton thirteen years, where he worked at his trade, and kept a restaurant. He moved to Hazleton in 1874, and has been engaged in a restaurant since. Mr. Nellis was married in 1835, to Miss Hepsebath Greenelge, who was born in England in 1817. They have four children living, and four de- ceased. Mary Ann, aged forty-three, married Joseph Labeau, and resides in Nebraska. John, aged forty- one, married Ellen Comings, and resides in Kalamazoo county, Michigan. Martha M., aged thirty-seven, married Mr. Woolman, and lives in Shelby county, Iowa. Robert, aged thirty, married Mary Roselle, and lives in Shelby county. Mr. Nellis, is, in politics, a Democrat. E. A. Lewis was born in Esse.x county. New York, in April 19, 1850. At the age of fourteen he came to Iowa with his father, A. A. Lewis, who purchased a piece of land in section 13, where they still reside in Hazleton township. Mr. A. A. Lewis was born in the State of New York June 22, 1823. Mrs. A. A. Lewis was born in the same State, August 28, 1825. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. E. A. Lewis, being the only child, has always made his home with his father, and they have united their interests in their farm, and in business generally. They own together one hun dred and eighty acres, twenty of which is near Hazleton station. They have one of the finest residences in the county. They are largely engaged in the stock business, making sheep a specialty. They own in all about five hundred, besides twenty-five head of cattle, seven horses and forty head of hogs. They have their sheds and stables arranged beautifully, which shows that, whatever they do, they believe in doing well. Mr. A. A. Lewis owns, in addition to his home property, two dwelling and tvvo business houses in the village of Hazleton. Mr. E. A. Lewis was married, Christmas day, 1878, to Miss Abbie C. Beers, who was born in New York, December 23, 1852. They have one child: Ralph Clif- ton, born November 16, 1879. Mr. Lewis is politically a Greenbacker, and a member of the Independent Order of Good Templars. Mrs. Lewis is a meniber of the Baptist church. Roderick Williams was born in Scotland June 17, 1854. He came to America alone at about the age of twenty-one and spent the first nine months in Canada. He came to the United States in 1874, locating in Hazle- ton township. He hired with David Watson on the farm one season, and bought the farm of eighty acres, where he resides, in the summer of 1875. He built a fine barn in 1878, and had shade and fruit trees planted, and every convenience of a western home supplied. Mr. Williams was married November 23, 1875, to Miss Delia P. Watson, who was born August 29, 1856. They have one child: Alexander M., born November 25, 1880. They buried a little son, Roderick A., on the eighteenth day of January, 1881, at the age of seven weeks. Po- ticcally Mr. Williams is a Democrat. BUFFALO. In 1852 a township was formed, comprising the whole of Buffalo, Madison, the north half of Byron and Fre- mont. But subsequently each congressional township was set apart as a separate and independent township, by order of the county court. The order establishing the township as above stated, was as follows: August 6. 1852, ordered by the court th.it a township, to be called Buffalo Grove township, be created, bounded a'hering cream. CHEESE MANUF.ACTORY. A cheese manufactory was established here in the spring of 1881 by Mealier Brothers, on the farm of B. Dunlap. They make what is termed Swiss cheese, weighing from eighty to one hundred pounds each. They use the milk of two hundred cows. There are two men employed in their manufactory. They will make in the season four cheese each day, using a large copper kettle. The cloth in which the cheese is enclosed is imported from Switzerland. CEMETERY. A cemetery company was organized here about 1874. They have a good burying place. But previous to the organization of this company the people used the same grounds for the burial of their dead. Buffalo creek passes through about the centre, enter- ing the township at the northwest corner and passing through to the southeast corner. There is another small creek in the south part of the township called Leather- man's creek. A post office was established here in about 1872, and L. P. Stutson appointed first postmaster. W. T. Stut- son, his son, is the present incumbent. The office is called Middlefield. They have a mail here twice a week. TIMBER, ETC. The timber is mostly in the southeastern part. There are about two hundred acres in the township, and that along Buffalo creek. There are, however, about the dwellings of the settlers, some fine groves that have been planted by them. The surface is a rolling prairie, the soil of a dark loam and is very productive. The first birth here was that of Edward L. Leather- man, April 4, 1855. He died September 29, 1879, at the family residence in the township. The first wedding was that of Willard S. Blair and Permelia Ann Leatherman, June 24, 1855. Mr. Blair is dead, and his wife is married to Mr. A. M. Benton, and now lives in Linn county, Indiana. The first religious services ever held in the township were by Rev. G. Smith, in 1855 or 1856, in the pioneer school-house that had just been built. The first crop raised in the township was turnips, sod corn, and a few potatoes, by Patrick ^L Dunn, in 1850. This, the first year that Mr. Dunn came to the township. This little crop gladdened the heart of Mr. Dunn and family. The first wheat in the township was raised by P. M. Dunn in 1851. It was cradled and the crop was a good one. W. T. Stutson keeps a general store in the west part of the township, which is a great convenience to the people. The principal productions in this township are corn, oats, timothy seed, hay, flax, sugar-cane, and buckwheat. In the early days of this township some of the farmers took their surplus products to Dubuque, but the expense of going there would frequently amount to more than their loads, the prices of everything then being very low — wheat not more than twenty-five cents per bushel. There was in the early days considerable suffering in the winter of 1856-57, on account of the severe cold weather. Thtre was at the time the early settlers came quite a large quantity of game, and more especially when Dunn first settled away in the timber. There were deer, geese, lynx, catamounts, and a few otter along Buffalo creek. W. J. Dunn killed a large number of lynx, and they are occasionally heard now in the timber. The first school taught in this township was in a school- 398 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. house thnt Mr. Lcatherman and one or two other resi- dents had built, and' the first teacher was Malinda Gage- by, now Mrs. Samuel Braden, and living in the same township. The teacher was paid in the same way that the house was built — by subscriptions from the people. Among the early teachers were Henry Blank, A. Scott, R. Stoneman, Nancy Merrill. A second school-house was built near Stillman Berry's, in about the centre of the township. The first entry of land in this township was made by Patrick Dunn. INDIANS. In 1856 and 1857 the Indians frequently came to the township in large numbers, camping along the Buffalo, passing the time in hunting, fishing, and begging among the few settlers, but committing no hostility whatever. The Buffalo was a favorite haunt of theirs. In 1858 the crop here was an entire failure; wheat killed by the blight and not worth cutting, and on the twenty-eighth day of August, 1858, a frost came and killed all the corn. Then their little all was gone, but yet they were hopeful, and with brave and true hearts, and by the strictest economy, they managed to live through the winter, and as one of these brave men ex- pressed it, living mostly on Johnny-cake, and he says, "although we had the school-marm to board, that's the way we lived." But now there is plenty and to spare thrpughout the entire length of the township; fine and beautiful farms, with tasteful, spacious residences. TAME GR.\SS. When the first settlement was made here the farmers were of opinion that tame grasses, like timothy, clover, etc., could not be successfully raised here, as also trees for groves. But now that doctrine has become entirely obsolete, the farms are entirely in tame grass, including the pastures, and the country is dotted all over with beautiful groves, giving it a fine appearance. Had not this opinion obtained such strong hold among the people, years ago trees would have been planted and grasses grown. But some strong minded persons broke away from this old fogy idea, and were at once successful; then others followed, until now we see the fine results. PERSONAL MENTION. J. W. Gilmore was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, in 1850, and resided there until he was eighteen years of age. He then came to this county and settled in Middlefield township, where he has since resided all but two years, when he was travelling. He bought his farm in 1878. It contains eighty acres, under good cultiva- tion, an orchard, etc.; altogether, a very pleasant home. Mr. Gilmore was married April 2, 1878, to Miss Emma Scott, who was born in Winnebago county, Wisconsin, in 1857. They have no children living. Their son, Charles M., died February 17, 1S80, aged six months. Mrs. Gilmore is a member of the Methodist church. Mr. Gilmore is a good, sound Republican and a first- rate citizen. He is one of our most enterprising young farmers. Alonzo J. Foster was born in Parkman, Piscataquis county, Maine, February 22, 1841. His parents went to Boone county, Illinois, when he was about four years old. That region was then new, and emigration to it was only just begun. Mr. Foster lived there until he was fourteen, and then went with his parents to De Kalb county, Illinois, where he remained until he was twenty- eight, with the exception of the time he was in the army. He enlisted in the fall of 1861 in company C, Fifty-sec- ond Illinois infantry, and served nine months, when he was discharged on account of the disease scrofula. Mr. Foster enlisted as a private, was elected second sargeant, and afttnvards orderly. He was in the battle of Shiloh, where nearly half of his company were killed. In 1869 Mr. Foster moved to Benton county, this State, where he engaged in f;irming four years. In 1873 ^^ came to Bu- chanan county, and bought his farm in 1874. He has one hundred and sixty acres under good improvement, with good substantial buildings. His orchard produces a good supply of apples, as well as other fruits in their season. Mr. Foster was married in the fall of 1861 to Miss Mary Bishop, of New York city. She died in May, 1870, at the age of twenty-eight. She bore three chil- dren, two of whom died in infancy. The other, Frank E., died October 15, 1880, in his sixteenth year. Mr. Foster was married a second time January 11, 1873, to Mrs. Susan J. Henderson, nee Kapple. She was born in Lake county, Ohio, August 9, 1832. She had four children by a former marriage, three of whom are now living. Their names are Nona M. Henderson, born September 9, 185S, married John F. Seymour, of St. Peter, Minnesota; James K., born February 9, i860; Lizzie, born June 30, 1862; John, born December 9, 1864, died June 25, 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Foster have two children: Fred C, born December 11, 1874; and John W., born September 5, 1875. They have a pleas- ant home, well supplied with valuable books and an abundance of newspapers. Mr. Foster is a prominent man in his township, and is highly respected by his neighbors. In politics he is a Republican. His wife belongs to the Congregational Church and he to the Methodist. Mr. Foster was census enumerator in 1880. Deacon Stillman Berry was born in Sumner, Maine, July 15, 181 1. His parents, John and Deborah Berry, moved to Paris, Maine, when he was about four years of age, they being among the early settlers in that town. Here Mr. Berry passed his early days, and, after becom- ing of age, engaged in farming for himself. He stayed in Paris until 1855, and then came to Buchanan county. After residing two years in Quasqueton, he moved upon the farm he now occupies in Middlefield township. He is one of the very oldest settlers in this vicinity. Mr. Berry bought one hundred and sixty acres of prairie and forty of timber, but has since disposed of half of it. There were no improvements on the place worth men- tioning. The farm is now an excellent one; the build- ings, both house and barn, are good, and pleasantly situated. About the house is a gi'ove, also an abun- dance of fruit trees. Mr. Berry has labored long and successfully in Buchanan county, and now eirjoys a com- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 399 fortable home in his old age. He has seen the desolate prairie change its aspect and become the home of a thriving agricultural community; and knows as well as any other man what were the real difficulties and hard- ships which entered into the lives and labors of those who were our earliest settlers. Mr. Berry was married April 25, 1837, to Miss Persis Cushman, who was born in Bethel, Maine, November 16, 1813. They have had but one child, a daughter, who now lives in the same house with them. Mr. and Mrs. Berry have long been earnest and faithful workers in the Baptist church, which Mr. Berry joined at the age of twenty, and his wife at the early age of fourteen. He is a deacon of the Win- throp Baptist church ; also held the same office in Maine, and during his residence in Quasqueton. They are both exemplary Christians, and as such are honored and esteemed by a large circle of acquaintances. Their son-in-law. Deacon A. W. Perkins, is also a Maine man and an old settler in this county, having come here in 1856. He was born in Woodstock, Maine, August 8, 1835. He worked at farming in vari- ous parts of his native county until he came west. Since coming here he has resided in this township, with the exception of the time he spent in the service of his country. He enlisted in August, 1862, and spent three years in company H, Twenty-seventh regiment Iowa volunteers. He took part in eleven engagements, but was fortunate enough to escape bullets, though his health suffered so greatly that even yet he has not entirely re- covered. For two years after he returned from tlie war his health was extremely precarious. Mr. Perkins was married January 22, 1S57, to Olive, only daughter of Deacon Berry. She was born in Paris, Maine, iSIarch 23, 1838. Following are the names and dates of birth of their children: Julia A., born December 30, 1857, married Rev. A. S. Leach, of the Methodist church ; Luther S., born May ^, 1S59; Cynthia A., born June 27,1862; Gilbert A., born July 23, 1868; Addie O., died August 30, 1879, aged four years and ten days. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins, Luther and Cynthia, are members of the Baptist church. They are all sound Republicans. E. J. Wigg was born in Norfolk, England, May 13, 1820. When he was eighteen years old he started for America alone. After spending two years in New Jer- sey and one on the Hudson, he settled in the western part of Ulster county. New York, where he engaged in farming for twenty-one years. In 1863 he came to Bu- chanan county and purchased the farm on which he now lives; this farm contains one hundred and forty acres of prairie and thirteen acres of limber. There is a good orchard on the premises, as well as shade trees, etc. Mr. Wigg was first married in 1841 to Miss Harriet Giles, a native of England. She died in 184S, leaving two children — Harriet A., who died at the age of eigh- teen; and Cordelia E., who resides in this township. He was again married in 1857 to Mrs. .Mary A. Burnett. She was born in Greene county, New York, in 1832. They have five children living and four deceased, two of whom died in infancy. Their names are: Ellen A., bor.i .\pril 16, 1859; Christina .\., born .March 16,1861; Eddie P., born August 13, 1864; John R., born March 10, 1868; Alice B., died at the age of two years and four days, and Charles W. when seven months old; their youngest, William J., was born November 9, 1876. Mrs. Wigg had one daughter by a former marriage, Sarah E. Burnett, born August 18, 1854, married J. B. Lewis and lives in Republic county, Kansas. Mrs. Wigg belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Wigg is an earnest Greenbacker. He is a prominent and highly esteemed citizen, and has held several important local offices. He served one term as county supervisor; was justice twelve years, secretary of school board thirteen years, and has been township assessor four years. He is a man of whom everybody speaks well. H. T. Stutson was born in Hillsdale county, Michi- gan, February 18, 1844. When twelve years of age he came to Muscatine county, Iowa, where he resided until 1 86 1, and then moved to this county and settled in Mid- dlefield. His father, Mr. L. P. Stutson has been in this county the same length of time. Mr. H. T. Stutson en- listed .August 15, 1862, and served until January 16, 1863, when he was discharged by reason of a surgeon's certifi- cateof disability. Mr. Stutson purchased his farm of eighty acres in 1868. He has one of the finest young orchards in this vicinity which produces yearly a variety of choice fruit. His farm was unimproved when it came mto his possession, but it is now a pleasant home — made so by the labors of Mr. Stutson and his wife. He was married November 4, 1869, to Mrs. Cordelia E. Campbell, nee Wigg. Mrs. Stutson has four children by he;' former marriage. Their names and ages (in i88i)areas fol- lows: William H. Campbell, nmetcen; Edward V., six- teen; Cordel E., died in 1866, aged one year; Cordelia C, thirteen. Her children by Mr. Stutson are: Charles H., aged ten; Earnest A., eight ; Harriet E., six; Vernon ■ C, two. Mr. Stutson is postmaster at Middlefield, and has held that office the past eight years. He has also been constable for several years. Mr. and Mrs. Stutson ': are agreeable and pleasant people, and well spoken of by their neighbors. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he is an earnest Green- backer. His ancestors have all been patriots. His great-great-grandfather was one of seven brothers, all of whom were in the Revolutionary war. Two of his uncles were killed in the Rebellion. Charles W. Cray, one of the very oldest settlers in this county, was born in Harrison county, Ohio, October 7, 1831. He worked at blacksmithing from the time he was si.xteen years old until he was thirty-four, and has since been a farmer. He came to Quasqueton in 1852, when that iown was the only one of any miportance in this region. Emigration had just begun to find its way to Buchanan. Mr. Cray worked at his trade in Quas- queton until 1864, though he purchased in 1862 a part of the farm on which he is at present. He has added to it and now owns four hundred and eighty acres — one of the largest and best farms in the county. Mr. Cray is finely situated; his is the best set of farm buildings in the township. His residence, built in 1875, is two-story, large and beautiful; it is on a fine site, surrounded by 400 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. trees, etc. He has a large orchard of choice trees. Al- together, he is now in a position to enjoy fully the good things of this life. He is a large and successful farmer, deals quite extensively in stock — usually keeps one hun- dred and fifty head of cattle, one hundred and fifty to two hundred head of hogs, and sixteen horses. In past years he has kept a large number of sheep. He now has forty cows and runs a creamery. Mr. Cray has seen Buchanan county changed from a wild prairie, inhabited by Indians, wolves and wild game, to a large and pros- perous community, enjoying all of the privileges of ad- vanced civilization. Mr. Cray was married July 23, 1855, to Miss Elizabeth Parker. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, November 30, 1836. They have six children — Charles W., born May 1S56; Elmer E., born February 11, i860; Viola M., July 9, 1862; Nora Louretta, December 16, 1865; Mary A., May 3, 1869; Reverdy G., November 8, 1875. All are living at home at present. Mrs. Cray belongs to the Congregational church. Mr. Cray and wife merit and enjoy the esteem of their fellow citizens. William Hairison Blank was born in Niagara county. New York, May 18, 1840. When he was about five years old, his parents, Jonas and Salome Blank, moved to Du Page county, Illinois, where he resided until 1870, excepting a lengthy term in the service of his country. Mr. Blank enlisted in the fall of 1861, in company K, Thirty-sixth Illinois infantry, and served until November, 1865. He took part in some of the great battles ; was in the following engagements : Pea Ridge, Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga,Resaca,Kennesaw Mountain, and several others. He enlisted as a private, but was promoted to corporal. He received a rupture in the en- gagement at Resaca, which has since caused consider- able inconvenience. Mr. Blank came to Buchanan county in 1870, and purchased his farm the same year. He has recently added forty acres to it, making a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of very good land. He built the house and barn himself; both are substantial and well made. There is an orchard on the place. Mr. Blank does a good farming business and is engaged in dairying. He was married November 30, 1865, to Miss Martha A. Plank, who was born in Memphis, Missouri, January 26, 1845. They have two children living, one deceased: William Henry, born SeiJtember 2, 1866; Franklin Wentworth, boin February 14, 1869; Jonas Sylvester, born January 24, 1872, died February 12, 1874. Mr. Blank is a thorough Republican. His family has a high social standing. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Polly Leatherman was born in Knox county, Kentucky, September 18, 1815. Her father was Castle- ton Wilson ; he died before she was born. Her mother married John Lynch, and Mrs. Leatherman was brought up in his family. They moved to Indiana when she was three years old, and it was there she passed her early years. She married Daniel Leatherman, January 8, 1835. They lived in Putnam county, Indiana, two years, then moved to Cook county, Illinois, where they remained seventeen years. In 1854 they came to Buchanan county, and settled in Middlefield township, on the farm where Mrs. Leatherman still resides. They camped two weeks while building a house. Before the house was finished the family occupied it, the boys sleep- ing out-doors in wagons, and the girls and their mother making themselves as comfortable as possible by putting up sail cloth to keep off rain. They even passed one night in the house with an umbrella over their heads to keep off rain. Despite these rough experiences, Mrs. Leatherman was never homesick or discouraged. There were but one or two houses in the township when they came here, and only two houses in sight on the prairie. March 11, 1854, Mr. Leatherman entered three hundred and sixty acres of Government land, two hundred and eighty of which Mrs. Leatherman still owns. In 1854 Dubuque was the principal point for trade ; thence was brought a large part of the lumber used by Mr. Leather- man in building his house. Wolves were plenty upon the prairie, and it required great vigilance to keep them from the sheep and other stock. In the face of such obstacles Mr. Leatherman and wife made themselves a comfortable home and reared a large family. Mr. Leatherman died November 12, 1876, in his sixty-second year. He was a man of sterling integrity and was wide- ly known and respected. F^ollowing are the names and dates of birth of the children: Pamelia Ann, November 14, 1835 ; married VVillard S. Blair for her first husband, is the wife of Moses Benton, Newton township ; Lucy Frances, September 2 1, 1837; married Joshua Perkins, Quasqueton ; Castleton, November 19, 1839, was killed at the battle of Champion Hills, May 16, 1863 ; Simeon, May 6, 1842 ; m.irried Miss Helen Brown, resides in Liberty township; Hannih, .-Vpiil 3, 1844; married Henry Blank, resides in this township ; James Wesley, August 16, 1846; married, resides in Republic county, Kansas; Mary Ann, February 4, 1848; married A. B. Patterson, Liberty township ; Armilda, March 23, 1852; married Dwight Manson, Cono township ; Eva Rosetta, August 23, 1853; married G. W. Blank, Quasqueton; Edward Daniel, April 4, 1855, died September 23, 1879; Rhoda, June 28, 1858 ; Mary Ellen, November S, i860, married Ora Coffin, this township. Mrs. Leatherman enjoys good health, and is well contented. She is the oldest settler now living in this township, with one excep- tion. She is a member of the Baptist church. A. J. Hazelrigg was born in Linn county, Iowa, in 1843, which was his home until he was twenty-seven years old. He served in the army three years; enlisted July 4, 1862 in company A, Eighteenth Iowa infantry; was mustered out in August, 1865. His regiment was on the frontier a great part of the time, in Missouri county, Kansas, and the Indian Territory, though it took part in some quite severe engagements. Mr. Hazel- rigg came to Buchanan county in 187 1 ; bought an eighty acre farm in this township, and sold it in 1875, ^^d im- mediately purchased the place on which he is at present. He has one hundred acres all improved. Mr. Hazelrigg was married in 1866 to Miss Helen E. Marshall, a native of Wayne county, Pennsylvania. She was born in 1842. They have four children living and one deceased. Their HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 401 names and ages at this writing are as follows : Sidney Marshall, thirteen; John, eleven; Frank, died October 26, 1874, in his second year; Mark C, five; Mary L., one year and six months. Mr. Hazelrigg is a sound Re- publican, and as a citizen stands well in the community. Patrick Farrell was born in Clonmel, County Tipper- ary, Ireland, about the year 1832. He left there in 1853, and came to New York, where he lived until 1857, working at railroading principally. In 1857 he came to Iowa, and remained about a year in Delaware county. In 1858 he settled at Winthrop, where he resided until 1865, taking contracts in work on the railroad. He built the first dwelling house in Winthrop, though two others were erected about the same time. In December, 1862, Mr. Farrell went to Missouri, and soon afterward enlisted in the Twenty-second Iowa infantry, and serv'ed four months; he w^as then obliged to return home on account of sickness. In 1865 he moved to Middk-field town- ship, and engaged in farming. He bought the farm on which he is at present in 1867. He has one hundred and seventy acres, all improved. It was a wild lot when he made his purchase. Mr. Farrell's house, built by himself, is large and convenient. He has a good farm- ing business. He has a pretty place and is well situated to enjoy life. Mr. Farrell was married in 1857 to Miss Sarah McMann. She was born in Urlingford, County Killkenny, Ireland, in 1836. They have had ten chil- dren, seven of whom are living. Following are their names and ages : Ellen M., twenty-two ; Thomas, twenty- one; Katie A., nineteen; Robert W., sixteen; Cornelius F., fourteen; Perry J., twelve; Henrietta J., died aged five; Michael, died aged three; Heber M., died when one year old; Sarah J., four. Mr. and Mrs. Farrell be- long to the Catholic church. They are well informed, intelligent people. Starting poor, they now enjoy a good home as the reward of their labors. E. Touhey was born in County Clare, Ireland, in the year 1838. He came to America in May, 1847; landed in New York; soon afterwards went to Canada; then, after some travelling and moving, finally settled in Mid- dlefield township, in 1854, on the spot where he still re- sides. This makes Mr. Touhey one of the oldest set- tlers in this township. In 1854, he entered forty acres of Government land. Since that time he has made several additions, and some sales, besides giving eighty acres to his son. He now owns three hundred acres of excellent land, well supplied with water and wood. Wolves and deer were abundant at the time he came here, and were frequently seen in large droves. Mr. Touhey started poor, but now possesses a fine property, all acquired by his own work. He is now considered one of our wealthiest and most prosperous citizens. Mr. Touhey was married, in 1852, to Miss Mary Flannigan, who was born in County Clare, in 1838. They have twelve children, with names and ages as follows: John, aged twenty-four; Mary Ann, aged twenty-two; Law- rence, aged twenty-one; James, aged eighteen; Thomas, aged sixteen; Margaret, aged fourteen; Bridget, aged twelve; Jane, aged ten; Celia, aged eight; Edward, aged six; Agnes, aged four; William Francis, aged two. Mrs. Touhey's mother, Mrs. Margaret Flannigan, is now liv- ing with her daughter. She is a native of Ireland, Coun- ty Clare, and is now over seventy years of age. The family are Catholics. Mr. and Mrs. Touhey have brought up a large and industrious family. Their oldest daughter has taught five terms of school and is at present teaching in her home district. The family have many friends. Mr. Touhey will build a new residence this season, large and convenient. John Dobbins was born in county Louth, Ireland, in 1840. He left Ireland in 1859, and came to this State, settling in Dubuque, where he lived about eleven years, working on steamboats on the Mississippi river. In 1870 he came to Buchanan county, and settled in this town- ship. He has since sold his farm, and bought the one on which he now lives in April, 1875. He has recently bought eighty acres, making one hundred and sixty acres, all improved. He has a good and very pretty house, built in 1877; it is a very fine farm residence. Mr. Dobbins is an industrious and thrifty farmer; keeps a good stock of cattle, hogs, etc. He is engaged quite extensively in dairying — keeps seventeen cows and makes a large amount of butter. Mr. Dobbins was married, in 1867, to Miss Margaret Doyle, who was born in County Louth, Ireland, in 1845. They have six children living, one deceased: Sarah E., aged thirteen; Mary C, aged eleven; Thomas H., died when fourteen months old; John T., aged seven; Patrick M., aged five; James, aged two; Stephen F., aged four months. Mr. and Mrs. Dobbins belong to the Catholic church. They are well contented, prosperous, and happy. Like so many of their countrymen, they started with little, and have earned their property by constant labor. Mr. Dobbins works hard, and deserves his property. P. M. Dunn, the oldest settler in Middlefield town- ship, and one of the first in the county, was born in King's county, Ireland, and brought up in County Deny. He came to New York State in September, 1836, and lived there two years, and then moved to Hartland, Mc- Henry county, Illinois, where he resided until 1850, when he came to this county and settled on the Buffalo in the southern part of Middlefield, where he still lives. At that date there was not a house in the township, and it was four years before any other families came. I.i- dians were seen frequently, though they were not trouble- some. In 1850 Mr. Dunn's nearest neighbor was seven miles distant. Quasqueton contained three or four houses, and Newton township, one. Mr. Dunn was a jury man in the second term of court ever held at In- dependence. Court was held in an unfinished building without floors, the jury room being in another house. As may well be imagined, Mr. Dunn found life at that early date not all pleasant, but he always managed to keep his family well supplied. He entered a quarter- section of land at first, but afterwards became the owner of a whole section. He came here with twenty-one head of cattle, also a wagon and some other farming implements. He has built up a fine property to support him in his declining years. He owns a fine house, and the other buildings are good. He has sold a large 402 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. part of his farm, but still owns one hundred and ninety- five acres, besides two lots in Masonville. His land is especially valuable because of the large amount of timber upon it. There is an extensive natural grove surround- ing the house. His house is a pleasant one. Mr. Dunn and his wife toiled long and earnestly, and succeeded in making their work count for usefulness. They brought up five children, four daughters and one son : Mary Ann, the wife of John Mcllvenna, resides in Dakota; Williain John, married, resides in Newton township; Sarah, mar- ried; George H. Johnson, lives on the old place; Cath- arine, died August 2, 1878, aged about twenty-six: Jane, the wife of Gustavus Linkley, Coffin's Grove, Delaware county. Mrs. Dunn died May 12, 1878, aged seventy- eight. Mr. Dunn is now in the eighty-first year of his age, and is quite smart for his years. He belongs to the Catholic church. He is an old-style Democrat, extremely liberal in his views, and believes in the motto, "Prin- ciples, and not party." Mr. Dunn has seen this county converted from a wilderness to its present prosperous condition. Few men have been here longer than he. Jacob Nehls was born in the province of Pomerania, Prussia, March 8, 1830. He lived there until he came to America in 1852. He first stopped three months in Dayton county, Ohio, and then came to Dubuque county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming for twelve years. In 1865 he moved to Middlefield township, Buchanan county, where he has since resided. He bought his farm the year of his coming, which was mostly unimproved. He built the house and barn himself His residence is one of the finest in this vicinity. Mr. Nehls also has two hundred and forty acres of good land. His barn, thirty-four by thirty-eight feet, is one of the best in the township. Mr. Nehls is finely situated in a nice house, and is in a position to enjoy life fully. He was mairied in 1S51, to Miss Emma Wilken. She was born in Prussia May 8, 1829. They have four children living, and two deceased: Robert, born 1852, married; resides in this township; Helen, born 1854, married Albert Sauer, resides in Newton township; Clara, born 1856; died in 1879; Charles, born 1857; Emma, i860; Ludwig, 1866; died in 1873. Mr. Nehls and wife are agreeable people, and their social standing is most excellent. Mr. Nehls is a sound Republican and a most worthy man. H. R. Smith was born in Elgin, Illinois, January 22, 1844. There he resided until twenty-one years of age. In the year 1866 he came to this county and resided at Winthrop three years. He then bought the farm on which he now lives in Middlefield. It contains two hundred and forty acres, all improved, and is now one of the best farms in the township, though it was wild prairie when purchased by Mr. Smith. He has a good farm and a good home, and farms quite largely. His house, built in 1875, is large and convenient, and he has also a substantial barn twenty-eight by eighty feet. Mr. Smith keeps seventy-five to one hundred head of cattle usually, has forty cows and does an extensive business in dairying. He has a creamery fitted up in first-class style. During the season of 1879-80, Mr. Smith sold over one thousand dollars worth of butter, and expects to do even better the present season. He is one of the most suc- cessful farmers in the township. Mr. Smith was married March 8, 1865, to Miss Mary Western, born in Savoy, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, May 4, 1837. They have four children — Jarvis, born March 9, 1866; Nathan W., November 7, 1868; Ray B., September 21, 1874; Grace, August 20, 1878. Mr. Smith is an earnest Re- publican. He is an active business man, and is one of our solid citizens. Jesse Doyl was born near New London, Canada, July 30, 1814. When eight years of age his father, Henry Doyl, moved to Detroit, Michigan, where the subject of this sketch resided until 1825, when he moved to Ipsi- lanti, and remained until he was twenty-two years old. He next went to Branch county, Michigan, where he took unto himself a wife and worked at farming twenty- five years. P'rom Michigan he went to Winnebago county, Illinois, and remained seven years. In 1868 he came to Buchanan county, and settled in SiTmner town- ship; lived there seven years, then moved to the farm in Middlefield, where we now find him. Mr. Doyl has one hundred and eighty acres, mostly improved. His house and farm buildings are good. He keeps from thirty to fifty head of rattle, and does a good business, especially in dairying. He usually keeps about twenty cows, but during the year 1880 he milked only fifteen, and from them made and sold two thousand two hundred and ninety-eight pounds of butter. His cows brought him in exactly thirty-three dollars and thirty-three cents per head for the year. Mr. Doyl has adopted the wise plan of keeping an exact record of all receipts and expendi- tures, and thus knows at the end of each year just what branch of farming has paid and what has not. He was married February 25, 1838, to Miss Mary Ann Holcomb; she was born in Onondaga county, New York, in 181 7. They have had six children, and five are living — Theo- dore, born February 27, 1839, died March 3, 1839; Elizabeth, born August 9, 1840, is the wife of Clinton Gould, Girard township, Piranch county, Michigan; Esther, born April 20, 1842, married Joseph Russel, re- sides at North Piatt, Nebraska; Polly Ann, born Au- gust 9, 1847, married James Prescott, lives in Black Hawk county, Iowa; Ellen, born June 15, 185 i; Luella Icelona, born February 8, 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Doyl adhere to the principles of the Free-Will Baptist church. Mr. Doyl is a Republican. His family are highly es- teemed by their neighbors and acquaintances. Henry Gates was born in the province of Pomecrania, Prussia, in 1825, and resided there until 1869, working at cabinet-making. At the latter date he came to the United States, and settled in Cono township, this coun- ty, and engaged in farming. He bought eighty acres of wild prairie, improved it, and built a house upon it. In 1874 he sold it and bought another eighty acre farm in Middlefield, where he now resides. This farm was but little improved and had no buildings. Mr. Gates put up a house the year that he came, and has since been making improvements constantly. In 1880 he made a nice, convenient barn, and will soon add other farm buildings. Mr. Gates makes and uses his own tools, HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 403 and does his own car|5enliy, thus saving quite an amount of expense which other farmers are obliged to meet. Mr. Gates was married in 1849 to Miss Louise Jahnke, who died April 12, 1877, aged fifiy-five years. They had six children, three of whom are now living, viz: Minnie, aged twenty-four; William, twenty-two; and Julius, nineteen. He was again married in 1879 to Miss Elizabeth Alphus. She was born in Bellevue, Iowa, in 1 86 1. They have one child, Henry, one year old. Mr. Gates belongs to the Presbyterian church. He is an earnest Republican and a most worthy citizen. He is an intelligent man, and keeps well informed upon cur- rent topics. John V. Spees was born in Green county, New York, in 1820. He left there when four years old, and went with his parents to Allegany county. New York, where he was brought up. AVhen about twenty-two years of age he moved to Michigan, where he resided two years and during that time w-as married. Then he moved to Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, where he remained twelve years. From Wisconsin Mr. Spees came to this county in 1859, and settled in Liberty township, where he remained twelve years, and has since been in Middle- field. He has taken up and improved three wild farms since he came to this county, and certainly has had his share of that kind of work. He bought the place where he now lives in 1866. It consists of two hundred acres, mostly improved. Mr. Spees farms quite largely — keeps about seventy head of cattle, also hogs, horses, etc. His stock is equal to any we have seen in the county. He usually keeps from ten to twenty horses; has at present nine — the best lot to be found anywhere in this vicinity. He has thirty cows, and makes a large amount of butter. Besides what he used for his stock, Mr. Spees sold about two thousand bushels of grain dur- ing the past season. During the two years just passed he has raised over sixteen thousand bushels of corn and oats. He works about three hundred and fifty acres, and is a most thrifty farmer. Mr. Spees was married March 30, 1848, to Miss Louisa R. Harwood, who w'as born in Ontario county, New York, in 1825. They have eight children living, four deceased: Achsa A., married Addison Spees, resides in Santa Anna, California; Alice, Lovina, the wife of Jacob Swartzell, Liberty to\vnshi[); Henrietta M., married W. D. Palmetier, lives at Geneva, Wisconsin; John H., married, resides in Marshall county, Minnesota; Willie E., Frank M., Edith F., James Mon- roe — the four last being at home. The second oldest of their sons, Fremont C, died April 4, 1879, aged twenty- three years. He was accidentally killed while working in a grain elevator in New Richmond, Wisconsin. He was caught in the gearing of the machinery and crushed in a frightful manner. He was a fine young man, be- loved and respected by all his acquaintances. Clarence G., their next son, died when five years old. The other children were two daughters, Marion and Jessie. The former died when one year and a half old, and the latter when only a few days old. Mr. Spees is a Republican, and as a citizen his standing is most excellent. He has held several local offices. Albert Merrill was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, February 17, 1848. His parents left Ohio when he was about one year old, and Mr. Merrill was brought up in Buchanan county. His father, John Merrill, still re- sides in Liberty township, where he first settled in the county. Mr. A. Merrill lived in Liberty township until 1878, when he moved upon his farm in this township. He has two hundred and forty acres of good land, all well improved. The land is situated in a pleasant part of the township, and is one of the best farms in the neighborhood. Mr. Merrill's house is pleasantly situated, with fruit and shade trees about it. He was married January 23, 1879, to Miss Fannie L. Kershner. She was born in Livingston county. New York, February 12, 1855. They have one child, Willis H., born November 21, 1879. Mrs. Merrill is a member of the Methodist church. Mr. Merrill is one of our well informed, indus- trious farmers and best citizens. Though he was quite young when he came to this county, few have been here longer than he. William A. Scott, one of the old settlers of our coun- ty, was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, January 31, 1 814. He lived in that State until 1855, then went to Ohio and remained three years, after the lapse of which he came to this county, in 1858, and settled in Liberty township. The first four years he rented a farm, then bought eighty acres of wild prairie, and afterwards bought and sold several pieces of land. Mr. Scott came here early, when settlers were few, and has seen the greater part of this county's growth. He has worked constantly for many years, and now in his old age is in possession of a comfortable home and a good property. Mr. Scott was married in 1837 to Miss Rachel Condit, a native of Mercer county, Pennsylvania. She died May 30, 1861, in the fifty-second year of her age. She bore him four children, one of whom is now living. Their names are as follows: Ira C, born June 9, 1838, died while in the service, on the anniversary of the day he enlisted, Octo- ber 27, 1865, having served exactly four years; Mary, born April 26, 1840, married Jesse G. Merrill, who died in March, 1868, and is now the wife of Deacon E. P. Brintnall, of Winthrop; Alfred M., born January 4, 1842, died April 13, 1878; Elizabeth, born November 29, 1844, died in February, 1847. Mr. Scott was mar- ried a second time, in January, 1862, to Miss Margaret Oliver. She was born in County Deiry, Ii eland, in March, 181 7. Mr. and Mrs. Scott belong to the Win- throp Congregational church. Mr. Scott is an Indepen- dent in politics. For a man of his years he is remarka- bly active. He is well known in the county, and has many friends. JEFFERSON. Jefferson township is located in the southwestern part of Buchanan county. On the south and southwest it touches upon the Cedar river, which is one of the most beautiful streams in the State. The township in its sur- face is somewhat diversified, along the creeks being hilly, but elsewhere consisting of rolling prairie, fertile and productive. The underlying rock is limestone, there being some limestone quarries in the township. The soil is a lightish loam. NATIVE FOREST TREES AND GAME. There is considerable timber along the creeks, being for the most part in the southwest, and also in the north and west portions. The timber is not of the most valu- able kind, except for fuel, consisting of oak, elm, bass- wood, aspen, hickory, butternut, walnut, and a few soft maples. When the early settlers came, they found large num- bers of deer and wild turkeys, and occasionally a bear and some smaller game. The turkeys were very numer- ous, and were found in flocks of as many as a hundred. They were hunted by the then few inhabitants and fur- nished them most delicious food. Nearly all the pio- neers became hunters, and learned expertly to use the rifle. Many are the incidents that these early pioneers relate of their hunting exploits. It may not be uninter- esting to the reader to give one or two, which truly illus- trate the German character — for the early settlers were of the Teutonic race. In the winter of 185 1-2, Peter and Henry Albert, father and son, went into the timber to shoot turkeys. A fine flock came along. Henry, the son, fired and brought down a large one that weighed twenty-two pounds. The turkeys for a moment gathered about their fallen companion, then fled. Henry, turning to his father, inquired why he did not shoot when they were all together. "Why, I wanted you to get yours sure, first," was the astute reply. At another time, Peter went out chopping wood, tak- ing with him his trusty gun, which was the constant companion of the pioneer. A fine turkey came along. He rushed after it with his axe, unmindful, in his anxie- ty to catch the turkey, of the gun that was still standing by the tree; but the turkey was too fleet for our hero, and he returned to his work disappointed. The hunting of deer was a source of amusement as well as profit. The principal hunters were Jack Rouse and Abel Cox, his son-in-law. These Nimrods would sometimes kill as many as a dozen in a day. On one occasion Rouse shot a couple of bucks whose heads were firmly fastened together by their horns, and when 404 dead could not be taken apart. They were sent to the county seat. Independence, and there kept as a curios- ity. From thence they were taken to New York. Philip Zinn, an early settler, having an aspiration to become a deer-hunter, shouldered a musket and started for the timber; and soon he saw nestling in the bushes a fine deer sleeping. Zinn, thinking that he might be dead, and not desiring to waste his ammunition on a dead deer, made a noise by breaking some of the brush, when up started the deer and bounded away into the for- est, leaving our friend looking on in amazement. He then went home, hung up his musket, and thus ended his deer hunting. Wolves were then, as now, quite plenty; for, although a bounty has been offered, it does not seem to diminish the number of these pests, and the fanners are much troubled in raising sheep on account of wolves. Jack Rouse, on one of his hunting expeditions, dug from their burrows four young wolves, and made a present of them to his grandchildren, the sons of William Rouse, by whom they were raised and domesticated. But their fondness for chickens and sheep, and their dislike for cats, rendered it impossible to keep them at a farm- house, so they disposed of them. The chickens and sheep they would kill and eat, and the cats they would kill and then leave them. A large black bear was liilled here, near John Bow- der's, in the fall of 1859, by Joel Allen, who, with Wel- lington Town and E. S. Wilson, was passing along the road on his way to assist a neighbor in threshing, when they espied the bear. Town kept watch of bruin, while Allen went to one of the neighbors' for a gun. After the bear had been killed and skinned, the meat was di- vided around among the settlers, each family getting a slice. One of its paws measured five and a half inches across the bottom. The old settlers remember well their receipt of a piece of this bear. Concerning his captors, we can only say that Allen has gone to the bet- ter land, Town is yet living, and of Wilson we could learn nothing. EARLY SETTLEMENT. The first actual settlers were J. B. Stainbrook and his family, consisting of his wife and one child, June 13, 1850. He was a native of Pennsylvania, having been born there September 29, 1823. He built a log cabin on land, which he afterwards purchased of the Govern- ment, and now owns. The log house is still standing and is the veritable one in which most of his children, and one of his grandchildren, first saw the light of day. His brother-in-law, Henry Albert, also came with HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 405 him and afterwards settled near him, in Benton county. He comes from the German race, partaking of their tenacity and thrift. He has passed through discourage- ments and adversities, but has stood firmly, and now is reaping the reward of his well spent early days. Mr. Stainbrook is the father of seven children : Katie Stain- brook, now Mrs. Colt; Martha Jane, married to S. E. Masters, who has five children and lives in Brandon ; Andrew Jackson, who is married to Ida Town, daughter of an old settler, and has one child ; Peter, married to Mary Usur; Mary, married to W. H. Pearson; J. B. Stainbrook, jr., and Jacob Alfred, who are young, un- married men, residing with their father. Some fourteen years ago his wife died, and since then he and his two sons have lived at the family homestead. He has the honor of raising the first wheat in the township, in the summer of 1852. He used, to put in the wheat, a wooden drag made by his own hand, and cut it with a cradle, borrowed from a settlement some twenty miles away. The crop is spoken of as being a very good one. In the fall of 1850, came Peter Albert (the father-in law of J. B. Stainbrook), his wife and four children : Nicholas Albert and family (wife and four children), and Phillip Zinn with his wife and four children. When the winters of 1850 and 185 1 came, the above named com- pleted the colony. They obtained their supplies from Cedar Rapids, some thirty miles away. Sent a man once a week to Marion for their mail, forty miles away; had plenty of wild game that supplied them with delic-, ious food. We should call this hard life. But, with all the deprivations incident to pioneer life, they claim, that never in their lives did they enjoy themselves better. Phillip Zinn is dead. Peter Albert is still living there, although he has passed his eighty-first birthday. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, December 25, 1799; married in Germany; came to the United States forty-four years ago with his wife and four children; settled in Pennsyl- vania, and, in the fall of 1S50, came to Iowa, and has lived here from that time. He can. now gather about him six children, thirty grandchildren, and thirteen great- grandchildren. He and his good wife, who is two years his junior, still live happily and in full enjoyment of health. While living in Germany, and about fourteen years of age, he saw Napoleon I, while on one of his expeditions into the German country. He is a member of the Reformed church. Jacob Fouts is entitled to a notice among the early settlers, as one of those who gave vigor and enthusiasm to the young colony, by his kindness of heart and busi- ness-like abilities. He was born in Ohio, June 25, 1808, received a common school education, and married De- cember, 1827. He came to Iowa in 1852 and was largely interested in real estate, owning at one time ten hundred and ten acres of land in this township. This, at his death, he equally divided among his children. He died May 27, 1874, and his wife followed him August 20th, in the same year. His children are as follows: Mahala, who married W. W. Morton, and now resides in Nevada; Davis Fouts, who married Julia Albert (said to have been the first wedding in the township), si.\ children be- ing the issue of the marriage. They now reside in Wood- bury county, Iowa; W. H. Fouts married Mary Romig, and has two children, a boy and a girl. He still resides in the township, having passed the most of his days as a merchant in Brandon. He has now retired to his farm, three miles northeast of that village, where he spends his days in peace and quiet, with his happy family. Eslie married C. C. Morton and is now living on a farm near Brandon; they have si.\ children: Susan, married G. W. Short; they have six children and live in the town- ship. Albert F. Fouts, a hardware dealer in Brandon, is married to Amelia Muchmore, by whom he has three children. Emeretta J., is married to D. B. Stickman, a farmer in the township, and has four children. Thus the reader will notice that the Fouts family is a numerous one. A\'illiam Rouse settled here in February, 1851, on land which he afterward entered from the Government, and now lives on it. He is a Tennesseean, having been born in May, 1813. When a boy he emigrated to Indiana and married there. He was at one time the owner of three hundred acres of land in this township, but he has divided it up among his sons, reserving for himself, a homestead of a hundred and twenty acres. His children are: Margaret, Joseph, John, Andrew, William, Elsy, and Jacob, all married except two. He has thirteen grandchildren and all boys but one. When he first came to the township his whole property was a span of horses, a wagon, and two hundred dollars in money. John Rouse, or Jack, as he was familiarly called, father of William, became a resident of Iowa in 1851, and set- tled in section thirteen, where he owned and tilled a little farm of twenty acres. He was a native of South Caro- lina, and in early life, emigrated to Tennessee, where he was married. Then he removed to Indiana, and from there to Iowa. He was a great hunter and spent most of his time hunting deer, wild turkeys, wolves, rac- coons, etc. In his hunting expeditions he almost invaria- bly travelled on horseback. As the country became settled up, game became scarce and he grew dissatisfied. So, in 1862, he moved to Nebraska, where he now resides, at the age of ninety-one years. The first election of the township was held at his log house, and he was elected one of the magistrates. • Abel Cox, a son-in-law of John Rouse, and a native of Indiana, came in the spring of 1851, settling near Rouse's, on a part of the same section, a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He was also a Nimrod of no mean order, his unerring rifle having brought down many a fleet deer. When hunting, his invariable custom was to walk. In i860, he sold out and left for better hunting-grounds, in Nebraska, where he still resides, often pursuing the swift- footed game. Nicholas Albert, a native of Germany, born in Bavaria, March 21, 1806, settled in this township in the fall of 1850. He came to the United States April 11, 1832; was a shoe-maker, having learned the trade in father- land. His sister and another lady came with him, the latter of whom, on landing at New York city, he mar- ried. His money being exhausted, she furnished the 40 6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. wedding fee and paid tine expenses of herself, husband, and sister to Pennsylvania, where they first settled. Soon after his arrival he built a log house (for no others were then in fashion), into which the family moved and passed the winter. He has now retired from business and lives in a neat cottage near where he first settled. The names of his children are, Louisa, Henry A., Peter T., Cath- arine, and W. A. Albert, who is a carpenter, unmarried, and lives at home with the old folks. The youngest is Maggie. John Frink settled here in 1852, coming from Illinois. He had a family of grown-up boys. He first settled in a grove, three miles north of Brandon, which still bears his name. He was a native of New York, and one of the first magistrates in the township. His sons were John, Alonzo, and George. Alonzo and George left soon after, not remaining here but a few years. John, the father, died in i860, then one of the oldest in the place. The son, John, still remains, and was married to Miss Pella. In those early days he kept a hotel, and as it was on the State road, he did a large business. He also had the honor (such as it was) of keeping the first and only whiskey shop ever kept in Jefferson township. In that locality, in those days (we are sorry to say), but little regard was paid to morality. Alonzo Frink, after leaving, together with his family, settled in Minnesota; and we have of him a sad, but true tale to relate. His wife and children were killed by the Indians, without any provocation whatever. Then it was that Alonzo swore eternal vengeance against the red man. He now follows the life of a hunter, and many are the Indians that have fallen before his unerring rifle. The dread of the In- dians, he refuses friendship from their hands. ORG.^NIZATION. Jefferson was set off as a separate township, by order of the county judge, March i, 1852, the record of the transaction being as follows: "It is ordered by the court that township eighty-seven, range nine, and town- ship eighty-seven, range ten, of the county of Buchanan, compose one precinct to be called Jefferson precinct, and that an election be held in said precinct, on the first Monday in April next, at the house of John Rouse. A change was made in the township on the twenty-ninth of July, 185S, when congressional township eighty-seven, range nine, was severed therefrom and constituted one township, under the natiie of Homer. The first election was held at the house of John Rouse in accordance with the above order, and eleven votes were cast. J. B Stainbrook, Abel Co.x, and Joseph Rouse, were elected trustees; John Rouse and John Frink, justices; Alonzo Frink, assessor; and John Rice, township clerk. The second election was held where Brandon now stands, on Lime creek, with about the same number of votes. The present officers are as fol- lows: John Bain and Joseph Bunce, justices; Eli Fouts, H. F. Miller, and John Kipford, trustees; W. T. Bryan, township clerk; B. B. Brown and E. W. Sweet, constables. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. The pioneer church in Jefferson township was the Methodist. In an early day religious services were had at private houses, and it was some time before a house of worship could be obtained. In May, 1856, Rev. D. Donaldson organized the first society at the house of J. G. Williams, with only five members — J. G. Williams, Caroline F. Williams, Thomas Brandon, his wife, and daughter Maria. It may not be out of place to state the circumstances under which this society was formed. Mr. Williams was one day standing in the street when he noticed a person passing on horseback, and, thinking from his clerical appearance that he might be a minister, he hailed him. The minister stopped that night and held religious services and organized (as above stated) the first Methodist class in the township. They now own a good meeting-house and parsonage, and have an organ. Their property is valued at one thousand five hundred dollars, and is all out of debt, and have a mem- bership of seventy-five persons. Rev. B. A. Wright is the present pastor. The Wesleyan Methodist was organized in February, 1867, with some twenty-five members, and D. P. Parker as their preacher. The present number is about twenty, located in the southeastern part of the township. Rev. George Allen is the present preacher. Reformed church in the United States was organized December i, i860, with twenty members, being mostly composed of Germans. Rev. Joshua Raile was the first preacher. They are now the owners of a good house of worship, with a bell and organ, and have services and a Sabbath-school each Sabbath. The present membership is about forty, and the Rev. Thomas Lund is the pastor. BRANDON. This, the only village in the township, is in the south- western part. The village was platted and laid out by S. P. Brainard, Jacob Fouts, and E. C. Wilson, in 1854. The first stock of goods and store kept there was by S. P. Brainard, who soon after took as a partner W. H. Fouts; subsequently sold to Fouts, who continued the business for a number of years. The following are some of the principal business establishments; and nearly every business and profession is represented, except the legal — there is no lawyer, but there are four physicians: Wagon-shops, Robert McLaughlin and William A. Albert; drug stores, Benjamin Muchmore and Hyde & Bissell; dry goods, McLeish, Edwards & Co.; grocery, J. N. Bissel; hardware, A. F. Fouts; blacksmiths, Robi- son Lamb, and S. Ackman & Brother ; houses of wor- ship, Methodist Episcopal church and Reformed church; a laige public school-house; physicians, Benjamin Much- more, Merrill J. Hyde, John Bain, and Dr. Stevens; a cornet band, with W. Bryan as leader ; harness-shop, William Bain ; hotel, D. L. Brown ; creamery, R. J. Jackway. This latter was established in the summer of 1880, and is operated upon the plan of gathering the cream from the farmers instead of the milk. Thus far it seems very satisfactory. One thing strikes the stranger as out of the general order of things, and that is an entire absence of drinking saloons. The people are certainly to be congratulated. The population is between one hundred and fifty and two hundred. The first white child born here was Martha J. Stainbrook, daughter of HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 407 J. B. Stainbrook and granddaughter of Peter Albert. She was born August 27, 1850, and is now the wife of Simon E. Masters. She still resides in the township and is the mother of five beautiful children, whose names are as follows: Mertie C, Carrie B., Jessie I)., Joseph B., and Minnie S. Mr. Stainbrook had not been in the township but a short time before Martha Jane's birth. Jacob Fouts built a saw-mill at Brandon on Lime creek in 1854, which remained standing for some twenty years, when the business not proving remunerative the building was taken down. A cemetery was established here, on a Mr. Beachler's farm about a mile from Brandon, in 1853, and the first person buried there was a little girl by the name of Pella, who was accidentally burned to death. She was out in the yard with her father, who was burning brush, and her dress taking fire, before assistance could be rendered she was so badly burned that she died in a short time. This was the first death since the settlement of the town- ship, in June, 1850. The second was Noah Naylor, a promising young man of eighteen years of age, in 1854. In 1859 a second cemetery was established near Bran- don, and joining the plat on the west. A third is located two miles east of Brandon, at Green Wood chapel, under the control of the Wesleyan Methodists. The postmasters were appointed in the order given, as follows: S. P. Brainard being the first, W. H. Fouts, A. B. Edwards, James Romig, J. N. Bissell and Nellie Bissell. There has never been but one office in the township and there is a tri-weekly mail. Darwin Youndt & Co. have an establishment here for the purpose of making sorghum, located two and one- half miles east of Biandon. Each fall they make some two thousand or three thousand gallons. The busi- ness is of great advantage to the people. A. W. Jewell and J. C. Williams were the pioneers in the manufacture of this article in the township. They made a machine with their own hands, which is reported to have done good work, although somewhat rude in its structure. SCHOOLS. The earliest school in the township was a private or subscription school. We have seen a paper that was circulated in the township for the purpose of raising money to hire a teacher and buy a stove ; and Jacob Fouts gave them the use of a log house in what is now the village of Brandon. The school was taught by Mrs. William Boyles. Under such circumstances twenty scholars gathered for instruction, ten of whom are still living in the township and heads of families. This was in the winter of 1854-55. The first school-house was built in Brandon on Lime creek, by Ed. Webster. Soon after the building of the one in Brandon another was built in the Lizer district and one in the Boone dis- trict. In 1880 a large, fine school-house was built in Brandon. There are now ten schools in the township. Among the early teachers are R. P. Nelson, a resident of the township, and Wellington Town. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. The pioneer physicians were B. F. Muchmore, J. B. Darling, and Dr. Stimpson. The first Iiotel was kept by E. C. Wilson. The first blacksmith was Fred Youndt. The first entry of land was made by William McCay, in section twenty-eight. The first wedding that we can find any account of was solemnized August 5, 1852, between Davis Fouts and Julia Albert. They resided in the township until February, 1877, when they moved to Sloan, Woodbury county, Iowa, where they are now living. Six children were born to them. George Frink, George Lauderdale and C. O. Morton have good but small orchards, all young and growing. Frink and Lau- derdale have made cider in small quantities. Lime creek passes from the north in a southwesterly direction through the township. Bear creek is in the southeast part; Mud creek in the centre; in the north Spring creek. About one and one-half miles east of Brandon is a small pond, covering half an acre of land, which has never failing water. In 1855 the corn crop was entirely destroyed by an early frost coming August 31; and in 1856 a terrible hail storm passed through the township, coming from the north, destroying the entire crop, nothing being left to harvest and scarcely a grain shrub remained standing. Roofs of houses were blown off, and one or two houses were blown down. Even the bark on the north side of the trees was torn off It was the most severe and de- structive hail storm that has ever visited this township or county in the recollection of the oldest settlers. The following winter was a very severe one, the settlers suf- fering for the common necessities of life. A very deep snow came — four feet on a level; and after it fell, it rained and then froze, making a very thick, hard crust on the snow — hard enough to bear up a horse. Many of the settlers subsisted on boiled corn, which they obtained in Linn county, for one dollar and twenty-five cents per bushel. Many of the young children were without shoes and boots, and the brave settler was compelled to sell his trusty rifle to buy bread for his starving family. The deer, not able to run upon the crust, became an easy p»ey. The wolves were bold and fierce. The first fruit was raised in the township by John S. Bouck. He is said to have started here the very first fruit nursery in the county; and here at one time he had a good orchard, located in the northwestern part of the township. But now that once beautiful and productive orchard is dead, killed by severe weather in winter. Those who first settled in this township became so well satisfied that they, for the most part, have remained in it, and they and their descendants have peopled it. And we venture the closing remark, without fear of con- tradiction, that there is not another township in the county that has retained so large a number of its old pioneers as Jefferson. PERSONAL MENTION. Lyman N. Bissell was born in Ticonderoga, Essex county. New York, October 26, 1854. He was educated in an academy at Ticonderoga, in the public schools of Independence, and at Iowa City. In 1868 he came with his parents to Independence. In 1873 he came to Brandon, Jefferson township, where he engaged in gen- eral merchandise business with his father, though devoting 4o8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. a part of his time to teaching, and was at one time prin- cipal of the Brandon schools. In March of iS8o he en- gaged in general merchandise and drug business with Dr. M. J. Hyde, with whom he is building up a large trade. In politics he is a Republican, though he was a Demo- crat until a year ago, when he had "his eyes opened." Dr. M. J. Hyde was born in Isle Lamoile, in Lake Champlain part of Addison county, Vermont, April 2, 1854. When seven years old he went to New Haven; and, seven years later, he again moved to Plainwell, Al- legan county, Michigan. His education was obtained at Plainwell and the State university, Ann Arbor, from which he graduated M. D., March, 1876. After graduating, for a short time he located at Brandon, Buchanan county, Iowa. In March, of 1880, he went into the drug busi- ness with Lyman Bissell, also continuing his professional duties. D. A. McLeish was born in Perthshire, Scotland, Febru- ary 28, 1844. In 1848 he immigrated with his mother — his father having been lost at sea two years before — to the County Perth, Canada. He was educated in the com- mon schools, attending for a short time the Stratford high school. When about eighteen he began teaching, and continued this profession after he came to Iowa in 1865, teaching some eleven terms in Buchanan county. During the fall of 1873 was elected county auditor and served two terms. During the spring of 1878 he engaged in the mercantile business with Thomas Edwards and A. T. McDonald, buying out the store of J. M. Ramsey. They have increased the trade done by their predecessor and are still increasing the amount done the first year. In 1868 was married to Lena N. Bowersock of Brandon, Iowa, a native of Ohio, and an adopted daughter of A. Oler, bv whom he has four children: Mary Louise, Mar- garet, Harriet Webster, and William Oler. He is a mem- ber of the Reformed German Lutheran church. In pol- itics he is an earnest, working Republican, though he was elected auditor on the Anti-monopoly ticket. D. L. Brown was born in Maytown, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, December 31, 1824. He was raised on a farm, receiving his education at the common schools — being able, on account of threshing, to attend school but five days one winter, and twelve another. When seven- teen he was apprenticed to learn the shoemaker's trade; worked at it but one year after serving his time of three and a half years. In 1850 he commenced farming on the old home place, where he remained until the spring of 1855, when he sold out and came to West Union, Fay- ette county. The colony that came out with him took the cholera, and some seventeen died from it. Abraham Hess' death deranged the plans of the colony, so that within a week they left West Union and went to South Bend, Indiana, where he bought and managed a farm and engaged in the manufacture of bricks. In three years he returned to Pennsylvania, and then farmed for three years, and was engaged in distilling for three years. He went, in 1867, to Lock, Clinton county, where he engaged in the wholesale liquor business until March 10, 1 87 1, when he was financially ruined by fire. He then was without regular employment until he came to Bran- don, in the spring of 1878. Here he engaged in the hardware business for two years, when he bought the Exchange hotel, of which he is now the genial host. On March 10, 1846 he was married to a lady of York county, Pennsylvania, by whom he has had seven children — El- mira, born March 5, 1847; Emma, born April 10, 1849; John W., born May, 2, 1851; Zulime, born January 7, 1853; David, born June 15, 1855; Lovada Mabelle, born November 20, 1857 ; and Henry, born February 14, 1862, and died in August, 1863. Dr. B. P. Muchmore was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, February 7, 1827. In 1834 he moved with his parents to Fayette county, Indiana. His common school education was received in the public schools of Ohio and Indiana. When about sixteen years of age he began reading medicine with Dr. Parker, of Fayette county, Indiana, and attended lectures at the Eclectic Medical college, of Cincinnati, when nineteen years of age, and graduated from this institution in 1845. He located as practicing physician at Selma, Delaware county, Indiana, remaining three years. In the fall of 1854 he located in Spring Creek, Black Hawk county, and two years after- ward at Brandon, where has remained until the present time. In 1874 he purchased the stock of drugs of John Bain, and, with an interim of one year, has conducted the store to the present time. On September 28, 1846, he was married to Elizabeth J. Hardesty, of Fayette county, Indiana, by whom he had six children — Stephen C, born June 8, 1847; Frances, born August 4, 1849; Mary Ellen, born July 13, 185 i; Sarah Jane, born Sep- tember 9, 1853, and died in October, 1854; Oliver Ed- win, born March 31, 1867; and Elizabeth Alice, born January 3, 1869, and died September 9, i86g. In Feb- ruary, 1869, his wife died, and on December 15, 1869, he was married to Nancy J. Clements, of Laurel, Fayette county, Indiana, a pupil and teacher of Brooklyn college, Indiana, by whom he had two children — Isaac B., born October 9, 1871, and Charles K., born August i, 1876. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics he has always been a Republican. J. M. Romig was born in Richfield township, Wash- ington county, Wisconsin, May 29, 1849. When thirteen years old he removed to Jefferson township, Buchanan county, Iowa. His education was received in the public schools of Wisconsin. When seventeen he clerked for his father in a general merchandise store, and when twenty-one bought the stock of his father and continued in trade until 1878, since which time he has been en- gaged in farming. He has a farm of one hundred and eighty-eight acres under good cultivation, one-half mile northeast of Brandon. This he manages as a grain farm. On November 25, 1870, he was married to Sarah New- comb, of Independence, and a native of Westfield, Chautauqua county. New York, by whom he has three children: Myron I,., born April 2, 1873; Frank Guy, born October 20, 1877; Lyma G., born May 4, 1878. A. F. Fouts was born in Greene county, Wisconsin, January 23, 1847. In the fall of 1862 he went with his parents to Harrison township, Benton county, and three years afterwards his father moved to Jefferson township, HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 409 Buchanan county, and located near Brandon. His edu- cation was received in the Brandon schools, and his oc- cupation has been that of farming. In 1868 he bought an eighty-acre farm which, after working for a time, he sold and bought three forties, which he sold about five years ago and engaged in blacksmithing. About one year ago he bought a stock of hardware of J. M. Romig, and is now engaged in that business. On July 4, 1865, he was married to Miss Muchmore, of Brandon, Iowa, by whom he has three children: Arthur E., born April 6, 1867; Alice May, born March 24, 1870; Adalbert K, born December 24, 1872. In politics he is a Democrat and an active worker, having been a number of times a delegate to the county conventions. Mr. Touts has in- creased the amount of the stock that he originally pur- chased, and is steadily building up a good trade. A. B. Edwards was born in Romulus, Seneca county, New York, January 18, 1822. When six years old he removed to Seneca Falls in the same county. His edu- cation was received at the public schools and Seneca Falls academy. His occupation has been that of a farmer, working with his father, and in 1S45 he began farming for himself, and continued at this in Seneca county until 1856. In May, 1856, he came to Jefferson township, and bought sixty-two acres, to which he has added from time to time until he now has one hundred and forty-two acres in Jefferson and some timber land in Benton county. The farm near Brandon he still farms himself. On November 5, 1845, he was married to Irene Johnson, Horseheads, Chemung county, New York. He has no children but an adopted daughter, Cairie Ed- wards. She was born April 17, 1868. In politics he is a Democrat, and has been frequently appointed a dele- gate to county and other conventions. He was assessor of Jefiferson township some twelve years, and was post- master at Brandon eleven years. Nicholas Albert was born in Bavaria, Germany, March 21, 1806. His education was received in the common schools of Germany. When about eleven years of age he commenced the shoemakers' trade, and worked dur- ing the summer time at (arming with his father, until he was twenty-six years old. In 1832 he came to this country — Crawford county, Pennsylvania — working on the canal in summer and at his trade winters, and for five years worked for James Hyde at Midwell. He then bought a little place in Crawford county and began farm- ing. In 1850 he left Pennsylvania and immigrated to Jefferson township, where he bought a land warrant for an eighty, and soon bought an adjoining eighty, which he improved and worked until 1866 when he moved into Brandon and let his boys work the farm. About two years ago he sold the farm and has since been engaged in no business, determining in his old age to take life easier. On July 7, 1832, he was married to Margaret Weidenbach of the same place with himself, by whom he has eight children — Louis, born April 17, 1835; Henry A., born February 2, 1837; Peter D., born Janu- ary 28, 1839; Fred, born November 5, 1841; Katie, born April 5, 1843; William A., September 7, 1845; Eva, born August 20, 1848, died in early childhood, and Margarette, born .-Xpril 3, 1851. He is a member of the Reform church in the United States, of which he has been a member over sixty years. In politics he is a Democrat (though formerly a Whig), and has held num- erous township offices. Henry F. Miller was born in Holstein, Germany, November i, 1840. His education was gained in the schools of the Fatherl.md. In 1852 his parents immi- grated to America and located at Davenport. Here he remained two years, and then moved to Lyons, Iowa, where he made his home until the close of the war. When fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith trade, but did not finish the apjirentice- ship on account of the failure of the firm to which he was bound. He then worked at Lyons until the sixth of May, 1861, when he enlisted in company I, Second Iowa infantry volunteers, and seived three years in the west. He was at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, etc., and came through with but a slight wound. In July of 1865 he came to Jefferson township, where he bought forty acres, to which he has since added until he has a farm of one hundred and thirty acres under good culti- vation. This he inanages, besides working at his trade in a shop on his place, two miles northwest of Brandon. In November, 1864, he was married to Elizabeth B. Schlagel, of Lyons, Iowa, by whom he has five children: Martha, born October, 1865; Lillie, born 1867; Willie, born October, 1869; Edwin, born November i, 1872; Bertie, born May, 1876. He was reared a Lutheran, but at preseni does not belong to any church. Dr. John Bain was born in Wells county, Indiana, Mav 19, 1843. When about six years of age he re- moved to Allen county of the same State, where he re- mained eight years, when he came to Homer township. His education was received in Allen county, principally from his father. His occupation till 1875 was farming. He then sold his fatm, and started the fir.it drug store in Brandon. This he sold in about two years. During the years 1875, 1^7^ ^"^ 1877 he attended medical lectures at the State university, graduating in March, 1877. Since graduating in medicine he has been practicing with good success in Brandon and vicinity. He enlisted in company G, Fifth regiment, Iowa infantry, in March, 1862. He received a detail from General Grant as hospital steward, and served in this capacity at St. Louis, on the Mississippi, and was stationed the longest at Chattanooga, Tennessee. In March, 1865, was dis- charged. September 23, 1866, he was married to Louisa J. Elliot, of Jefferson township, by whom he has four children: Wilson W., bi)rn April 9, 1868; Elizabeth O., born December 10, 1869; Nellie B., born April 13, 1871, and Susan L., born September 22, 1873. He has been a member in good standing of the Christian church for thirteen years. In politics he is a Republican. C. C. Morton was born in the State of Illinois, Oc- tober 25, 1835. When about four years old his parents removed to Greene county, Wisconsin. His education was received in the common schools of Greene county, though the educational facilities were not excellent. In November, 1857, he immigrated to Jefferson township. 4IO HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, one-half mile southwest of Brandon, which he has im- proved and lived upon till the present time. This he has managed as a grain farm ; but during the last year or two has been changed to a stock farm. March 24, 1857, he was married to Elsie E. Fouts, of Brandon, by whom he has six children : Addie, born November 8, 1858 ; Edgar Thomas, born November i, 1862 ; Minnie, born February 21, 1863; Jacob W., born September 22, 1865; William Emmett, born September 17, 1870, and Pearl, born May 10, 1876. In politics he is a Demo- crat, though in no sense a politician. E. Bower was born near Sandusky, Ohio, December 2, 1838. When about ten years of age removed with his parents to Linn county, where he remained about two years, and then came to Jefferson township in the spring of 185 1. His education was principally received at the Marion schools. His life-long occupation has been that of a farmer — beginning for himself in i86r, having pur- chased the farm on which he now lives in 1857. It con- sists of eighty acres, which he manages as a stock and grain farm. June 24, i860, he was married to Mary Jane Maberly, a native of Mercer county, Illinois, then of Black Hawk county, Iowa, by whom he has six children: Rebecca, born June 2, 1861; Florence, born August 22, 1865; Anna, born November 28, 1866; Elven, born September 8, i867;Libbie, born August 22, 1870, and Elijah, born October 28, 1874. George Pelly was born in Ontario county. New York, May 26, 1838. When about six years old his parents removed to Winnebago county, Illinois, where he lived about six years, and then moved into Jefferson town- ship. His education was received at the common schools. His occupation has been that of a farmer. When twenty-one he began farming for himself on his own farm. He now has one hundred and sixty acres of good land, three miles west of Brandon. His farm is all under good cultivation, and is managed as a stock farm. April 30, 1868, he was married to Alzina Day, a native of Ohio, a teacher then living at Amana, Iowa, by whom he has one child: Gertrude A. Pelly, born August 13, 1870. In politics he is a straightforward Republican. G. H. Lauderdale was born in Burlington, Vermont, September 19, 1816. When about three years of age his parents removed to White Creek, \Vashington county. New York, where he remained about four years; then to Groton, Tompkins county. New York, and then, in 1826, to Ovid, Seneca county; thence to York, Livingston county, New York, for three years; thence to Springville, Erie county, two years; then to Eden, Erie county; and from thence, about 1836, to Wayne county, Ohio, where he remained until 1850. ' He began, when thirteen years old, to learn the tailor's trade, and worked at it for twenty years. In the spring of 1850 he went overland to California, and engaged in mining with some success, and returned during November of the same year; went back in the spring of 1852, and remained eighteen months; engaged as before, at Goldfield, etc. After sell- ing his property in Ohio he came, in 1854, to Jefferson township, where he entered three forties, and then bought two eighties of prairie and twenty-eight of timber. This he improved and lived upon until 1872, when he sold out and bought the Woodruff farm of over two hun- dred acres, two and a half miles west of Brandon. Sep- tember 5, 1839, he was married to Mary Jane Pocock, of Wayne county, Ohio, by whom he has had three chil- dren: Edward I., born May 6, 1842; Frank, born March 22, 1844, and died September 25, 1S64; and John W., born May 7, 1S46. Frank died at Davenport, on his return from service in the south. In politics Mr. Lau- derdale is a Republican "every time;" is a leader in the township; has been a delegate to the county conventions and a prominent official in the township for many years. In 1872 he bought an interest in a hardware store at In- dependence, and continued in business for a short time. He built the house that Judge Tabor now resides in, but in six months removed to his farm. Daniel B. Steckman, one of eleven children, was born in Munroe township, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1833. His education was received at the public schools of Pennsylvania. His life-long occupa- tion has been that of a farmer, and, until coming to Iowa, he worked with his brother, living with his father till he died on the old place. In the fall of 1856 he im- migrated to Spring Creek township. Black Hawk coun- ty, Iowa, having stopped that summer in Lee county, Illinois. He bought a farm of eighty acres, which he worked until 1870, when he bought one hundred and sixty acres of wild land in Jefferson township, which he built upon and improved and lived upon for five years, and in the fall of 1876 bought the place of seventy- eight acres on which he now lives, one-half a mile north- west of Brandon. This he manages as a stock farm. November 29, 1866, he was married to Emma J. Fouts, of Brandon, by whom he has four children: Mahala E., born December 19, 1867; Susie A., born April 14, 1869, died July 8, 1872; George W., born September 28, 1871; Alva B., born January 27, 1874; and Minnie A., born October i, 1879. J. S. Frink was born at Forestville, Chautauqua county, New York, December 10, 1822. Here he remained until he was twelve years old, and then went to Erie county, where he lived two years — thence to Genesee county, living there three years; from there in Septem- ber, 1839, moved to Winnebago county, Illinois. His education was received in the public schools, but the most of his boyhood days were spent in a saw-mill, where, in figuring with lumber, he gained a practical education. After he w-ent to Illinois, he learned the carpenter and joiner's trade with his father, at which he worked a great deal for a number of years. He and his father con- tracted for and built the first court house at Rockford, and'other large buildings. In the spring of 1850 he, with seven others, went to Chickasaw county, Iowa, and squatted on a piece of land on which the village of Brad- ford now stands. Here he built a house, hauling the timber from Cedar Falls, and made other improvements. One Watson, whom they had sheltered and fed, took their farms from them. In the spring of 1851 he went to Eldorado county, California, kept a boarding house and HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 411 store of general merchandise, and was away about three years, making a fortune in that time. He then came to Jefferson township and entered over three thousand acres, and for several years was engaged in breaking up and improving land, and kept a public house at Frink's Grove, now Sunny Side. In 1855 he started a store of general merchandise which he continued for four years. After he returned from the army, he bought a quarter section, two and a half miles northwest of Brandon, which he improved; but, in 1869, he sold that and his old home and bought a quarter section three miles east of Brandon, on a part of which he now lives. In the spring of 1862 he enlisted in company H, Twenty-seventh Iowa volunteer infantry and served until the close of the war; but, in 1864, was transferred to the invalid corps at Washington. He served in Missouri, Tennessee, Miss- issippi, and Arkansas, and was at Lookout Mountain, Vicksburgh and Coldwater. April 9, 1845 he was mar- ried to Mary Gill, of Madison county. New York, then residing in Winnebago county, Illinois, by whom he has seven children : Ellen M., born January 23, 1847, died September 2-8, 1849; Aaron, born June 15, 1849; Jane N., March 26, 1851; Lewis N., February 24, 1854; Hattie A., 4i5ril 5, 1S57; Ida May, Februarys, 1859; Thomas L., November 24, 1861. Jane N. died June 24, 1880. In politics Mr. Frink is, of course, a Re- publican, and has been frequently a delegate to impor- tant conventions. He is a man who has a more varied experience than the common lot of men. He is a man of good information, a good neighbor, and a man well known through the country. George Frink was born at Hanover, Chautauqua county, New York, January, 1835. When he was five years old, his parents moved to Winnebago county, Illinois, and settled on a farm near Rockford. His education was gained in the public schools of Winne- bago county. His life-long occupation has been that of a farmer. In the summer of 185 1 his folks moved to Jefferson township, where his father entered a quarter section which is known as Frink's Grove. When he was twenty-one years old, he took this farm, and has owned and lived upon it until the present time. This he manages as a general farm. On the first of August, 1862, he enlisted in company C, Twenty-seventh Iowa volunteer infantry and served until the close of the war. He was at Pleasant Hill, Nashville, Blakely, etc. No- vember 12, 1867, he was married to Elizabeth Murphy, a native of Dixon, Lee county, Illinois, and then of Sunny Side, Jefferson township. She was born June 30, 1840. He formerly was a Republican, but latterly has allied himself with the National Greenback party; but never has been a politician. He is the postmaster at Sunjiy Side, formerly Frink's (jrove, having held that position some five years. ^Valter Jamison is of Scottish descent, and was born in Oswego county, New York, January 22, 1843. When eight years of age his parents removed to Mayville, Chau- tauqua county. New York. At the common schools and the academy .of this place he gained his education, at- tending principally during the winter time. When eigh- teen he enlisted in company G, Seventy-second New- York infantry (volunteer). His was at fiist the third regiment of General Sickle's Excelsior brigade. He was discharged the fourth of March, 1864, but reenlisted on the ninth of September of that year in the Veteran Re- serve corps and served until November, 1865. On the twelfth of March of the following year he came to Jef- ferson township, where he bought a farm of ninety-five acres, which he now works and lives upon. July 4, 1868, he was married to Martha H. Newcpmb, then of Jeffer- son township, who was born July 13, 1850. They have three children: Milton C, born November 2, 1870; Robert H., born May 6, 1875; and Mary E., born No- vember 21, 1S78. Mr. Jamison is a leading Republican in his township, and besides frequently serving as a dele- gate to the important conventions, he has taken a promi- nent part in the administration of the township affairs. H. S. Van Burcn was born at Charlottsville, Schoharie county, New York, August, 1838. His education was received at the New York Conference seminary. In 1856 he moved with his parents to Walworth county, Wisconsin, and located on a farm. He remained upon his father's farm until i860, when he went to Central City, Colorado, where he remained three years, engaged in mining. In the fall of 1863 he moved to Waterloo, Iowa. At this place he was farming for two years, and then for three years w-as in the grain business at Inde- pendence, and during the tivo following years was engaged in the mercantile business at Brandon, with Isaac Romig. After selling out at Brandon he returned to Waterloo w^here, for seven years, he was in the grocery trade. In 1877 he again moved into Jefierson township and bought a farm of one hundred and twenty-two acres, on which he now lives. December 31, 1863, he was married to Harriet Romig of Brandon. She was born July 11, 1845, and has borne three children: Mary E., born Jan- uary 12, 1866; Charles Centennial, born October 9, 1876; and James Clinton, born October 12, 1878. D. F. Fary was born at Galen, Wayne county. New York, August 18, 1S28. When about a year old his parents moved to Chautauqua county, remaining there seven years, when they moved to Columbiana county, Ohio. Four years later they removed to Washington county, and two years afterward to Henry county, Illi- nois. His opportunities for attending school were limit- ed. He worked at home until he was seventeen, when he bought his time and worked for wages upon a farm for nine years. During the spring of 1850 he came to Sabula, Jackson county, Iowa. During the spring of 1865 he moved to Jefferson township, where he bought a farm of eighty acres, on which he lived until three years ago, when he bought his present farm of eighty acres, one mile northwest of Brandon. October 24, 1858, he was married to Mary A. Marr, a native of Sinco, Onta- rio, and then residing in Jackson county. She was born March 12, 1842, and has been the mother of seven children: Abner S., born July 9, 1859, died May 14, 1863; Mary Helen, born October 28, i860, died April 13, 1863; Maggie A., born June i, 1862, died June 30, 1864; Olive May, born July 28, 1865; Charles David, 412 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. born February i6, 1867, died February 27, 1867; Wil- ber F., bnrn September 2, 1868, died March 23, 1870; and William Marr, born February 7, 1879. In politics Mr. Fary is a Douglas Democrat. J. L. Scoggin was born in Tennessee, April 28, 1835. His schooling was obtained in subscription schools of Tennessee, but his educational advantages were few. When sixteen he went to Davis county, Indiana, where he remained two years, engaged at farming, which has been his occupation. In 1854 he went to Greene coun- ty, Wisconsin, where he remained until 1865, when he came to Jefferson township. Here he bought a farm of eighty acres, one and one-half miles northwest of Bran- don, to which he has added the same amount. This quarter section is all under cultivation, and is farmed by himself In 1864 he enlisted in company I, Fifth Wis- consin, and was at Petersburgh, Cedar Creek, and other West Virginia battles. He was discharged on the twen- tieth of June, 1865. February 23, 1862, he was married to Clara HoUaway, a native of Greene county. She was born April 12, 1865. He has eight children: Jacob L., born February 14, 1863; Cora and Dora, born June 14, 1864; Arthur, born October 7, 1866; Franklin, born April 18, 1869, died October 10, 1870; Hattie S., born Aprils, 1872; William Leroy, born December 9, 1875; Clara E., born January 2, 1878; and "baby," born De- cember 13, 1880. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Brandon, and a Republican in politics. George E. Peck, one of the largest farmers of the pre- cinct, was born in Warren county, Ohio, March 31, 1S28. When ten years old his parents moved to Montgomery county. He was a farmer's boy, and had few opportuni- ties for gaining an education. He worked upon his father's farm until he was past twenty-three; and then, after farming for himself in Ohio until 1857, he moved to Jefferson township. Three years prior to this, how- ever, he came to this township and entered an "eighty," the one on which he now lives. This farm has been en- larged into one of three hundred and twenty acres. He is largely engaged in stock raising. In 1851 he was mar- ried to Sarah Ann Oldfather, a native of Montgomery county, Ohio. She was born November q, 1831, and has nine children — James W., born April 8, 1852; Samuel H., born October 19, 1853; Mary Jane, born June 28, 1856; Matilda Ida, born June 13, 1859, died August 31, 1864, Rebecca Kate, born July 24, 1S62; Theodore, born May 6, 1864; Daniel Webster, born October 27, 1867; Minnie, born February 26, 1869; and Ret, born May 31, 1872. A. H. Reynolds was born in Norfolk county, England, July 6, 1 830. When two years old, his parents emigrated to Northeast Hope, Perth county, Canada. He was ed- ucated in the "free schools" of Canada. He early began farming, and has been thus engaged to this time. When twenty, he began to farm for himself in Canada, on land on which he remained until he came to Iowa. During the fall of 1865 he came to Jefferson township, and lo- cated on four hundred and eighty acres of land, for which he traded his farm in Canada. January 8, 1850, he was married to Ann Heddrick, a native of Blackburn, Perth county, Scotland. She died February 9, 1865. He is the father of ten children — Ann, born March 8, 185 1, died October i, 1865; Lewis, born December 17, 1852; Eliza Ellen, born May 5, 1855; William Francis, born April 26, 1857; Margaret Eadie, born May 12, 1859; John, born August 11, 1861, died December 22, 1861; Amelia, born November 10, 1862, died February 10, 1865; George Alfred, born December 25, 1874; Edwin Andrew, born December 16, 1876; and Henry Albert, born December 24, 1879. February 19, 1874, Mr. Reynolds was married to his second wife, Susan Cline, of Dubuque county. E. M. Brown was born in Montgomery county, In- diana, November 22, 1846, and is one of seven children of Thomas H. Brown and Pheniah Perkins, who were married on the fifteenth of September, 1831. Thomas H. was born in Preble county, Ohio, June 9, 18 11, and his wife September 6, 1811. When E. M. Biown was nine years of age his parents moved to Jefierson town- ship. His education was received there in the district schools. When of age he began farming for himself on the home place, the greater part of which, a few years since, he purchased. October 27, 1870, he was married to Miss C. Rose, who was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, and then a resident of Benton county, Iowa. They have four children — Alfred Rose, born October 10, 1872; John Thomas, born September 21, 1874; George Ross, born August 31, 1876, and Joseph Samuel, born Oc- tober 7, 1878. James H. Douglas is of Scotish descent, and was born in Preston county, Virginia, November 7, 1833. He was educated in the public schools of Virginia, but, in the mountainous region where he lived, schools were few and far between, and the terms of short duration. In 1855 he immigrated to Greene county, Wisconsin, where he remained until 1864, when became to Fayette county, Iowa. After working the farm, which he bought, for three years, he moved to Waterloo, near which place he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, and in the fall of 1864 he moved upon the farm in Jefferson township, which he now owns and lives upon. January I, i86i,he was married to Sarah A. Moore, who was born in Dolphin county, Pennsylvania, June 18, 1844, and then living in Greene county, Wisconsin. They have no children of their own, but have with them two of a deceased brother's children — Delbert, born June 10, 1868, and Ida, born February 11, 1871. His occupa- tion has always been farming, and since its organization he has been a member of the Republican party. A. B. Hoskins was born in McKane county, Pennsyl- vania, September 11, 1835. When nine years of age his father moved to Tipton, Cedar county, Iowa. He has always followed farming. He worked with his father until January, 1859, when he moved to Johnson county. In 1869 he came to Jefferson township, hav- ing traded his Johnson county farm for a quarter- section of wild land in this township. This he has improved, built upon, and added to, so that now he has a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres. May 6, HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 413 1858, he was married to Miss J. McHowell. She was born June 4, 1837, in County Down, Ireland. They have three children — Richard G., born May 24, 1859; Rebecca Ann, born March 7, 1861, died July 23, 1880; and Lois, born February 21, 1863. HOMER. This township is in the southern part of the county, and has a variety of soil. Along the creeks it is sandy and li^ht — some portions wet and springy — but, for the most part, it is of a black productive loam, and there are some excellent farms in the township. 0RG.\NIZAT10N. It was set apart as an independent and separate town- ship on the twenty-ninth day of July, 1858, as evidenced by the record of the county court of that date, which is as follows: St.\te of Iowa. ) Buchanan County, j ' ' In the County Court of said County. Be it known that, on the petition of James D. Phillips, Eh Norton, and others, the court aforesaid, this twtrnty-ninlh day of July, 1858, constitutes and forms a new township in s.iid county, as follows; The whole thirty-six sections of the Congressional township eighty-seven, range nine, in said county. And it is also ordered that the new town- ship, thus formed, be called by the name of Homer, m accordance with the wishes of the voters thereof. Stephen J. W. Tabor, County Judge. Prior to the above order, that is, from May 22, 1852, this township was a part of Jefferson. But, previous to 1857, there were but few settlers in what is now Homer; the newcomers preferring to settle along the creeks, where they found the best supplies of timber. Consequently the first settlements in the original township of Jefferson were along Lime creek, near the place where Brandon is now located. ELECTION. The first election in Homer township was held in Sep- tember, 1858, at the house of Nathan Norton. Twelve votes were cast, eight of which were Democratic and four Republican ; and the persons named, as follows, had the honor of being elected as the first officers: L. S. Allen, Joseph L. Norton, and Eli Norton, trus- tees; Eli Norton and L. S. Norton, justices; L. S. Allen, county supervisor; James Norton and D. O. Sweet, con- stables; Joseph L. Norton, assessor; Dyer Shealy, town- ship clerk; John Sites and James Norton, road supervis- ors. The present township officers are as follows : Nelson Rodgers and E. A. North, justices; A. Pike, J. A. Adams, and A. G. Beatty, trustees; A. K. Stanford, clerk; George H. Norton, assessor; and Henry Barnhalt and W. H. Potter, constables. SETTLEMENTS. Thomas Kendrick and family settled in this township, on Bear creek, in the fall of 1853. For the previous two years they had lived in Jefferson, near Able Cox's. At this time the Kendrick family consisted of himself and wife and two children. He made a rude shanty of poles and boards, scarcely sufficient to protect them from the cold weather. It had no floor but the cold ground, and no door except a buffalo skin or blanket. They had thirteen children, all of whom are dead. Pen of them died in 1868, within eight weeks of each other ; some of diphtheria and some of scarlet fever — both of those fear- ful diseases prevailing at the same time. Provisions were very scarce ; and for some time after coming into the township they lived on corn bread and potatoes — the coin of which the bread was made being ground by members of the family in a common coffee-mill. Mr. Kendrick's mind was so wrought upon by the death of his children that he became insane, and survived them only about a year. Mrs. Kendrick subsequently married Charles Kountz, of Independence, where she is still liv- ing. And it may be mentioned, as the culmination of a most remarkable series of domestic afflictions, that she has for several years been suffering from an incurable cancer. Price Kendrick, a brother of Thomas, settled here next, in 1854; and with him came his two sisters, Mrs. Holland and Mrs. Robinson, both widows ; but, becoming dissatisfied, they remained only about four years. About the same time with these, George Boone settled here, in the fall of 1854, on the farm now oc- cupied by his son. Colonel Boone. He was a native of Ohio. At the time of his settlement here there were but one or two settlers in the southwestern part, where he was, and none in the eastern. He lived but a short time after migrating to this township — dying in 1856. He raised the first wheat in the townshiii in 1855. His wife carried on the farm, thereafter, for some time. They had eleven children, named as follows : Colonel (that was the name of the eldest and not his title), William, Martin E., James M., George C, Lucinda L., Lavina, Mary A., Elizabeth, Laura and Sarah. Colonel Boone, now living on the old homestead, has nine children — all girls but one. D. O. Sweet settled here in 1855, coming from Essex 414 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. county, New York. He was present at the first election in the township, and was honored with the responsible, if not remunerative, office of constable. He has four children, two boys and two girls. One of his sons is a member of the well-known firm of Post & Sweet, dry goods merchants, at Independence. He lived in Homer about four years, then moved into Jefferson, where he still resides. He is now seventy-four years of age, yet hale and hearty. Joseph L. Norton, a native of Pennsylvania, settled here in 1855 ; and, not long after his arrival, married, as his second wife, Sarah Kessler, who had come to Qaas- queton, with her parents, among the first settlers of the county, in 1S42. Mr. Norton is now living in Kansas. Joseph McGary, a native of Ireland, came from Ver- mont, and purchased a farm in this townshi]!, in 1858. He erected a shanty on his land, where he and his brother-in-law. Murphy, who came with him, kept " bachelor's hall " for some time, until the arrival of his two sisters — one of whom was the wife of M arphy. He ■ still owns his fine farm of six hundred and ten acres; but he has retired from active business, and is now living (yet unmarried) with his sister, Mrs. Joel Allen, of In- dependence. Lyman S. Allen, one of the earliest settlers in the township, was born at Ticonderoga, Essex county, New York, October 28, 1806. He was married April 5, 1833, to Angelina Whitford. They lived in New York till 1854, when they came to Iowa, and settled in Homer township. He was one of its first magistrates; and, for several years, a member of the board of county supervisors. While living in New York he was captain of a military company. He was a descendant of -Ja-tfie's' Ethan Allen, of Vermont, partaking largely of the sterl- ing qualities of his distinguished ancestor. He died in this township, November 18, 1877, leaving a widow (still living there) and nine children. The follow^ing are the names and a brief domestic history of the children: Melissa A. married Jeremiah Bissel, and lives in Bran- don ; Marion B. married Bowen B. Brown, and also lives in Brandon; Joel O. married a sister of Joseph Mc- Gary ; he is now dead and his widow and children are living at Independence ; Stephen M. is married, and lives near the old homestead ; Emma married John Lizer and lives in Jefferson township ; Eunice married Dr. John Jenks, and now lives in the State of Arkansas; Evelyn married L. Cobb, who took her to the State of Texas ; Lizzie married Eugene Crum, and removed to Nebraska ; Kate is unmarried, and lives with her sister in Texas. The children of Mr. Allen have all filled the responsible position of teacher. Nathan Norton immigrated to the township in 1855, from McHenry county, Illinois. He was somewhat ad- vanced in life at the time of his coming, and he has been dead several years. His children were: Hester, married and settled in Kansas; Hosea, who settled in Liberty township, and died in 1S76, leaving four children; James, married and living in Kansas; Justus, still living with his family at Homer; Joseph, in Kansas; Selvina, married and living in Butler county; and Nathan, the youngest. who lives on the old homestead, and is a successful farmer and stock raiser. Nathan Norton was a pioneer Methodist and one of the founders of the township, the first election having been held at his house. John Bain settled in the township in July, 1858, on Bear Creek, having immigrated from Indiana. The next winter he taught school in the house of George Boone — the first school in the west part of the town- ship — the number of scholars being thirteen. Mr. Bain was a native of Scotland, and came to the United States in I S3 1. He stopped for a time in New York, and there Elizabeth Yule, the lady to whom he was affianced, came to him from Scotland in 1832. Upon her arrival from the " land o' cakes '' they were immediately mar- ried, and went to Indiana, where they lived till ihey came to Iowa. They had nine children: Daniel, who died quite young; Ellen, now the wife of Conrad Stites, and living in Independence; Robert, who gave his life to his country in our late war; John, now a physician in Brandon; Ebenezer, engaged in a spoke and hub manu- factory in Glenn Falls, New York; Harris, an attorney in the same place; Nettie, now Mrs. E. E. Hasner, liv- ing in Independence, and one of the teachers in the pub- lic schools of that city; Amelia, married to Robert Elli- ott, and living in Jefferson township; and Charles W., the youngest, a dentist in Seward, Nebraska, and yet unmarried. John Bain, sr., died on Christmas day, 1871. After his death his widow moved to Independ- dence, where she now lives, but she yet owns the old family homestead in Homer. In religious belief and connection Mr. and Mrs. Bain were Scotch Presbyteri- ans. Eli Norton migrated to Iowa in 1854. He first came to Liberty township, but moved to Homer in 1855, where he has ever since resided, and upon the farm he first purchased. He has had ten children, two boys and eight girls. One of his sons, W. W. Norton, lives in Sumner township, and the other, N. F. Norton, is now a member of the Iowa State university. His daughters are all married. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and one of its most earnest support- ers. ROWLEY. This is the only village in the township. It sprungup in the fall of 1873, when the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern railroad was built to this place. It was named for D. W. C. Rowley, who was secretary of the company when the road reached here. The business of the place is in the hands of a num- ber of wide-awake business men. J. I. Prentiss handles all kinds of grain and seeds, cattle and hogs — in fact, almost anything the farmer has to sell. He is running an elevator, and buys annually large quantities of corn from the farmers in the south part of the county. He has been in business here since the railroad was built, and has done on an average business to the amount of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars per year. His arrangements for handling hogs are the most con- venient and humane that we have ever seen — an immense house, one hundred and seventy-six feet long by twenty- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA 415 four wide, divided into thirty-six commodious pens, being provided for their comfort. He has a steam engine by which he shells his corn and grinds feed for his hogs. Mr. Prentiss is a thorough business man and a great benefit to the place. J. W. Cooper opened the first store here in 1873. The dry goods and grocery trade is now represented by C. E. Hawley & Co.; groceries alone, by J. B. Edgell; dealers in lumber, William J. Miller, and D. C. Tuttle ; hotel keeper ("Rowley House"), George H. Norton; blacksmith and wagon shop, by Slater & Wilson, who have in their shop an eight-horse-power engine, by which they are doing a large amount of work, especially in the manufacture of wagons; shoemaker, Mr. Oessmer; drug- gist and physician, Dr. O. G. McCauley. There is one saloon in the place, kept by "a jolly Ger- man," who, it is believed, dispenses nothing but the fa- vorite beverage of his countrymen. The Presbyterians and Methodists have each a house of worship here. The railroad station agent and telegraph operator is A. Allen; postmistress, Mrs. J. W. Cooper. A creamery was established here in September, 1879, by R. I. Jakway, upon the plan of procuring the cream from the farmers, instead of the milk, as is the usual custom. He buys the cream by the inch, sending teams around among the farmers to collect it. It has thus far proved a success, profitable alike to the proprietors and to the farmers. RELIGIOUS. The Methodists were the pioneer church of the township. A class was formed here in 185S by the Rev. John Fawcet, who was their first preacher. Among the early members were Eli Norton and wife, Nathan Nor- ton, sr., and wife, and John D. Price and wife. For a time they held services in private houses. They built a meeting-house in 1S6S or 1869, about half a mile from the present site of Rowley. This building was blown down in the summer in 1875. The railroad company then gave them a lot in Rowley, provided they would place their church upon it, which they did, and there it now stands. The church property is valued at two thou- sand dollars. They have a membership of sixty, and a good Sunday-school. Their present jxistor is R. V. Norton. The first Presbyterian church was organized here in 1873, after the building of the railroad. The Rev. George Carroll was the first preacher, who held services in the railroad depot building, w-here, with seven mem- bers, he organized the church. They built and slill own a house of worship here, but have now no regular ser- vices. A cemetery was established here in 1870, about half a mile northwest of Rowley. It is the property of private parties. MISCELL.\NEOUS NOTES. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids cS: Northern railroad passes through the township, at the northeast corner, having been built to this point in the fall of 1873. Before the railroad was built there was no post office in the township, the inhabitants getting their mail at several neighboring offices. In 1873 ^ POSt office was established at Rowley, and J. W. Cooper was appointed postmaster. After him, D. S. Marcy served for a time; then Mr. Cooper was again appointed, retaining the of- fice till his death, in 1879. Soon after this his wife re- ceived the appointment, and still remains in charge of the office. There is but a very small amount of timber in this township — probably not to exceed three hundred acres in the southwest part, along Bear creek, where the first set- tlements were made. This scarcity of timber (which, owing to the supply of fuel in not very remote localities, has seldom been felt as a very serious privation) is, of course, due to the small number of streams — the one just mentioned, which passes through almost the entire length of the township, in a southwesterly direction, be- ing the only one that has been thought worthy of a name. There is, however, another small stream in the northwestern part. The first wedding, of which we can find any account, was that of Don F. Bissel and Aurelius Bishop, in the fall of 1856. But about tlie same time Reuben Crum was married to Wealthy Allen. The first death was that of one of the earliest pioneers, George Boone, in 1858. SCHOOLS. The first school in the township was opened in 1856, by Mrs. Sarah C. Price, in her own house (situated in the eastern part), where twelve scholars assembled for daily instruction. Mrs. Price still lives in the same house in which she taught this first school. The next winter a school was kept by John Bain, sr., in the west part of the township (as already stated), at the house of George Boone. Some of the thirteen pupils that attended, living from two to three miles away. The first school-house was built near the present vil- lage of Rowley; the second on land donated to the dis- trict by Joseph McGary; and the next in the Boone district. Among the early teachers (besides those just men- tioned) were Mary McGary, Betsy L. Patterson, Oscar L. Luckey, who is now dead, and Lizzie Ta\lor, after- wards married to Dr. Griffin. There are now eight school houses in the township. A LVNX STORY. The mere killing of a lynx is not, even now, a very rare thing in any part of Buchanan county. But one was killed in this township, in the fall of 1867, under circum- stances which give the event a romantic, if not a historic interest. Lizzie Mitchell, the heroine of the story, had gone out one morning, like a true daughter of a pioneer, to cut up corn, accompanied only by a couple of house dogs. She had been at her work but a short time when she heard some terrible outcries, only a short distance aw-ay. Run- ning to the place, she found the dogs in a life and death struggle with a ferocious animal, such as she had never seen before, and whose size and fierceness far exceeded 4i6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. anything she had ever heard of, wild-cat or lynx. But she had no time for queries concerning the monster's identity, for she saw at a glance that her canine friends were getting the worst of the conflict. Rushing forward, therefore, to their assistance, she speedily put an end to the fight — actually splitting open the head of their foe, wiih one well-directed blow of her corn knife. The animal proved to be one of the largest specimens of the genus lynx ever seen in this p.nrt of the country, and, as a reward fur the bravery of the girl, who dis- patched him thus heroically, the board of county super- visors voted her a special bounty of ten dollars. She is still living in the township — the wife of Mr. Free. ORCHARDS. There are in the township a number of small orchards. William McDonald has the largest one, from which he annually gathers a large quantity of good apples. PERSONAL MENTION. Mr. J. I. Prentiss was born in Madison county. New York, November 6, 1839. At the age of sixteen, in company with his parents, he came west, and settled in Dresden, Illinois, where, after a stay of one year, his pa- rents moved to Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, remained but about one year, when they moved to Marbhall, Michigan, where his mother died in i860, at the age of fifty years. In 1863 his father moved to Branch county, Michigan, where he still resides, at the age of seventy-six, enjoying very good health. The subject of this sketch left his home for a soldier's hardships in August, 1862 — First Michigan engineers and mechanics — remaining with his regiment a period of three years and one month. The hardships of a soldier's life have ofttimes been printed, and as Mr. Prentiss' experience w-as no exception to the rule, we leave this part of his life with only an honorable mention due a faithful soldier boy and patriotic lover of one of the best governments on the face of the globe. In October, 1865, he was mustered out of the service, and spent the winter in Nashville, Tennessee. In the spring of 1866 he returned to Hastings, Michigan; built a sash, blind and door factory, and engaged in that business, the firm being Dickey & Prentiss. In June, 1868, he married Miss Ellen Havvley, daughter of Mr. D. C. Hawley, of Hastings, Michigan. In the summer of 1866 Mr. Pren- tiss sold his interest in the factory at Hastings, and moved to Decatur, Michigan, and built another factory of the same nature as that at Hastings, the firm at the latter place being Prentiss & Rawson. Here he remained until 1869, when he sold his interest to his partner, Mr. L. T. Rawson, and moved to Cedar Rapids, Linn county, Iowa, where, in company with two others, he again embarked in the sash, door and blind factory. This was a joint stock company, and was called the Cedar Rapids Planing Mill company. Here Mr. Prentiss remained until the Mil- waukee division of the B., C. R. & N. railroad was built, when he engaged in the lumber and grain trade in Bu- chanan county, where we now find him, doing business on a very extensive scale at Rowley, a small village on the above-mentioned road, some ten miles south of Inde- pendence. Mr. Prentiss is one of the live business men of the county, perhaps does the largest business in his line in the county. He is a genial, straightforward man, and is held in high esteem by all who associate with him, either in a business or social way. At this writing he has in cribs, near the railroad station at Rowley, over seventy- five thousand bushels of corn. His family, which con- sists of wife and three children, live in Independence, where he spends his Sundays. Mr. and Mrs. Prentiss are members of the Presbyterian church at Rowley. Mr. Prentiss is and always has been a staunch Republican, having cast his first vote on his twenty-first birthday for one of America's best Presidents — Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Eli Norton was born in Stanford, Delaware county. New York, September 7, 181 2. At the age of three he moved with his parents to Courtland county, New York, where he remained till he was sixteen years old, and then went to Tompkins county, working here in a saw-mill for two years. At the close of this time his father, Amos Norton, moved with his family to Erie county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Norton, the subject of this sketch, remained here upon his father's farm till he was of age, and then went to Chautauqua county, New York, and commenced to work for himself on a farm taken on shares. He resided here two or three years, when he returned to his old home in Pennsylvania, where he re- mained till 1855, being engaged in farming in the mean- time. He then came west, first stopping in Liberty township, though staying but a few months, before going to Homer township, where he had previously purchased two hundred and twenty acres of land. He built the house he now lives in the next fall, to which he has since made several additions, making now^ a very pleasant home, it being finely situated and well surrounded with shade trees, besides having a nice orchard, supplying him with plenty of fruit of all kinds. Mr. Norton is a man who does not live for self entirely, as is seen by the interest taken in the coming generation, in setting out trees now in his old age. Mr. Norton was married, in 1835, to Miss Louisa Baird, of Chautauqua county. New York. Mrs. Norton lived about six years. Mr. Norton married his second wife. Miss Mary E. Shepard, October 5, 1843, of Erie county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Norton has had a family of twelve children, two by his first wife and ten by his second. Their names are as follows: Washington W., born December 15, 1836; Louisa P., November 8, 1842; Harriet E., January 12, 1846; Minerva E., September 17, 1847; Caroline C, September 11, 1849, died when about two years of age; .Mice E., September 13, 1851; Hiram F., July 24, 1853; Eliza A., January 24, 1856; Emma A., May 14, 1859; Amos D., October 3, 1861, died when three years old; Clara E., December 20, 1863. Mr. Norton lost an in- fant son between Louisa and Harriet who was not named. Mr. and Mrs. Norton are members of the Methodist church, and are cheerful and consistent Chris- tians. The Methodist Episcopal church at Rowley owes its existence largely to the efTorts and generosity of Mr. Norton, who contributed much for repairing it after it had been wrecked by the wind, besides giving liberally when it was first built. Mr. Norton has been justice of the HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 417 peace in Homer township for seven years, and in the meantime has won the esteem and confidence of his fellow-townsmen, as is shown by his repeated reelection. A. C. Blakeley, one of the oldest and most respected residents of Homer township, was born in Green county, New York, September 18, 1814. Mr. Blakeley re- mained at home till he was of age, working upon his father's farm, but on arriving at his majority, he began life for himself in the town of Grove, Allegany county. New York, engaging in farming at this place till 1844. He then went to Boone county, Illinois, where he resi- ded till 1850, when he moved to Cook county, Illinois, and after a stay of four years here, removed to Indepen- dence, Buchanan county, Iowa, and entered eighty acres of Government land in Washington township. Mrs. Blake- ley being taken ill and unable to endure the hardships and labors of early pioneer life, Mr. Blakeley decided to move back to Independence, and resided here four years, where he was engaged in different occupations. At the close of this time he exchanged his property in Indepen- dence for a farm in Sumner township, containing eighty acres, besides some out land, making in all one hundred and twenty acres, this affording one of the most pleasant homes in the township. Mr. Blakeley resided here till 1878, when, becoming involved in debt he sold the beautiful home he had made. Though hard as it was to part with his old homestead, he now has the satisfaction of knowing, that every man whom he owed, has received all that was due him. Mr. Blakeley at the present time lives upon his son's farm in Homer township, but a few rods from his former home. He is now pleasantly situa- ted and is evidently enjoying life. His house is well surrounded with a splendid grove of maple and cotton- wood, which adds much to the beauty of the place, and he has also one of the best orchards in the township, if not the best. The farm he now resides upon contains eighty-eight acres, good soil and well watered. Mr. Blakeley was married January 5, 1837, to Miss Betsy Luckey, of Schoharie county, New York. Miss Luckey was born August 30, i8t8. Mr. and Mrs. Blakeley have had six children, three of whom are living : James H. Blakeley, born May 8, 1839, and resides in Indepen- dence; Nancy S. Blakeley, born August 10, 1841, mar- ried and lives in Nebraska ; Orrissa L. Blakeley, born May 6, 1851, married and is the nearest neighbor of her parents. The deceased are.' Samuel L. Blakeley, born January 22, 1845, ^"'i lived only seventeen days; Ar- minta M. Blakeley, born October 13, 1853, died Octo- ber 10, 1 861; Edgar C. Blakeley, born February 13, 1848, died June 3, 1874. James H. has held several offices; has been deputy sheriff four years, also township assessor and treasurer of school district. Mr. and Mrs. Blakeley are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and are sincere and devoted Christians. Mr. Blakeley is a sound Republican and is considered a highly respected citizen. Has held several township of- fices, was first, township clerk, and was afterward chosen a member of the board of supervisors, was also justice of the peace two terms. Richard Fleming was born in New York, December 3, 1806. When about one year old he moved with his parents to Hamilton, Canada. His father, James Flem- ing, died soon after. After his death Richard moved with his mother to Forty mile creek, Canada, where he remained two years and then went to Stony creek — his mother having married in the meantime. Mr. Fleming remained here until the War of 181 2 broke out, when he went to Fort George, stopping in that place about two years. Mr. Fleming's mother was taken prisoner while at Fort George, and was carried over to the American side, her husband having been shot before the fort was taken. Many of his relatives with much of their prop- erty were also captured. Richard, the subject of this sketch, was with his grandfather at this time, where he remained till he was about eleven years old, when he joined his mother at Batavia, Genesee county, New York, where his mother was again married. Here he re- sided till 1826, having previously learned the blacksmith trade, which he followed for twenty-five years, working in Scipio and Summer Hill during this period. Having be- come tired of his occupation he concluded to sell out, which he did, and purchased a farm in the same town, where he remained till 1867. He then came west, first settling temporarily at Marion, Iowa. Stopping here a few months he then located in Homer township, Bu- chanan county, where we now find him. Mr. Fleming bought six hundred and thirty acres, including about thirty acres of timber. He has a beautiful home, well surrounded with shade trees and shrubbery which adds much to the beauty of the place. He has also a splen- did orchard of three hundred and fifty trees. His house is beautifully situated, and affords a pleasant and quiet home, possessing the attraction of music, books, and pictures, also other evidences of refinement. Mr. Fleming was married November 28, 1828, to Miss Ke- ziah Barnes, a daughter of Joseph Barnes, of Cayuga county, New York. They have had eight children, five of whom are living. Their names are as follows: Mary A. Fleming, James M. Fleming, Sarah A. Fleming, Addie J. Fleming, Mary S. Fleming. The names of the de- ceased are, Richard S. Fleming, Phidelia F. Fleming, Livingston H. C. Fleming. Mr. Fleming was married the second time to Miss Elethe Crozier, of Scipio, Cay- uga county. New York. Mr. Fleming is a staunch Dem- ocrat and has held several township offices. Has been justice of the peace two years, also township clerk a term or two. He is an intelligent and enterprising man, and is highly esteemed. Myron D. Blood, the subject of this sketch, and one of the substantial farmers of Homer township, was born June 13, 1839, at East Hampton, Massachusetts. While an infant his parents moved to Connecticut, where Mr. Blood remained till he was seventeen years of age, at- tending school up to that time. He then came west, in company with his father, Nathan Blood, and located in Rbck Island county, Illinois, where he was engaged in farming about four years, and then went to Linn county, Iowa, renting a farm here for five years, in part- nership with his father. He then moved to Eads' Grove, Delaware county, remaining till the war broke 4ii HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. out, when he enlisted in the Twenty-first Iowa infantry as a private. Mr. Blood took part in some of the severest engagements of the Rebellion. He was in the battles of Houston, Fort Gibson, Champion Hills, Black River Bridge, through the siege of Vicksburgh; alsoonthe Red River expedition, and was present at the capture of Mobile. Mr. Blood maintained an honorable and faith- ful position as a soldier, being promoted first sergeant for his brave and meritorious conduct. His record as a soldier in defence of our Government is certainly one in which his family may well take pride. After the close of the Rebellion Mr. Blood returned to Delaware county and engaged in farming, remaining there two years, when he came to Homer township, Buchanan county. He rented land for three years, and then went to Sumner township, stopping there seven years. He then returned to Homer township, where he now resides. His farm contains eighty acres of good land. He has a very pleas- ant home, being regarded by neighbors and citizens of the township as an intelligent and enterprising farmer. Mr. Blood married Miss Ellen A. Potman, of Cook county, Illinois, July 17, 1847. They have three chil- dren: Lina B. Blood, born September 3, 1872; Hattie Blood, born April 4, 1875; Ray O. Blood, born Septem- ber 15, 1879. Mr. Blood is a strong Republican. Among the early pioneers of Homer township, who de- serves special mention in the history of Buchanan county, is George Davis. Mr. Davis was born in Susse.x county, England, January 7, 1833, and emigrated to America in 1 84 1. He landed in New York, and at once went to Saratoga county, where he lived upon a farm with his father, James Davis. George remained here until 1857, when he went west, first locating in Stevenson county, Illinois, where he rented a farm for two years, and then returned to New York from whence he had come. He continued farming for three years, and finally decided to try his fortune again in Stevenson county. After remain- ing here three years he came to fJuchanan county, Iowa, locating in Homer township. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of wild prairie, and erected a fine house, surrounding it with shade trees and shrubbery, also a splendid orchard, thus making a beautiful home. Mr. Davis made all of the improvements, showing much per- severance and energy, and enjoyed the results of his labors about nine years, when he sold out on account of poor health and went to what is now called Rowley, where he built a hotel which he has kept for seven years, but re- cently sold out. Mr. Davis, during these years of land- lord life, succeeded in winning the esteem, confidence, and good w-ishes of the travelling public. It is with pleas- ure that his townsmen hear of his intention of remaining with them. Mr. Davis married Miss Mary E. Tarry, of Saratoga county. New York. They have had four chil- dren, three of whom are living — Hattie M., born in No- vember, i860; George E., born May 5, 1866; Rose A., born October 7, 1868. George Henry died when four- teen months old. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of the Methodist church, and are highly esteemed. He is a firm Republican, which, it will be seen, is a prevalent political faith in Buchanan county. William G. Shillinglaw was born in Toronto, Canada' March 28, 1836, and lived there until he became of age, being engaged in farming. He made his home with his uncle, having lost his parents when about eight years old. Until 1867 he was engaged in farming and various other occupations. He was employed upon the lakes as a sailor ten summers, during which time he experienced many hardships, at one time being obliged to go without food four days, the vessel having become unmanageable; however, a landing was effected on the fourth day, when all the men had given up except the mate and Mr. Shil- linglaw, who, with courage and perseverance, strove to keep up the sinking spirits of their companions. The latter, no doubt, owed their preservation to the indomita- ble pluck and presence of mind of these two. Such he- roic action is rarely seen, and it is with genuine pleasure that we record this valliant deed of Mr. Shillinglaw. In 1867 Mr. Shillinglaw came to this county, and rented a farm in Homer townshij) for three years, during which time he purchased the place on which he now lives. He first bought eighty acres, which he has increased to two hundred. His farm was at first only wild prairie, but by hard and earnest w'ork, for which Mr. Shillinglaw has been noted smce his residence here, he finds himself in pos- session of one of the best farms in the county. He has a beautiful home surrounded by elegant shade trees. There is also a fine orchard on the place, supplying good fruit of every variety. He may well take pride in his pleasant abode, it being entirely the reward of his own labors, assisted in no small degree by the efforts of his w'ife. Mr. Shillinglaw was married in August, 1S55, to Miss Hannah Lindsay, of Gananoque, Ontario. They have three children — Collin M., born May 11, 1857; David W., born January 16, 1S59; Marion E., March 23, 1866. Mr. and iMrs. Shillmglaw are members of the Presbyterian church. He is a staunch Republican, and is highly regarded by his fellow-townsmen. Henry Sampson was born in Canada March 23, 1847. He remained there till he was of age, and then went to Detroit, Michigan, where he was employed in a mall house for eighteen months. Mr. Sampson them came west, locating at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He worked on a farm situated near the city, for seven years, when he moved to Homer township, Buchanan county, in the employ of E. W. Purdy of Independence. Mr. Sampson was married in June, 1866, to Miss Ann VVelbon of Detroit. They have had six children, five of whom are living — Edwin S., born September 4, 1877; Robert H., November 6, 1869; Walter S., February 3, 1871; Jessie, November 4, 1874; Alice N., May 23, 1878; Nellie November 26, 1880. Alice died when eighteen months old. Mr. and Mrs. Sampson are members of the Pres- byterian church. Politically he is a strong Republican, and is a worthy citizen. William Lots was born in Germany June 4, 1829, and emigrated to this country in 1847. He landed at New Orleans and immediately went to St. Louis, where he worked at shoemaking about two and a half years, and then enlisted in the Mexican war which was waging at this lime, though it did not continue but six months after HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 4t9 his enlistment. Starting Ironi St. ]>ouis, he went to Fort, Leavenworth, thence to Sante Fe, New Mexico. At the close of the war Mr. Lots returned to St. Louis, but after a few months went to New Orleans. He soon returned north, settling in Ohio. Wheeling, West ^'irginia, was the next place of his destination, though he stopped here but a few weeks. Being afflicted with the western fever, he went to Wisconsin, where he lived sixteen years, still following his easy occupation. It was here that Mr. Lots was drafted in 1863, being at once assigned to the First Wisconsin cavalry and afterwards transferred to the Veteran Reserve corps, which was stationed at Washing- ton. In this connection it is of the greatest interest to record that Mr. Lots was one of the men sent out in pursuit of the murderer. Booth. He also is one among the few men of Buchanan county who has had the honor of shaking hands with America's best President, Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lots was mustered out of the service June 19, 1865. He then returned to his family in Wisconsin, remaining there a short time, and came to Homer town- ship, Buchanan county, Iowa. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of wild prairie, which has been converted into a pleasant home. Mr. Lots was married Novem- ber 29, 1849, to Miss Sophia Stroble of Germany. They have had thirteen children, eleven of whom are living: William G., born Mays, 1851; Emmaline, January 6, 1853; Joseph, December ID, 1854; Clara, July 6, 1856; Frank, May 8, 1858; Louisa, March 11, i860; Albert, November 30, 1861; Lydia S., February 7, 1863: Edward, August 29, 1866; Oscar H., January 19, 1868; Earnest, February 4, 1872; Charlie, April 28, 1873; Emery, March 10, 1877. Joseph died in infancy. Frank died in the fall of 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Lots are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church. Politically he is a sound Democrat, and is at the present time school dir- ector, being regarded as an intelligent and respected citizen. Among the many substantial farmers of Buchanan county, A. H. Groves deserves special mention. He was born December 15, 1844, in Jackson county, Iowa, where he remained till the beginning of the war, when he en- listed as a private in company I, Iowa infantry, being only seventeen years of age at this time. He was a par- ticipant in many of the severest engagements of the war in the Gulf States; took part in the siege of Vicksburgh, was also in the battles of Arkansas Post and Coldwater ; was under General Grant a little over a year. Mr. Groves was honorably discharged May 22, 1864. His military record is one in which he may well take pride. At the close of the war he returned to Jackson county, Iowa, where he was engaged in farming till 1867, when he re- moved to Jones county, residing there till he came to Buchanan county, locating in Homer township. Mr. Groves purchased eighty acres of land, to which he has made additions, now having three hundred and sixty acres. It is considered one of the best farms in the vi- cinity, being well adapted for stock raising, in which busi- ness Mr. Groves is especially engaged in. Mr. Groves was married March 4, 1866, to Miss Olive E. Buell, of Canada. They have had eight children, seven of whom are living — Harvey G., born May i, 1867; Getha M., born October 6, 1868; William A., born April 28, 1870; Nellie A., born October 30, 1872; Byron E., born April I, 1874; Guy, born March 4, 1876; John A., born May I, 1879; Getha died in infancy. They have an infant girl not named as yet. Mr. Groves is a sound Republi- can, and is regarded by his fellow townsmen as an ener- getic and enterprising farmer. He has been repeatedly reelected to township offices. Frederick Reiterman was born June 3, 1846, in Craw- ford county, Pennsylvania. He came west when about six or seven years of age in company with his father, who located in Jefferson county. Frederick assisted his father on the farm till he was eighteen years old, when he en- listed in the Fourth Iowa infantry. He tilled the posi- tion of a substitute; was with Sherman on his noted "march to the sea." Mr. Reiterman was detailed as a fifer for about three months, took part in the engage- ments at Atlanta, Marion, Savannah, Beaufort, Columbus, Bentonsville, and Raleigh. It was at this latter place that the news of Lee's surrender reached his regiment. He then went to P'redericksburgh, then to Richmond and Washington, where he 'took the cars, for Parkers- burgh on the Ohio river. He was mustered out in Louis- ville in July, tS65. Mr. Reiterman returned to his home in Jefferson county, and remained there till he was twenty-six years of age, though he had previously bought a farm in Benton county, Polk township. His land was wholly unimproved, but Mr. Reiterman soon made marked changes ; he built a good residence and planted trees. He remained here but three years when he sold out and came to Homer township, Buchanan county, w^here he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved wild prairie. He built the house in which he now lives in the following spring, and now has a very pleasant home, a nice young orchard, and is evidently in the way of enjoying life. Mr. Reiterman married Miss Ellen A. Romig January i, 1872. They have five children — Minnie K., born November 27, 1873; Nellie, born August 29, 1874; Charles, born Au- gust I, 1875; Julia, born August 12, 1877; Frederick M., born January 16, 1880. Mr. Reiterman is an active Republican, and is highly esteemed by all who know him. He has been township assessor one term, also road surveyor several years. Benjamin F. Buckley, one of the solid men of Buchan- an county, was born April 30, 1838, in Barnstable, Massachusetts. During his infancy his father, William Buckley, removed to Summer Hill, New York. Mr. Buckley's father followed the sea for twenty-five years or more ; beginning as a cabin boy, he worked himself up till he became master of a vessel. This position he filled several years, and in the meantime sailed around Cape Horn many times, being engaged in the whale fishery in the North Pacific. Many a narrow escape he experienced during his life as a sailor. Once when in pursuit of a whale the boat which Mr. Buckley was in was thrown into the air, and as fate would have it, Mr. Buckley in descending passed through the mouth of the whale. At another time, when the boat had been upset 420 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. and broken, and the nitn thrown out tlie wattr, the whale on rising to the surface came up under Mr. Buck- ley so that he was able to ride on the whale's back some distance, though he finally escaped by swimming. Mr. Benjamin Buckley remained at home till he was about eighteen years old. He worked out and attended school and taught school till he was twenty-three. He enlisted in August, 1861, as a private in the Forty-fourth New York (Ellsworth's) regiment. This regiment was com- posed of a single representative from every town and ward in the State. Mr. Buckley was chosen to represent Summer Hill, and was the first one to enlist from his town. After remaining in this regiment several months around Washington, he was taken sick and sent to the hospital, and in a few weeks was transferred to Philadel- phia. He remained about six weeks in the hospital at Philadelphia, being detailed as nurse, but was soon afflicted with typhoid fever. After his recovery he was discharged, to his surprise, as it was entirely unex- pected. After a rest of thirty days he enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-eighth New York infantry, sub- sequently turned into the Ninth heavy artillery, of which Joseph Welling was colonel, and William H. Seward, jr., lieutenant colonel. Mr. Buckley remained in this regi- ment fifteen months, and then for gallanfand meritorious conduct received a commission of lieutenant in the Third United States colored regiment. This regiment was at Germantown, Pennsylvania, when he was ordered to re- port at that place. It then went to Morris Island and assisted in the retaking of Fort Sumpter. Mr. Buckley was discharged about a year after his connection with this regiment, on account of asthma. Finally after some other changes he came west and settled in Homer town- ship. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of wild prairie, treeless as a barren plain, and built the house he now occupies in 1S70. It is a very pleasant residence, being pleasantly situated and now surrounded with trees and shrubbery. Mr. Buckley married Miss Addie J. Fleming, of Summer Hill, New York, September 6, 1S65. They have had four children — Susie E., born November 20, 1S67; William R., born June 11, 1873; Edwin P., born January 23, 1876; Richard I., born July 12, 1880. William died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Buckley and a daughter are members of the Methodist church. Mr. Buckley has held several township offices ; has been assessor, clerk, and trustee. He is a Republican and is held in high esteem by his fellow townsmen. Thomas Cottrell was born in Monmouth county. New Jersey, December 16, 1832. He remained at home till he was sixteen years old, and then went to Chicago, where he resided seventeen years, being engaged as a teamster all the time, with the exception of four years of army life. Mr. Cottrell enlisted July 18, 1861, in the Twelfth Illinois regiment, company K, and took part in some of the severest engagements of the war. He was at Pittsburgh Landing, Fort Donelson, Corinth, Kenne- saw Mountain, Atlanta and Savannah. He maintained a gallant and heroic record as a soldier, was mustered out July 18, 1865, and returned to Chicago, where he re- mained till the following February, and then came to Iowa, locating in Buchanan county, where he purchased eighty acres of wild prairie. After being in the county ten years Mr. Cottrell located in Homer township, where he now is the fortunate possessor of one hundred acres of excellent prairie. Mr. Cottrell was married August 31, 1865, to Miss Zelinda Eaton, of Cook coun- ty, Illinois. The names of their children are: Lillie A., born June 29, 1869; Lewis F., born May 27, 1870; Lu- ella, born November 4, 1872; Samuel F., born Novem- ber 27, 1876; Auena M., born October 7, 1878. Mr. Cottrell is a sound Republican, and is regarded as a very worthy man. Mr. Cottrell was married the second time to Miss Chloe M. Eaton, of Independence, Iowa, August 31, 1867. Among the early pioneers of Buchanan county is the subject of this sketch, John D. Price. Mr. Price was born March 18, 1818, in Herefordshire, England, and emigrated to this country in 1848. Previous to his emi- gration he was engaged in farming and mining. Imme- diately after landing in New York he went to Buffalo, and from there to Canada, where he was employed as a teamster for three months, and then went to Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, working in a coal mine, and thence to Zanesville, Ohio, where he still continued to work in coal mines. Six years later he started west, going to Maluska county, Iowa, where he made bricks and mined one year. Mr. Price then moved to Buchanan county, and lived at Quasqueton two years, though he had pur- chased the farm he now occupies even before leaving Ohio. He then moved to Homer township, where he built a house, and, in fact, made all the improvements about it. He has a very pleasant home, encompassed with a grove of maple and cottonwood and a fine orch- ard. Mr. Price's early life on the wild prairie is like that of many of the old settlers. At the time of his coming here there were only two houses between his home and Inde- pendence, and one of these was out of the direct way. There were no roads to speak of; country wild and plen- ty of game. It is very interesting to hear him relate his early experiences. Once his house was blown over by the winds; he also came very near losing his house by prairie fires. He tells the writer that he once lost his team in the Des Moines river while attempting to cross on a ferry-boat, the rope having broken. Mr. Price es- caped by swimming, losing not only his team, but the flour and hardware with which the wagon was loaded. Mr. Price taught the first school in this district in his own house. Mr. Price enlisted in September, 1861, in the Fourth Iowa cavalry, and rendezvoused at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, about three months, and then went to St. Louis, remaining there about two weeks, thence to Springfield, Missouri. His first active service was at Pea Ridge; was through the siege of Vicksburgh; also at Cot- ton Plant, Austin, Mississippi, Fort Henry, and other places where some of the severest engagements were fought. Mr. Price was taken sick while in Arkansas, and was sent to the Sisters' charity hospital at St. Louis, where he remained two months, and was transferred to the Mississippi Marine brigade. He was connected with ' this brigade a little over a year, when he was again HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 421 granted a leave of absence on account of sickness. He came home, remaining two months; then went to Daven- port, where he was afflicted with lung disease, and was finally discharged. Mr. Price had three horses shot from under him and the fourth one wounded in less than an hour and a half. He married Miss Sarah Fos- ter, of Zanesville, Ohio, July 15, 1S49. 'I'hcy have had one child, who died when two and a half years old. They have adopted three children, one of whom is liv- ing with them at the present time. Mr. and Mrs. Price are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Price is a Republican, and has held several township of- fices; has been trustee, justice of the peace and road supervisor, and is regarded as one of the substantial men of the township. Thomas Davis, the subject of this sketch, was born in Sussex county, England, December 29, 1822, and immi- grated to America in 1841, in company with his parents. He landed at Quebec and immediately went to Albany, New York. His voyage lasted nine weeks and three days. It was very perilous and many a narrow escape was experienced. Their food consisted of oat meal for three days, as the storm prevented them from having fires. He went to Schenectady, New York, and then to Charl- ton township, Saratoga county, residing there seventeen years, being engaged in farming and masonry in the meantime. Coming west, he arrived in Illinois in the time of the money panic of 1S57. After frequent changes he came to Independence, Buchanan county, Iowa, lodg- ing his first night with James Donnan. Mr. Davis rent- ed a farm in Liberty township one year, and then moved to Homer townshi]), buying eighty acres of wild prairie. He at once built a house and made other improvements. His home is well situated, being surrounded with a beau- tiful grove of shade trees. Mr. Davis married Miss Abigail J. Hayes, of Charlton, January 9, 1850. They have had seven children, only two of whom are living: Henry S., born April 14, 1851 ; Emma J., born October 5, 1853; Thomas H., born December 8, 1855; Mary H., born October 12, 1857 ; George F., born August 8, i860; Milford P., born October 19, 1862; Susan N,, born March 4, 1866. They have adopted a little one by the name of Burtin E. Davis, born April 22, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of the Methodist church. Mr. Davis is a strong Republican, has been in the town board several times. He is an intelligent and highly respected man. Robert Clayton was born March i, 1835, in Preston, Lancastershire, England, and emigrated to America in 1849, landing in Philadelphia, August 17th, after a very pleasant voyage. Mr. Clayton remained in Philadelphia about three months, and then went to New Jersey, stop- ping there four months, working in a cotton factory in the meantime. He then came west and located in Grant county, Wisconsin, where he lived one year and then moved to Lafayette county, remaining there six years and worked out all of the time. He then bought a farm of eighty acres in partnership with his brother. This farm he tilled eight years, and afterwards rented a farm five years. He next moved to Homer township, Bu- chanan county, Iowa. He purchased four hundred acres of excellent land, two hundred and forty acres being im- proved and the remainder wild prairie. He built his present residence about five years ago, and has a very l^leasant home. Mr. Clayton has a fine farm and is evi- dently doing well. He was married September 7, 1862, to Miss Ann Winn. They have had thirteen children, ten of whom are living; Joseph J., born June 3, 1863, died January 8, 1865; Joseph Clayton, born November 29, 1864; James, born March 16, 1866; Mary J., born February 8, 1868, died September 8, 1869; Mary J., born August 15, 1869; William T., born February 21, 1871; Charles C, born August 19, 1872; Robert H., born February 14, 1874; John R., born October 18, 1875; George R., born Deceinber 17, 1S76, died Feb- ruary 9, 1877; Calvin, born March 17, 1878; Nettie L., born August 21, 1879. They also have an infant girl, not yet named, she was born February 13, 1881. Mr. Clayton is a thorough going Democrat, and is held in high esteem by his fellow townsmen. Andrew Clayton was born in Lancastershire, England, in 1829, and emigrated to this country in 1853. Mr. Clayton went into a factory to work when eight years of age and remained there till the time of his emigration, with the exception of the little schooling he received — being able to attend school but a half day at a time for four or five years, though he considered himself fortunate in getting this small amount. His voyage to America was a pleasant one, and nothing transpired of special in- terest. He landed in Philadelphia, where he remained two weeks with his sister, and then went to Galena, Illi- nois, going by the way of Pittsburgh down the Ohio river to Cairo, and up the Mississippi to Galena, thence to Elk Grove, Wisconsin. Here he worked with his brother about eighteen months on a farm; then hired out for a year or two, but soon after purchased a farm. He came to Iowa in 1869, having sold his farm in Wis- consin, and settled in Homer township, where he now lives, occupying the old Mitchell mansion. Mr. Clayton was married in 1879 ^o Miss Mary Ellwood, of Preston, England. In politics Mr. Clayton is a Conservative and is highly esteemed and respected by all who know him. A. K. Stanford was born in Monmouth county. New Jersey, April 26, 1841. When fourteen years of age he went to Zanesville, Ohio, where he remained two years and then came west in company with his uncle, locating at Quasqueton. They remained upon a rented farm one year, then removed to Homer township, where his uncle had previously bought one hundred and fifty acres of wild prairie. Here they built a house, and planted trees and made many other improvements. Mr. Stanford re- sided upon this farm two years. January 4, 1864, he enlisted in the Twenty-seventh Iowa infantry. He was a participant in the Red river expedition, and also in the battles of Pleasant Hill, Old Oaks, Tupelo, Oldtown Creek, Nashville, and assisted in taking Spanish fort and Fort Blakley. Mr. Stanford was mustered out at Mem- phis in December, 1865. He maintained throughout his military career a faithful and gallant record as a soldier. After the close of the war he returned to Iowa 422 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. and went to farming in Homer township. Two years later he bought the farm where he now lives, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, though he has sold eighty acres. Mr. Stanford was married to Miss Isabel Haskell November 4, 1861. Mrs. Stanford died in 187 1. Mr. Stanford was married the second time to Miss Cath- arine Cox. He has a family of eleven children, six by the first and five by the second marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Stanford are members of the Methodist church. He is a Republican. He has been township assessor four years, and is now serving his sixth year as township clerk, he has also been trustee and school director. He is one of the oldest residents of the county, and is regarded as an intelligent and enterprising farmer. James R. Patten was born at Summer Hill, New York, March 18, 1839. He remained at home until he was fifteen years of age, when he moved west with his father, James Patten. After stopping a few months in Illinois he went to Wisconsin, where he lived three years, being engaged in farming. He then returned to Illinois, where he remained two or three years. There he enlisted in the Ninth Iowa cavalry, company I. He was stationed at Chicago the first winter, then went south. He took part in several engagements, among them Guntown, Mississippi; Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Patten maintained a faithful record as a soldier and served his country with zeal and fidelity. He once came near being killed, being kicked in the head by a mule. In December, 1864, he was mustered out and returned to Illinois. In 1868 he came to Buchanan county, and settled in Homer township. After several changes he finally bought the one hundred and twenty acre farm on which he now resides. Mr. Patten has an excellent farm, is well-contented and prosperous. He is quite exten- sively engaged in dairying, keeps thirty cows and consid- erable stock of other kinds. He has a good home, well situated, with a fine young orchard. Mr. Patten was married March 18, 1863, to Miss .-^ddie Beckith. They have seven children: Ida L., born January, 16, 1864; Mary M., born July 22, i866; Stella J., born August 12, 1868; Martha M., born April 25, 1870; Minnie M., born April 17, 1873; Willmina, born November 11, 1878; Millie E., born August i, 1880. Mr. Patten is a strong Repub- lican from principle. He is an intelligent and enterpris- ing man, and is highly spoken of by his neighbors. Lucius E. Robison was born in New York, Septem- ber I, 1844. He remained here until he was six years of age, when his parents moved to Courtland county, New York, where Lucius resided until 1866, though he was in the army about two years. He enlisted on the thirteenth of January, 1864, in the Sixteenth New York heavy artillery, and was stationed at first at Yorktown, and then transferred, March ist, to the First New York mounted rifles. He was a participant in the engagement at Bermuda Hundred, under Buder; was also at Peters- burgh, and through the siege of Richmond. He was discharged December 9, 1865, at Albany, New York. At the close of the war he went to Michigan, where he resided four years, being engaged in farming. In the spring of 1870 he went to Greeley, Colorado. He stopped here till June 29th, when he returned, locating in Buchanan county. He rented a farm in Homer town- ship, but bought the farm he now resides upon the same year. His farm contains one hundred and twenty acres of excellent land; it was partially improved. Mr. Robi- son was married, April 17, 1S70, to Miss Fannie Mosher, of Summer Hill, New York. They have two children: Eva L., born September 17, 1871; William A., born Jan- uary 22, 1874. Mr. and Mrs. Robison are members of the Methodist church. He is a sound Republican and is regarded a worthy citizen. Charles Combs was born May 9, 1817, in Jefferson county, New York. When he was fourteen years old he removed with his father, Nicholas Combs, to Chautauqua county, and was engaged in farming till 1866, when he came west, first settling in Michigan county, where he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. He resided here ten years and emigrated to Buchanan coun- ty, Iowa, locating in Homer township, on a farm of two hundred and forty acres. It is one of the best in the township, soil fertile and well watered, and cost Mr. Combs three tliousand sjx hundred dollars. He has a l)leasant house, well situated, also a fine young orchard of one hundred and fifty trees, which he does not leave for the cattle to trim, so he says. As a proof of the fertility of the soil, Mr. Combs has raised thirty bushels of oats to the acre, on an average of twenty-five acres of land. He is engaged in mixed farming, keeps quite a large stock of cattle and horses — some of the best in the county. Mr. Combs was married, October 7, 1852, to Miss Susan M. Groves, of Chautauqua county, New York. They have had nine children, seven of whom are living: Fremont, born September 2, 1853; Blanche I., born September 23, 1855; Corwin, born January 26, 1857; Alma, born April 26, 1859; Jefferson D., born July 31, 1861; Bertha, born June 13, 1S63; Antionette, born August 23, 1865; Nasby, born August 5, 1S69; and Reo, born December 28, 1873. Mr. Combs is a Demo- crat, and is regarded as one of the substantial men of the townshi|). Thomas Delaney. — Among the early settlers of Bu- chanan county, Mr. Delaney deserves special mention. He was born December 19, 1833, in the county of Tip- perary, Ireland, and emigrated to America in 1S51. Im- mediately after landing in New York he went to Cayuga county, where he was engaged in farming about three years. He then moved to Sutherland Falls, Rutland county, Vermont, residing there eighteen months, and then removed to Cayuga county, where he remained till the fall of 1858. He next emigrated to Buchanan county, Iowa, locating in Jefferson township, where he bought forty acres of wild prairie. Mr. Delaney built a log house, in which he lived till 1870, and surrounded it with a beautiful grove. Selling this, he moved to Homer township. He has a good farm of eighty acres, is well situated, has plenty of timber near his house, and is evidently enjoying life. Money, Mr. Delaney says, was as scattering as hen's teeth when he came in 1858. He was married in 1855 to Miss Bridget Coleman. They have seven children: Mary L., born May 22, 1S56; Alice HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 423 A., born September 29, 1857; Elizabeth J., born Sep- tember 23, 1859; Margaret E., born January 21, 1861; Celia, born May 2, 1864; Emily, born August 17, 1868; Martin T., born June 17, 1S69. Mr. Delaney is a Cath- olic. He is a firm Democrat. At present he is road supervisor. He is a self-made man. Alfred Pike. — .-Ymong the early and prominent resi- dents of Buchanan county, Mr. Pike deserves special mention. He was born in Wayne county, Indiana, May 17, 1829. He remained at home until eighteen years of age, and then began work for himself In the fall of 1864 he came to Independence. After remaining there three months, he moved to Homer township, having pre- viously purchased forty acres here. The land was but partially improved, there being a small house upon it. Mr. Pike says he remained there until the house was ready to fall down, and then concluded to sell out, which he did, and bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in the same section as his first. Mr. Pike consid- ers his farm equal to any of its size in this county. He has a nice home, with a beautiful grove about it; also a young orchard in a thrifty condition. Mr. Pike is en- gaged in mi.\ed farming, and is evidently doing well. He was married December 18, 1847, to Miss Rebecca Brandon, of Wayne county. They have had thirteen children: William, Philander, Mary E., Martha M., Henry E., Granville B., Sarah R., Jasper B., Nora R., Julia A. They lost three children in infancy. William, Martha, and Sarah are also deceased. Mr. Pike is a "black Republican" from principle. He has been town trustee one term, and is now serving his second term, thus showing the esteem and confidence in which he is held by his fellow townsmen. Isaiah H. French was born at Royalton, Vermont, August 2, 1841. When very young his parents moved to Clavemont, New Hampshire. Here Isaiah remained till he was twenty years of age, assisted his father on his farm till he was fourteen, and then began to work for himself, hiring out on farms in the summer seasons, and teaching winters. He came to Iowa in 1861, landing in Independence, and stopped with his brother Henry the first winter, about five miles out of the city, and then went to Spencei's Grove, where he was engaged in farm- ing till August, 1862, when he enlisted in the Fortieth Iowa infantry, company K, and rendezvoused at Iowa City till November. His regiment at this time went south, but Mr. French, having contracted disease and be- ing unable to perform military duties, was sent home on a sick furlough, and was under doctors' care eight months. He then reported himself for duty at Iowa City, though he had not recovered fully from his former sickness, and has not even at the present time. The sur- geon declared him unsound, and Mr. French was excused from all duties. In November, 1863, he was sent to Keokuk, where he filled several positions in the hospital, remaining a year; then went to Davenport, where he was discharged March 25, 1865, because his heart and lungs were diseased. After his discharge he returned to Spencer's Grove, Iowa, and engaged in farming, which occupation he has since followed. His present farm contains one hundred and twenty acres ; has good buildings, and also a fine orchard of three hundred trees. Mr. French married Miss Livera G. Kidner, August 9, 1866, which union has been blessed with five children : Minnie L., born December 12, 1869; George A., born March 17, 1874; Ada B., born August 20, 1877; Nellie, born May 21, 1879. They lost a little boy in infancy. Mr. French is a Conservative in politics, and a Free and Accepted Mason. He has held some town otifices, among which is that of justice. He is an intelligent and worthy man. CONO. N.A.ME. The township was called Cono from a Winnebago chief, thus named, who, in early days, was often in the township on his hunting and fishing excursions alone the Wapsie river. He had many friends among the early settlers, and was a great friend of the white man. ORGANIZATION. This township was organized and set apart as an in- dependent township on the twenty-first day of Septem- ber, 1858, by an order of the county judge, as follows : State of Iowa, ) Buchanan County. J ' Be it known, that on this twenty-first day of September, 1858, it hereby is ordered that a new township be formed of the thirty-si.\ sec- tions of congressional township eighty-seven and range eight in said county, and that it take the name Cono, all in accordance with the petition of Jonathan Simpson, W. McCaughty and others. Stephen J. W. Tabor, County Judge. ELECTION. The first election was in 1858 — George Anson, J. B. Gleason and Samuel Hovey being elected trustees ; Martin C. Glass and M. Hampton, justices ; W. Mc- Caughty, assessor ; and Edward Hovey, county super- visor. The present ofificers are John B. Hannam and E. W. Showls, justices ; W. F. Cooper, Henry Burham and Jacob Kress, trustees; J. Crego, township clerk, and Lucius Stout, assessor. 424 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. SETTLEMENT. John Cordell made the first permanent settlement here in 1843, on a creek near where Quasqueton now stands. He came here from Ohio, and made the first entry of land, on which he resided. But he lived in the township only about one year, and then moved to Liberty, where he remained up to the time of his death. In the fall of 1851, Mr. Cordell was one of the commis- sioners who surveyed a State road from Quasqueton to the county seat of Marshall county. His children were : Sarah A. Cordell, married to Alvah M. Fir- man; they have three children, and live on a portion of the land formerly owned by her father ; John Cordell, married to Lucinda Lemons ; has four children ; Alfred Cordell, married to Alphenia Fleming ; is a miller, and lives in Waterloo ; Albert Cordell, living in Minnesota, is a farmer. Mr. John Cordell died at Quasqueton in 1858, his wife preceding him in 1857. He was an Eng- lishman, born at Liverpool, and came to the United States when seventeen years of age. William Rounds, about 1852, came from Ohio, and first built his shanty on Sand creek. He did not remain but a short time. He became dissipated in his habits, deserted his family and went to Kansas, where he soon after died. The family being left, Mrs. Rounds went to Marion and the children were bound out. There names were John, James, Racliel, Diana, Rebecca and Sarah. Leander Keys and T. B. Burgess settled here in 1845. They built the first frame house in the township. For a time these two young men lived there — " batched it," as the saying is. Keys was a carpenter and Burgess a tailor, and both worked at their trades occasionally. T. B. Burgess married, in 1852, a lady from Wisconsin, and lived here one year; then rented his farm and went to Janesville, Wisconsin, for a short time ; then back again and sold his interest in the farm and went to Cedar Rapids, where he started a livery stable. He was a native of New York. Leander Keys, in 1850, went to California overland, and remained there some two or three years ; then he returned, and married Cora Anna Coffin, of Coffin's Grove, Delaware county. Then he moved to Independence and went into the dry goods business. While living in Independence he was elected sheriff of the county, and served one term. He had not been there but a few years when he sold out his store and ag.iin went to California, where, we understand, he is now. F. B. Burgess, when last heard from, was also in the land of gold. George Anson, a native of England, emigrated from the old sod in 1848, and came from Ohio in 1853. He was a gunsmith, but has not worked at his trade since coming to the United States, but has been a farmer. He is still livmg in the township, and has seven children and twenty-two grandchildren. Morris Todd became a resident of Buchanan county in 1854, and first settled in Liberty township. In i860 moved to Cono, settling on section three, where he now lives. He has seven children, three boys and four girls. He has been assessor of the township for twelve years, and a member of the county board of supervisors for three years. He has a nursery covering ten acres of land ; has an orchard and a fine twostory house, and a good, well cultivated farm. Jacob Kress settled here in 1856, and came from Illi- nois. He is a German, born in Baden Baden in 1836. He was married in Cono in 1857; has eight children; and says that he has four pairs, proving it thus : The first is a girl and the second a boy ; the third a girl and the fourth a boy ; the fifth a girl and the sixth a boy ; the seventh a girl and the eighth a boy. The youngest is four years old and the oldest twenty-one. Mr. Kress has a fine orchard, now in full bearing ; has a good farm and good buildings, and is, in fact, one of our best farmers. Adam Gimpher came from Germany and settled in the south part of Cono township in 1857. ■ He has a family of eight children, a large farm, a good stock of cattle, and a dairy of thirty cows. He commenced life, like many other young men, with nothing but a good sound body and a determined will. Henry Burnham became a settler here in 1857; came from Chicago, Illinois. He was a blacksmith, and while in Chicago was connected with the Illinois Central rail- road shops. He has filled, since living in the township, the office of county supervisor, and has been connected wuth its schools as director and otherwise for twenty-three years. He is still living in the township, and has a farm of three hundred and three acres, with good buildings, etc. He has a wife and eight children. W. G. Anson became a resident of Cono in 1853. He is an Englishman and came to the United States in 1848 with his father when but ten years of age. They first settled in Maryland, and then came to Ohio, thence to this township, where he now lives. He is a cabinet- maker by trade. He was married in Quasqueton to Harriet Blair and has seven children. He is now farm- ing in this township. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. The surface is a rolling prairie, e.xceptmg along the river, where it is hilly, the soil a light loam with a clay subsoil. In the southeastern part of the township, on the Wapsie river, is situated the timber, and not over four hundred acres in all. Allen Cordell, a son of John Cordell, died here in the summer of 1854. In 1844 and 1845 ^^^ t^c" ^"^^^ inhabitants were terri- bly afflicted with sickness, mostly fever and ague. The venerable Dr. E. Brewer, now a resident of Indepen- dence, was the physician, living near Quasqueton, and in fact the only physician in the county. At the time Mr. Cordell's family were sick and their little boy, Allen, died, the only thing they had in the house to eat was baked squash, and to this meal the doctor was in- vited, and he says it was one of the sweetest morsels he ever tasted. The Wapsie passes through the southwestern part of the township. There are two small streams called Sand creek and Blanks creek. There is in section eleven a HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA 425 lake extending over six acres of land. There are in this lake some fine fish, such as bass, pike, etc. In some parts of the lake it is very deep, at one time, in winter, measuring forty feet. Mrs. Firman, the daughter of John Cordell, the early pioneer, is the owner of a large portion of the lake. The land near and surrounding it is wet and boggy. In early days, along the river, there were a good many wild turkeys and a few deer; bears also have been seen here, but none caught. There are also wolves, which, in spite of civilization and settlement, still remain. The fish and game in the early days contributed largely to- wards the support of the early settlers. L. Keys and T. K. Burgess raised the first wheat here in the summer of 1846. The first white child born in the township was Lucien Stout, who now lives in the township, and is the present assessor. William Burway and Jane A. Cooper were married February 5, 1854; D. C. Hastings and Margaret A. Cooper August 3, f854. There are no cemeteries in the township, the people burying their dead at Quasqueton and Rowley. The Evangelical society was organized here in 1857. Rodolph Deipher was the first preacher; and, at its or- ganization, it had fifteen members. In i86g they built a house of worship in about the centre of the township at a cost of eight hundred dollars. The present preacher is Henry Stillright. The religious services of this church are conducted in the German language. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern road passes through the southwest part, and running some five miles in the township. A post office was established here on or about 1849, and H. Grimm appointed postmaster ; and he was the first and only one. The office was abolished six years after. The inhabitants now obtain their mail at Quas- queton and Rowley. Jacob Kress has probably the largest and oldest orchard. Martin C. Glass has one in which he raises a large quantity and a fine variety of apples. Martin Kress and Adam Gimphe'r and Morris Todd have each a young orchard. Morris Todd has a fruit nursery that covers about ten acres of land, from which he sells large cjuantities of trees each year. The trees are of a hardy variety and well adapted to the western climate. The principal productions in the township are corn, oats, barley, and hay, and some raise flax; but it is not general among them. Much attention is paid to raising fine hogs, cattle and horses. Wheat raising here is among the things that were; but the milk-pail has taken its place. There is a large number of good dairies here, and the township boasts of some excellent butter makers. The consequence of this change is that the people have money to invest, and also sufficient to pay debts. PERSON.\L MENTION. ^\'illiam Brady, one of the well-known residents of Bu- chanan county, was born October 11, 1832, at Hampden, Geauga county, Ohio. He assisted his father on his farm, 54 and worked out some till he was twenty-two years of age, when he came west and settled in Cono township, where he entered eighty-seven acres of wild prairie. Mr. Brady lived the first year upon what is known as the Taylor place. He then moved upon his present farm, built a log house and resided in it fourteen years, when he erected the fine house he now occupies upon the old site. He has a pleasant home, well surrounded with shade trees, also an orchard in good bearing condition, afford- ing him an abundance of fruit. Mr. Brady's early life on the western prairies was much like that of other old set- tlers. He has lived to see the country that was formerly uninhabited and wild, cultivated and inhabited by a thriv- ing and prosperous community. Beginning poor in life, he now enjoys a competency as a reward for his labors. Mr. Brady was married April 23, 1854, to Miss Flora T. Miller, of Geauga county, Ohio. This union has been blessed with six children, four of whom are living — Hattie E., born December 6, 1854; Clifton B., born February i, 1857; Florence E., born December 24, 1862; William Elmer, born March 15, 1866; James R., born May 25, 1868; Mattie J., born July 22, 1875. Florence and Mattie died in infancy. Mr. Brady came of a long-lived family; his father and mother, also seven brothers and three sisters are still living. He is an energetic and en- terprising man, and has been justice, township treasurer and school director, and is highly spoken of by all who know him. Robert Sampson was born in England, September 22, 1829, and emigrated to America in company with his parents, when about three years of age. They landed in Quebec, and went to Kingston, Ontario, where he re- sided until 1S65. He attended school until he was fourteen, when he went to farming, and has since fol- lowed that business principally. He first settled in this State at Cedar Rapids, where he lived four years, engaged in farming two years and teaming two years. Then he came to this township, and purchased a farm of one hun- dred and twenty acres, partially improved. He built the house he now resides in four years ago. It is a pleasant place, well surrounded by shade trees. There is a thriv- ing young orchard of one hundred trees upon the farm. Mr. Sampson evidently does a good farming business. He married Miss Annie E. Grant, January i, 1861. They have had six children, three of whom are living — Eliza- beth was born November 14, 1861; Agnes C. was born August 9, 1864; Robert A. was born October 12, 1S67; Edith M. was born July 28, 1871 ; Frederick H. was born June 23, 1874; Albert G. was born October 8, 1878; Elizabeth, Edith and Robert are deceased. Mr. Samp- son and wife are faithful members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Sam[)son is a firm Greenbacker. He has been township assessor two times, and is held in high es- teem by his fellow-townsmen. Hiram K. Stewart, one of the solid men of Buchanan county, was born October 20, 1830, in Amity, Erie county, Pennsylvania, where he resided until 1866, when he came to Iowa and bought a farm of eighty acres in Cono township. He has since added twenty acres, mak- ing a very good f;irm. It was wild prairie when he 426 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. came here, but like all prairie farms was soon brought to its present condition. He built his house the second year after he came here. It is surrounded by a grove and an orchard which produces a variety of good fruit. Mr. Stewart was married July 4, i860, to Miss Louisa Chaffee, of Erie county, Pennsylvania. They have had four children, three of whom are living. Mary L. was born January 26, 1867; Charles F., July 2, 1872; Edna L., November 30, 1875 ; Eugene I., June 15, 1861, died April 25, 1865. Mr. and Mrs Stewart are active mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Stewart is a staunch Greenbacker. He has been justice, also school director seven years, and has recently been elected for three years, thus showing the confidence his fellow citizens repose in him. William W. Baker, one of the substantial farmers of Cono, was born in Groton, Tompkins county. New York, November 9, 1824. When he was very young his pa- rents moved to Steuben county, where they resided six or seven years, and then went to Allegany county, of the same State. Mr. Baker remained in the latter county until 1868, engaged in farming. Coming west he spent a few months in Du Page county, Illinois, then came to this county and located in Cono township, where he is pleasantly situated upon a farm of eighty acres of prairie and ten of timber. He lived in a log house ten years and then built a fine residence. There are fruit and shade trees about the house, all in a thrifty condition. Mr. Baker married Miss Eliza Brown, daughter of James Brown, of Courtland county. New York. They have one child, Addie A., born June 15, 1858. The family be- long to the Rowley Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Baker is a firm Republican ; has no aspiration for the honors of office, though he has often been solicited by his townsmen to take positions of trust. Warren L. Maxson was born May 18, 1834, at New- port, New York, where he resided till he was fifteen years of age, then moved to Oneida county, where he remained three years, and then to Madison county, where he lived till the breaking out of the Rebellion. Mr. Maxson en- listed in the Forty-fourth New York State volunteers September 21, 1861. While the regiment was at Hall's Hill, Virginia, Mr. Maxson was taken sick with a fever, and was sent to a hospital at Washington, where he re- mained a few weeks and then was sent to Philadelphia, staying till April, 1862, when -he returned to his regiment, which was on the peninsula at this time. He was engaged in some of the severest battles of the Rebellion; was at Savage Station, Antietam, second Bull Run, Chantilla, Gettysburgh and Fredericksburgh, and in many others. Mr. Maxson was wounded at Fredericksburgh, in the left leg, below the knee, and was sent to the regiment hospital, where he remained a few weeks, then returned to his duties. He was mustered out of the service Au- gust 28, 1865, at Cincinnati, Ohio. After the war Mr. Maxson returned to New York. Stopping here a short time he then catne west, first locating in Rockford, Illi- nois, where he resided three months. He then moved to Roscoe, Winnebago county, living there till 1878, when he came to Cono township, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres, also twenty-seven acres of timber. Mr. Maxson has here a pleasant home, being made attractive internally by the presence of books, papers and pictures, and other evidences of refinement. He was married October 16, 1853, to Miss Azuha W. Shepardson, of New York. This marriage was blessed with one child, Stuart D., boin May 15, 1856, now residing in Rochelle, Illinois. He was married the second time to Miss Sarah Plumb, of Louis county. New York. The names of their children are: E. Varnum,born November 18, 1867; Edith, born September 10, 186S; Blanche, born May 11, 187 1, W. Larmard, born July 26, 1873; Clarence G., born Oc- tober 25, 1875. Edith and Clarence died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Maxson are members of the Methodist church. He is a firm Greenbacker, and is a most worthy citizen. Andrew J. Timson was born August 19, 1829, at New Fane, Vermont, where he lived until he was ei^hteen years old, when he came west and settled in Ogle coun- ty, Illinois, where he worked and rented a farm for seven years. Mr. Timson then emigrated to Jackson county, Iowa, where he purchased a farm, but the hard times of 1857 came on and he left the farm, losing everything he had laid out in the way of improvements. He then moved to Middlefield township, Buchanan county, where he rented a farm two years, and then went to Fremont township living here one year, when he enlisted in the Sixth Iowa cavalry, September 25, 1862, and was sent against the Indians in Dakota. His regiment was very useful in restoring confidence in that part of the north- west;' was at White Stone Hill, Takaokeety, Mamaise. Zenes, and Fort Rives. He narrowly escaped with his life at Fort Rives, where ten or fifteen cavalry men were surrounded by three hundred or four hundred Indians, though they finally escaped with the assistance of in- fantry, and left twelve Indians dead on the field. Mr. Timson was mustered out in Sioux City, October 17, 1865, and returned to Buchanan county, and lived in Quasqueton three years, then moved to Cono township, where he bought a farm of forty-five acres, residing here five years, then moved upon the farm which is his present home. His larm contains one hundred and twenty acres of good land. Mr. Timson has a ]3leasant place, and is intending to build the coming summer. He mar- ried Miss Elmira Wood, daughter of AVesley Wood, one of the oldest settlers of Iowa, June 9, 1857. They have had six children, four of whom are living: Mary A., born January 24, 1859; Ora L., born September 18, 1861; Fred E., born November 21, 1866; Elce L., born October 28, 1S69; Lottie, born May 30, 1872; John, born July 6, 1878. Mary and Ora are deceased. Mr. Timson is a Greenbacker, and is at present school di- rector, serving on his second term, and is regarded by all as a worthy man. Rev. Albert Manson, one of the oldest and most prominent men of Buchanan county, was born Novem- ber 25, 1803, in Canada East, where he resided until he was twenty-two years of age, assisting his father on a farm. He then went to Vermont in search of labor, re- maining there until 1839, being engaged in various oc- HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 427 cupations. He was employed in the manufacture of marble several years, also taught school a few winters. He entered the law office of Warner Hoxie, esq., of Mil- ton, Vermont, in which he remained from 1828 to 1832, and was admitted to the bar and practiced about four years in Vermont. He then abandoned this profession and went to the Theological seminary, at Gilmanton, New Hampshire, where he completed a full three years' course in two years. Mr. Manson, immediately after graduating, went to Bennington, where he had had a call, though he was not ordained until November 2, 1841. He remained there till 1850, then went to Rochester, Vermont, where he spent tour years, when he moved west and took charge of a church in Marion, Iowa, in May, 1854. In 1858 he was chosen first superintendent of schools, which office he filled one and one-half years. From 1859 to 1864, he acted as an itinetating missionary in Linn county. In the spring of 1864 he came to Cono township, and preached at Quasqueton eight years. Mr. Manson was married, April 27, 1834, to Miss Rebecca Farr, of Vermont. They have two children, both of whom are now living with their parents; Eliza J., born May i, 1835; and Dwight, born October 17, 1842. Mr. Manson has a very pleasant home, beauti- fully surrounded with shade trees, and having internally many evidences of refinement. His farm contains two hundred and eighty acfes of excell-ent land, and is one of the best in the vicinity. Mr. Manson is, as his name indicates, of Scotch parentage, and is an intelligent and enterprising man, having done much towards laying a foundation for a successful history of Buchanan county. He has held many important places of trust; has been supervisor four years, also overseer of the poor four years in Linn county, and has held the same offices the same length of time in Buchanan county; has been justice of the peace and township clerk. Few more interesting subjects for biography are presented in Buchanan, than he whose long and eventflil life is outlined in this short sketch. Now about to complete his eighth decade, he is one among the oldest residents of Cono, and yet remains in surprising vigor of mind and body, with the full promise of rounding out a hundred years. For over a quarter of a century he has walked, talked, lived, and labored among the people of Iowa, and his upright char- acter and useful life will long be an ins[)iration wherever known, to better living and more hopeful dying. W. E. Butterfield was born August 2, 1843, in Kalama- zoo county, Michigan. Assisted his father on a f^m till he was si.\teen years old, then came west, and, after stop- ping six months in Newton township, went to Manches- ter, and worked at the blacksmith's trade eight months. At this place he enlisted in the Thirteenth United States regulars. His regiment was in the following battles: Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Rolling Fork, Haines' Bluff, Champion Hills, through the siege of Vicksburgh, Mission Ridge, and Jackson. He was mustered out of the service March 12, 1865, and returned at once to Bu- chanan county. He came to Cono township in 1869, and located upon a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. This was wild land when Mr. Butterfield pur- chased it, but the same courage and energy which had car- ried him through the four years' struggle for his country, enabled him to overcome all difficulties. He was mar- ried April 26, 1866, to Miss Mary L. Ham, of Newton township. They have had eight children, six of whom are living— Alice C, born July 19, 1866; Reuben J., De- cember 18, 1868; Charlie E., December 10, 1870; Elsie, October 16, 1872; Chester, October 21, 1874; Jacob R., January 24, 1878; Nettie J., September 17, 1880. Elsie died when about four years of age. They also lost a lit- tle girl in infancy. Mr. Butterfield is a sound Republi- can, and is regarded by all as a most worthy citizen. Jacob Arnold was born January 14, 1835, in Germany, and emigrated to America in 1855. Before leaving home he learned the shoemaker's trade. His voyage lasted four weeks, the first two being quite pleasant, but the last two Mr. Arnold knows little about, as he was in his berth on account of sickness. He landed in New York and was taken to the hospital on Staten Kland, where he re- mained five weeks, then went to Westchester county, where he worked for his board one season, being able to do but little labor. Mr. Ainold then came west, stop- ping for a short time in Chicago, and then going out of the city about thirty miles, where he worked on a farm for eleven years. He then emigrated to Buchanan county, locating in Cono township, where he now resides, pleas- antly situated on a farm of two hundred and sixty-five acres, and this was wild prairie at the time ot his coining but it is now in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Arnold married Miss Catharine Kautz, of Buchan- an county, in 1862. They have had seven children, six of whom are now living — Jacob, Frederick, Em- elina, William, Daniel, Charles, and Caroline. Caroline died when about two years old. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold are members of the Lutheian church. He has been school director six or seven years, and is held in high es- teem by all who know him. Cyrus E. Hopkins, one of the well known residents of Cono township, was born October 11, 1837, in Clarence, Erie county. New York. When he was very young his parents moved to De Kalb county, Illinois. Here Cyrus remained until 1864, then emigrated to Iowa, settling in Cono township, Buchanan county, where he purchased a farm of two hundred acres, it being but partially im- proved. Mr. Hopkins resided upon this place fourteen years, then moved upon the farm where he now lives, though he is intending to go back to his old place before long,. 'He is engaged in farming — keeps quite a large stock of cattle, horses, and hogs, etc. — and is regarded as one of Cono's successful farmers. He was married in 1863 to Miss Jane A. Wallace, of Illinois. This union has been blessed with six children, five of whom are living — Lula M., born January 19, 1864; Horace E., July 24, 1867; Maude B., February 29, 1869; Cyrus B., January 7, 1874; Vivian D., November 11, 1877; Lottie A., October 3, 1879. Vivian died when two years of age. Mr. Hop- kins is a Republican, has held several offices, having been assessor, trustee, and school director, and is highly esteemed as a good citizen. John Zimpler, one of the oldest and best known of 428 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. the citizens of Cono, was born in Baden on the Rhine, Germany, September 3, 1829, and emigrated to Amer- ica in 1 85 1. He was engaged in farming until he came to this country. His voyage was a most perilous one, and attended with severe storms. It was fifty-three days before he landed. He first settled in Ilhnois, where he lived three years, then came to this county and settled in Cono, where he now owns a farm of three hundred and sixty acres of excellent land, though it was all wild prairie at the time of his coming. Wolves were a very common sight at first, and often came near the house. Mr. Zimpler is now engaged in miscellaneous farming, keeps quite a large stock of cattle, hogs, etc., and is con- sidered one of our best farmers. He was married in 1850 to Miss Michalena Highland, who died in 1876, after having borne seven children: Charles, John, Adam, Jacob, Michalena, Sophia and Sarah. Mr. Zimpler is a member of the Lutheran church, a sound Greenbacker, and a most worthy man. M. C. Wells, one of our substantial citizens, was born October 17, 1836, in Clinton, Maine, where he remained until 1855 assisting his father in farming. At that date, he went to Bureau county, Illinois, where he resided six years. He then came to Iowa and was engaged in farm- ing and lumbering at Burlington for two years, after which he went to Sioux City, and there, in 1861, enlisted in the Sixth Iowa cavalry, and \vas sent out against the Indians in the northwest territories. He shared in many severe engagements with the red men, who at that time were giving the country much trouble. He was mus- tered out October 17, 1S65, and at once went to Iowa county, where he purchased a wild lot, and in a short time made a good farm and a pleasant home, where he resided seven years. He then sold out and came to Cono township, where he now lives. Mr. Wells has one hundred and eighty-two acres of good land. It was but little improved when he bought it, but it is now a fine farm. He has a beautifully situated place, with shade trees surrounding it, and also an orchard. His house is well furnished with books, papers and other evidences of refinement. Mr. Wells is engaged in mixed farming, but intends soon to go into dairying. He married Miss Jane Cunningham, of Utica, New York, in October, 1857. They have five children, with names and dates of birth as follows: Alice A., December 16, 1859; George H., October 26, 1862; Richard M. and WiUie G., March 20, 1867; Ray, October 28, 1876. Relig- iously, Mr. Wells endeavors to keep peace with all men. Politically, he is a Greenbacker, and is active in local affairs. He has held the office of township trustee, as well as several other offices. He is earnestly interested in education, and everything else which tends towards the advancement and development of the county. He is a man respected in the highest degree by his fellow townsmen. William G. Anson, well known as an old resident of this county, was born in Staffordshire, England, October 15, 1835. He came to America with his father, George Anson, in 1845. They were six weeks on their way to New York, and had a most tempestuous voyage. Several on board the ship lost their lives. Mr. Anson served as cabin boy. After landing, he worked a short time in New Jersey and then eight months in the coal mines of Maryland. He then went to Medina, Ohio, and after working at various occupations for about three years, engaged in cabinet-making which he followed until 1853, when he came to this county. He lived in Quas- queton four years, working in a mill. Then he began work for himself, and was engaged in breaking prairie land in all parts of the county. He broke at least one thousand three hundred acres. In 1856 he went to Kansas, having secured a Government contract to break land for the Indians. He returned to Buchanan county, farmed three years, then went back to Kansas, where he made but a short stay, and then turned his steps again toward Buchanan. He remained here only a year, and then crossed the plains to Oregon, and was one of the first settlers in the wonderful country known as the Grand Round Valley. Mr. Anson resided about six and a half years in Oregon, and meantime opened a ranche. He has travelled extensively in the far west, freighting, etc. In 1 868 he came back to Iowa and bought a farm in Cono. He has one hundred and sixty acres pleasantly situated. He has fine buildings built by himself, sur- rounded by a beautiful grove, — also an orchard of two hundred and eighteen thriving trees. Mr. Anson is a successful farmer. He was married in April, i860, to Miss Harriet Blair of Quasqueton. They have eight children, born as follows: Albert G, January 18, 1861; Charles T., February 8, 1864; Willie, November 10, 1866; Willard, July 27, 1869; Samuel, August 20, 1872; Benjamin R., May, 17, 1874; Addie, March 17, 1879; Hattie E., November 17, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Anson are members of the Congregational church. Mr. Anson is one of the oldest Greenbackers in the county. He has held many local offices. He is an intelligent and active man, and is highly esteemed by all who know him. George Anson, an old and highly respected citizen was born in Staffordshire, England, March 13, 1813, and emigrated to this country in 1848. He worked as a gunsmith until he came to the United States. The passage over was difficult and dangerous; and lasted six weeks. He immediately went to Mount Sarayo, Mary- land, where he worked as a blacksmith a short time; but when his skill as a workman became known he was em- ployed as a machinist in the works of Mr. Graham. Here Mr. Apson remained about four months, and then went to Medina, Medina county, Ohio, where he worked as a gunsmith about six years. At the end of this time he came to Buchanan county and settled in Cono, where he still resides. *He has a farm of one hundred and twenty- five acres, well improved, and a good home to enjoy in his declining years. His house is surrounded by a fine grove and an orchard. Mr. Anson was married June 29, 1833, to Miss Margaret D , of Bristol, England. They have had eighteen children: William G., Joseph, George (deceased), Henry, Granville (deceased), Jane, George, Eliza, Catharine, Granville, Samuel (deceased), John, James, Edward, Walter, Samuel and two who died HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 429 in infancy. Edward and \\'alter are now livina; with their parents to comfort them in their old age. Mr. and Mrs. Anson are devoted members of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Anson is a Greenbacker, and is one of our most worthy citizens. J. H. Stoneman, one of the earHest settlers in the county, was born in Carroll county, Wisconsin, in 1S29, and remained there until the spring of 1853, when he came to this county, settling in Liberty township. In his early life Mr. Stoneman was engaged in farming and harness-making. After coming west he devoted his at- tention to carpentering for several years. In i860 he went to Pike's Peak, where he worked at his trade, build- ing quartz mills, etc. He made the first panel door and sash in Central City. After remaining there thirteen summers, with the exception of the time lost in going back and forth to Iowa, he worked at mining two sea- sons, and then returned to Buchanan county and bought the farm on which he now lives. It contains one hun- dred and thirteen acres, including a good orchard, a grove of maples, making altogether a pleasant home. Mr. Stoneman is engaged in mixed farming, and appears to be highly successful. He was married in January, 1873, to Miss Laura Tift, of Liberty township. Mr. Stoneman is a thorough Republican from principal, and, though not an active politician, he has been with the Re- publican party in belief since its organization. He is considered a most worthy citizen, and enjoys the confi- dence and esteem of the community in which he lives. Martin A. Glass, one of the oldest residents of this county, was born July 28, iSog, in Harrison county, Ohio. When he was two years old, his father, Jacob Glass, moved to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and there the subject of this sketch lived forty years. He came to this county in 1849, and soon bought a farm in Newton township, which he sold out after three years, and came to Cono township. He has now two hundred acres, well improved, after having disposed of one hundred and twenty acres. This was wild prairie, but energy and in- dustry have made it a beautiful home. His house is pleasantly situated, surrounded by shade trees, orchard, etc. Mr. Glass is well situated to enjoy life. He was married in 1831 to Miss Nancy Belch, of Ohio. Fol- lowing are the names and dates of birth of their chil- dren: Jacob, January 18, 1833, deceased; Sarah, No- vember 13, 1834; Elizabeth, June 28, 1837, deceased; Mary, May 4, 1839; John, July 18, 1841; Joseph, July 26, 1843, deceased; James, June 6, 1846, deceased; Reason, April 26, 1847; Isabel, August 2, 1849; Susan, April 23, 1S52; Martin L., February 16, 1855; Martha J., July 9, 1857. He was married a second time, No- vember 7, 1 87 2, to Mrs. Elniira L. Powles, of Cono. Mr. Glass is a staunch Republican, has been justice two terms, and school director for many years. James A. Crego. — The subject of this sketch was born January 10, 1840, in Syracuse, New York. When three years of age, his parents came west, and settled in Mc- Henry county, where he resided till 1S68, engaged wilh his f;)ther in farming. In that year he went to Delaware county, Iowa, where he worked two years in an auditor's office and was afterwards a deputy sheriff for two years. Mr. Crego then moved to Cono township, to the farm where he now lives. It contains one hundred and si.xty acres of prairie and twenty of timber. This was wild land when Mr. Crego came here, but by hard work he has succeeded in building up a pleasant home. He is engaged in mixed farming, keeps a large stock of cattle and hogs, and is considered one of Cono's prosperous farmers. Mr. Crego was married in 1869 to Miss Julia Shapley, of Illinois. They have three children: Agnes A., born December 4, 1870; Lila E., born January 5, 1874; Clyde B., born July 14, 1878. Mr. Crego is a firm Republican, has held several otifices, has been trus- tee and clerk, and is regarded by his fellow townsmen as a man worthy of the confidence and esteem which he enjoys. Benjamin P. Wade, one of the oldest and best known residents of Buchanan county, was born January 29, 1829, in Allegany county. New York. Mr. Wade spent his early years in farming and lumbering, and was after- wards a sailor on the great lakes and salt water. He has been in all quarters of the globe, has experienced many a narrow escape, and has probably seen as much of the world as any man in Iowa. After quitting the sea, he went to Rockford, Illinois, and was engaged in farming for seven years in Winnebago and Ogle counties. He then emigrated to Iowa, first settling in Newton township, where he bought a farm of three hundred and twenty acres. He resided here fourteen years, then sold out and came to Cono township, where he now resides, most pleasantly situated on a farm of one thousand acres, the largest, and as good as any in the county. This was wild prairie, but by untiring energy he has succeeded in making it one of the best homes we have seen. He has a fine residence, beautifully surrounded with shade trees, and also an orchard of two thousand trees, supplying him with plenty of fruit of all varieties. Mr. Wade is engaged in mixed farming, and keeps a large stock of cattle, horses, and hogs. He married Miss Martha John, of Pennsylvania, July 4, 1853. They have four children: Benjamin H., born October 20, 1857; Martha E., born July 24, 1862; Edward L., born December 9, 1865; Laura M., born October 4, 1871. Mrs. Wade is a mem- ber of the Free Methodist church, and Mr. Wade is a member of the Free Baptist. Politically, he is a sound Republican. He has held several offices, though he has never been an office-seeker, as his own business has re- quired his whole attention. Mr. Wade may well be termed a self-made man, having been thrown upon the world when ten years of age, without education, pro])er- ty, or influential friends. He has by his energy and per- severance succeeded in acquiring a competency, which he is now enjoying. NEWTON. This township is situated in the southeastern part of the county, and bounded on the south by Linn county, and on the east by Delaware. ORGANIZATION. It was set apart as an independent and separate town- ship on the twentieth day of July, 1854, as evidenced by order of the county judge, which is as follows: It is ordered by the court that township 87 north, range 7 west, in this county, be and is hereby set apart as a new township, to be called Newton township. This order to take effect on the third Monday in July ne.xt and not sooner. O. H. P. ROSZELL, County [udge. ELECriON. The first election was on the first Monday in August, 1854, at a school-house in the south part of the town- ship. Andrew Whisennand, Cliarles Hoover and Nathan Holman, were appointed by the court judges of election, and the township officers elected at that time were Charles Hoover and Reuben C. Walton, justices; Jesse McPike, Andrew Whisennand and Charles Hoover, trustees; Charles McPike, assessor; Anios Long, clerk; and Green Berry, constable. The present officers are John Gunn and John B. Pot- ter, justices; H. C. Rowe, Owen Ward and H. A. Wil- liams, trustees; John B. Potter, clerk; Isaac Holman, assessor; W. H. Ball and Louis Sauer, constables. SETTLEMENT. Joseph Austin was the first permanent settler, building a cabin in the spring of 1845 near a beautiful and large spring in the timber, which, to this day, bears his name. When he first came he was an unmarried man, but in 1846 he married a lady from Linn county. He entered the land upon which he lived. He lived here until 1849, when he sold to Martin C. Glass, who remained until 1853 and then moved to Cono, where he resides. Austin, from Linn county, went to Sac City, Iowa, thence to Nebraska, where he now resides. He was a native of Ohio. He has four children — Leonard, Almiria, Phcebe, and Mary. He volunteered in our late civil war and was a brave soldier. He passed through the whole war, coming out unharmed. y Reuben C. Walton was the next to settle here, in the spring of 1847, 'f the south part, on section thirty-three, near Austin's, and also near a large spring that bears his name— Walton spring. He continued to reside there for nearly twenty years, then sold out with the intention of settling in Kansas; but there became dissatisfied, and returning, bought a place near where he first settled, and now resides there. He had thirteen children, ten of whom are now living. He had a boy in our late war, who died in the service. Mr. Walton was a native of Ohio, coming from about the same locality with Mr. Austin. Mr. Walton and family came to Iowa in 1845, stopping for a short time in Linn county. He was one of the first magistrates and married the first couple in the township. W. H. Harris and W. Ogden, with their families, set- tled here in 1851, near where the first settlement was made by Mr. Austin. They did not remain but about two years. Mr. Harris is now living in Waverly, Bre- mer county. Charles Hoover came to this State in Apiil, 1851, and stayed a short time at Quasqueton; but the same summer settled on the land now owned and occupied by hiir. He is a native of Ohio. When he first came and set- tled here the nearest neighbor was four tniles away. He has had thirteen children, five living, whose names are as follows: Nancy, married to a Mr. Stout, and lives in Cono townshi|3; Samuel, a farmer, and lives in Newton; Jane, manied to John M. Carson, and now resides in Kansas; Adam, a farmer in Newton; James, married and lives in Cono; his three sons, Samuel, Adam and James, are among the most prosperous in the county. In early days Mr. Hoover was a great hunter, and kept about him a fine pack of trained hounds, and used to follow the swift-footed deer over the prairie and through the timber, furnishing the settlers with plenty of good venison. Since he came to this State he has killed here fifty-seven deer. His manner of travelling while hunting was invariably afoot. The lynx was also quite common in those days, which he frequently killed. At one time when he was out hunting he saw a lynx in a tree and fired upon it; but it still remained in a crotch of the tree. Thinking it might be dead, he climbed the tree, when, as he came near it, he noticed its glaring eyes, as if in in the act of leaping upon him. Then he thought dis- cretion was the better part of valor and immediately re- turned. Again he opened fire upon him, and this time he was dislodged and fell to the ground, where he was quickly disjiatched by the dogs. Mr. Hoover has thirty- eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Martin C. Glass settled here in 1S49, purchasing the interest of Joseph Austin, and becoming the owner of the Austin Spring. He lived there only three years, and then moved into Cono, where he now resides. He pays a large portion of his attention to orcharding, and raises some very fine varieties of apples. There have been in his family twelve children, eight of whom are now living. He lost one boy in the army. He can now gather about him eight children, twenty-nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 431 Jesse McPike settled here on April 28, 1853. He came from Indiana, but is a native of Tennessee. He purchased the place, where the first settlement was made by Austin, near the famous spring, and lived there up to the day of his death, August 25, 1875. He was a sol- dier in the War of 181 2. He and his good wife lived to- gether for sixty years and two months. They had twelve children, five of whom are now living, whose names are as follows : William, who lives on the old homestead, and has a large family ; J. W. McPike and Charles live in Linn county ; Charlotte, married, and resides in Indi- ana; Jane C, married Green Berry, and is living in Linn county, Iowa. Mr. Pike was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and one of the first trustees of the township. His wife, Mary JMcPike, is now living on the old place, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. She has five children living, thirty-two grandchildren and thirty-one great-grandchildren. Henry M. Holman came here in 1851, but moved to the State in 1852, settling first in Cedar county. He still lives on the same farm, where he first settled, in New. ton township. Mr. Holman was born in Woodbury county, Kentucky, March 16, 1805, living there until he was twenty-one years of age, when he went to Indiana and there married and lived until he came to Iowa. He had five children — Sarah, married to J. S. Long, and liv- ing at Troy Mills, Linn county; Susan, who died when quite small; Isaac, married and living in Newton town- ship, is now assessor and one of its farmers ; Nancy, mar- ried to Isaac I. Arwine, who volunteered in the late war, and w'as killed in battle. He had two children, and his widow lives with Mr. Holman ; Cathaiine, married to Levi Birney, who died in the army. She afterwards mar- ried a Mr. Thompson, of Fayette county, and now lives there. Mr. Holman is a member of the Christian church, and an elder in the same. He seems to be quite a genius. Without serving any apprenticeship whatever, he built the house he lives in, doing all the work himself, does his own blacksmithing, even to the making of the necessary tools to do the work with. In his early days he was quite a hunter, spending much time in pursuing the deer and other game. ^ Andrew Whisennand settled here in 1851, on the / property where Reuben C. Walton now lives; was born in Kentucky May 19, 1813, and moved to Indiana when a mere child. There he grew up and married, and con- tinued to reside until he moved to Iowa. When he came here he had a family of five children ; has had twelve in all, four now living, whose names are: Stephen H., who lives in Newton; Na»han H., living at home; Rebecca, ;' married to John McClure, and Jemima. He had three sons in our late war, two of whom died in the service. He was one of the early organizers of the township, being one of the first judges of election, appointed by the court at the first election. He was also one of the township trustees and a pioneer Methodist. G.\ME. Bears were seen in the township, but we could not learn that any had ever been killed here. Deer were very [ilenly, and were a source of profit to the pioneer. There were also a large number of lynxes, that excited fear among the people, on account of their ferocity. Wild-cats and turkeys were also sometimes killed. The principal hunters here were Charles Hoover and Nathan Holman; but of late years the larger game has disap- peared, and the smaller is scarce. These Nimrods have both become old men, but are yet living in the township. They have disposed of their dogs, hung up the rifle, and devoted their attention to farming; and their farms have the appearance of thrift, enterprise and good husbandry. FIRST CHILD. Leonard Austin was the first white child born here, in the winter of 1847; and he first saw the light of day near the beautiful spring, near which his father made the first settlement in 1845, and which now bears his name. Leonard has grown to manhood, and is now living in Nebraska. The first wheat in the township was raised by Joseph Austin in 1846. SCHOOLS. The pioneer schools of this township were supported by voluntary contribution from the people. The first school was held in 1848, in the south part of the town- ship, near the ])lace where the first settlement was made, and was taught by Ned Bartly, with ten scholars. The use of a log house was donated to the school by a Mr. Harris. In 1850 Reuben C. Walton and five others built a log school-house, in which they had a school taught a number of winters. Samuel Calvin, who is now professor in Iowa university, at Iowa City, taught the first school in this house. A few years after this, the district built a good house on the old site, which is now standing. There was also one built in the eastern part of the township. Among the early teachers were Ned Bartly, Samuel Calvin, Mrs. Geiger, Charles McPike, A. Henry, George Francis and Charles Moore. There are now eight schools in the township. FIRST DE.\TH. A daughter of James Brown (a granddaughter of Jesse McPike) was the first who died in this township, in September, 1853. RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. The first religioua meeting of any kind held in New- ton township was by the Methodists, at the house of Reuben C. Walton, about the year 1853. Samuel Far- low was the preacher. They had also frequent services at the house of Jesse McPike. The Christian church was organized here about 1853, with some fifteen members, among whom were H. N. Holman and wife, S. Payton and wife, P. Payton and wife, William and Thomas McKee and wives, and Na- than McConnell. The present preacher is Milton Mc- Kee. The society owns a house of worship, and has a membership of eighty persons. St. Patrick's Catholic church was first organized in 1856. They had services for some time in a log house, but in 1870 a fine large church was built here, as also a two-story pastoral residence. Among their priests have been Fathers Slattery, Shields, J. G. Ghosker, and Malone. 432 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. The present priest, who has been in charge ten years, is Patrick Clabby. The whole property belonging to the church is probably worth one thousand dollars. There is a large membership connected with this church — eighty families. The Protestant Methodist organized here a society in 1858 at the Hoover school-house, with some twenty members. They now have a good society and have services at the Centre school-house. Rev. M. H. Noe is the present preacher. CEMETERIES. A cemetery was established in 1853 in the south part of the township. Jesse McPike donated the land and the first burial there was that of Mrs. Long. Charles Hoover had a private burying-ground on his land near his house, but, in 1S80, a cemetery associa- tion was formed, with James Ironsides president, W. King, treasurer, and Samuel Hoover, secretary. A cemetery was established near the Catholic church in the east part of the township about 1856, and there are in it some fine monuments. RIVERS, CREEKS, ETC. The W'apsie river passes through the soutliwest corner of the township; Buffalo creek through the northeast part, and Carpenter creek through the centre. There are several other small streams in the township. POST OFFICES AND POSTMASTERS. A post office was established here and named Newton Centre in the summer of 1855, in -the south part of the township, near where the first settlement was made; and the first postmaster was Ulyses Geiger, and after him were R. C. Walton, Turner Cartright and R.. Downs. In 1873 the office was transferred to the centre of the town- ship, and Samuel Hoover appointed postmaster. The present incumbent is William Bruce. FIRST STORE. The first store kept here was by J. S. Long, in the south part of the township, on H. M. Holman's farm; but there is nothing of the kind there now. There is a little village, south of Newton township, in Linn county, called Troy Mills that accommodates many of the people in the township with opportunities for making pur- chases, etc. THE FIRST WEDDING. The first wedding that was solemnized in this town- ship was that of Isaac Arwine and Jane Holman, daughter of H. M. Holman, about the year 1855. Mr. Arwine volunteered as a sodier in our late war, and died in the army in the service of his country. Charles Mc- Pike was married to Jane Ramsey about the same time. These parties were married by that early pioneer, Reuben C. Walton, esq. TIMBER, ETC. The timber, for the most part, is in the northeast, along the Buffalo creek; and also in the southwest corner, along the Wapsie. There are probably five and one-half sections in all, together with native groves. In the timber and near the large springs the early settlers, Austin and Walton, built their first modest Iol; house. SHEEP — WOOL-GROWING. James Ironsides, living in the western part of the township, commenced raising sheep in 1856, with a small flock he took on shares from a neighbor. He now has a flock of six hundred. They are of the large breeds, and are in a very healthy condition. He finds them as profitable as any stock on his farm — he raises large numbers of cattle. BREEDER OF FINE CATTLE. John B. Potter commenced the breeding of Durham cattle here in 1872, with a full blooded imported bull. He has now on his farm here a herd of thoroughbred Durham animals. His sales have been quite large. During 1880-81 he sold ten good ones at one hundred dollars each. He finds it a very pleasant and profitable business. PRODUCTIONS. The principal productions are corn, oats and hay. Considerable attention has been paid by the farmers to cattle, hogs, sheep and horses. The only large flock of sheep in the county is owned here by James Ironsides. There are some large farms here, and among them those of J. B. Potter, six hundred acres ; James Ironsides, six hundred and fifty acres, and Charles Hoover, five hundred and fifty acres. ORCHARDS. There are in the township some orchards, although yet quite young, but yielding to the owners quite a large amount of fruit; the most noticeable are those of Patrick Smith, Patrick Durham, R. C. Walton, Adam Hoover and H. M. Holman. In the early days the inhabitants were subjected to many deprivations — some living for weeks upon hulled corn. As there was no market, their farm produce did not bring but a small price. Nathan Holman, one of the early settlers, when he first came here rented land in Linn county, and the place where he raised wheat was fifteen miles, and corn five miles ; and that distance he went for the purpose of taking care of this crop. He frequently went to Anamosa, some thirty miles away, for a load of corn. SPRINGS. There are, in the south part of the townshio, near where the first settlement was made by Austin and Wal- ton, two beautiful and never-failing springs, already mentioned ; one is called the Austin spring, and the other Walton spring. These are what attracted those early settlers. The water is clear and pure, bubbling up from the depths below; never ceasing in its flow or los- ing its purity. Here the Indian and his dusky mate have olten bowed and drank from these pure silver fountains; and, having slaked their thirst, have uttered a silent prayer of gratitude to the Great Spirit. John Bolton was born June 18, 1821, in the county of Granville, Canada West, where he resided till 1864, when he came west and located in Newton township. Mr. Bolton was engaged in farming in Canada, which occu- pation he has ever since followed. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of wild prairie in Newton, built a house, and made many other improvements. He lived -hlii ^^ J^r^U^ f^^^^-y Mr. John McCay, deceased, was born in Antrim county, Ireland, May 4, 18 15. In that country he spent his childhood and early manhood days. In the year 1847 he came to America to share its liberal institutions and make his future home. His first three years in this country were spent in the employ of a physician in New York city, at the expiration of which time he went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and engaged as a laborer on the farm of a merchant with whom he remained two years. On the eleventh day of June, 1852, he married Miss Ann Robison, a lady of Irish birth, born in Fer- managh county, in 1826, and came to America in 1850. Immediately after their marriage they came to Iowa and purchased eighty acres of land, where Mrs. McCay still resides, in section one, Newton township, this county. They were among the first substantial settlers of this county, and among the few who held to the plow and did not look back. To their first purchase they have added different tracts of land, till the farm consists now of three hundred and sixty acres. It is beautifully located, and is of the finest soil the west affords. Dur- ing Mr. McCay's life time he devoted this farm princi- pally to the interests of stock-raising, learning its profits exceeded that of farming. In the year 1879 ^^ built one of the finest farm residences in the county, costing over four thousand dollars. But, sad to say, fate decreed that he should enjoy it only seven short months. On the thirty-first day of July, 1880, while engaged in reaping with a four-horse team, they became frightened and threw him in front of the guards, where he was so mangled that he died in two weeks afterwards. Thus ended the career of a man whose life was a beacon of hope to the poor man, and a model to the church. He was a man, who, by his own exertions, wrung from the hard hand of toil one of the finest properties in the west. When he first became a citizen of this county his only possessions were about three hundred dollars. But with his and his wife's combined efforts they won for themselves a fortune that classed them not only among the well-to-do farmers of the county, but among the wealthy citizens of the State. Both Mr. and Mrs. McCay were earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church, which relation Mrs. McCay still sustains. They commanded the highest re- spect of the community, and Mrs. McCay still lives to enjoy it, while Mr. McCay only lives in the memory of his many friends and acquaintances, who will thank Mrs. McCay for the mark of respect she has displayed for him, and the favor she has conferred upon them, by hav- ing the above portraits in this work. Of Mrs. McCay, we are pleased to state, she is a woman who has always had the will and dare to do, as the event of her com- ing to this country alone, when only a girl, testifies. She is a lady whose morality, friendship and generosity can- not be excelled. ^^..^ .:.^^ HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 433 here till 1872, then exchanged his farm for the one upon which he now resides in the same township. It contains two hundred acres. He erected the centennial house he now occupies in 1876. It is well situated and is finely surrounded with a natural grove. He also has a young orchard. Mr. Bolton is engaged in mixed farming, keeps quite a stock of cattle, horses and hogs, and is consid- ered one of Newton's successful farmers. He was married October 5, 1849, to Miss Mary Rich- ards, of Elizabeth township, in the county of Leeds, Canada West. They have had seven children : Marion M., born July 15, 1850; William H., born January 27, 1852; George W., born November ig, 1859; Francis E., born March 20, 1862 ; Anah B., born December 3, 1867; Mary E., born February i, 1870; John N., August 24, 1854. John died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton are members of the Wesleyan Methodist church. Politically Mr. Bolton is. a Repub- lican, has held several offices in the township, and is a worthy citizen. He was married the second time to Sarah Howarth, of Cook county, Illinois, January 11, 1881. William N. Walton, the subject of this sketch, was born March 28, 1852, in Linn county, Iowa, where he resided till 1872, when he moved to Newton township and rented a farm till the spring of 1880; though he had bought the farm he now lives upon the previous year. His farm contains one hundred and sixty acres of excel- lent land, also twenty acres of timber. He has a very pleasant home, and is evidently enjoying life. Mr. Wal- ton was married October 20, 1872, to Miss Isabel Hoo- ver, of Newton township. They have four children: Charles, born September 23, 1873; Alva N., born June I, 1875; Ida L, born July 15, 1877; Esther S., born February 16, 1881. Mr. Walton is a Republican, and has often been solicited by his fellow townsmen to hold places of trust, but has always refused. William H. King was born December 27, 1835, in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where he lived till he was about four years of age, when he moved to Knox county, in company with his parents, and resided there eight years; then moved to Wyandott county, living there about eight years, being engaged in various occupations. His next move was to Illinois, where he worked one year in his father's carriage shop; then went to Black Hawk county, Iowa, where he lived five or six years and was employed as a carpenter the greater part of the time, till he came to Newton, and settled upon the farm where we now find him pleasantly situated, enjoying a home made by hard and industrious labor. His farm contains one hundred and sixty acres of good land, also forty of tim- ber. He is engaged in mixed tarming; keeps quite a stock of cattle and hogs, and is a successful farmer. Mr. King was married September 21, 1857, to Miss Delilah C. Cochonour, of Ohio. They have had six children, five of whom are living; Emma E., born September 13, 1858; Joseph W., born September 29, i860; Nettie E., born December 17, 1865; George N., born January i, 1868; Mary L., born September 25, 1870; Rachel C, born April 26, 1871. Emma died when about fourteen years of age. Mr. and Mrs. King are members of the Methodist Protestant church. Mr. King is a Republi- can, has held several offices; has been trustee, school director, and is held in high esteem by all who know him. Thomas Moody, one of the early pioneers of Buchan- an county, was born December 21, 1826, in England, and emigrated to America in 1853. His early years were spent on a farm, being engaged in the dairy bus- iness chiefly. Immediately after landing in New York he went to Niagara county, and settled in Middleport, where he resided two years, then came west, locating in Quasqueton, where he lived for a time, being employed in various occupations. He then came to Newton town- ship, where he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and resided upon this twenty years. In the meantime he made many improvements and built up a pleasant home. He sold out in 1875, ^"d came upon the farm where we now find him pleasantly situated. His farm contains two hundred acres of excellent land. He built the residence he now occupies in 1877. It is well located and is one of the most pleasant places we have yet visited. Mr. Moody married Miss Eliza Car- penter, of Bath, England, in 1849. They have had four children: Thomas W., born June 8, 1854: John H., born February 17, 1856; Eliza A., born October 23, 1859; Mary J., born August 4, 1863. Mary died in infancy. Samuel Hoover, one of the early residents of Buchan- an county, was born December 2, 1836, in Harrison county, Ohio, where he remained till he was fourteen years of age, when he came to Iowa, in company with his parents, and settled in Newton township, where he has ever since resided. He has a good form of one hundred and sixty acres of prairie and twenty of timber. He built the residence he now occupies in i85i, though he did not complete it until 1869. It is a beautiful place and is well surrounded with a grove of maple and poplar. All the improvements now existing have been made by the hard and industrious work of Mr. and Mrs. Hoover, and they now enjoy a fine home as a reward of their efforts. Mr. Hoover was married, February 23, i860, to Miss Hulda Cummings, of Ohio. The have had seven children, five of whom are living: Junius P., born December 3, i860; Mary E., born February 21, 1863; Martha M., born August 17, 1865; Janetta S., born September 9, 1867; Rosa, born November 29, 1871; William J., born September 16, 1875; Byron J., born October 7, 1877. Rosa and William died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover are members of the Wesleyan Methodist church. Politically, Mr. Hoover is a Republican, and has held office the greater part of the time since he became of age; has been township clerk, treasurer of school board, also secretary and mem- ber of the same; has been postmaster seven years. Alexander M. Wallace, one of the substantial farmers of Newton, was born September 10, 1837, in Goodrich, Huron county, Canada West, where he lived until 1857. He then went to California and resided there till 1862, being engaged in various occupations. He returned 434 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. home over the plains to Canada and was there about three months, when he went into the army of his adopted country and served in the quartermaster's department for three years. After the close of the war he came to Iowa and settled in Newton township, upon a farm of one hundred and forty-seven acres which he had purchased while in the army. This was unbroken prairie when Mr. Wallace came here; but by hard work he is now in pos- session of a pleasant home. Mr. Wallace is engaged in mixed farming, keeping quite a stock of cattle and hogs. Mr. Wallace was married November 7, 1867, to Miss Annie E. Powles, of Cono township. They have had five children — Annie I., born February 2, 1869; William M., born April 23, 1870; Agnes E., born May 7, 1872; Elma M., born June 18, 1875; George E., born July 26, 1879. Elma died February 14, 1877. Mrs. Wallace is a member of the Baptist church. Mr. Wallace in poli tics is a liberal Republican, He has been school director eight years, and is regarded by all as a most worthy citi- zen. William H. Moore, an early pioneer of Buchanan county, was born November 16, 1828, in Norfolk county, Canada West, where he lived till he was twenty nine years old. He was raised on a farm and followed the millwright occupation a few years, when he came west locating in Newton township on a farm of eighty acres, upon which he lived three years, then sold out and bought the farm on which we now find him. It contains three hundred and sixty acres of prairie, and fifty acres of timber land. This was wild land when Mr. Moore came here, but is now a very pleasant place. He built the house he resides in and surrounded it with a fine grove of Cottonwood and maple. Mr. Moore is engaged in general farming, keeps quite a large stock of cattle, horses, and hogs, and is considered one of Newton's prosperous farmers. He was married December 23, 1858, to Miss Isabel Wallace, of Goodrich, Huron county, Canada West. They have seven children — Lizzie, born December 25, 1859; William W., born September 29, 1S61; John A., born January 11, 1865; Howard, born January 10, 1869; Frederick A., born November 5, 1872; James H., born December 12, 1874; \\"illie, January 28, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Moore are members of the Baptist church. Politically Mr. Moore is a Republican, and has been school supervisor, though he has had no aspirations in the way of office. He has been Sunday-school super- intendent seven or eight years, and is a prominent citizen. John Crowder was born September 29, 1826, in the county of Durham, England, and emigrated to America in 1848, landing in Boston after a perilous voyage of five weeks. He at once went to Iowa county, Wiscon- sin, where he resided about eighteen months, being engaged in the lead mines. He then went, by the over- land route, to California, being engaged there as a miner for four years. He then returned to Dubuque county, Iowa, where he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which he cultivated until 1864. He then crossed the plains again, going to Idaho, thence to British Col- umbia, from there to Montana, then back to Iowa, com- ing by boat from Fort Benton to Sioux City, a distance of two thousand miles. Mr. Crowder came to Buchanan county in 1870, and settled in Newton township upon a farm of two hundred acres of partially improved land, which has been changed to a high state of cultivation by the hard work of Mr. Crowder. He was married, De- cember 20, 1854, to Miss Mary Liddle, of Dubuque county. They have ten children — Frank E., born Sep- tember 22, 1854; Charles N., September 21, 1857; Laura A., July 10, i860; Minnie M., February 18, 1863; Ida H., September 4, 1867; Ella E., February 21, 1870; Harvey J., June 25, 1872; Lizzie M., October 23, 1874; Mamie I., March 7, 1877; Roy G., August 12, 1880. Politically Mr. Crowder is a firm Republican and ever has been since the organization of the party. He has held several offices; has been township assessor, also school director, and is a good citizen. Charles Hoover, jr., one of the early residents of Buchanan county, was born in Harrison county, Ohio, where he lived till he was seven years of age, when he came west with his parents and settled in Newton town- ship. He has always followed farming as an occupation with the exception of three years of army life. He en- listed August 4, 1862, in the Twenty-seventh Iowa in- fantry, and was sent to Minnesota against the Indians; though he remained there but three weeks, when he went to Memphis, Tennessee. He was a participant in some of the hardest engagements of the Rebellion — was with Sherman on his raid to Holly Springs, also at Little Rock and Meridian and on the Red River expedition under General Smith. Mr. Hoover was wounded on this expedition, and carries a rebel ball in his body, even to this day. He was sent to the hospital at Jefferson Barracks, thence to Keokuk, where he remained eight months, then returned to his regiment, and was present at the capture of Mobile. He was mustered out of ser- vice August 8, 1865, and returned to Iowa. His farm contains one hundred and sixty acres of good land. He was married February 14, 1866, to Miss Susan Curtis, of Independence. They have four children — Frank W., born July 22, 1869; Jesse B., March 29, 1873; Arthur L., April 24, 1877; Flora A., October 14, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover are members of the Wesleyan Method- ist church. In politics Mr. Hoover is a Republican, and is well spoken of by his neighbors. \Villiam Bruce was born in August, 18 19, in Scotland, and emigrated to America in 1849, landing in New York. He went to Oriskany, Oneida county, New York, where he lived three years, engaged in a factory. He then moved to Elgin, Illinois, and continued to work in a woollen factory for three years ; then emigrated to Iowa, settling in Delaware county, where he bought three hundred and twenty acres of raw prairie. Mr. Bruce built a house and made many other improvements, residing there three years. After several removals and changes of occupation, in all of which he seems to have been fairly successful, he came to Newton township, about the year 1870, and purchased the farm on which he now resides, which con- tains one hundred and eighty acres of excellent land. He is engaged in general farming, has a pleasant home, and is evidently doing well. Mr. Bruce was married in HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. 435 1846 to Miss Ellen Scott, of Scotland. They have had seven children — Eliza, born August 24, 1848; Andrew, July II, 1850; Jenette, March 7, 1855; Margaret, July 7, 1858; Robert, March 17, i860; William, November 9, 1861; George, August 18, 1864. Jenette and Robert are deceased. Politically, Mr. Bruce is a Republican, and is highly esteemed. James S. Brewer was born February 13, 1831, in Ohio, where he remained till he was about three years of age, when his parents settled in Will county, Illinois, where he resided till 1856, being engaged in various occupa- tions. He then came to Iowa, and settled in Newton township, upon a farm with his uncle, John Carpenter, and lived with him one year, when he began life by him- self, and rented a farm for four years in the same town- ship. At the expiration of this time he purchased a farm of forty acres and tilled it one year, when he enlisted in the Twentieth Iowa infantry, in the fall of 1862. He was a participant in many of the severest engagements of the war, went through the siege of Vicksburgh, and was at Fort Morgan, and at the capture of Mobile, besides many other engagements. He was mustered out of the service in July, in 1865, and returned at once to Iowa and began farming, which occupation he has followed ever since, residing upon the farm he had purchased previous to his army life, till 1872, w^hen he bought the place he now occupies, adjoining the old farm. Mr. Brewer was married in 1850 to Miss Eliza Carpenter, of Joliet, Illi- nois. They have had eight children — Elvis A, born Sep- tember 7, 1853; William A., November 4, 1856; Emma, November 28, 1858; Annie, May 6, 1861; John E., May 5, 1866; Sarah B., April 2, 1868; Ida, September 27, 187 1; James, March 30, 1875. Ida died when about three years old. Mr. and Mrs. Brewer are members of the Protestant Methodist church. Politically, Mr. Brewer is a Republican; has been school commissioner, and is a good citizen. John A. Berry was born November 28, i860, in New- ton township, and has ever since resided here. He is an active and enterprising young man, and enjoys the good wishes of all for future success in life. Nathan Holman, one of the early pioneers of Buchan- an county, was born July 10, 1810, in Woodford county, Kentucky, where he lived till he was seventeen years old, when he moved to Lawrence county, Indiana, in compa- ny with his parents; resided there eighteen years and then went to Monroe county, of the same State. He tended ferry for seven years at Salt creek, in Fairfax. He then emigrated west, locating in Iowa, Linn county, living there but a few months, when he removed to Buchanan county, Newton township, and settled upon a farm of three hundred and twenty acres of excellent land. Mr. Holman was married March 26, 1835, to Miss Martha Owens, of Lawrence county, Indiana. They have had thirteen children — Isaac N., born March 23, 1836; Mary F., July II, 1837; Stephen, December 20, 1839; Zerel- da, November 15, 1841; Amanda, February 27, 1843; Henry, December i, 1845; Susannah, February 18, 1847; Mahala, June 9, 1849; Julian, June 20, 1851; Nathaniel T., July 26, 1853; Martha J., April 20, 1855; Sarah C; Mertie (an adopted child), and Daniel. Mr. and Mrs. Holman are members of the Christian church. In poli- tics Mr. Holman is a firm Greenbacker, and is a sound man. George A. Elliott, one of the substantial men of New- ton township, was born December 15, 1845, in Shelby county, Indiana, where he lived till he was three years of age, when his family went to Howard county. There he lived till he was seventeen, when he enlisted in the Sixtieth Indiana regiment. Mr. Elliott was a participant in many of the hard fought battles of the south; was through the siege of Vicksburgh, at Arkansas Post, and in many other engagements. He was mustered out of the service in March, 1865, and at once came to Iowa, where, after a few temporary locations, he settled in Newton township upon the farm where we now find him most pleasantly situated. His farm contains one hundred and eighty-four acres of good land. - He built the house he now occupies and is well located. Mr. El- liott married Miss Indiana Evland, of Waverly, March i, 1866. They have five children: Katie, born January 5, 1867; William H., born September i, 1869; Evelyn, born January 25, 1871; Rufus O., born September i, 1872; James J., born February 28, 1876. Evelyn died when about eleven months old. Politically, Mr. Elliott is a firm Republican and ever has been. He has held several offices; has been secretary of school board, also director, and is regarded as a most worthy citizen by all who know him. John Carpenter, one of the oldest residents of Buchanan county, was born in Herkimer county. New York. He came to Iowa about twenty years ago and entered the farm upon which his widow now lives. It contains two hundred and forty acres of excellent land, though it was wild prairie when Mr. Carpenter came here, but by hard and industrious work he succeeded in creating a pleasant home in what was a wilderness a few years before. He married Mrs. Polly Williams, of New York, June 25, 1869. Mr. Carpenter died in November 1873. He was highly esteemed by all who knew him, being regarded as a most worthy citizen by his fellow townsmen. He left a wife and two children to mourn his loss. The names of the children are: George, born July 13, 1871, and John A., born July 31, 1873. John died in infancy. We very much regret being unable to give a long sketch of this most worthy man. Joseph E. Fay was born April 30, 1839, in Lima, Al- len county, Ohio, where he lived till he was fifteen years of age, when he came west with his parents and settled in Linn county, Iowa, residing there till 1868, when he moved to Newton township, upon the farm where he now lives. It contains two hundred acres of good land. It was raw prairie when Mr. Fay came here. He built the house he now occupies and planted the seed for the beautiful grove surrounding it. He has also a thrifty or- chard. Mr. Fay is an energetic and prosperous farmer. He was married December 30, 1865, to Miss Eliza Me- lindy, of Linn county. They have had six children, four of whom are living: Orange E., born November 18, 1866; John H., born January 11, 1868; Howard W., 436 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA. born March 19, 1869; Minnie E., born November 14, 1871; Edith B., born June 25, 1873; William D., born May 4, 1877. Minnie and Edith died in infancy. Po- litically, Mr. Fay is a sound Republican. He is a self- made man, and through his energy and industry has se- cured a comfortable property, and is regarded as a most worthy citizen. James Ironside, an old resident and a well known man, was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, February 2, 1823. He emigrated to America in 1834, and landed in Quebec. He remained in Canada till 1855, residing in three or four different places, and pursuing various oc- cupations, in all of which he was successful. He oper- ated a last factory several years in Dundas, and gained a wide reputation as a business man. He also manufac- tured materials for boots and shoes in connection with his last business. He was grand master of the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows' lodge of that place for many years. Mr. Ironside came to this township and located here in 1855. He entered a quarter section of land at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. He now owns six hundred and fifty acres and is one of the leading farmers of the county. The prairie was wild and settlers were few in 1855. Deer and wolves w-ere numerous. Mr. Ironside met bravely all the trials of pioneer life, and is now prosperous and happy. His home is a beau- tiful one, built by himself His house is finely situated, and is surrounded by a very pretty grove. He has an orchard of three acres. Mr. Ironside keeps a large stock of cattle, hogs and horses, and is a model farmer. He was married November 29, 1850, to Miss Matilda Tyke, at Hope, Canada West. She was born March 22, 1834. They have eleven children living, one deceased. Their names are: Matilda E., born September 13, 1851 ; Mar- garet A., born February 10, 1856; George, born Novem- ber 29, 1857; Ellen M., born March 15, 1859; Edwin J., born October 15, 1861; Janet A., born January 7, 1865; Elizabeth, born July 17, 1867; William W., born June 17, 1871; Charles J., born August 11, 1873; James H., born December 5, 1874; Edith M., born May 10, 1877; Lily, born December 3, 1878. Charles J. died in early infancy. Mrs. Ironside is a devout member of the Episcopal church. Mr. Ironside is a sound Democrat, and is respected far and wide. He is one of the sub- stantial men of the county; has been township treasurer seven years, and has held other offices. He possesses the sterling qualities of honesty and worth, characteristic of his countrymen. William J. Dunn, one of the oldest residents of this county, was born in County Derry, North Ireland, Novem- ber 6, 1832. He came to this county in 1837 with his mother, his father having come two years previously. After landing in New York they went to McHenry county, Illi- nois, where he lived until 1850. His family was the first to settle in Hartland, McHenry county. In 1850 he came to this State with his father, P. M. Dunn, and settled in Mid- dlefield township. Mr. W. J. Dunn began work for himself at the age of twenty-two, and was engaged in breaking prairie, buying stock and running a reaping machine for ten or eleven years on his own account, although he made his home with his father until 1864. In 1867 Mr. Dunn bought the farm on which he is now living. He owns two hundred and sixty acres of excellent land. The first house he built was destroyed by fire in 1879. He then built a fine residence upon the old site. Mr. Dunn keeps cattle, horses, hogs and sheep, and does a prosperous business. He was married September 6, 1867, to Miss Catharine Gleason, who was born in County Clare, Ireland, February 8, 1842. They have had six children, four of whom are living. Their names are: William J. born May 13, 1868; Michael J., born July 13, 1869, died March 12, 1871; Anna M., born Novem- ber 9, 1870; Michael J., born July 15, 1875, died Au- gust 5, 1876; Charles, born January 13, 1877; Blanche C. E., born December 25, 1880. Mr. Dunn and wife are Catholics. Mr. Dunn is a Republican. He has held several township offices, such as assessor, clerk, school director, etc., thus showing that he is held in high es- teem by his fellow-citizens. Reuben C. Walton, well known as an old settler, was born in Champaign county, Ohio, December 13, 1824. When twenty years of age he settled in Linn county, Iowa, renting a farm for three years, at the expiration of which time he came to Buchanan county and entered two hundred acres of wild prairie in this township. He built his house and made all of the improvements him- self He lived upon his first farm twenty-five years, when he sold out and bought his present place of resi- dence. He has eighty acres of excellent land, and is en- gaged in mixed farming. Mr. Walton helped raise the house of Joseph Austin, the first that was built in this township. He experienced all the hardships incident to the early pioneers. He came from Ohio with an ox team, his cash capital being only eleven dollars and ten cents. He has succeeded in building up a pleasant home for himself in his old age. ;\Ir. Walton was mar- ried September 8, 1842, to Miss Sarah McClure, of Al- len county, Ohio. She was born December 29, 1837. They have had thirteen children: Olive G., born Sep- tember II, 1844; James A., born October 11, 1846 (de- ceased); Cynthia H., born November 28, 1848; Samuel J., born September 20, 1850; William, born November 16, 1852; George C, born November 8, 1854; Mary A., born February 4, 1856; Maria J., born January 2, 1858; Leonard, born September 10, 1861; Alice M., born March 4, 1864 (deceased); Edith A., born January 6, 1867; Frankie E., born February 15, 1869 (deceased); Catharine E., born February 7, 187 1. James was in the First Iowa cavalry, and died at Little Rock, Arkansas. Mr. and Mrs. AValton belong to the Christian church. Mr. Walton is a liberal Democrat. He has been justice, constable, school director, etc., and is regarded as a most worthy man by his fellow citizens of Newton township. John H. Swayze was born in Warren county. New Jer- sey, May 4, 18 16, and resided there until he was six- teen years of age. At this time (in 1832) his migrations commenced. He lived in New York, Ohio, Michigan, and in several different parts of Iowa, suffering many vicissitudes of fortune, but showing great perseverance in all, and often plucking snccess from the very jaws of CO 5 m o >- s; CO -^ o 1 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IO^VA. 437 defeat. Finally, about the year 1S67, he moved to New- ton township, where he had previously bought a farm. He purchased three hundred and twenty acres of wild prairie, built a house, and made many improvements, living on his farm ten years, and then returned to Linn county, his present residence. He is most pleasantly situated, and still keeps his old farm in Newton township. He has one hundred and ninety acres in Linn county and thirty-four in Delaware. He rents the most of his land. He is prosperous and happy, and enjoys the re- sults of his long labor and many privations. He was married Noveinber 25, 1844, to Miss Ann Jenette Dewey, of Oakland county, Michigen. She was born January 13, 1827. They have had eight children, six of whom are living. Their names are: Marion, born Octo- ber 23, 1845; Creen, born July 4, 1S47; Seemon, born May 16, 1849; Mary, born May 29, 1850; Emma, born August 29, 1853; Marshall J., born June 7, 1857; Lucy H., born April 14, i860; Ann Jenette, born October 22, 1864. Of these, Marion died in September, 1847, and Ann Jenette July 28, 1878. Mrs. Swayze was formerly a member of the Baptist church, and was one of the first members of the church at Anamosa. Politically, Mr. Swayze is a sound Democrat He is highly esteemed as a self-made man and a worthy citizen. James Richardson was born in Bennington county, Vermont, February 28, 1827. He resided there until about twenty-eight years of age, and then came west and settled in Newton township. He entered one hundred and si.xty acres of Government land, at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. He has made additions, and has now three hundred and twenty acres of good prairie; also fifty acres of timber. He lived in a log house six or seven years, and then made his present residence, a large and beautiful house. He is doing a prosperous farming business. He was married February 19, 1855, to Miss Almira D. Blanchard, of Bennington county, Vermont. They have had ten children, eight of whom are living. Their names are; Herbert, born February 6, 1856; Nathan, born December 16, 1857; Mary J., born February 6, i860; Bedia A., born February 24, 1862; Ellen AL, born September 3, 1865; Julietta, born De- cember 19, 1868; Orin, born April 6, 1871; Edith P., born April 5, 1856; and two sons who died in infancy. Mary and Bedia are also deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Rich- ardson are members of the Methodist Protestant church. In politics Mr. Richardson is a strong Republican. He has held several offices, such as justice, trustee, etc. He has been the architect of his own fortune, his entire fortune, at twenty-one, being his bible. John Burgoyne Potter was born in Canandaigua, On- tario county, New York, July 27, 1827. He was a son of John B. and Susannah Potter. His father died at Rockport, New York, April 16, 1837. He was a Bap- tist mtflister of considerable note, and one of the found- ers of the Rockport college. His mother is at this writ- ing living in ALirion, Linn county, Iowa. His home for quite a while after his father's death was wherever he could obtain employment. Though but ten years old he began at once to support himself and mother. He per- severed and fought against poverty till he found himself the owner of three acres of land. On this he erected a house and presented his mother with a home. When this was accomplished he packed his trunk and on the twentieth day of May, 1846, he started for the west. He went to Michigan as a farm hand. Finally he worked for an interest in his crops. This proved a profitable under- taking. With this remuneration, together with his previ- ous accumulation, he purchased some land in Oakland county in 1853. This he sold a few months afterwards for eight hundred dollars, being an advance of two hun- dred dollars on what he paid. The same year he visited his brother, Dr. Joseph B. Potter, whom he had not seen for twenty years. He resided in Canal Winchester, Franklin county, Ohio. At his solicitation Mr. J. B. Potter came to Iowa on a prospecting tour, which re- sulted in his making this State his future home. He immediately returned to Michigan and prepared to emi- grate to this county. On the sixteenth day of January, 1854, he married Miss Charlotte Halstead, and, on the seventeenth, he, in company with his wife, mother and sister, started in a two-horse lumber wagon for Iowa. They arrived at Quasqueton the fourteenth day of Feb- ruary, 1854. He erected a house on section twenty-two in Newton township, but soon afterwards sold it and pur- chased one hundred and twenty acres in section twenty- six, Jackson township, Linn county. This farm being situated at a cross roads, and considered a convenient place for a post office, he was duly appointed postmaster, the office being known as Ford's Grove. Their nearest market was Dubuque, ninety miles distant. Sometimes grain would be so low that the expense of hauling would e.xceed the money it brought. In 1857 he exchanged his farm for the one where he now resides in Newton township, containing at that time only one hundred and forty-five acres. He has since added to his possessions till he now owns six hundred acres of choice land, under good cultivation. He has a beautiful and convenient home. His farm is admirably adapted to stock breed- ing, in which he is extensively engaged. Mr. Potter is a public-spirited man, and has served his township in dif- ferent capacities; such as justice of the peace, township clerk, county supervisor, etc., and has always taken an active part in the agricultural society since its organiza- tion. He has the honor of being the first to introduce thoroughbred short horns into his township, which en- terprise has been followed very successfully by some of his neighbors, as well as himself. Mr. Potter's family consists of himself, wife and three sons — Joseph Ben- jamin, born in Linn county, April 22, 1855; Truman Judson, born April 11, 1S58, and John Hiram, born May 6, 1 86 1. Life of James A. Garfield, BY A. G. RTDDLE. CHAPTER I. BIRTH AND EARLY INCIDENTS. The Generations of llie Garfields. — The Mother Birth. — Loss of His Father. — The Home. — Eagerness for Boolts. — Case vs. a Schoolmas- ter. — Rape of a Lock. — What Eliza Thought. — Growth and Size. — A Dream of the Sea. — Repulse by a Lake Captain. — Begins on the Tow-path. — Promotion. — First Fight. — How the Second was not Fought. — Reflection and Return. — Overhears His Mother's Prayer. — An Ague Cake. Great men rarely, perhaps never, appear under similar circumstances. A man and woman under common con- ditions, and yet marked with minor variations, wed, and a genius is born of them. The vulgar observers of his advent look to see it repeated from other twos, under similar conditions. So men who observe something mean or common in the early years of a great man's life usual- ly attribute his success to that. In the boyhood of General Garfield, he drove the horses that dragged a canal-boat on an Ohio canal one or two trips, and his biographers have usually set this forth as the leading event of his youth, and as quite all that is known of him, and this is supposed to have given the bent and impetus which launched hirp on the world as one of the great men of his time. The birth of a great man is a thing of accident to the parents, and this enhances the wonder in the eyes of men. Nature has no accidents, nor is she surprised at her own work. All are equally prepared for and of equal importance to her. It matters not whether we say Providence had certain results to work out, and prepared a specially endowed man for its accomplishment, or that certain particles of organic matter — protoplasm — have certain properties, which flowing along the vital channels, gathering and losing as they flow, unite, when those channels coincide, with a certain result. The ordinary incidents of human life push the ordinary man along the usual courses. He does the common work of life, works their processes, because he has the power to do it. because he can do no other. The same incidents push the extraordinarily-endowed man along the same avenues, and he grapples with the unusual, the extraordinary, and both lives are necessary results of natural causes. A herd of men, strangers to each other, enter the Am- erican house of representatives. Two or three, half a dozen, go sooner or later to the lead, become creators and directors, because it is in them to do that work. The rest are led, because it is in them to be conducted by the others. What has produced the difference, and whence was derived the leading elements and qualities of the men, is the problem. In the instance with which I am to deal I shall not attempt its solution. I can only hint at scanty antece- dents. We know that much, many unusual qualities, went to the making up of the subject of this sketch. Just what they antecedently were, and how they were united in his production, is a matter of the vaguest speculation. The conditions of such an inquiry are not in our hands, and the science which should guide it is of the unborn. Some popular delusions must vanish in reference to him. He did not grow up a stalwart, unlettered, good- natured Orson of the wood, nursed by a bear till seven- teen or eighteen, and then under sudden inspiration rush through school and college in an intellectual rage, rav- ishing from the sciences their sweets and secrets, drawing from books their blood and souls, and devouring and assimilating teachers and professors. Most men who become remarkable finally, have a kind of mythology constructed about their obscure early years. All the curious things of fact or fancy in the region where they live are conferred on them. General Garfield is an eminent example of this fortune, and the busy hand of fiction is supplementing the natural growth with works of its own. One tradition assigns the origin of the Garfields to Wales, and mainly on the ground of the similarity of the name to that of a venerable ruin in that country. The LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. better opinion is that they are of Saxon descent. The family had its seat at Tuddington, Middlesex county, as early as the twelfth century. The crest of the house is a heart, with a hand rising out of it, grasping a sword. The legend, vincit amor pa/rue. The name is inscribed on the roll of Battle Abbey, as that of a crusader, which the arms are said to indicate. The family first appeared in this country at Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, of which Edward Garfield was one of the proprietors, and where he died in 1672. He had a son, Edward, who became the father of Captain Ben- jamin Garfield, a very conspicuous man, who represented Watertown many years in the general court, and died in 1 7 1 7. One of his sons was Lieutenant Thomas Garfield, who bore on the tide of descent, imparting it to a son Thomas, who, in turn, became the father of a Solomon Garfield. Solomon comes within lingual reach of the gen- eral, being his great-grandfather. He also had a brother, Abraham, who fought at Concord and Lexington, and joined with John Hoar and John Whitehead in a deposi- tion, proving that the British fired the first gun of the war. This Solomon married Sarah Stimson, and pushed off for the wooded hills of Otsego, New York, where his son Thomas was born. His wife, when he grew to have one, was Aseneath Hill, of Sharon. To these were born Abram Garfield, father of the general, and Thomas, ot Newburgh, Ohio. Abram was a man of heroic proportions, endowed with marvelous physical strength; one of those large- souled, generous-hearted men who, notwithstanding they might overcome by weight and strength, nevertheless win by the sweetness and richness of their natures. Many legends exist of his great strength. A laboring man, all his implements and tools had to be of a corresponding si/'e and weight; ^nd, though, the best-natured man in the world, his courage matched his strength, and on more than one occasion he employed it in resisting others. Once on the Ohio canal, where he had a large job, and was living with his young wife, a gang of hands, the roughs of a neighboring job, led by two bullies, the terror of the whole line, came to get up a row with his men. At the first demonstration of these leaders he sprang upon and overcame them effectually ere their fel- lows came to their aid, and thus secured peace. He was from that moment the acknowledged monarch of the line of work, and ruled generously. Abram had a half-brother, Amos Boynton, his mother's son by another husband, whose fortunes were connected with his. At the foot of Mount Monadnock, in New Hampshire, lived a brother of Hosea Ballou, and of this family were two daughters, Eliza and a sister. Highly endowed in- tellectually, reared with the care and circumspection of New England, with its thrift and prudent economies, these sisters became the wives of these brothers, Eliza wedding with Abram. Of these two — this grandly- formed, large-natured, large-souled, kindly man, and this slight, intellectual, spirited, high-souled, and pious woman — was born James A., their fourth and last child, and ninth in descent from Edward, of Watertown — born to the heart and sword of the Crusader. The event oc- curred in the woods of Orange, Cuyahoga county, No- vember 19, 1 83 1. A picture of the humble dwelling in which our hero was born may be seen on the following page. It has a rustic look. Although long since torn down and removed, it can be relied upon as a faithful representation of General Garfield's birthplace, as it was drawn from a full description given by Mr. Garfield him- self. BIRTHPLACE OF GENER.AL GARFIELD. After the canal job, the brothers took their families to make for them permanent homes in Orange, built their cabins near each other, and, save one, there was then no human habitation within six miles of them. The Gar- fields were alive with a generous ambition to win more than a bare subsistence. The implements of work were to be the weapons with which to conquer labor, and not whips in the hands of necessity to scourge them as the slaves of toil. Work, hard, long continued, and unre- mitting, to make a home of intelligence and virtue for their children, and, with the leisure and opportunity, for better, culture for themselves. The forest rapidly yielded to the eight-pound axe of Garfield. In time an exten- sive field, surrounded by the woods, was ripening its wheat in the summer sun. A fire in the forest threatened its destruction. By a desperate exercise of strength and activity the crop was saved. The overtaxed man, over- come by heat, sat in the cool wind, and contracted a vio- lent sore throat. A quack came, placed a blister upon it, and the strong man was strangled. He only said, "Eliza, I have planted four saplings in these woods. I BlRTH AND EARLY INCIDENTS. leave them in your care." He walked to the window, called his faithful oxen by name, and died. When the earth was placed over him, the battle of life for Eliza began. The eldest child was a stout lad of ten. The first work was to complete the unfinished fence, to protect the wheat. The rails for this were split by the slender Eliza, and the two laid them up. The land was unpaid for. Food was to be won from the earth. At his father's death, James was less than two years old; the second and third children were daughters. The eldest inherited his father's generous and devoted nature in large measure. With him, till he was thirty years of age, there was but one purpose in life, — to help his mother, and do all within his power for his sisters and younger brother. The Garfields and Boyntons, isolated from others, by neighborhood, education, and habits of life, were greatly dependent on each other for society, and grew up almost one family. The young Boyntons, as the Garfields, espe- cially the daughters and James, were of quick parts and great intelligence. They had between them a few books. They generally managed to have a school at least during the winters. So far as the future statesman was con- cerned, instead of growing up untutored until the divine frenzy seized him, he became a good reader when he was three years old, and could almost repeat the contents of some of the volumes at his command, at an age when the children of to-day are thought first eligible to the alphabet. Eliza knew her responsibility, and entered upon the task of his education. He early made great proficiency, and the man who fancies that the stupidity of his son is the counterpart of the child or boyhood of General Garfield is sadly misinformed on a vital matter. So emulous were the young people that, mastering all the branches taught in their early schools, they annoyed and worried their teachers about studies and lessons, and with questions quite beyond their reach. At an early day, and when James was advanced enough to take part in it, they established among themselves a class of critics, to examine and determine the accuracy of the use and pronunciation of words and the construction of sen- tences. To this class and its critical labors General Garfield expresses his obligation for the habit of care- fully scanning the use of words, and their arrangement in sentences and paragraphs, written or spoken. His cousin Harriet and himself associated the most in their literary labors. .Somewhere they came across a volume of tales of the sea, — some kind of "Pirates' Own Book," — with which they became fascinated. They went over with the worn, but never worn-out, stories, till the young boy's imagination took fire, and he read and dreamed a boy's impossible career on the ocean. Some vein of a love of roving sea-life and adventure had come to him with his other gifts from some Norse ancestor, — ■ some old viking, — which this book kindled, and which has never quite burned out or been extinguished. What came of it may be seen later. His father and mother had early become interested in the religious movement on the Reserve, which resulted in the organization of the Disciple churches, and this gave to her maternal care and admonition the religious sanc- tion of her convictions of duty and destiny. A woman of spirit, with a capacity to manage and control children; to all a mother's solicitude and anxieties was added some apprehension on account of James, a frank, natural, tender-hearted, loving boy. Every fibre of his large frame was redolent of a love of fun, and not without a spirit of mischief, while his eldest cousin, Boynton, was the embodiment of ingenious hectoring. There was one notable winter, in which the boys convicted a teacher, in the then populous district, of incapacity to parse a sentence of ordinary English. They agitated against him, demanded his expulsion, and made so clear and strong a case on him that a school-meeting was called of the patrons, before which they appeared as prosecutors, and sustained their charges. Despite the popular voice, he managed to retain his place, and most of the scholars, with the Boyntons and Garfields, were withdrawn. These were in the habit of holding their lyceum debates and other exercises in the school-house each week. To pre- vent this, the door was locked against them. Boys, under such circumstances, show as little respect for locks as does love. The youths held their meetmg inside the house as usual. A man was dispatched to Cleveland, twelve or fourteen miles, for another lock, which was out of the way in time. Never was there such a door or such locks, though, doubtless, the world is full of such boys. At the fifth and last of these failures of the locks, careful Mrs. Eliza discovered that the handle of her fire- shovel showed marks of a strange usage, and there is a tradition that the new-fallen snow retained the imprint of a foot — of two feet — that always turned back to her house as home. The good woman was greatly disturbed. She still looks grave at every reference to that magical school-house door. James escaped Middle Creek and Chickamauga, the greater perils of Congress, but expia- tion may still be required for the "rape of a lock." He largely inherited the proportions, strength and per- sonal qualities of his father, and in the open-air life, active exercise, simple fare, and regular habits of such a boy, he grew rapidly, and at sixteen was a full-blooded, rollicking, spirited, light-hearted boy, living and growing. LIFE OF JAMFS A. GARFIELD. Though quick-witted, with considerable power of mimicry, more exercised than now, we can fancy him a very green- looking boy, with the untrained, uncouth ways of the youth of the country of that day. One would like to know what he thought of himself Of couse, he sometimes looked in the glass, where he met a broad, round, laughing, richly florid face, laughing blue eyes, expressive of little but animal good nature. What did he think of that immense head? Of course, he tried on the hats of other boys — of men — and could get it into none of them. Did he ever think of that? Did he all the time carry around that callow mass of brain, without a suspicion of what it might become? Did he think he was like other boys — one of the common sort to work and play, be kind, love mother, sister, brother, cousins, especially cousin Harriet; chop wood and clear land, hoe corn, dig potatoes, run and jump, throw down all the boys, live and vegetate in Orange — hilhest and remotest of townships — with no thought or suspicion to the coming? The mule carries alike a sack of coals, a casket of gems, or precious gums, as a horse bears a clown or prince, not knowing the dif- ference. A boy is not a mule — is something better than a horse. When does it dawn upon a man of remarkable parts, not that he is unlike others — every one feels his unlikeness to his fellow.s — but that he has parts in excess of others. The fool, perhaps, always thinks that. I am not dealing with a fool. A man is as much of a mystery and a revelation to himself as others. It is probably best that impending superiority be hidden from young mor- tals of the male species. His principal business — whatever his ultimate destiny — of these years, was to live and grow strong and healthy. Growing wise was not then in order. It never becomes so to the mass apparently. He was to strengthen and develop, broaden and deepen; must be wide in the shoul- ders, deep in the chest, straight in loin, strong and straight in leg and thigh, with immense lung and heart power. The base of the brain was of more consequence then; no matter what Humphrey Marshall, Senator Lamar, or Judge Kelley might severally be doing in those years, it was his business to grow; by and by he will ripen, and at an early day, for use. And so, in his sixteenth year, in the spring, he went to Newburgh to chop one hundred cords of wood — I don't know vthat he w-as to receive for it. It is not of the least consequence whether it was twenty or twenty-five dollars. It was not money that was of the chief use to him, though he worked for it. From the margin of the wood where was his work, there was an outlook of the wide lake, on which under the deep blue of the March and April sky, went the White-winged ships, Day by day there to the North was the bright ridge of slaty-blue, "the high seas" of the books. It was like the sea of which he had always dreamed. It was the sea, and there were ships and sailors and sailor-boys. All the latent longings of his nature, quickened and fed by his childish reading, were aroused. Here lay the sea beckoning to him. Here he would begin and master the rudiments, — a funny idea for a boy at his age, this of thoroughness of begin- ning at the bottom. When he had mastered these fields of fresh water, he would go and take the boundless ocean, — that which is itself the boundary. And so he chopped and split and piled his hundred cords of wood, pausing to gaze and sigh and resolve. He was to be a sailor, not "a fisher of men." In one of these mysteri- ous coming and going, never staying, weird phantoms of the blue, he would come and go, toss and beat, and see the far-off regions of the east, which lay in his ardent imagination like colored bubbles or painted dreams, only he knew they were real. And over the wide Pacific, the world of sundown seas and living islands, these should rise out of the blue and come to meet him, and his feet should tread their shores. All this should be his; and thus he dreamed as he chopped and piled his wood. He afterwards hired out to a Mr. Treat during the haying and harvesting season, and still dreamed of the sea. With his small earnings, putting by the persuasions and entreaties of his mother, he made his way to Cleve- land to begin at the bottom and work up. In the harbor he found but a single vessel which he thought he would like to go on. To that he made his way, stepped lightly up the gangway, and asked eagerly for the captain; was told that he was below, but would be on deck in a minute. He had never, save in dreams and pictures, seen a cap- tain, a poetic hero, a cross of angel and pirate, in feather and spangles, — instead of which there stepped on deck a hardened, red-faced, brutal wretch, half drunk. He was evidently in a towering rage. The nascent rover of the blue modestly asked him if he wanted a hand. The enraged brute turned and poured upon him his pent wrath in curses, oaths, and made no other answer. The men on deck heard this with illy suppressed chuckles. The poor boy, struck dumb, endured one minute of dis- tressed awkward silence, which seemed an age before he could recover and walk away. So far from curing him of his sea longing, it strength- ened and gave it a new direction, or rather, it suggested a new and the true mode of the entrance upon his ca- reer. The captain's treatment showed him that he was too young and green to become a sailor without some initiatory process. In turning the matter over in his mind, the canal presented itself as the true starting-point, BIRTH AND EARLY INCIDENTS. and from the canal he would graduate to the lake, and so flow out to the ocean. On the canal the lowest point was that of driver. For this post he would compete. To a canal-boat he went. The first boat he applied to wanted a driver, and he secured the situation. Poor boy ! Had his career ended with that trip, as it came near doing, not a woman but would weep for his fate. He had not the faintest idea of sw imming, and knew noth- ing of water, save as a beverage, and occasionally to wash hands in. On that first and most important tour he fell in- to the canal fourteen times, and had fourteen miraculous escapes from drowning. After all he showed his quality, and on return to port, the end of his first and last round trip as driver from Cleveland to Beaver, he was promoted from the tow-path to the deck, as bowsman. This brought a new experience. On his second trip he had his first fight. While in motion, he stood on deck, with a "set- ting-pole" on his shoulder, some twenty feet from Dave, a great, good-natured, hulking boatman, with a quick temper, with whom he was on good terms. The boat gave a lurch, the pole was sent with violence in the di- rection of Dave, and reached him before the warning cry. It struck him midships. Garfield expressed his sorrow promptly. Dave turned upon the luckless boy with curses, and threatened to thrash him. Garfield knew he was innocent even of carelessness. The threat of flogging by a heavy man of thirty-five roused the hot Garfield and Ballou blood. Dave rushed upon him with his head down, like an enraged bull. As he came on, Garfield sprang to one side, and dealt him a power- ful blow just back of and under the left ear. Dave went to the bottom of the boat with his head between two beams, and his now heated foe went after him, seized him by the throat, and lifted the same clenched hand — the left — for another buffet. "Pound the d — d fool to death, Jim !" called the appreciative captain. "If he haint no more sense than to get mad at an accident, he orto die." And as the youth hesitated — "Why don't you strike?" D — n me if I'll interfere." He could not. The man was down, helpless, in his power. Father, as well as mother, stayed the blow. Dave expressed regret at his rage. Garfield gave him his hand, and they were better friends than ever. The victory gave him as much prestige along the canal as that accorded him through the North for thrashing Humphrey Marshall at Middle Creek. The general says that not long after he came near being thrashed himself, and for cause deemed sufficient by the interna- tional code of the canal. At a certain distance each way from either gate of a lock is set what is called a "distance- post." If it happens that two boats approach a lock at the same time, the one that first reaches his distance- post has the first use of the lock, and the other must lie to and wait. The bowsman who violates this rule of reasonable law does so at the peril of immediate war. At a lonely place in the canal one night, Garfield's boat and one from the other way approached a lock at the same time. The other reached his distance-post first. In an instant's rashness, Garfield, disregarding the other's rights, dashed on, opened the lock-gates at his end, and thus took possession of it. The insult was appreciated. The rival bowsman, a burly infuriated Irishman, leaped from his boat and made for his foe, illuminating his approach with a shower of Irish threats and curses. Being in for it, Garfield awaited his approach, leaning against the gate with seeming coolness, replying not a word. When the enraged man had approached within a few feet, the youth, in a commanding voice and manner, ordered him to halt then and there, on peril of being instantly awfully whipped. The audacity of taking the lock, the coolness and authority of this command, the height of the young man, looming on the amazed sight of the enemy, arrested his ajjproach, and he contented himself with announcing certain punishment for any future outrage of the kind, and the boats passed. The general admits that his conduct in the first instance was the rashest folly, and in disregard of duty. In the second, it seemed the best way out of a difficulty. He was but sixteen. '■■ Garfield himself attributes his early abandonment of the canal and the change of his cherished plans to a combination of circumstances, which, though more nu- merous, resolve themselves to two — his mother and the ague. The memory of his tributes to Neptune in the muddy waters of the canal lingered in his boyish mind, with the refrain, "It might have been." He had taken one of his many tumbles into the mud, and grasped the dangling end of a drag-rope which hung over the stern. It seems to have been in the night. Hand over hand he sought to pull himself from the water, too deep tor him; and hand over hand it paid out, giving him not the least help. His position became perilous. Himself be- came alarmed, as he struggled seemingly more and more helplessly. Finally the rope became fixed, and lent itself to his aid, and he drew himself on board. Curious to know the cause of its mysterious conduct, he found on examination that it lay in a loose coil, and in running over the edge of the boat, in his grasp, it had been drawn into a crack with a sort of kink, like a knot, at that point, which alone prevented it paying out its whole treacherous length. In his wet clothes he sat down in the cold of the empty night, to contemplate and construe the matter. It seemed then, to him, that there was but one chance in LIFE OF JAMES a. GARFIELO. one thousand that a line thus running over the edge of the boat should run into a crack and knot itself; and that one chance had saved him. Then came the thought of home and mother, and how with seeming in- difference he had left her, and under the impression that he was going upon the lake. He remembered he had not written to her during the three months he had been absent, and he pondered over the pain and distress his misconduct had doubtless caused her; and he knew of the constant prayers with which her love had surrounded him, as with an atmosphere, from the dawn of being. He had, in his modest self-abnegation, never regarded him- self of any especial consequence in the world, and the rope had not now fastened itself for him on his own ac- count, but solely at the intercession of that mother. Morning light and the life of the next day came with new thoughts. The peril and escape of the last night faded to the memory of an unpleasant dream, the fig- ments of which lost their hold upon him. Be a sailor he would. Then he had broken with home; had gone for himself; had a right to shape his own life, provided he did well, worked, and earned money, and avoided vicious courses. But the drenching, the malaria of the canal, were too strong for the health and will of sixteen. He began to shake incontinently. He called up his will and determination; set, or tried to set, his teeth. How- ever firm his will, his body would shake and his teeth would chatter. The boat was on its way to Cleveland, and he determined there to lie off and get well. From Cleveland he went to Orange. He drew near the old home, consecrated by his mother's presence, in the eve- ning, and weak and shattered stole to the door. Her voice came from within in prayer. With uncovered head he bowed and listened, as the fervent prayer went on. He heard her pray for him, her son, away from her, and only in the providence of God. "Would He preserve him in health of body, and purity of life and soul; and return him to be her comfort and stay." When the voice ceased, he softly raised the latch and entered. Her prayer was answered. Not till after that time did he know that his going away had quite crushed her. He was at once prostrated with the " ague cake," as the hardness of the left side is popularly called. One of the old school M. D.'s salivated him, and for several awful months he lay on the bed with a board so adjusted as to conduct the flow of saliva from his mouth, while the cake was dissolving under the influence of calomel, as the doctor said. Nothing but the indissoluble consti- tution given him by his father carried him through. However it fared with that obdurate cake, his passion for the sea survived, and he intended to return to the canal. The wise, sagacious love of the mother won. She took counsel of other helps. During the dreary months of drool, with tender watchfulness she cared for him, with- out the remotest word of his immediate past. She trusted in his noble nature. She trusted in God that, although he constantly talked of carrying out his old plans, he would abandon them. Not for years did he know the agony these words cost her. She merely said, in her sweet, quiet way, "James, you're sick. If you return to the --anal, I fear you will be taken down again. I have been thinking it over. It seems to me you had better go to school this spring, and then with a term in the fall, you may be able to teach in the winter. If you can teach winters, and want to go on the canal or lake sum- mers, you will have employment the year around." Wise woman that she was. In his broken condition it did not seem a bad plan. While he revolved it, she went on. "Your money is now all gone, but your brother Thomas and I will be able to raise seventeen dollars for you to start to school on, and you can perhaps get along after that is gone upon your own resources." He took the advice and the money, the only fund ever contributed by others to him, towards a collegiate edu- cation, and went to the Geauga seminary at Chester. CHAPTER II. EDUCATIONAL LIFE. A Professor. — The senant retires. — Whirligigs of Time. — Grand River Institute. — A call to the Ledge. — Goes as Jim Gaffil. — Returns Mr. Garfield. — Is Converted. — Rides Seventy Miles to see a College. — • Hiram. — Course there. — Chooses Williams. — Experience there. — First in Metaphysics. — Indifference to Money. — Professor of Lan- guages. — President of Hiram College. — Preaches. I have thus rapidly passed from General Garfield's birth, through the mythical and legendary period of his life, which others have enriched with absurd fables, to that of history. A wider space, in which other matter of interest in those chrysalis years might find place would throw much strong light upon the structure and growth of his character and mind. The period of his school education, with the unfolding of his mental powers, and the development of the latent traits of character which go also to the formation of a life, are of the greatest importance to a correct appreciation of the matured man, but must yield to a more rapid treatment. At the close of the spring term at Chester, he had so far recovered as to enable him to work as a day laborer at haying and harvesting. It is curious the fantastic changes which time and the after- success of a man work in the memories of other persons EDUCATIONAL LIFE. concerning him, and of their own agency in bringing him forward. At an eariier period young Garfield had worked for a merchant at boihng black salts. While so employed, the daughter of the house came home from the Geauga seminary, actually attended by a real pro- fessor, or so they called him. Young Garfield had never seen a specimen before. He really sat at the same table, and was permitted to linger in the same room in a remote corner, where the effulgence was not too strong, until nine o'clock in the evening, when the good mother, in a decided voice, announced that "it was time for serv- ants to retire." Soon after, ho found himself in his little bedroom, up stairs, without being conscious of the details of the journey thither. "Servant." It was not a good word for the ears of even an intended sailor boy. His term was quite out; the merchant sympathized with him, said what he might, and offered an increase of wages, but the servant retired at the end of the month. Ah, "the whirligigs of time," and the compensations they bring! The daughter became the wife of the won- derful professor, and a few brief years later, when on a visit to the lady mother, the three went to a reception tendered to the popular president of a college and elo- quent young senator, when the mother congratulated him with cordiality, and herself warmly, for once having him a member of her family. The servant had retired. And so this summer, a farmer of the neighborhood for whom he did yeoman's service in the harvest field at- tempted to defraud him of his scant wages, and was only foiled by the youth's spirit. He lived to speak of "Jim Gafifil"* as one of his boys whom he had raised and helped forward in his day of penury. With the money thus earned the young man purchased more decent raiment. When he reached Chester for the fall term, he had just six cents, and these he cast into the contribution box on the ensuing Sunday at church, and so he resumed his education. In the neighborhood of the school there was a large two-story house in the course of construction; to the master builder he applied for work, as he had an apti- tude for the use of tools, and was familiar with a jack- plane and jointer. He secured the job of dressing "clap-boards" for the weather boarding at two cents each, and one vacation day he dressed fifty, the first time in his life that he received a full dollar for a day's work. He made his way through easily, and in the au- tumn he received the examiner's certificate as a teacher. When the call came to "the Ledge," (a neighborhood in Orange), in his honest judgment of himself, he shrank from undertaking the school. In his doubt, he applied to his Uncle Boynton. After a moment's thought, he • The popular pronunciation at the time in Orange. replied, "Take it. You will go as 'Jim Gaffil;' you must come back 'Mr. Garfield,' " and he did. ' That winter Father Lillie, a Disciple preacher of local fame, held a protracted meeting in the neighborhood, and yielding his assent to the faith of his ever-hopeful mother, he united with her church organization, and this severed the last strand of the cord which bound him to the dream, of the ocean. All these it took — imminent peril of death, illness, devoted love of motner, her prayers and intercessions, an abiding thirst for knowl- edge newly awakened, his conversion and union with the church. The center of them all was the sweet, beaming, tender, lovely face of his mother, the light from which brought out all the alluring or repulsive fea- tures of the other. Not many years since in speaking of these trials and temptations of his early years, he said, half regretfully, "But even now, at times, the old feeling (the longing for the sea) comes back;" and walking across the room, he turned with a flashing eye, "I tell you, I would rather now command a fleet in a great naval battle than do anything else on this earth. The sight of a ship often fills me with a strange fascination; and when upon the water, and my fellow-landsmen are in the agonies of sea-sickness, I am as tranquil as when walking the land, in the serenest weather." But the sea lost her lover. At the close of -his school on "the Ledge," he went with his mother to visit a brother of hers, in the south part of the State. Save on the canal, this was his longest journey and made on the railroad, his first ride on the cars. They stopped at Columbus, where Mr. Kent, the representative of Geauga, showed them much attention, and young Garfield saw the wonders of that capital. At Blue Rock an unfortunate school-master had just been disciplined by the scholars of one of the districts and dismissed, and he was induced to take them in hand for two months, and did. During the time he rode on horsebacK seventy miles to Athens to see a real college, the first he had ever seen. What a strong light this incident throws on the uncon- scious working and influence of the real forces of the young man's mind ! The longings of his strong and still undeveloped na- ture were in a new direction. It was no longer the sea, the remote shores of old lands, the lonely islands, and pictured archipelagoes, but the cloisters of learning, its abode. The walls and roof of the mere edifice appealed to an imagination that seems early to have exercised a strong influence over him. He was now to turn all the energies with which he was so abundantly en- dowed, in the new direction. The little seminary of 8 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. Chester, to which he returned from Blue Rock, was suf- ficient for the present. This must have been the summer of 1850. The ensuing winter he taught school again; thus enlarging his own powers and thoroughness of acqui- sition. An ingenious mind never acquires so surely as where it masters for the purpose of imparting. A man must find his learning so roomy that he can turn in it, and still find it at his hand. A man's soul must be large enough to turn round in, or it cannot be much of a soul. The story of this school life has been told with fair amplitude in history and fiction. Rich and useful as it is, my purpose is more to help finish out the artist's tran- script of the noble head and face, to furnish forth the complete idea of the man, than to tell a tale, however graphic, of the details of a very interesting career. — to show, if I may, what he was and is, rather than what he said and did. There is such incompleteness in a life, running at full tide like a river on whose banks you stand, that even this is scarcely possible. At mid career, per- haps, one can at best furnish a conception of what a man seems, rather than what he really is. That can possibly only be known when his years are completed. Some intelligent, hard-working farmers, caught up and molded into unity of sentiment by the remarkable relig- ious movement in which Alexander Campbell was a leader — a movement hardly possible save amid a pio- neer people, who are remitted somewhat to the primary conditions of life, which seem to pla(^ them nearer na- ture and God — had worked into accomplishment their idea of an institute of learning, needed for tlie education of their own youth. They had found in the scriptures, pure and simple, not only an abundant formula of faith, but a code for church government as well. They knew it was written in an original language, and, among other things to be provided for, was a means of the thorough mastery of this and the Latin tongue. This was a school much in advance of Chester; it was the central literary light of the new, or the re-organization of primitive Chris- tianity, and to this the young scholar would necessarily make his way. It was an event in the history of Hiram rather than in that of Garfield, when he entered her new fresh halls and rooms. The incidents of school life, which with the passage of time were to become tradi- tions, were yet to occur. With cravings sharpened, facul- ties still wholly immature, broadened and strengthened at Chester, and a capacity for study greatly enlarged, the large-headed, broad-shouldered, deep-chested young giant, with his surplus of life, finding vent in loud gushes of laughter, and the thousand ways in which an overflood of young male animal vitality finds innocent outlets, he concentrated his energies on Greek and Latin. One can almost fancy that a thrill from the grasp of his warm, strong hand, must have run back to the ashes of the old writers, whose thoughts he was to master, with their language. Two years at Hiram and he was largely the best scholar she had, and he became the standard by which to measure her future prodigies. We are not toW what were his methods and peculiarities of study. We know very well that he had no peculiarities. A direct nature of his breadth and force can never become eccen- tric, could hardly be otherwise peculiar. He was differ- ent from other young men rather in quality and quantity. He exhausted Hiram and needed more. He wrote to Yale, Williams, and Mr. Campbell's young college at Bethany, gave a modest account of his acquisitions, and wished to know what time it would require in their classes to complete the university course. They sever- ally answered, two years. Singularly enough, he turned from Bethany. There was a leaning in it toward slavery, by which it was sur- rounded. It was less thorough. The youth who would grow up to a sailor, possibly an admiral, from the tow-path of a canal, would be content with nothing less than the most complete. Beside, he was quick enough to see that his religious association was a little exclusive, though confessedly as broad as the scheme of salvation, and he wished to see and mix with a body more cosmopolitan, — preferred the older and more advanced East. "If you come here, we shall be glad to do what we can for you," was the conclusion of President Hopkins' letter from Williams. There was a little warmth, sympathy in these words that touched a nature so responsive, and this de- cided that Williams and not Yale should graduate him. Through the discovery of life insurance the young student raised the necessary means, on a policy he secured on his own life, which was a good risk, and the summer of 1854, in his twenty-third year, saw him in the junior class of Williams. At Williams, the air was warm and close with the styles, fashions, and conventionalisms, — stifling, with the artifi- cialities and refinements of eastern life. A young man, the product of a city, can never apprehend the emotions and confusions experienced by the country-bred youth who finds himself suddenly in their midst. He is afiaid of a great town, and patronizes a third-rate hotel rather than face the monsters of a first. It is not in nature that the elegant students from the wealthy homes of the East should not note and comment upon the western speci- men. Let it not be supposed that the young athlete, on whom canal water made little impression, was impervious to the glances that ran him over or took him in. He was the most sensitive of mortals. EDUCATIONAL LIFE. The youth who, abashed by the manner of a drunken brute, went from the lake to the tow-path, had but the humblest conception of himself. What mattered it though he was intellectually a giant, and a genius so large and general that it had no special tendency, and therefore not recognized as genius, — that his intellect had the fashion of Cicero, of Demosthenes, his imagination was Athenian, his thought moulded and polished by Virgil and the classics? He knew he was rural. He thought he might be rustic. He could see that he still looked unripe. The full blood was all too near the thin, fine-fibred skin of the face, and that was too broad. He never could see why that head, disproportionately large even for those shoulders and chest, need be quite so big, light as he carried it. He had not thought much of his dress. Now it was impressed upon him that his coat was of Hiram. His boots were Hiramy, and so were his pantaloons. His hat he purchased in Ravenna, but was not Williams fashion. Why had he not gone to Bethany? Alas ! it is both Darwinian and Taineian that man is the servant of his environments, and more than one man has been made unhappy by his coat. Surely there are crosses enough without putting a man at feud and disadvantage by his garments. Better that he be without. The loftiest ambition, the highest soul has its weaknesses. Young Garfield's nature was roomy enough to absorb Williams, faculty and students, and his magnetism made them his own. They and he forget the lack of grace in his dress in his other abundant graces, and he wore his garments as he might. He kept his place in his class to the close. At the end of two years he received the award for metaphysics, the best honor of Williams. Metaphysics! who would have suspected that? Who would have sup- posed that the kind of power and grasp that clutches the particles of the s[Hrit of things, and follows filmy specula- tion to shadowless, atomless conclusions in the abstract, and so sets Williams wondering, were his? "Metaphysics, after all, may be a specialty with Mr. Garfield." Yes, I have observed that the subject in hand with him, what- ever it is, becomes a specialty. Mention has been made of the slenderness of his means and meagreness of compensation he earned, where it seemed to reflect light on his character. Had I ever heard of his higgling over the price of a Barlow-knife, or woodchuck-skin whip-lash, I should mention the oft-re- peated scantiness of his expenditures, and the sum total of his debt when he took metaphysical leave of Williams. It might then help to a better understanding of the man. Great men may be small in money matters ; when they are, it may as well be known. It helps to equalize great and common men. Mr. Garfield seems rather of the temper of the knight who twisted off an unweighed quan- tity of his golden chain, and threw it in silent disdain to the churl who asked wages for hospitality. On his return to Ohio he was honored with the post of languages in the Hiram institute. The next year he became its president. As an instructor, he was famous, so far as such a post can confer distinction. Doubtless there are minds gifted with a special aptitude for instruct- ing. It was now thought this was his gift. He never had any of the pedagogue. He never would have real- ized any man's idea, save his own, of a professor. I doubt whether there was any one or two things that peculiarly fitted him for teaching. I think there are few things to which, if he turned and concentrated himself, that he would not do about as well as the best in that line, and shortly. It is said that Greek and Latin, in his mouth, ceased to be dead languages, in a manner. That the secrets of most of the sciences revealed themselves to him, and so were freely translated. The power lay in the warmth and magnetism of his nature. A gift to ani- mate things, make them move and take color. In some sense a born orator, his rank as such I do not speak of. His mastery of language gave him a copious vocabulary. He was full of enthusiasm. Anything which engaged his attention five minutes awakened it. Never was there such talkings up of lessons as his; nor had any studies ever before seemed so attractive to the pupils. They saw them through his medium, which was warmth as well as light. He was born — had all his days save his Williams days — lived at the heart-beat of the common people, and knew exactly the influences which control them, and that they measure everything by the money standard of cost, and what could be got for it in cash. He knew that they even estimated him by the money he could earn at teaching, and hence the eagerness to know the money cost of his education. A young farmer, in the emulation which the young professor's name produced, would se- cure a quarter in the institute, and became charmed at the world of letters opened to him. His father would refuse, hesitate, was seen and talked with by the young president, who made it clear, to even his apprehension, that a more thorough education enhanced the cash value of the youth. Would it have been better on the whole that Garfield had remained a college professor or presi- dent? It is pretty certain he would not long have remained at Hiram. His proportions were not suited to that, and he would have grown much faster else- where. Would it have been better if his plans of life had embraced the idea of adhering to some one thing ? LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. Was he incapable of that? Is here the weakness in him? Or is there too much of him or of sometliing, — too much or too little ? The years of his teaching coincide with the years of his preaching. Whatever may have been the effect on others, which must have been salutary, and although it was a useful training-school to the young men, the draw- back — less hurtful to him than to most — is the half-odium attaching to an ex-clergyman. Most of the callings a man may turn from to others, without a shadow of dis- credit. The clerical is not one of them. He was at the most a lay-preacher. Under the Disciple rule any brother may offer his views. Of all peoples they were most given to discussions, public, private, and all the time; of reading, discussing, and expounding the Scriptures. A young man of Garfield's gifts and temperament, dealing with Scripture texts and lessons, would become a public speaker on the themes of such universal interest. Of course he excelled. I have no doubt he liked to preach. All true artists love to practice their art. For a real born speaker, with warmth of temperament and imagination, the exercise of his gift has a great charm. To feel every fibre alive and tremulous with a theme, and rise and launch himself with fearless confidence on speech, "wreak himself on expression," kindle and glow, lift the audi- ence and be lifted till the sentiment and emotion of all become one, and his the utterance of it, give to the speaker a rare delight. The pleasurable glow remains though the physical frame may become exhausted. Gar- field had no call to preach; felt none. Had none of the intense religious enthusiasm that has made so many smaller men famous. He had natural enthusiasm, warmth, sympathy, sensibility, language, rare powers of speech, — had faith. He lacked the kindling inspiration of an intense evangelical spirit that hears the voice of the strong necessities of its own nature. He was never set apart for the miriistry of the word by the authority of his people. Though he spoke often, in many places, was famous among his people, who have produced so many able and some widely-famous ministers, few of whom have much of the clergyman about them. Ear- nest, zealous, able, eloquent Christian teachers are they, with a very small modicum of the parson. Perhaps had Garfield remained a college jirofessor or president he would have continued to preach, with what success is not difficult to forecast. In the superabundance of him he did other things beside. Among them, it is even said that in 1858-59 he saved some money, which was a thing he would be less likely to succeed in than in any other field of human enterprise that occurs to me. A weakness in this matter is doubtless amiable; it is a great personal inconvenience, and not by any means necessarily allied to excellence of mind, character, or morals. Money values are not to be ruled out as vulgar or vicious. They are the only measures of property, and should be kept in their place. To estimate a man by his worth in money provokes a guffaw of the gods. Whatever he may have done in the way of this acquisi- tion, he made many political anti-slavery speeches. Here was a field broad and standing thick with material, the use of which could not fail to be most effective in his hands. Since the pre-revolutionary period no cause has done so much for American orator)', as we still miscall our public speaking. The other two together, temper- ance and woman's rights, save with the sex, do not approach it. Most of the good platform speakers of middle life of the North were formed in this school, so nearly allied to the more vulgar and very useful political speaking common to all parts of the country. CHAPTER III. WAR EXPERIENCES. Elected to the .Senate. — Studies Law. — Plans of Life. — Approach and Preparation for the War. — General Cox. — James Monroe. — Lieuten- ant Colonel Forty-second Regiment. — General Buell. — Interview m ith Him. — Plans Mill Creek Campaign. — Finds Humphrey Marshall. — Battle. — Humphrey Hies to Pound Gap. — The Campaign. — Steers the Sandy Valley up the Big Sandy. — At the Battle of Shiloh. — Wash- ington. — Fitz John Porter's Trial. — Chief of Staff in Army of the Cumberland. — Rosecrans. — Overrules the Seventeen Generals. — Tul- lahoma. — Chickamauga. — Heroism on the Field. — Major General. — Plan to Supersede Lincoln. — The Patriot Boy. — Lincoln Urges Him to Enter Congress. With his great personal popularity Mr. Garfield could not well have avoided politics and becoming officially a public man. I don't think he tried. He must have had a relish for affairs. I don't see how, with his robust vital- ity and abounding animal life, he could well have long lived in a college cloister. He was elected to the Ohio Senate in the autumn of 1859, ^n*^ ^^''"^s then twenty-eight. This indicates a possible change in the plans of life. So earnest and thoughtful a man had plans and programmes, had long and carefully arranged and adhered to sys- tem for the discharge of his duties and avocations. Such men by such means conquer lime and win leisure. There is one other evidence of this change of plan. In the same autumn he entered his name as a student-at law in WAR EXPERIENCES. the office of Messrs. Williamson & Riddle, of Cleveland, and had full five minutes' conversation with the junior as to the books and course of reading, from whose hand he subsequently received a paper that he had diligently- studied that science two years, under whose instruction was omitted, and w-as admitted to the bar by the supreme court at Columbus. He doubtless then intended, as he has several times since, to turn himself to the practice of law. Of the cause which could have led to this, specu- lation would be useless. We have a catalogue of the reasons which turned him from the sea, though they did not banish the viking from his heart. Less cogent rea- sons, and perhaps fewer in number, may have been am- ple to lead to change of the plans of life. He was then a member of the Ohio senate, and quite every day from that to the present has been spent in the public service. His figure on the public stage soon be- came conspicuous. The character of his services and the manner in which he has rendered them early called the public attention to him. As his period of service lengthened, his fame broadened; the impressions he pro- duced deepened. As we study and contemplate him he grows upon us. Perhaps I might leave him here. His career is matter of already written history. Its muse will assuredly care for him. This sketch is not written for him or his friends, nor at their dictation. I have undertaken to furnish some sketches of many men well known to me, though less known to fame than he, for a domestic history. I must in the fulfillment of this undertaking so far glance at the incidents of these later j'ears, or of some of them, as to suggest the lights and shades they throw upon him, to show the effect they have produced, the changes they have wrought in the man himself, and help as I may to form an estimate of him. It will be remembered that Garfield entered the Ohio senate in 1859, when the leaders of slavery had so far changed the forms of resistance to the exercise of their constitutional rights by theNorthern people, that the con- test would inevitably escape from the forms of political action and assume those of war. It cannot be said that the North were not amply warned in time. But hardly a man of that region, a year later, believed the South meant an actual collision of arms. It may be that it was as well that the North was incapable of being thus alarmed. The parties were mutually deceived. The South was in earnest, but, in turn, believed that war, inevitable and bloody, would not ensue, for it was assured that the farm- ers, mechanics, traders, and manufacturers would not attempt to enforce the rights and laws of the Nation against them. The South was more foolhardy than the North supposed; the North less timid and pusillanimous than the South believed. Curious it now seems, that the peoples of one blood, language, laws, and actual govern- ment, who had lived, associated, traded, and intermarried, occupied the same lands, and jointly carried on the same political institutions, could be so divided by the single thing of slavery, that they could have so misunderstood each other. So it was. The conflict was rapidly ap- proaching. The domestic agitations and political con- vulsions which must precede a contest so great and near, were shaking and shaping the minds and actions of the peoples of the two sections, and, unconsciously on the part of the North, conducting them to the margin of the inevitable conflict. These interests and agitations super- seded the ordinary themes and interests of legislation and discussion. It was the day for the advent of large- brained, warm-natured men of profound convictions, under the passionate impulses of the fiery blood, beating out the fullest pulse of youth. In a way, Garfield's con- stitutional make, the source from which he sprang, the life he had lived, the training and discipline he had gone through with, fitted him admirably for the important part he performed in preparing Ohio for the contest, and leading her side by side with the more advanced Northern States into it, and preparing himself and fellows for their own individual shares in it. It is still strange how that war fought itself, and though utterly unprepared with materials, soldiers, and commanders, perhaps the most surprising thing, after all, was the admirable and thorough preparation of the people themselves for the war, amazed as they were when it broke upon them. The causes which led to it worked this fitting — the planters, nursers and growers of the ideas, the germinal elements which produced the Northern half of these fashioning causes, were older than Garfield. He and the men of his gen- eration, the young, fiery orators, who, under the impetus of older forces and movements, were but to shape the things at the last moments ere the conflict, were to arouse, marshal, and lead the masses into the field, trans- form and be transformed into soldiers and commanders. His share of this work he did faithfully and well. When has he shirked or been wanting? He became almost at once the foremost in it. That, too, is quite his way. Who would expect him long to lag in rear of the most advanced, and that not wholly from emulation, — he has given little evidence of great personal ambition, — as froth the qualities and forces of his nature, which, when turned in a given direction, take him as far as men can go, and greatly in advance of all save the very few? With these his race is probably yet to be run. The man's nature makes it inevitable. Seemingly, he leaves himself in the hands of events. 12 LIFE OF JAMES. A GARFIELD. No quotation I could make from any speech of the several effective ones delivered by Mr. Garfield in the Ohio senate would do them or him justice. Quotations are always unjust. Of his immediate associates, J. D. Cox, of Trumbull county, and James Monroe, of Lorain county, then in the senate, were his most efficient co- workers. I make no comparisons of these men, nor shall I contrast Mr. Garfield with any. It is probable that with Co.x was he the more intimate. When it became probable to these young men that a conflict of arms would ensue, each knew that he should go to the field, each felt that he would be called on to lead others. However that might be, each would be there to meet whatever foe he might find. They at once applied themselves to study the art of war. Both had read Ciiosar, were familiar with the history of modern campaigning. They now took the subject up as an elementary study. Garfield, as we know from the natural logical thoroughness of his mind, began at the soldier's tow-path. Cox showed all through the war his natural aptitude, and the helps he drew from study never remitted. Whatever may be said of the genius, or talent, or both, necessary to fit forth a great military leader, the glitter and dazzle, the pomp and splendor, which ever attend the movements and encounters of men in arms, throw so much glamour over the names of successful generals that their essential merits are lost sight of. The real nature and quality of the faculties, by the possession and exercise of which men succeed as generals, are, after all, a little dubious. The war showed that there was an abund- ance of this talent among us, and of excellent quality. It is useful in war, itself the most absurdly useless of human avocations. Barbarians and savages have it, and doubtless it is developed early in men. Men succeed early in life as commanders, and with us men who failed in everything else, before and after the war, did well as subordinate commanders, and may have had the ability to conduct a campaign. At the start. Cox received the first command. The early three months' regiments were permitted to elect their field-ofScers. Upon the organization of the Seventh, Garfield was at Cleveland, and at Camp Taylor, and was, perhaps, willing to have been its colonel. The push- ing, dashing Tyler carried off that honor. The first of his exploits was to sit down to breakfast with the boys oiie morning, at Cross Lanes, in the enemy's country, never thinking that chaps unmannerly enough to break out of the Union would break in on a colonel at his breakfast, but they did, and this broke up the Seventh. During the summer, Garfield, who began as lieutenant- colonel, was in command of the Forty-second at Camp Chase, and stamped himself upon it in a month. He was teacher, professor, and colonel in one. On the fif- teenth of December, in obedience to an order from Gen- eral Baell, commanding the department of the Ohio, the Forty-second was sent to Cattlettsburgh, Kentucky, and its colonel proceeded to headquarters at Louisville. The preparations and expectations, the longings, possi- ble doubtings of the eager, anxious months were to be brought to the test of actual war. What a picture the interview of Buell and Garfield would make in the hands of an artist ! Buell, the most accomplished military scholar and critic of the old army, and the most unpopular as well as one of the most deserv- ing generals of volunteers of the war, astute, silent, cold. Garfield, with his glowing thirty years and splendid figure, made to fill and set off the simple blue uniform, with his massive head well borne, and eager, flushing face, and bringing the warm atmosphere of his generous nature to confront his questioning and undetermined fate. A keen, sharp, searching glance, with a few cold, unconnected questions greeted him. Humphrey Mar- shall was moving down the valley of the Big Sandy, threatening eastern Kentucky. ZoUicoffer was on the way from Cumberland gap, towards Mill Spring. In con- cise words, as if to one skilled in military technics, the eeneral, with a map before him, pointed out the position and strength of Marshall, the locations of the Union forces, the topography of the country, and lifting his cold eyes to the face of the silent listener, said, " If you were in command of this sub-district what would you do? Report your answer here at nine o'clock to-morrow morn- ing.'' The colonel, with a silent bow, departed. Day- light the next morning found him with a sketch of the pro- posed campaign still incomplete. At nine sharp he laid it before his commander. The skilled eye mastered it in a minute. He issued to its author an order, creating the Eighteenth brigade of the army of the Cumberland, and assigned Colonel Garfield to the command. After directing the process of embodying the troops, came this sentence, brief enough for the soul of wit: "Then proceed, with the least possible delay, to the mouth of the Sandy, and move with the force in that vicinity up that river, and drive the enemy back or cut him off." Never was order more literally executed, or with greater prompitude. Buell seemingly risked much on the accuracy of his judgment. Garfield, who had never seen an enemy or heard a musket fired in action, suddenly found himself in command of four regiments of infantry and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the duty of driving from his native State the reputedly ablest of its officers not educated to war, whom Kentucky WAR EXPERIENCES. 13 had given to the rebelHon, who commanded about five thousand men, and could choose his own position. He was at Paintville, sixty miles up the Sandy, was expected ultimately to unite with Zollicoffer, advance to Lexing- ton, and establish the rebel provisional government in the State. He was a man of great intellectual abilities, and famous for having led the Kentuckians in the charge at Buena Vista. The roads were horrible, the time mid- winter, and the rains incessant. Before nightfall of the ninth of January, 1862, Gar- field had, at the head of fifteen hundred men, driven in the enemy's pickets between Abbott's and Middle creeks. He dispatched orders to his reserves at Paintville, twenty miles away, less than one thousand strong, and bivouacked in the pitiless rain, to await morning and the struggle. Wrapped in his heavy cloak, with his men about him, on the edge of unknown battle, he lay. There was plenty of time to think, — to think of everything. How the mind, armed with incredible flight in such a supreme moment, will flash the world around ! Back over all his life — the canal, his boyhood, trivial things, his mother, old Williams; his wife and babies, and then the Hiram Eclectic boys, a full company of whom were then near him, because he was there. They had followed him. He knew their fathers and mothers. They had, in a way, put them into his hands, and he had brought them here. Somewhere near lay the enemy, of known superior strength. Where should he find him? At odds, in position as in numbers, he must expect. His main force, the Fortieth, the Forty-second, had never faced an enemy. How would they behave? And then he turned to him- self to question — question his innermost self — for weak places, lingering, unexpectedly mayhap, in spirit, perhaps in mere nerve, in some portion of his body, who can tell where may be a treacherous weakness ? Then his thoughts wandered away to things he had always revered. And then came the drowsy numbness of sleep, with a sense of the nearness, the presence of the dear ones m his precious, peaceful home. After all, it was not so easy to find General Humphrey Marshall. Not on Abbott's creek at all. He was so near, his foe could feel his presence; had found his cavalry and artillery. Where was Marshall's self and his army? Garfield could almost hear him breathe. What a day of hunt that was! He was certainly on Abbott's creek; and Garfield would strike Middle creek, and so get in his rear. In executing this movement, he found the enemy perked up on the side of a ragged, wooded hill, as if to be up out of danger. In fact, he was too much up to defend himself At about four p. m. a rattling fire began — about as much as could be got out of one thousand muskets that attacked on one side, and three thousand on the other. Never was there such a banging as the rebels made. They, too, were raw, and firing down a steep hill. On level ground raw troops fire too high, and wound the clouds, if in range. The rebels could not get down to our boys, who, under cover of the trees, kept onward and upward. There were too many rebels, for the trees and logs would not cover a fifth of the poor fellows. Though an ufvhill business, the Union soldiers did not aim too high, and they were pushing on up to see where they hit. Finally a rebel reinforcement came up over the crest, and the idea seemed to strike them to make a rush down and sweep the Union line — thin as a skirmish-line — out. At this instant Union Colonel Mon- roe and his Kentuckians — four or five hundred — got up so as to get in a very unpleasant enfilading fire, when round a curve in the road came Colonel Sheldon, with his one thousand from Paintville, through twenty miles of mud. Round they came, in the rear of Garfield's little handful of reserves, and gave a loud cheer. The reserves took it up and sent it to the struggling boys on the side-hill, who sent it up to Humphrey Marshall. Sheldon threw his men in line, and though the ground was miry, they started on a double-quick. Too late. That shout and the sight of the shouters did the rest of Humphrey's business. The shoutees did not wait for shot, or anything worse than noise, but turned and scrambled up hill, followed by the Ohio boys. Night came down; the soldiers gathered up their wounded, and the whole force concentrated on a good position, — pickets thrown out, and preparations made for a final struggle next day. Shortly after dark a bright light blazed up behind the hill of battle. The Union soldiers beheld it with wonder. It was Humphrey Marshall's last fire. In it he consumed every possible thing that might hinder flight or be of value to his foe, and by the light he hied him away to Pound Gap. In reading the histories of the numerous generals on both sides of the war, the greatest stress is laid upon the fact whether a given man has been tried by the only reliable test — a separate, independent command. If he had not, or failed under it, his fame had yet a flaw. Garfield met this at his entrance on the field. I never attempted but once an opinion on the movements of our army. I saw the flight from the first battle of Bull Run, and I ven- tured to suggest that the movement was in the wrong di- rection, and, as I remember, not executed with military precision. For this criticism I was promptly hanged, burned, and drowned — in effigy. I venture nothing on H LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. the merit of the campaign. Military writers have awarded it high praise. Its fault was the temerity of the attack. The commander had no knowledge of the character and force and commander opposed to him, save what his un- practiced eye could hastily catch when in a possibly too dangerous neighborhood. Probably the disposition made by Marshall might have revealed all that it was necessary to know, but I have no doubt he would have been at- tacked under almost any circumstances. Garfield was capable of extraordinary personal exertions, and the weight of his force — in fighting, pluck, and morale — was perhaps never surpassed by men of their experience. His own subsequent criticism of his conduct was that the attack was rash in the extreme. "As it was, having gone into the army with the notion that fighting was our business, I didn't know any better." The general plan of the campaign must have been based on true military principles, for it was approved by Buell. I have almost exceeded my limits. This hasty outline must shrink to a mere mention of incidents most useful to my purpose. Garfield received reinforcements, and held the conquered territory for a time. Rations grew scarce, and the only source of supply was from the mouth of the Big Sandy, which the long continued winter rains in that mountain region had swollen to an unnavigable torrent, up which a salmon could hardly make his way. The colonel was at the mouth. He had a cargo of pro- visions placed in the little stern-wheel, "Sandy Valley," and ordered it to start up. The captain refused. No craft could be found to attempt it. The river was sixty feet deep; had risen almost to the tree-tops along its wooded banks. Garfield ordered the captain and crew on board, stationed a plucky officer on deck over the captain, and himself took the wheel. Steering a canal- boat had not been wholly in vain. The captain protested; declared that no such craft could stem such a down- sweeping tide. The new helmsman had the steam turned on, and headed the shuddering little craft up-stream. With her greatest power she could not make three miles an hour. Night came. The captain implored that the frightened thing might be tied up, but she was kept head- up, and the determined colonel kept the wheel. She plunged her nose into the bank past digging out. Colo- nel Garfield manned a boat, pushed across the stream, extemporized a windlass, and with a line pulled her out, and sent her on up to his hungry boys. He started on Saturday. All that day and night, Sunday and Sunday night, and at nine o'clock Monday morning they reached the camp. A tumult of cheers welcomed him. Spite of military rule, the young commander barely escaped being carried to headquarters on the shoulders of his soldiers. Of the whole time in climbing the Big Sandy, he had been absent from the wheel but eight hours. He was formed for a soldier's idol. The Big Sandy campaign could have no wide signifi- cance, save on the fortunes of the two commanders. Humphrey Marshall disappeared in a shower of ridicule and sarcasm from both sides. The attention of the country was for a day concentrated on the young man who had shown such dashing qualities. He was made a brigadier-general, to date from January loth, and ordered to report to General Buell. The separation from the Forty-second was a real affliction to both. His new com- mand was two Ohio and two Ind;;-vna regiments; nor did the fortunes of war ever again place his old regiment under his command or in his presence. He was enabled to get into the second day's battle at Pittsburg Landing. He had his share in the tedious siege of Corinth, and finally advanced to Huntsville, where he was at the close of that campaign. He was placed at the head of the court-martial on General Tur- chin, which developed his qualities and fine ability in new directions. The old malarial influences, the result of his early campaign on the canal, quickened by the climate of the South, brought a vigorous return of the old foe, and late in the summer he was obliged to return home. He was ordered to relieve General Morgan on Cumberland Gap, but was still in the clutch of the ague when he was directed to report at Washington as soon as health per- mitted. The eye of the secretary of war had been on him from his first appearance in the army. His knowl- edge of law, the ability in the Turchin case, his admir able judgment on all occasions, and his ardent patriotism induced Mr. Stanton to place his name among the first of the court for the trial of Fitz-John Porter. The his- tory of that famous trial is to be re-written, with what re- sult is unknown. It is known that General Garfield then had no doubt of his guilt. He is not one to make or change his opinions lightly. In him, however, the moral qualities which produce a firm, quick sense of justice are strong and active. During this long trial he became intimate with General Hunter, the president, who desired to have him in the contemplated campaign in South Carolina ; and, with his intensified anti-slavery sentiments, the assignment to this field was gratifying to the young general. Meantime was fought the sanguinary battle of Stone River. Gerache, the chief-of-staff of the commanding general, was slain, and Garfield, appointed to the vacant post, was sent to Rosecrans, in January, 1863. This commander, in some respects the most brilliant general of the army, was the poorest judge of men; and WAR EXPERIENCES. IS though one of the best-hearted, he had one of the most unaccommodating of tempers, especially in his dealings with the powers at Washington. His deficiencies were admirably supplied by his new chief-of-staff. There was perhaps not a prominent general in the army who could not have been supplemented in the same way. The quick eye of the new chief saw the defects in the organ- ization of the army. These could be measurably sup- plied. He saw the incapacity of the wing commanders, A. M. McCook and T. L. Crittenden, and promptly recommended their removal. The general could not injure "two such good fellows." The inefficiency of McCook lost the first day at Stone River. They went on to Chickamauga, where he ruined the field. Garfield would have supplied their places with McDowell and Buell. His arrival at headquarters was about the begin- ning of the bitter, acrimonious correspondence between the general of the army and the war office, which laid the foundation for his being relieved from the command under a cloud. Garfield found the army at Murfrees- boro', and here it lay, spite of the urgency, the importu- nity, the almost command of the secretary of war for action, till the twenty-fourth of June, in the presence of Bragg. Rosecrans needed reinforcements, material sup- plies. He had defeated a superior army at Stone River. The secretary could not understand why he should hesi- tate to assail an interior one now. It needed explanation. Rosecrans required the formal opinions of his corps, division, and cavalry generals as to the safety and ex- pediency of an advance. The seventeen, with singular unanimity, coincided that it should not be attempted. The chiefofstaff collected these opinions, analyzed, and replied to them, showed their weakness, and conclusively that the army could move at once. This bore date June 12, and the army marched the twenty-fourth. The paper has been pronounced by high authority the ablest of its kind of the war. On the morning of the advance, one of the three corps commanders, Crittenden, said to Gar- field, at headquarters, "It is understood, sir, by the gen- eral officers of the army that this movement is your work. I wish you to understand that it is a rash and fatal move, for which you will be held responsible." The army marched on the short and brilliant Tullahoma campaign, which relieved that region of Bragg and his army. Had it been commenced a week sooner, his army undoubtedly would have disappeared from the war. Probably the in- cessant heavy rains only saved him finally. It would have saved Chickamauga. The influence of Garfield on Rosecrans was very great. Better for all had it been entire. Crittenden and McCook commanded two of the three corps in the great battle of Chickamauga — battle of blood, glory, and dis- aster. The armies in array were seventy thousand Con- federate and fifty-five thousand Union soldiers. Thomas commanded on the left and McCook the right. It is said Garfield wrote every order on this field save that fatal one to Wood, which he did not see. This in effect induced him to break the line of battle, and with his division take a position in the rear of another. Long- street saw the blundering gap, and launched the impetu- ous Hood into it. The battle on the right was lost. The whole wing crumbltd and dissolved, and McCook's whole corps, panic-stricken, fled, a swarm of frightened wretches, back to Chattanooga. The tramping flood of mere human beings, reft of reason, caught the general and chief-ofstaff in the rush. One eye-witness says that the conduct of the two meUj stripped in an instant of all power to command by the dissolving of the charm of discipline, was superb. Gar- field, dismounted, with his figure above the surging mass, and his resonant voice heard above the din, seized the colors from the fleeing bearer, who had instinctively borne them off, planted them, seized men to the right and left, faced them about, and formed the nucleus of a stand, shouting his ringing appeals in the dead ears of the unhearing men, reft of all human attributes, save fear. A panic is a real disease, which for the time nothing can stay. His exertions were vain. The mo- ment he took his hands from a man he fled. The fleeing tide swept o.i. With a hasty permission from his chief, Garfield turned away to where the thunders of Thomas' guns proclaimed the heart of the battle to beat fiercest, and against whom the enemy had concentrated his heaviest battalions. If the weakest-pressed wing had been thus crushed, what might be the fate of the left? Thomas was not McCook. While Garfield, with a few staff-officers and orderlies, went to warn and aid Thomas, the general, with firmness and coolness, hurried to Chat- tanooga to gather up, preserve, and reorganize the atoms of McCook's corps. Garfield's mission was by a long and perilous ride, crossing the lines of the fleeing and their pursuers, hav- ing an orderly killed on the way. Finally, almost alone, he reached Thomas, half-circled by a cordon of fire, and explained the fate of the right. He informed him how he could withdraw his own right, form on a new line and meet Longstreet, who had turned Thomas' right and was marching on his rear. The movement was promptly made, but the line was too short to reach ground that would have rendered it unassailable save in front. At that time Gordon Granger came up with Steadman's division. i6 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. met Longstreet at the opening thus left, and, after a fear- ful struggle, forced him back. Thomas, the army and its honor, with the soil of the disaster on the right, were saved. It is said as night closed on that awful day, with the warm steam of blood irom the ghastly wounded and recently killed rising from the burdened earth, Garfield and Granger, on foot, personally directed the loading and pointing of a battery of Napoleons, and sent their shot crashing after the retiring foe, and thus closed the battle of Chickamauga. What there was left of the Union army, was left in possession of the field. The battle was fought Septem- ber 20, 1863. After a few weeks, Garfield was sent on to Washington with dispatches — too late to save his honored chief. His best skill and ability had from his arrival at Rosecrans' headquarters been interposed, first to save him from his own pungent temper, and then from its consequences with the department at Washing- ton, where, with the aid of maps, he made a most mas- terly expose of all of the movements of the army of the Cumberland. Montgomery Blair, one of the most sa- gacious observers and judges of men at the capital, was filled with astonishment and admiration at its clearness, force, and completeness. "Garfield," said he, to a per- sonal friend to whom he related the occurrence, "Gar- field is a great man.'' General Gatfield, on his arrival at Washington, found himself a full major-general of volunteers, " for gallant and meritorious conduct at the batde of Chickamauga " One curious transaction, occurring while Garfield was connected with the army of the Cumberland, has never to my knowledge transpired in history, or in any form. It is within the memory of the well-informed that during one or two years, including quite the whole of 1S63, there was a strong, decided, and almost bitter feeling of hostility to President Lincoln, personally, on the part of the leading radicals, in and out of Congress — a condem- nation of his policy and management, and a lack of con- fidence in his ability and strength of character. It is known that Mr. Greeley shared this sentiment to the full- est extent. He and the rest naturally felt the greatest anxiety to secure the best possible man as Lincoln's suc- cessor in 1864, and it was largely due to the difficulty of procurmg a candidate that induced these men silently, and sullenly, to acquiesce in the instinctive choice of the masses, who demanded his renomination at Balti- more. The brilliant qualities of Rosecrans, and the fame of the battle of Stone River, drew their eyes to him as the possible man on whom to fix and bring for- ward; and Edmund Kirk,* a writer of some ability and * Kirk was his n<»n deplume. His real name was Gilmore. shrewdness, was sent forward with letters to Garfield — in whose judgment they had confidence — with instructions to remain at headquarters, observe, gather up opinions, learn the views of the chief of-staff, and, if all concurred, Rosecrans was to be approached, sounded, and his ac- quiescence in the plan secured if possible. The clear, sagacious mind of Garfield saw the futility and probable evil consequences of the project at once. He gave it such emphatic discouragement that it is be- lieved no whisper of it ever reached Rosecrans, or any considerable number of men not in the secret. These reasons he urged among others: that it would be ruinous to the usefulness of his general; that it could not suc- ceed; that it ought not to. Kirk was convinced, and the idea was abandoned. He, however, cultivated the ac- quaintance of Garfield, to whom, like most men, he was strongly drawn, and managed, in various conversations — in which Garfield is the frankest of men — to draw from him something of his early life. As a consequence, not long after, there appeared "The Patriot Boy," by Trowbridge. Of the hero of this pleasant novel the friends of General Garfield had little difficulty in recognizing the one intended. The military career of General Garfield ends here. A year before, in his absence, the people of his congres- sional district desired, of all things, to place him in the house, and they elected him. Ordinarily, this would have been gratefully acquiesced in; now it came to break a high, brilliant, possibly a great career in arms, where, in his judgment, he could be equally arid perhaps the more useful. As a matter of ambition, the sacrifice was great. He was a full major-general, with the largest confidence of the secretary of war, was the idol of the men he commanded, had the entire confidence of the army, save some of the "seventeen generals" of the army of the Cumberland, perhaps, and at that time the promise of a continuance of the war was of the largest. Easily he saw that no man could in the glitter and splen- dor of arms, and the names and fames they made and marred, with which the land was filled, made for himself a name in congress; that the executive was substantially the government ; that congress was but a committee of ways and nieans, and all its powers went but to swell, strengthen, and sustain the executive arm. Mr. Lincoln wanted the aid of his fresh, strong, sagacious intellect in the house. Backed by his fame in arms, he would be a power. He urged and implored him to change his field of labor; and, judge of man, as he was, and hopeful of a speedy end of the war, he foresaw that, whatever might be the aid derived immediately from the young general's turning civilian, his ultimate field was there. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. 17 Garfield acqi:iesced. He seems scarcely ever to have controlled his own destiny. CHAPTER IV. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. Partial Estim.ite of His Character. — Exactions of Friends. — Lacks Egoism. — Had He a Plan of Life. — No Lack of Moral Courage. — The Wade-Davis Manifesto. — Faces a Frowning Convention. — Re- sult. — His Growth on the Public. — Fears of Being Named for the Presidency Prematurely. — Marriage. The oft-expressed purpose of this sketch to present a personal view of General Garfield, rather than a meagre history, must be taken as accomplished here. Few lives present richer or more varied and attractive material to the biographer. The opportunity to write a complete life, it is hoped, will not be presented to any man of this generation. The people of Geauga and Lake have him with them. His public life is their property, one of their most valuable possessions. They know his history as well as I do. I have brought forward, froai the early, uncertain past, so much of it as will enable them some- what to realize his qualities and capacity for service, and help to some appreciative judgment of his stature and position, so diflScult to estimate in his presence. Never, till a man can be drawn against a background of the past, when he and all his surroundings have become subject to the law of perspective, and the light about him has become cold and pure, can a historian draw him with accuracy of judgment. One or two things I may venture further, and mainly in the light of my own narrative, and somewhat in answer to a question asked by friends of the subject of it. "What is the lack in Garfield? What is the thing wanting?" Not large and obvious, or what it is, as well as its absence, would at once be seen. Some little thing wanting to completeness; a lack felt, not seen, hard to define, yet a coming short of the perfection demanded of him. And, then, instances are mentioned where he has unexpectedly failed, in that he has not met the demand of the occasion, or of his friends' expectations as is claimed; and in a most baffling and unsatisfactory way, a half-score of times. It has been defined as a lack of moral courage, and ere the words have ceased came some exhibition of that attribute or quality pure and simple. More than once it has appeared in the course of this narrative, if such it may be called, that important changes have occurred in Mr. Garfield's career without much in- telligent action on his part, w^hen the matter was seem- ingly within his control. Men are hardly willing to allow that he could be guilty of fault of judgment, or hesitate from not clearly seeing the right. His failures may not be covered with these charities. In his own and in the affairs of the public there is an unwillingness to credit him with common fallibility, and charge it to the common account of the weakness of human nature. So well endowed is he that he should want in nothing, even that little thing so small and uncertain as to elude identity and escape detection. I do not believe in human per- fection. I may only query for this puzzling lack. I go back to this recent remark, that his life, however rich and varied, has lacked the unity of seeming design, or that sort of continuity indicative of plan adhered to, either of which argues possible lack or superabundance. His one passion was the sea. For its indulgence he toiled and schemed, if this last word will apply to the mental processes of such a man. When that was fully given up, not overcome, he turned himself to acquire an education. Yet why, in the ordinary philosophy of life, is the mystery. The son of wealth may be educated, merely because his father is rich, and desires he should have the polish of culture. Garfield was poor, and must make his own way. What did he propose to do with his learning when acquired? What use would he make of himself when educated? It looks much as if, when brought to face this problem, with the stimulus of a strong, eager, hungry mind he pushed into and pushed on from that logical sense of completeness which he early exhibited. So it would seem that he became a teacher because it was there to be done ; he found pleasure in it, excelled in it, but found in time that whatever his pro- gramme was, it did not embrace a college professorship, and so of his preaching. Clearly he studied law by de- sign. If it was with any intention of pursuing it as a ca'ling, it has never in any considerable degree been ad- hered to. He tries cases occasionally, and well, in the supreme court of the United States. I do not believe that he entered public life to make of it a trade, a caO- ing, or a profession, and I think he has constantly in- tended or expected to retire from it. A man often intends the opposite of what he expects. In short, to a superficial observer, his life, rich and varied, seems rather the result of his surroundings, which he has not resisted, but, with a remarkable adaptability, has turned himself largely and readily into new channels. Why didn't he defeat the salary bill? An answer, two or three of them, can be given without involving any lack of quality or faculty. I am now referring to another thing, which brings this matter of lack to an issue, where some reply is called for. Why don't he lead his party in the house? i8 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. Long service, raie ability, complete mastery of all the essentials, — position included, quickness, temper, per- sonal bearing, absence of enmities, all unite. The reins trail carelessly through the hall, are thrown over his desk repeatedly, are sometimes in his hands, and admirably used on occasion. Why don't he take them firmly as his, assert himself, be the man he is, and make the most of it? Why, indeed? That is the question. Why did he not carry off the Seventh Ohio regiment? Why did he permit himself to be appointed lieutenant- colonel of the Forty-second, when he might as well have been full colonel ? Why has he not grasped the Ohio senatorship, or done half a score of things for the not doing of which he is complained of? He is not a self-seeker, never has been. By nature he cannot be. His lack is egoism, if the absence of that quality is a lack; and whenever or wherever that element, if such it is, of men's nature enters into the subject of action, he will be apt to take that course from which it is absent, or the least involved. If, other things being nearly equal, a course is open to him which he can take without self-assertion, he will take it. So of that notable case of the salary bill. If all the other considerations were equal, self-assertion, not courage nor firmness, for they were rather needed for the course he pursued; but self-assertion, egoism, the thing I, was the thing to defeat it, and hence the bill passed. That setting of oneself up above all others is not much in his nature, no vestige of arrogance. Courage of the chivalrous order — spirit abundant, but to set himself up, claim for himself, which this involves — is certainly not much in him. Let his party, formally or informally, elect him leader, and see what will come of it. They would have to do it spontaneously. As bearing on this delicate matter, which I touch with gentle hand, one incident in Mr. Garfield's early con- gressional career may be mentioned. The Wade-Davis manifesto of 1864, containing so much truth, yet so actually revolting to the Republican masses, was a sore thing with them, and for a time cast a cloud even on Mr. Wade. The Republican convention in Garfield's district had assembled in Warren to noiViinate his successor in con- gress. It wanted to nominate him. It was said that he had not condemned the manifesto; on the contraiy, quite justified it. If there was anything predetermined in that body, it was a unanimous condemnation of that paper. And Garfield, and no other man who upheld it, could receive a nomination at its hands. It was in trouble. It loved him. It would compromise, would do anything but approve that paper. It sent a committee to his ho- tel, and respectfully asked his views, certain that he would in some way accommodate himself to their requirements, at least enough to permit his re-nomination. There were not wanting friends to advise some little show of conces- sion. Here was a chance lor that lack in the man to help him out. The general went in looking a little grave, took the stand, and, in a ringing, proud, half-defiant speech of twenty minutes, approved the manifesto and justified Wade. Amid the silence of the blank amaze- ment oi' the convention he strode haughtily out. A spirited young delegate, seeing the silent dismay of the elders, arose with " By George ! thL^ man that has the cour- age to face a convention like that, deserves a nomina- tion," raid moved it by acclamation. Ere the feet of the retiring congressman had passed the outer threshold, the building shook with the thundering acclaim that declared him tr-.e nominee. That people have little faith in his lack of courage of any kind. Rare and varied as has been the career of this gentle- man, one phenomenon has attended both himself per- sonally, and the estimation of him by the public, — a steady, rapid, uninterrupted growth. Not only has he been tried in many fields, in all of which he has easily and assuredly excelled, but the man has steadily devel oped, broadened, deepened, and risen in intellectual qualities and excellence, and now, at forty-seven is evi- dently making as steady an advance in healthful mental growth as at any time since known to the public. Men- tal old age will come late to him ; probably not at all. He may even overcome the unknown defect in character or mind, or what it proves to be, by sheer growth. Compare him with any man who entered public life at about the same time, with all of them for that matter, or with any man at the period of his career corresponding with the years of Garfield's public life, and who of them has ever attained a wider regard and confidence, and with so few drawbacks, forfeitures, and blemishes of record? Has there ever been a time when his position before the country was so steadily and rapidly growing as now? I foresee but one danger; it springs from no defect of character, but the peril of being named by some super- serviceable friend, or ingenious enemy, for an unnamed place prematurely. I believe him too well poised to be personally injured. Let the future provide for him as has the past. He may leave himself in the hands of the fates or forces which have been so kind to him. But the impression that he, or tb.ey, or it were shaping things for any special elevation of him would greatly impair his ad- vance in the public confidence and esteem, and render him less useful CONGRESSIONAL LIFE. 19 Mr. Garfield, in his professor days, was joined in mar- riage with Lucretia, daughter of Zeb. Rudolph, of Hiram, a lady of rare excellence of character, charm of person and manner, alike loved and admired at the capital as in the country. They have a promising family of sons, with one daughter, an attractive cottage and farm in Mentor, a pleasant, modest residence in Washington. CHAPTER I. CONGRESSIONAL LIFE. The House of Representatives is the Governing Body. — Its Character. — Conditions of Success Compared with the Senate. — Leading Men of the House. — Old Members, Colfax, .Stevens, and others. — Remark- able Influx of New, Strong Men, -Blaine, Creswell, Boutwell, Wind- ham, Allison, and others. — Garfield's District. In December, 1863, Garfield entered the house of representatives of the congress of the United States, the governing branch of the legislature of the Republic. Largely the most numerous, so it is the most popular and interesting of the two houses, with a character, laws, tra- ditions, spirit, and usages, peculiar to itself. Its mem- bers the most approachable and often the least dignified and unassuming of men, the house, as a body, is the most despotic, severe, and awful, in its conceptions of its own dignity, and in its bearing toward those who offend it, or who attempt anywhere, at any time, to in- vade its sanctities, or infringe upon the privileges of its members. At times the noisiest and most unruly of as- semblages, it always knows wliat it is about, and never departs far or tarries long from the line of its duties, as it esteems them. No deliberative body pretending to dispute by rule, ever attempted to govern itself by a code of laws and rules so complex and artificial, and it remains to be seen whether greatly the new rules adopted at its last session, are an improvement. As a business body it partakes largely of the infirmities of all popular assemblages. It has its times of intelligenoe, order and work, and its days of doing nothing, when its leaders make haste to ad- journ, and betake them to their committee rooms, where more and more its share of the legislative work of the Republic is done. It has already reached that size, when an increase of its numbers would diminish its working capacity. Its average of intellectual capacity greatly varies. One believes on the whole that with the passing years there is a steady advance in this respect, as in the individual character of its members. It always has a fair share of the best minds, but there never was a house that, as a whole, did not greatly resemble a body of ordinary men, and never a day, when the presence in it of a large number, was not a wonder to the thoughtful observer. Common as it appears, a stranger is in danger of greatly underestimating the intelligence of the house. There always are minds of a high order, which by common con- sent, and unconsciously to the average man, direct it, and lead him along the route of safe, and often of wise and enlightened, legislation. An observer for a considerable period comes finally to regard the house as a huge body of immense forces, full of grand instincts and capable of noble impulses, never clearly seeing, often groping and sometimes going wrong, but which on the whole slowly moves on the line of human advance. While the average of intellect is not much above the good common, the house never fails unerringly to know its own men. Sham and pretence never impose upon it for a moment. It will not tolerate dullness and stupidity. It good-naturedly sets apart days for them, and goes home. It knows what it wants, and when found, it appreciates and cherishes the giver. Every man soon takes his proper place, finds his rank, and always at his merit. The house is not a great admirer of eloquence, and is never tickled with sound. To it the mere maker of speeches, is the most useless of men, if not the great est of bores. The time is long past for a man to make a reputation by a speech on the floor, and the house often differs with the country in its estimate of its own man. Whatever may be a man's reputation at home in city or country, he has none at the capital, and whatever may have been his position there, he begins in the ranks here. There is now no Haider place in the world of men, of contest and labor, to make a reputation, win a place, than in the American house of representatives. Less ability and tact, will win fame in the senate. Of all the distinguished men now in that body, there are not five, not educated in the house, who, if transferred to it, would ever again be heard of. The conditions of the house, the nature of its service, its laws and usages, its very size and numbers, its traditions and temper, make it the most difficult and trying ordeal to which a man can be subjected. Ability alone cannot master it; will and force of character do not conquer it. Genius is powerless in its presence. Steadiness, intelligence and integrity, with fi'me enough, will win, as they do every- where. But when time depends on the caprice of a constituency, it is seen how seldom this element lends itself to any man's advance. Into this body, at a few days past thirty-two years of age, this man, of whom the reader now has a good idea, entered, to take his place in the mass of the unknown and untried representatives, beginning where all begin. 2o LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD and winning, as all must win. To sketch his personal career in that body, to present it with brief reference to his connection with leading measures, is all that can be done, and that imperfectly. To write him up with breadth, and bring out his grow- ing influence on legislation and politics, would be to write the political history of the country, from mid war to the present. We know, in advance, that this large- brained, large-hearted, large-souled man, with his great capacity for the best work, his immense vitality, warm magnetism, and decided personality, will not linger in the undistinguished herd, nor do any but the best and most work; that sooner or later must largely influence, if not control measures. Ere I enter upon my task, something must be said of the personnel of his associates of the house. Those whom he found there, the more marked who entered with him — a glance at their careers, as of the later comers and goers of the years to follow, and something of the spirit of congressional life may also be found in my pages. The places of the eleven seceding States were vacant in the hall of the house. Schuyler Colfax was elected speaker. This was his fifth congress. He was now forty years of age, of good person, pleasant address, a rapid, persuasive speaker, able, politic, admired, and immensely popular; no man at the capital ever more so. Though not a lawyer, he mastered, as well as man may, the laws of the house, and ruled it with dignity and suavity, for six years. The speaker of the house fills the real second place in the American government. From this he re- tired, through the vice-presidency — than which there is no easier or more effective avenue — to private life. Thaddeus Stevens, chairman of the ways and means, and titular leader of the house; strong, masterful and arbitrary — not the leader, not a leader of men in any sense; a driver rather. Though in private life the gentlest and tenderest of men, in a public body, stormy, sharp, sarcastic, with a merciless, caustic wit. Not an eloquent, scarcely a good speaker, who put an end to an ordinary man with a sarcasm, and sometimes answered inquiry for information with aquafortis. He was then seventy-one, and had served in many congresses ; was the peer of the Blacks and Merediths of Pennsylvania, and the greatest embodiment of revolutionary forces in the two houses. Elihu B. Washburn, the titular father of the house, though then but forty-seven ; strong, able, forceful, hon- est and brave; more of a leader, and not less masterful, than Stevens; always direct and above-board, with a temper not of the politic cast, and which sometimes was troublesome — a good man for any time, and one of the men for that time. Justin S. Morrill was one of the prominent men of the Thirty-eighth congress, and one of the most valuable in the history of our legislation. Second on the ways and means, he was by far its best man. Tariffs and indus- tries were his specialties. Mr. Garfield early attracted his notice, and when he became the head of the com- mittee in the Thirty-ninth congress, the young Ohio re- presentative, at his special request, became his second. William D. Kelley entered the Thirty-seventh con- gress, was conspicuous in the Thirty-eighth, and has filled a large place in the public vision ever since. A man of fine literary tastes, with a quick, eager, sagacious mind, he early took one of the first places as an orator and debater, which he retains. Robert C. Schenck, after an absence of many years, returned to his old seat; coming with the memory of his former high position to fill a larger and higher place. One of the ablest of the hard-workers who ever sat there, and whom it is now the fashion to slur over by men never his peers in ability and usefulness. John A. Bingham, the orator of the house, and one of the hundred best speakers who ever sat in it, and a statesman as well, missed the Thirty-eighth congress, re- appearing in the Thirty-ninth. So of Roscoe Conkling, three years the senior of Garfield — in some respects, one of the strongest men of either house, one of the masters of sarcasm, with a power of producing his thought better and more sharply de- fined and cleaner cut than almost any debater in our parliamentary history. Henry Winter Davis returned to Congress this year — an event in itself Proudest and most reticent of men, with the gift of genius, and a rare power of speech, he seems to have added little to his former great reputation. He died in December, 1865. Henry L. Dawes, of Massachusetts, was there at the height of his great usefulness, perhaps better adapted to the house, where he was educated, than to the senate, to which he has been transferred. Samuel S. Cox, the wit and wag of the house, and a good deal more. He was then from Ohio, and had man- aged to get his growth early. James E. English, of Connecticut, one of the ablest of the Democrats, and a high-minded man. And old melancholy Governor Francis Thomas, of Maryland, was in the house. Daniel W. VoorheeS; an orator, you:ig, vigorous, and growing to the head of the western Democracy. William H. Wadsworth, of Kentucky, who maintained its fame for eloquence. James F. Wilson, of Iowa, a man of more sturdy vigor and strength that often reaches Congress in one man. CONGRESSIONAL LIFE William Windom.of Minnesota, who has grown steadily, silently and naturally, to the front rank. And there were scores of good men. There was Isaac N. Arnold, one of the two only outspoken friends of President Lincoln, at the close of theTliirty-seventh congress; Fernando C. Beaman, and Portus Ba.xter; William S. Holman, of Indiana, and George W. Julian, one of the strongest and best cultured men of the house; Frederick Pike, of Maine; Theodore Pomeroy, of New York, and Alexander H. Rice, of Mas- sachusetts; and certainly the able and accomplished George H. Pendleton should have distinguished mention. Vallandigham was still in exile, while J. M. Ashley, of Ohio, was a very -conspicuous figure on the floor and filled much space in the field of general politics. TheThirty eighth congress is marked in our annals by the appearance of new and strong men upon the national boards; some of whom are remarkable. Among the first stands James G. Blaine, but a year older than Gar- field ; a born parliamentary leader — a leader of men every- where ; gifted with great personal advantages, a strong, quick, brilliant intellect, rare powers of speech, with infle.x- ioility of will, and great force of character. Aggressive, heroic, no civilian since Henry Clay has had so much magnetism, as certainly since his day there has not appeared in the national lists so intrepid and gallant a leader, or one who dashes along the front of the adverse host so fearlessly. J. A. J. Cresswell also, three years the senior of Gar- field, came in from Maryland, was transferred to the senate, from which he entered the cabinet of President Grant. Able and brilliant, he was selected by the house of representatives to deliver the eulogy on his friend and colleague, Henry Winter Davis, a distinguished honor to each. George S. Boutwell had been governor of Massachu- setts, and now made his advent upon the national plat- form. Sharp, ready, incisive. He went through the treasury department as secretary and from thence into the senate. James Brooks, able, a man of unusual accomplish- ments, and enviable position, whose sad ending would go far to condone even grave faults. William B. Allison, of Iowa, now senator, first en- tered the house in this congress, as did John A. Kasson, minister to Austria, and Senator Kernan, and William R. Morrison, of Illinois; also Godlove S. Orth, of Indiana, and Samuel J. Randall. This congress also received Rufus P. Spalding and Fernando Wood, both able men, with the airs of grand seignieurs. John A. Griswold and John Ganson of New York; Ebon C. Ingersoll, of Illinois; T. A. lencks, of Rhode Island; E. R. Eckly, of Ohio, and some others. Distinguished and able men thronged the senate. Sumner and Wilson still represented Massachusetts, and Wade and Sherman, Ohio; Collamer and Foot, Ver- mont. Pennsylvania had Buckalew and Cowan. One wants to ask what has become of them. Chandler and Howard bore up the honor of Michigan. Grimes and Harlan cared for that of Iowa. John P. Hale was still there, growing lazy and careless. Harris and E. D. Morgan silently sustained the position of New York. Doolittle was there for Wisconsin. Howe was by his side when not in advance of him. Lyman Trumbull was there for Illinois, with strong, rough Richardson. Rev- erdy Johnson sustained the old fame of Maryland, and McDougal, wittiest and frailest of senators, stood up, when he could stand, for California. Lott M. Morrell represented Maine, while Fessenden was secretary of the treasury. Alexander Ramsey, of Minnesota, was also then in the senate. It had many conspicuous and able men not here named. On this stage, among these men, old and new, the young general, sun-browned and battle-scorched, from the war, made his appearance, as one of the joint body. He is to know them and be known by them, associate with them, become a friend, a rival, an opponent, an enemy never. Will live with them, and grow up with and become a conspicuous part of the legislative history of the Republic, for all the succeeding years to this day. Will remain such part or pass to the highest and most solitary. At his election, he was a resident of the county of Portage. The rest of his district, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Trumbull and Mahoning, constituted the old dis- trict of Joshua R. Giddings — so much of New England translated into the freer, broader and more fertile west. The people, intelligent, shrewd, not given to enthusiasm, understanding men, and knowing the cash values of things, they had taken to the young man, and nomi- nated and elected him without especially consulting him, which somehow set the fashion in his career. Not all fair weather will it be between them and the youth of their love. Bickerings, misconceptions, and busy tongues, ambitious intriguers will intervene, and he will turn and face them and have a fair and square set-to, and they will never, never doubt him again. LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. CHAPTER n. LIFE AT THE CAPITAL. Lincoln's Offer. — Committee on Military Affairs. — State of the Army. — Increase of Bounties' .Speech. — A Crisis. — Meets It. — Chief Jus- tice Chase. — New .Army Bill. — Defeated. — Lincoln Meets the Com- mittee. — Substitute. — .Speech. — Passage of Bill. — Proclamation and Answer. — Reply to Long. — Presidential Canva-ss. — Defies the Nomi- nating Convention at Warren. — Thirteenth Amendment. — Speech in Reply to Pendleton. We resume the thread of our narrative. It was stated in chapter third that General Garfield went to Washing- ton with a mission from his military chief to the Presi- dent and secretary of war. It was late in the season, and near the time of the assembling of congress. On his way, he went around by his home in Hiram. There he found his-first born, "Little Trot," less than three years old, one of the rare sweet buds that perish ere opening, seemingly waiting for his parting kiss ere her departure, and left him as if to show how sweet death might seem, and how near and precious the unseen. He held her in his arms, to secure the last presentiment of her dead face, and left the stricken mother by the little grave's side, to make his darkened, solitary way, to the life and scenes of the capital. The result of his mission to the President has been stated. Nothing could save Rosecrans. Garfield had received a letter from General Thomas, now at the head of the army of the Cumber- land, offering him the command of a division, and had determined to resign his seat in the house and accept it Every motive and inipulse of his heart urged him to this. On expressing his purpose to the President, Mr. Lincoln earnestly dissuaded him from it. He represented that the Republicans had a very slender, if not a doubtful, majority in the house, tliat he was greatly needed, with his perfect knowledge of the wants of the army; that at least he must remain till the house was organized, and at work, saying that he had assured General Frank Blair, returned to the same house, that as soon as he could be spared he would restore him his resigned commission, and would do the same by Schenk and himself It will be remembered that the President carried out this promise to Blair, simply by an order restoring him, contrary to the opinion at this time e.vpressed to him, by Schenk, that, hav- ing resigned, nothing b'Jt a reappointment could return him, which was undoubtedly the law. Thus strongly urged, Garfield acquiesced, and on Saturday, December 3d, resigned his commission as major general, and the next Monday was sworn as a representative in the house, and took his seat. General Schenk was placed at the head of the com- mittee on military affairs, and General Garfield received an honorable place with him. It made little difference what figure of the seven represented it, he would soon find his true place; the military was the great brilliant committee of the house and war. The Republic was in the midst of a gigantic struggle, all the people were at war, intense and terrible; all the resources of the Xation were employed; all the powers of the executive and legislative departments were welded into one; a com- pound arm wielded to place and command immense armies in the field. At the head of the legislative stood the military committee of the house.- More than one million two hundred thousand soldiers had been in the Union armies during 1873; nearly three hundred thou- i sand had left the ranks without leave. That was the last year of Halleck, the year of the first ineffective draft, of^the ruinous system of bounties so fatal to the army. Vicksburgh and Port Hudson, and with them the Missis- sippi were captured that year; Gettysburgh, Stone River and Chickamauga had been fought. The armies of the Tennessee, Cumberland and Ohio were consolidated, and placed under General Grant; and the season closed with less than five hundred and fifty thousand effective men of all arms in the field. The military committee was the legislative hand that formulated the laws, devised the ma- chinery by which the last raw reserve of material, of men and arms, were to be rendered effective, as well as to pre- serve and make more perfect the vast armies still in the field. Here was an immense, conspicuous field for all the re- sources of ability, invention and experience of the wisest, most energetic and heroic men in the land; the last quality was as much in requisition in congress as in the field. An experience at the front was but little less need- ful to fit a man for great usefulness in congress at that time, than at the head of the armies. In certain direc- tions the educational process of actual service is effective; the soldier goes with a bold directness to his ]^urpose, and is a stranger to the doubts and hesitancy, the timid policies, the fear of personal consequences, which para- lyze the average politician, of even good parts. The politician usually feels obliged to devote his time, ability and strength to protect and defend his own rear. Proba- bly no two men were ever better fitted for their places than the chief of the military committee and he who quite at once became his lieutenant and friend. Garfield had been in Washington during the trial of General Por- ter. He now took up his solitary residence at the north- east corner of New York avenue and Thirteenth street, just a square below his present residence. Here he re- LIFE AT THE CAPITAL. 23 mained till the holiday vacation, when, at the invitation of General Schenk, he joined him at Mrs. Lecont's house on C, near ^yi, a historic neighborhood of many mem- ories. On one side of it was the house which long shel- tered Professor Morse, on the other the old residence of Dr. Baily, of the Nalional Era, opposite were the residences of Daniel Webster, and of Lewis Cass. This place soon became a sort of army headquarters, where one might meet all the distinguished and other generals when they happened to be at the capital; as all the in- ventors of new arms, projectiles run mad with plans to end the war, enthusiasts, visionaries, the unfortunate and unappreciated great men, with bummers, and loafers on the outside. Here were drawn out, discussed, and ma- tured the great bills to be submitted to the committee, and launched upon the house. During the first week of the session, an incident oc- curred in the young representative's career, so illustrative of the man, as well as of the new service, that I mention it. The use of chloroform and ether, and the history of their discovery and introduction was then little known, and probably nothing in use could then be men- tioned of which a congressman knew less. Anaesthetics were extensively used in the hospitals, and the matter came before the committee, on Dr. Morton's memorial, accompanied by ample testimonials from eminent men of Boston. It was referred to the committee. Dr. Morton claimed to be the discoverer of chloroform, and de- manded a large sum as compensation, for its use, in the hospitals. An inscription, in cuneiform characters, would have been barely more embarrassing to the military com- mittee. The chairman read it, and ran his eyes over the faces of his committee, to choose a luckless victim of chloroform. They nearly all made shuddering haste to disclaim the slightest knowledge of the subject. Garfield casually remarked that it was a remarkable claim. It was at once assigned to him, and the clerk so entered it on the committee's calendar. It had long been Garfield's habit to secure some odd out of the way thing to read up in his hours of leisure on the cars or elsewhere. Some years before, on taking the cars for home from a remote city, he stejjped into a bookstore, to secure the required unusual thing. Running his eye along the backs of a row of books, it was arrested by "Anaesthesia," on the back of one of tlicm. He purchased it. It was an ex- haustive discussion of chloroform and ether, and of the claims of Dr. Morton who was a dentist; Prof. Jackson, a man of science; Dr. Wells, and perhaps, some others, to be the discoverer. Of course, he mastered it, and this led- him to note the current literature upon the sub- ject since. At the next session of the committee, he produced a clear, tersely written, full report, upon the subject. The members were amazed. It settled his place at once. Here was a young man who, off hand, knew all about ansesthesia. Good Lord ! what might not such a man know ! * On the twenty-eighth of January, he made his first speech. The confiscation bill was under discussion. He had already had occasion to make short explanatory statements on the floor, characterized by clearness and directness, and the house came at once to see that the youthful hero of Chickamauga had the power of exposi- tion. Confiscation^emained what it was in theThirty- seventh congress — aii endless labyrinth, where the law- yers, were like Milton's devils, "Wandering in tanglecfmazes lost," in the technics and provisions of the English stat- utes. The bill had military features, which made his occasion. There was the never worked out native puzzle, what was the status of the seceded States? Were they still States in contemplation of law? And were they in or out of the Union? If in the Union, what were the rights of their people, and what the powers of congress over them? Of course, the malign thing, slavery, was ever present. As we know, Mr. Garfield brought to the discussion of the complex subject the light to be gained from an exhaustive study of English history and statutes, and he shed through and over the whole a clear, strong light. His replies to the points made by the Democrats were exceedingly well done, and in off-hand answers to their numerous interruptions, he showed a readiness ot resource, and flexible use of his powers, more than sug- gestive of what time and practice were to make of him — * During liis school days, he had as a fellow-student, the late Miss Almeda Booth, quite an equ.il mental associate, and they made it a rule ne\er to pass a word without mastering it. One day they came upon "depositary." supposing it a misprint, for depository, they went on. They came upon it again, and on investigation found it to mean the person with whom a thing was deposited. Early in the Ohio senate, a bill came up for consideration, to protect the moneys of the State from the Breslins or others, modelled after the sub-treasury of the general government, in which ample provisions were made to secure the vaults, saf^s and all the depositories, but using depositary, to designate the place. Almeda's classmate, called attention to the word, assuming that it was an inadvertent slip, and moved a correction. He was about the youngest man ever in the senate, and as little known there then, and the proposition was received with derision. One senator thought he was more nice than wise; another, tliat he was very hypercritical, while a third suggested that the senate had little need of the school-master. He made a snappy rejoinder, defined the words, when there was a rush for the big dictionary on the clerk's desk, when congratulating the senators for resorting to what they seem to have before missed, the schoolmaster, he sat down. A brief consultation of the "unabridged" was followed by a recommittal of the bill. The senate soon learned that tlie school-master was but a minor character of the young man's repertory. The reader will also remember the club of young critics. 24 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. one of the very ablest parliamentary debaters of his time. The speech produced a marked impression, alike upon the course of the debate, as well upon the fortunes of the new power, which had entered upon the national forum. As was their wont, the members gathered about him when he began, to take his measure and estimate his weight. Those who came to criticise remained to admire, and finally to be enlightened. His position in the army, his campaign against Humphrey Marshall, the ability he had shown as chief of staff, his great exertions at Chickamauga, around which the tales of his dashing courage had thrown the halo of heroism, were all in his favor. His fine person, splendid head, musical, sonorous voice and good manner, above all, the firm grasp of his subject, his broad mastery of historic accessories, and thorough study of the law involved, which gave him easy play in the new field, with his flowing, facile delivery, stamped the effort as above a high average of good speeches, ranking it with the remarkable first speeches in the house. To those who wish for a concise statement of English history, covering the period of the expulsioti of the second James, or a forcible statement of the con- stitutional problem of the position of the rebel States, under clear, strong light, will find it of great service. It fixed the position of the young representative on the floor of the house, and opened the paths to reputation through the country. In April following, on the bill to increase the bounties to soldiers, he made a startling five minute speech against it. Short as it was, it pictured the fatal results of buying, bribing our countrymen to fight their own battles, where- by we secured the bribers' purchase— the very poorest material— did not secure it, for the thus bought at once deserted to re-enlist elsewhere, and flee again. The only gain was a new name to our language — "bounty-jumper." Alas! it was on the eve of a new election, then more im- portant than the pending march through the wilderness. On the passage of the bill, one hundred and twelve re- corded their names in favor of it, to James A. Garfield, solus, against it. Moved by his sublime courage, in view of the pendency of his own re-election, Grinnell,' of Iowa, plucked his name away from the herd who would supplement the evil, and secure their own seats, and placed himself by the side of him who heard only the calls of his country. An artist who would seize an incident in our congres- sional history, the portrayal of which should embody the immovable granite which is the basis of heroic charac- ter, and crown it with a courage that will not calculate consequences, will find it in the defiant figure of the young representative, the most youthful of the body, haughtily confronting the whole house of representatives on this vote. The late Chief Justice Chase, then secretary of the treasury, the embodiment of inflexible will, and calm, cold resolution, sought him, and gave him his warmest congratulation. He had measured himself with a great crisis, and towered above it. But he prudently admon- ished him not to go rashly in pursuit of occasions person- ally so perilous to himself Meet them, if they came, as he did this, but it was very important that he remain in public life. Do the heroic sparingly. We shall see how he acted under this characteristic advice. The existing draft-law, framed with such painstaking care, to not draft soldiers for the army, had fully developed its efficiency for that purpose. It had thirteen classes of exemptions, and the man who escaped through none of them could lay down his three hundred dollars, and walk back to his peaceful pursuits. The three hundred thous- and drafted under it in 1863 yielded to the army twelve thousand men. The two generals elaborated a new bill. The first section repealed the commutation clause, and the exempting grounds were frightfully reduced. Six weeks the debate upon it ran on in the house, and Grant was wading his weltering way through the Wilderness. Then came a motion to strike out the first section. In a shot-and-shell speech, Garfield declared that the men who were in favor of striking out did not want to crush the rebellion. On the vote, the motion prevailed, one hundred to fifty. The next day the President went to the committee zoom, and had an interview with the Republican members. With the sad, mysterious liglit in his melancholy eyes, as if they were familiar with the things hidden from mor- tals, and the grand pathos of his voice and manner, he stated the position of things, then — the last of June — three hundred and eighty thousand Union soldiers then in the field would return home, by the ensuing October. Under the existing law, the draft of one million of men would be required to give fifty thousand to the army. If the departing soldiers could not be replaced. Grant could not maintain himself before Richmond, and Sherman must retire from before Atlanta. He was answered : "It is on the eve of the election. Our places in the house depended on that. The President's own election was in- volved; all depended on these two." Drawing himself upon his seat, to a height of grandeur, he answered. "I have thought that all over; my election is not necessary; I must put down the rebellion; I must have five hun- dred thousand more men." A substitute for the decapitated bill was at once intro- duced, and the war over it flashed up anew. On the LIFE AT THE CAPITAL. 25 twenty-fifth of June, General Garfield delivered a masterly and exhaustive speech in its favor. The bill was passed. The President issued his proclamation for five hundred thousand men, and the people responded — ' ' We are coming, Father Abraham, Five hundred thousand more." A new inspiration, fresh life, restored strength and courage sprang up and revived the North. Garfield's vote against the increase of bounties was bitterly reprobated in his district. A public meeting near his home wrote him a letter, and required his resignation. He made a temperate reply, and said he should expect from each of the signers a written apology for it, in the calm of the near future. He retained the paper, and was able to score against each name the mark of an apol- ogy received; and all were thus crossed within a year. He delivered his enlightened and liberal speech on our commercial relations with Canada in the house, in March, to which future reference will be made. On the eighth of April he delivered the awful reply (no other one word so aptly characterizes it), to Alexander Long, of Cincinnati. Probably it is the most complete and per- feet piece of invective, sarcasm, and indignant denuncia- tion ever heard in the American congress. It is a good deal more than that, as the reader will see by the follow- ing passages: reply to honorable alexander long, april 8, 1864. Mr. Chairman: I should be obliged to you if you would direct the sergeant-at-arnis to bring a white flag and plant it in the aisle, between myself and my colleague who has just addressed you. I recollect on one great occasion when two great armies stood face to face, that, under a white flag just planted, I approached a company of men dressed in the uniform of the rebel confederacy, and reached out my hand to one of their number and told him I respected him as a brave man. Though he wore the emblems of disloyalty and treason, still, underneath his vestment, I beheld a brave and honest soul. I would reproduce that scene here this afternoon. I say were there such flag of truce — but God forgive me if I did it under any other cir- cumstances! — I would reach out this right hand and ask that gentle- man to take it; because I respect his bravery and his honesty. I be- lieve what has just fallen from his lips is the honest sentiment of his heart, and in uttering it he has made a new epoch in the history of this war. He has done a new thing under the sun; he has done a brave thing — braver than to face cannon and musketry — and I honor him for his candor and frankness. But now, I ask you to take away the flag of truce; and I will go back inside the Union lines and speak of what he has done. I am reminded by it of a distinguished chef.-acter ir Paradise Lost. WTien he had re- belled against the glory of God and ■ ' led away a third part of 1 leaven's sons, conjured against the Highest;" when after terrible battles in which moimtains and hills were hurled by each contending host "with jacula- tion dire;" when, at last, the leader and his host were hurled down "nine times the space that measures day and night," and, after the ter- rible fall, lay stretched prone on the burning lake, Satan lifted up his shattered bulk, crossed the abyss, looked away into Paradise, and, so- liloquizing, said: "WTiich way I fly is hell; myself am hell." It seems to me in that utterance he e.vpressed the very sentiment to which you have just listened; uttered by one no less brave, malign and fallen. This man gathers up the meaning of this great contest, the philosophy of the moment, the prophecies of the hour, and in sight of the para- dise of victory and peace, utters his conclusion in this wail of terrible despair, "Which way I fly is hell." He ought to add, "Myself am hell." .♦».»♦ But now. when hundreds of thousands of brave souls have gone up to God under the shadow of the fl.ag, and when thousands more, maimed and shattered in the contest, are sadly awaiting the deliver- ance of death ; now, when three years of terriffic war have raged over us, when our armies have pushed the rebellion back over mountains and rivers, and crowded it into narrow limits, until a wall of fire girds it ; now, when the uplifted hand of a majestic people is about to let fall the lightning of its conquering power upon the rebellion ; now, in the quiet of this hall, hatched in the lowest depths of a similar dark treason, there rises a Benedict Arnold, and proposes to surrender us all up, body and spirit, theNation and the flag, its genius and its honor, now and forever, to the accursed traitors to our country. And that propo- sition comes — God forgive and pity my beloved State ! — it comes from a citizen of the honored and loyal Commonwealth of Ohio. I implore you, brethren in this house, not to believe that many births ever gave pangs to my mother State such as she suffered when that traitor was born [suppressed applause and sensation]. I beg you not to believe that on the soil of that State another such growth has ever de- formed the face of nature, and darkened the light of God's day [an audible whisper, " Vallandigham"]. « « « But the gentleman takes higher ground — and in that I agree with him — namely, that five million or eight million people possess the right of revolution. Grant it ; we agree there. If fifty-nine men can make rev- olution successful, they have the right of revolution. If one State wishes to break its connection with the Federal government, and does it by force, maintaining itself, it is an independent nation — If the eleven southern States are determined and resolved to leave the Union, to secede, to revolutionize, and can maintain that revolution by force, they have the revolutionary right to do so ; grant it. I stand on that platform with the gentleman. And now the question comes, is it our constitutional duty to let them do it? That is the question, and in order to reach it, I beg to call your attention, not to an argument, but to the condition of affairs which would result from such action — the mere statement of which becomes the strongest possible argument- What does this gentleman propose ? Where will he draw the line of division ? If the rebels carry into successful secession what they desire to carry, if their revolution envelops as many States as they intend it shall envelop, if they draw the line where Isham G. Harris, the rebel governor of Tennessee, in the rebel camp near our Unes, told Mr. Val- landigham they would draw it— along the line of the Ohio and the Potomac— if they make good their declaration to hira that they will never consent to any other line, then I ask what is this thing that the gentleman proposes to do ? * * I tell you, and I confess it here, that while I hope I have something of human courage, I have not enough to contemplate such a result. I am not brave enough to go to the brink of the precipice of successful secession, and look down into its damned abyss. If my Wsion were keen enough to pierce to its bottom, I would not dare to look. If there be a man here who dare contemplate such a spectacle, I look upon him as the bravest of the sons of women, or as a downright madman. Secession to gain peace ! Secession is the tocsin of eternal war. There can be no end to such a war as will be inaugurated if this thing be done. Suppose the policy of the gentleman were adopted to-day. Let the order go forth; sound the "recall" on your bugles, and let it ring from Te.vas to the far Atlantic, and tell the armies to come back. Call the victorious legions back over the battlefield of blood, forever now disgraced. Call them back over the territory they have conquered and, 26 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. redeemed. Call them back, and let tlie minions of secession chase them with derision and jeers as they come — and then tell them that that man across the aisle from the free State of Ohio gave birth to the monstrous proposition. Mr. Chairman, if such a word should be sent forth through the armies of the Union, the wave of terrible vengeance that would sweep back over this land could find no parallel in the records of time. Almost in the moments of final victory the "recall" is sounded by a craven people not deserving freedom ! We ought, every man, to be made a slave forever should we sanction such a sentiment. The gentleman has told us there is no such thing as coercion justifi- able under the constitution. I ask him for one moment to reflect that no statute was ever enforced without coercion. It is the basis of every law in tlie universe — human or divine. A law is no law I'itbout coercion behind it. You levy ta.\es: coercion secures their collection. It follows the shadow of the thief, and brings him to justice. It lays its iron hand on the murderer; tries him. and hangs. It accompanies your diplomacy to foreign courts, and backs the declaration of the na- tion's rights by a pledge of the nation's strength. But when the life of that nation is imperilled, we are told that it has no coercive power against the parricides in its own bosom. • * » » » I said a little while ago that I accepted the proposition of the gentle- man that the rebels possessed the right of revolution. The decisive issue between us and the rebellion is, whether they shall revolutionize and destroy, or we shall subdue and preserve. We take the latter ground. We take the common weapons of war to meet them; and if these be not sufficient, I would take any element which will overwhelm and destroy; I would sacrifice the dearest and best beloved; I would take all the old sanctions of law and the constitution and fling them to the winds, if necessary, rather tlian let the nation be broken in pieces and its people destroyed with endless ruin. What is the constitution that these gentlemen are perpetually fling- ing in our faces whenever we desire to strike hard blows against the rebellion? It is the production of the American people. They made it, and the creator is mightier than the creature. The power which made the constitution can also make other instruments to do its great" work in the day of its dire necessity. * » ♦ *d* * * Mr. Chairman, let me mention another class of facts in this same connection. We were compelled last year to send our secret sen'ice men to ferret out the insidious work of that organization known as the "Knights of the Golden Circle," which was attempting to corrupt the army and destroy its efficiency. It was found that by the most subtle and secret means, the signs and pass-words of that older were being made known to such men in the army as were disaffected or could be corrupted. Witness also the riots and murders which their agents are committing throughout the loyal north, under the head and guidance of the party whose representatives sit yonder across the aisle. And now, just as the time is coming when we are to select a President for the next four years, one rises among them and fires the beacon, throws up the blue-light, which will be seen and rejoiced over at the rebel capital as the signal that the traitors in our camp are organized and ready for their hellish work. I believe the utterance of to-day is the uplifted banner of revolt. I ask you to mark the signal that blazes here, and see if there will not soon appear the answering signal of trait- ors all over the land. If I am wrong in this prediction, I shall be thankful, but I am only too fearful of its truth. The close of the long session saw Mr. Garfield one of the most conspicuous men of the house. Probably in the annals of congress no fresh young man ever advanced to such a position in so short time, certainly none ever went to it so securely and certainly. Though the public gaze was on the armies and generals, and popular sympathy was with the soldiers, the labors and high qualities of the young representative did not escape general notice, and appreciation. In the presidential campaign of 1864, his services as a speaker were everywhere sought. In it he delivered sixty-five speeches and traveled seven thousand five hundred miles. As he received his first nomi- nation and election while absent in the field, so now he left his people to form their own estimate of him, and continue or reject him, as they would. The district nom- inating convention was called late in the season, and met while he was at home for a short visit. He returned to find the entire Reserve in flames over the Wade-Davis review of the war policy of the President. Unquestion- ably that was the subject of severe and just criticism. He had never seen it, knew nothing of it, save by rumor. He was charged with holding to the views — even with the authorship of the paper. Wade himself was bitterly denounced. Garfield was proscribed by the popular clamor. His re-nomination was wholly dependent on his ability to clear himself from complicity with the man- ifesto, and sympathy with its statements and spirit. He read the paper, approved of it, and felt himself doomed. He was written to, and requested to be at Warren, at the convention and take care of himself, with a very direct in- timation that salvation meant denunciation of Wade and Winter Davis. He felt challenged. The knightly spirit of the old Crusader heard the trumpet call to the listed field. He answered that he would be in Warren on the day at a named hotel. There he remained in seclusion. The convention met, organized, took a recess for dinner, and sent him a delegation, who curtly informed him that the convention requested his presence. He entered, coldly, and proudly took his seat in front of the grim and frowning body. After an ominous silence he said he had complied with their request. Why was his presence required? Very directly the chairman told him of the manifesto, of his reputed connection with it. The chair hoped he would appreciate the situation. The district would not permit any criticism of President Lin- coln, nor any opposition to his policy. The young man arose. His six feet seemed seven, with his head thrown vvell back, and his eyes and face flashing. In courteous terms he thanked them for their former trust, venturing to remind them that it had been unsought. It was frank on their part to in.''orm him of the terms upon which it could alone be continued. He denied the authorship of the paper — had only recently read it. He was sorry to read it. It gave him infinitely greater sorrow that it was entirely true. "I fully approve LIFE AT THE CAPITAL. 27 of it. If you throw over, cut off old Ben Wade, j^our course is clear with nie. Truly yours, I am more truly my own. Good day, gentlemen." He strode out with the certainty that he bore his head, as he had his polit- ical life, in his hand. Down the stairs he stalked, giving them the resounding blows of his spurning heels. They had just crunched the gravel in front of the entrance when the roof of the assembly seemed to be lifted by ac- clamations. This was their shout over his fall, and he walked away haughtier than he had approached. He had not gone half a square when the delegates of the convention came running and shouting after him. His speech electrified the resolved and frowning con- vention. A young man from .Ashtabula was the first to recover breath. He sprang to his feet, declaring that the man who had the grit and courage to come there and face a convention like that, ought to be nominated. "I move that he be nominated by acclamation !" And he was. That vote it was, that greeted the ears of the retir- ing hero as he smote his foot upon the ground below. Adjournment instantly followed, when the more eager flew after the restored favorite. In their after cooler mo- ments, many of the usually impassive men felt as if the act marked the convention for ridicule. "Huh!" ex- claimed an old man, "when we had a resolved an' sent for 'im to receive his sentence, he jest took us by the noses, pulled our beards, lafed in our faces, an' went off, an' we up an' nominated 'im quicker'n lightnin'. It beats all nater!" So it did, such nature as theirs, which was a very good and true nature, after all. The proclamation of the President abolished slavery in all the rebel States, and immense armies in their bor- ders were giving it bloody effect. An act of congress swept it from the District of Columbia, but it remained in its bad integrity, in Maryland, and though fearfully shaken in Kentucky, it then had the sanction of State authority. During the Thirty-seventh congress, Mr. Lin- coln, by a solemn message to the two houses, proposed a plan of emancipation on compensation, similar to that which purged the District of Columbia. The men of Maryland and Kentucky, with the stupidity of slave- holders, rejected it. Congress and the executive were resolved. Slavery should be abolished. Time and change must compensate slave-holders. This was the work of the second session of the Thirty-eighth congress. The great enterprise was to be accomplished by a solemn amendment of the constitution. It was elabo- rately debated. Mr. Pendleton made an able, adroit speech against it. His argument was, that the central idea of the constitution could not be abrogated by an amendment. That this was that purely State institu- tions (slavery) were placed beyond the reach of a power outside the State. That, in no event, could the concur- rent action of three-fourths of the States so change the constitution as to thus reach a State institution of the other fourth of them. Slavery was a State institution, and therefore, not to be thus reached. He said much of the subtle, hidden soul and essence of the constitution. He was answered by Garfield, from whom I quote speci- mens of his reply, and methods of dealing with the questions involved : Mr. Speaker : We shall never know why slavery dies so hard in this Republic and in this hall till we know why sin has such longevity and Satan is immortal. With marvellous tenacity of existence, it has outlived the expectations of its friends and the, hopes of its enemies. It has been declared here and elsewhere to be in all the several stages of movtality, wounded, moribund, dead. The question was raised by my colleague [Mr. Cox] yesterday, whether it was indeed dead, or only in a troubled sleep. I know of no better illustration of its condition than is found in Sallust's admirable history of the great conspirator, Cataline, who, when his final battle was fought and lost, his army broken and scattered, was found far in advance of his own troops, lying among the dead enemies of Rome, yet breathing a little, but exhibiting in his countenance all th.it ferocity of spirit which had char- acterized his life. So, sir, this body of slavery Ues before us among the dead enemies of the Republic, mortally wounded, impotent in its fiendish wickedness, but with its old ferocity of look, bearing the unmistakable marks of its infernal origin. Speaking of the covers of slavery and Pendleton's de- fense, he said : It sought an asylum in the untrodden territories of the West, but, with a whip of scorpions, indignant freemen drove it thence. I do not believe that a loyal man can now be found who would consent that it should again enter them. It has no hope of harbor there. It found no protection or favor in the hearts or consciences of the freemen of the Republic, and has fled for its last hope of safety behind the shield of the Constitution. We propose to follow it there, and drive it thence, as Satan was exiled from heaven. But now, in the hour of its mortal agony, in this hall, it has found a defender. My gallant colleague [Mr. Pendleton,] for I recognize him as a gallant and able man, plants himself at the door of his darling, and bids defiance to all assailants. He has followed slavery in its flight, until at last it has reached the great temple where liberty is enshrined —the constitution of the United States— and there, in that last retreat, declares that no hand shall strike it. It reminds me of that celebrated passage in the great Latin poet, in which the serpents of the Ionian sea, when they had destroyed Laocoon and his sons, fled to the heights of the Trojan citadel and coiled their slimy lengths around the feet of the tutelar goddess, and were covered by the orb of her shield. So, under the guidance of my colleague, [Mr. Pendleton,] slavery, gorged with the blood of ten thousand freemen, has climbed to the high citadel of American nationality, and coiled itself securely, as he believes, around the feet of the statue of justice and under the shield of the constitution of the United States. We desire to follow it even there, and kill it beside the very altar of liberty. Its blood can never make atonement for the least of its crimes. But the gentleman has gone further. He is not content that the snaky sorceress shall be merely under the protection of the constitu- tion. In his view, by a strange metamorphosis, slavery becomes an in- visible essence and takes up its abode in the very grain and fiber of the constitution, and when we would strike it he says, " I cannot point out 28 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. any express clause that prohibits you from destroying slavery; but I And a prohibition in the intent and meaning of the constitution. I go under tlie surface, out of sight, into the very genius of it, and in that invisible domain slavery is enshrined, and there is no power in the Re- public to diive it thence." *♦*♦««♦ He goes behind the letter of the constitution, and finds a refuge for slavery in its intent, and with that intent, he declares we have no right *.o deal in the way of amendment. But he has gone even deeper than the spirit and intent of the consti- tution. He has announced a discovery, to which I am sure no other statesman will lay claim. He has found a domain where slavery can no more be reached by human law than the life of Satan by the sword or Michael. He has marked the hither boundary of this newly discov- ' ered continent, in his response to the question of the gentleman from Iowa. Not finding anything in the words and phrases of the constitution that forbids an amendment abolishing slavery, he goes behind all human enactments, and far away, among the eternal equities, he finds a primal law which overshadows States, nations, and constitutions, as space envelopes the universe, and by its solemn sanctions, one human being can hold another in perpetual slavery. Surely, human ingenuity has never gone farther to protect a malefactor, or defend a crime. I shall make no argument with my colleague on this point, for in that high court to which he appeals, eternal justice dwells with freedom, and slavery has never entered. He grappled the argument, luminously tracing the power to make and amend the constitution from its true source. He demonstrated the constitutional power to change the organic law as the amendment proposed. The speech, like most of its author's, abounds in filicit- ous expressions, and sharply cut points as the reader has seen. The session ended with the congress on the third of March, 1865. CHAPTER III. IN CONGRESS.-EUROPEAN TOUR. Assassination, Destruction, Restoration.— Studies. — Needs of the Day. —Placed on the Ways and Means.— Eulogy of Lincoln.— Records of the Secretary of War.— The Milligan Case.— Bureau of Education. —Europe.— Return.— What He Found.— Jefferson Receives a Les- son. Mr. Garfield was in New York on the night of the as- sassination. A ghastly colored waiter made his way to his room at early dawn and communicated the tale to him. After generations cannot now appreciate the first effects of the blow. For a day the government lay in shattered frag- ments, and had its strength and life resided in physical force, and the trappings of power, it might have been overthrown. Its citadel was in the hearts of millions of people, and its strength their intelligent love. It was, and is, indestructible. For one hour, for one time, the mind of Garfield acted with less than its usual clear- ness and force. He dressed himself, made his way to the street, and saw around him the ominous signs of the breaking down of authority, in the great cosmopolitan cen- ter. He met many utter strangers who, without reserve, spoke their innermost thought and emotion. The streets, too, were full of dark, silent and sinister faces, as of men who had escaped from the pent places of dark- ness and hiding, and were for the first time abroad in the day — not a full-orbed healthy day, but one of half- twilight, full of shadows, and half-uttered whispers of impending evil. He fijially reached the custom house, one of the seats of national authority, where was assembled an immense crowd of fearful, overwhelmed men. Mr. Odell, a representative from New York, re- cognized him, conducted him through the mass, up the steps, and pushed him forward to address the frightened unknowing multitude. A reporter of the Herald gath- ered portions of what was a solemn and impressive address such as a man of his mould would make under the circumstances. RESTORATION. The vacation of the summer of 1865 gave time and opportunity for a survey of the state of the Republic and its needs in the future. To Garfield it was obvious that a period of destruction, of uprooting and overturn- ing had come. It must be succeeded by that of repose, new crystallizations, and growths; new ideas must orig- inate new policies. They could hardly be expected from the old conductors of the war. They were the most of them warriors, ministers and legislators of the war, having clear vision, fixed purpose, and great power and grasp in creating and using means. Their work was well and thoroughly done. What was the next wise thing seemed hardly to dawn on many minds. Stern, intent, narrow, and hence forceful, with frowning brows confronting the great rebellion, till the habit of mind and form of ex- pression were fixed also. It were easy to destroy. The hand which ruins can hardly restore. There now re- mained the great work of clearing the ground of the entire Republic, of the debris, the cost, debt, and ruin of the war. Disband and pay the army, adjust a pension roll, fund the floating debt, readjust the whole vast sub- ject of revenue, all the forms and sources of taxation and expenditure, search out the true basis of the mone- tary system of the country, govern the subdued States, provide a system of education, change and restore the currents and costs of war to the economies and condi- tions of peace. He saw a parallel between the condition of the Republic at the close of the war, and that of Eng land at the end of the Napoleonic struggles. He read with great care the entire history of the period of her IN CONGRESS— EUROPEAN TOUR. 29 transit from Waterloo to her resumption of specie pay- ments, the course and policy of Wellington, and con- trasted them with those of Peel and of those who held with him; mastered the literature of political economy and the history of banking ; and when asked by the re-elected Colfax, what place he should assign him to, he answered that he preferred a place on the ways and means. With much remonstrance, the amazed speaker complied. He had favorably attracted the notice of Justin S. Morrell, now to be placed at the head of the committee, who requested that he might be assigned a place with him. Aside from his great value in the committee room, Morrell wanted the aid of his unsurpassed power to master, and of his clear and forcible exposition in committee of the whole and in the house. Roscoe Conkling, who had returned to the house, was on the same committee, as was also John Wentworth, who now appeared after years of absence. Of old and distinguished members thus returning after many years, may be mentioned Delano, Bingham and Shellabarger. Of the new, were Rutherford B. Hayes, William Lawrence, Henry J. Raymond, Thomas W. Ferrj', General Haibert E. Paine, Robert S. Hale, and others. This session is memorable for the overhauling and re- construction of all the revenue legislation, the elabora- tion and enactment of the great statutes of taxation. The internal revenue law was revised and remodelled anew, with delegations representing all the trades and interests. The whiskey crowd, the brewers, the tobacco manufacturers of all sorts, men, craftsmen of all the trades, whose products were to be subjected to the ser- vitudes of the revenue. Then came the tariff, upon which men never have agreed, and never will agree. Below the great schools of protection and free trade were infinite subdivisions of men, who disagreed as to what free trade practically meant, and what was protec- tion ; with every shade from high to low tariff, and here again come the trades and artisans. There was the awful debt to be met, and 1866 saw twelve hundred and ninety millions of dollars appropriated for all purposes. Does histor)' parallel this in the expenditures of any nation for a fiscal year? In all these labors, the strong, clear, well- advised mind of Garfield, luminously and profitably worked, and his firm, strong hand, made itself felt in the fashioning of this legislation. Thus employed the four- teenth of April, 1866, came upon the over-busy house, unconscious that it was the anniversary of the assassina- tion of Lincoln. President Johnson had been more thoughtful. He issued an order to close the great de- partments in commemoration of the event. The execu- tion of the order reminded the members of the house of their own proper duty. Fifteen minutes before twelve, when the house would be called to order, Colfax rushed breathless into the committee room, where Garfield was hard at work, and told him that when the house was called to order he, the general, was to rise, remind the house of the solemn anniversary and move an ad- journment, and deliver a happy, touching and eloquent speech. If there is anything in the world that would greatly dismay a public speaker, no matter how gifted, original and eloquent, it would be such an announcement. Few can, with ample preparation, do these things well. No one would attempt on such notice, were escape open to him. Garfield, lost in figures and tables, looked up in dis- may. The uncovering of a rebel battery in his front would have startled him less. Colfax turned everybody out of the room, went out himself, and placed a messen- ger at the door. Fifteen minutes ! The imprisoned re- presentative turned himself in on his roomy brain; started the imps of memory in all directions for stores which never did fail, awoke fancy, pathos and reverence. He was at his desk as the prayer ended and the gavel fell, when he arose and said: Mr. Speaker, I desire to mpve that this house do now adjourn. And before the vote upon that motion is taken I desire to say a few words. This day, Mr. Speaker, will be sadly memorable so lo!ig as this Na- tion shall endure, which God grant may be "till the last syllable of re- corded time,", when the volume of human history shall be sealed up and delivered to the omnipotent Judge. In all future time, on the recurrence of this day, I doubt not that the citizens of this RepubUc will meet in solemn assembly to reflect on the life and character of .\braham Lincoln, and the awful, tragic event of April 14, 1865 — an event unparalleled in the history of nations, cer- tainly unparalleled in our own. It is eminently proper that this house should this day place upon its records a memorial of that event. The last five years have been marked by wonderful developments of individual character. Thousands of our people before unknown to fame, have taken their places in history, crowned with immortal honors. In thousands of humble homes are dwelling heroes and patriots whose names shall never die. But greatest among all tliese great developments were the character and fame of Abraham Lincoln, whose loss the Nation still deplores. His character is aptly described in the words of England's great laure- ate — written thirty years ago — in which he traces the upward steps of some '* Divinely gifted man, Whose life in low est?te began, And on a simple village green; *' Who breaks his birth's invidious bar, And grasps the skirts of happy chance. And breasts the blows of circumstance, And grapples with his evil star; *'%Vho makes his force by merit known. And lives to clutch the golden keys To mould a mighty State's decrees, And shape the whisper of the throne; 30 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. "And moving up from high to higher, Becomes on Fortune's crowning slope. The pillar of a people's hope, The center of a world's desire." Such a life and character will be treasured forever as the sacred pos- session of the .-American people and of mankind. In the great drama of the rebellion, there were two acts. The first was the war with its battles and sieges, victories and defeats, its suffer- ings and tears. That act was closing one year ago to-night, and, just as the curtain was lifting on the second and final act— the restoration of peace and liberty— just as the curtain was rising upon new characters and new events, the evil spirit of the rebellion, in the fury ol despair, ner\-ed and directed the hand of an assassin to strike down the chief character in both. It was no one man who killed .Abraham Lincoln ; it was the embodied spirit of treason and slavery, inspired with fearful and despairing hate, that struck him down, in the moment of the nation's supremest joy. Sir, there are times in the history of men and nations, when they stand so near the veil that separates mortals from the immortals, time from eternity, and men from their God, that they canalmost hear the beatings and feel the pulsations of the heart of the Infinite. Through such a time has this Nation passed. When two hundred and fifty thousand brave spirits passed from the field of honor, through that thin veil, to the presence of God, and when at last its partmg folds admitted the martyr President to the company of these dead he- roes of the Republic, the nation stood so near the veil, that the whispers of God were heard by the children of men. Awe-stricken by His voice, the American people knelt in tearful reverence and made a solemn covenant with Him and with each other, that this Nation should be saved from its enemies, that all its glories should be restored, and, on the ruins of slavery and treason, the temples of freedom and justice should be built and should survive forever. It remains for us, consecrated by that great event, and under a covenant with God, to keep that faith, to go forward in the gre.\t work until it shall be completed. Following the lead ol that great man, and obeying the high behests of God, let us remember that — "He has sounded forth a trumpet that shall never call retreat ; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat ; Be swift, my soul, to answer Him, be jubilant my feet; For God is marching on." I move, sir, that this house do now adjourn. The motion was unanimously agreed to ; and thereupon (at fifteen minutes after twelve o'clock) the house adjourned. This is justly regarded as one of the most fehcitous things of the kind in our congressional history. Perhaps the recalling of the lines of Tennyson, seemingly written and laid away for the occasion, was an effort of memory little short of inspiration. He had not seen them for years. No book was at hand; no tongue to recall. They leaped from their ambush in his brain, and gave themselves to the tender and solemn office of an offering never more fitly made than now. The general's rendering was as if the words were a sudden inspiration, now first finding utterance in their own most fitting expression ; rapt, tender, tremulous, and with loving awe. They were taken down with the speech. On comparison with the authorized text, there was the single error of a word. The celebrated case of Milligan and others is referable to this period. It will be brought fully under notice for another purpose. In the order of time, and as illustra- tive of character, it must receive mention here. The secret history of the provost marshal general's office at Washington, and the connection of the war office of which it was an agency with it, never can be written; perhaps, never should be. It is known, however, that the Old Capitol and Carroll prisons were thronged with men against whom no charges were ever preferred, who were never tried, and yet who were arbitrarily detained against remonstrance, in spite of entreaty, and without a shadow of constitutional authority. The writ of habeas corpus was suspended, and there were no legal means of relief. In this condition, a statement of the prisons, with many details, was sent to the military committee, which so startled the generals at- its head, that they went to the prisons, and made a personal inquiry, saw several of the prisoners, and heard their stories, which excited their surprise and indignation. On the next day Garfield offered a resolution demanding an inquiry. The house adopted it, and directed the military committee to make it. On the day following, General Garfield was detained from the house at its opening. When he entered, he found it listening to Thaddeus Stevens on his motion to rescind Garfield's resolution of the day before, which the old man denounced as a needless and mischievous intermeddling by a young man, with the management of the war office. Garfield replied with great spirit, stated the origin of the resolution, the petition, his personal inquirj', what he found; related in indignant terms the outrages upon Union men; told the story of a Union colonel, wounded at the second battle of Bull Run, and denounced the great secretary of war as worthy of impeachment, and told the house to rescind the resolution if it would. It did not do it, but there was an iinmediate emptying of the prisons, which rendered inquiry useless. The daring of the young tribune, in thus bearding the terrible secre- tary, won the admiration of all men, and especially of Mr. Stanton himself, which was manifested in a strik- ing way. Meantime, Milligan and his co-conspirators were in prison awaiting execution, and the kind Lincoln was sorely perplexed. In this exigency Judge Black and one or two leading Democrats approached Garfield, laid the case before him, and asked him to appear in it before the supreme court of the United States. The defendants were poor, abject and odious, but their case involved the same great questions of right, constitutional law, and civil liberty, so promptly and effectively vindicated in the case of the Capitol and Carroll prisoners. He did not hesitate. IN CONGRESS— EUROPEAN TOUR. 31 His sense of duty in the defense of the principles in- volved, compelled him at any personal sacrifice and peril, to undertake the case, and he did. He prepared his great argument, printed his brief, presented the case, con- vinced the court, saved the wretched men, and restored to menaced rights the support of the law of the land.* During this session he introduced a bill to establish the national bureau of education. He secured a special committee for its consideration, and closed the interest- ing and important debate upon it June 8, 1868. The speech was full of the broad, just and enlightened nature of the man, and presents the views in favor of it, with an amplitude of argument and illustration, fortified from history and experience, which would go far to establish the reputation of almost any other man. The bill passed by eighty to forty-four, became a law, and for this the people of the United States are wholly indebted to the young professor of Hiram college. The necessity for subjecting Mr. Garfield's career to a more rapid treatment, in view of the many years yet be- fore us, is apparent, and my sketch must pass with but . slight glances at its more prominent points. I leave the residue of the Thirty-ninth congress without further refer- ence to him or it. EUROPE. In the summer vacation of 1S67 Mr. Garfield was able to realize the dream of every intelligent Ameri- can, and visit Europe. He sailed from New York on the thirteenth of July, and reached that city, on his re- turn, November 6th of the ensuing autumn. With a just and tender appreciation of their mutual help and dependence, the husband and devoted wife had made their lives continuously together, and she lived with him at Washington, holding her proper place by his side, sharing his confidence and counsels, and going with him along the way of his rapid advance, herself develop- ing naturally and gracefully in the seemly form of per feeling womanhood, in the atmosphere and social circles of the capital. They carried with them and realized there the tenderness, warmth, and simplicity of their true home life. For this brief absence they made a careful disposition of the loved ones, and now this husband and wife, who have never ceased to be lovers, go away — they two, each having only the other, to stand side by side with a strong arm around a slender waist on the large steamer's deck, and, with a half-sense of bereavement, see the land and light of their home fade into night, and fall below the horizon, then turn to hail the new day, count the days, and look for the new and everlasting old shores, * See Chapter I, Part V. where they are to land — they two, and run, hand in hand, like wondering, wandering boy and girl, through Europe. I hold the young man's diary in my hand, and fancy I can see them, and it all seems very sweet and charming. Here is what he says on the day they started: "^^^len I entered Williams, in 1854, I probably knew less of Shakspeare than any other student of my age and cul- ture in the country. Though this was a reproach to me, I had the pleasure of bringing to the study of those great poems a mind of some cultivation and maturity, and my first impressions were strong and vivid. Some- thing like this may be my experience on this trip." Un- doubtedly it will. They were on the great "City of London." "At eight o'clock in the evening we caught the last glimpse of land." One hour on the high seas, when the land has sunk, brings all that can be seen at sea, unless storms or islands arise, baring sea-sickness. Of course, everything is novel and fresh to one capable of the vivid impressions of Garfield. The ocean, the sun, and, above all, the huge, throbbing ship, and its navigation, were new and pictur- esque subjects, the unusual, to be studied. We must pass over the Atlantic more rapidly, under our recent pledge. We wait for them at Queenstown and find the ship washed and scoured, and the passengers ready to land. Of course, the general got acquainted with everybody on board, and found something to like in everyone. The I person he would not like would be unlovely to the odious ; and we know they all liked him, though he is careful to say nothing of that. We remember he was a born sailor, and the voyage awoke all his old longings. On the ship's last day, I find this reflection: "Perhaps each human being has several possible characters in him which changed circumstances could bring out. Certain- ly life on the sea brings me out quite unique. Mine is as much a surprise to me as it could be to any other. I have purposely become absorbed in the parenthetic life, and have enjoyed it so much, that a fellow passenger said to 'Crete' (Lucretia), that I would certainly be sorry to land." He was greatly interested in testing the accuracy of the captain's estimate of his whereabouts, and rate of speed. The captain had assured him that he would see the speck of Little Skelligs not thirty minutes from six p. M. It was sighted at ten minutes to six o'clock of July the 24th. On the twenty-sixth they steamed up the muddy Mersey, and the general is moved to qoute: " Tlie quality of Mersey is not strained." He may have been homesick a little. They visited and lingered about Chester, oldest and sole walled town of England. The general had great aptitude for becom- 32 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. ing impregnated with the spirit of a place, and saw and felt with the fresh, unsoiled nature of a primitive man, which responded truly to impressions. July 28th, oft" to London — town of Whittington, lord mayor, and London bridge; stopped at the Langham, and found there Henry J. Raymond; went to the parliament house, and admitted to the gallery; heard Disraeli, Layard and others; surprised with the conversational, business- like manner of the speaking, marred by an almost painful hesitancy; went to the lords, where, sitting on the steps of the throne, the future President listened to born law-makers. Lord Russell, Lord Malmsbury, and smaller lordlings, on the reform bill. "I was strongly impressed with the democratic influences manifest in both houses. There seemed as much of the demagogue here as in our congresses," is his comment. "There is a constant ref- erence to the demands of the people." Next day did .St. Paul's and Westminster, and again to the lords, with Senator Morrell, of Vermont; heard Cams, and also Cardigan, of the "light brigade;" later, took rooms; again at Westminster, and then to parlia- ment; heard Derby, whose gout permitted his attend- ance; also Earl Gray. How these names take one back. Derby was the best speaker he had yet heard ; saw Gladstone. Next-day, August 2d, at the British museum; saw the remains of the Elgin marbles. Of course, he called upon Mr. Charles Francis Adams, and talked up home politics, which may have been interesting to hear; went to Hampton court. Such a reader of English history saw the places, and freshened his im- pressions. The next Sunday, went to see and hear Spurgeon, and gives an interesting account of him, his tabernacle, and people. Next day they went to the Tower, and then home through Billingsgate. They were very busy every day in London. The parliament house had charms for the politician and member of congress, and he managed to hear a good deal of indifferent speaking. He speaks forcibly of it — of the leading men. He made a good study of Disraeli; also of Bright. He was quick to see and apprehend the lines and points of these English statesmen. There is a good sketch of Gladstone. It is curious to think of the possible official relations of these remarkable men. Then follows a de- bate and "division." August loth went to Leamington, and the next day to Stratford-on-Avon, where some good ramblings and musings were done. Many pages bear the notes. Such a man could not help his impressions. I must pass them. From there they visited various places, not on the usual beaten routes to Sheffield. August 15th they were at Edinboro, visited Abbottsford, Holly- rood, the Heart of Midlothian, and all the points which were as fresh as if the way to them had not been beaten hard and smoth by previous visitors. There was Glasgow, the Clyde, and then Burns' cottage, and the "twa Brigs," and the general says he re-read Tam 'O Shanter. I believe Morrell and Blaine were with them part of the time in Scotland. August 23d, sailed from Leith to Rotterdam. The passage over the North sea is well described; and the next morning they were in sight of the dykes, and soon after they were looking at Holbein's landscapes, and the men and women whom they saw wore the same clothes as in his pictures. August 27th, went to Brussels, thence to Cologne, and steamed up the Rhine. Read Childe Harold, and estimates Byron's poetry. Stopped at Mayence, thence to Frankfort, and on Baden, September 5th, to Strasbourg, to see the cathedral and clock, then the Alps and Berne, next Lausanne and Lake Lucerne, more mountains, and then to Italy, then come the old names dear to history, and the romances of the medi- aeval years and the renaissance, and so, to the still "spouseless Adriatic," and Venice, city of dreams, where her annual bridegroom perished centuries ago. Florence, and finally Rome, receptacle of things lost on earth, herself the saddest and greatest loss. Here all ways meet, all journeys end. What must be the impressions of such a man when he buys his last ticket for Rome, and takes his seat in a car! To Rome by railroad ! What an anachronism ! What days those Roman days were ! On page 217 I find a rude map — the Tiber, and the position of the Seven Hills. Childe Harold accompanied him to Rome. They reached there September 2Sth, and remained there until October ist, and left with an infinitely greater regret than he ever left home. Away "by the blue Mediterra- nean to Leghorn, and by steamer to Genoa and Colum- bus, thence to Turin, and so on, and over the moun- tains, and finally to Paris, where, too, all roads intersect, and many end. Dear Geneva had been left out with a small pang. Paris, and it was the fourth of October; and already thoughts of home and hard work came upon the busy-brained man. Home and the babies, were ever in the heart of his companion. There they found Miss Ransom, the artist, and many Ohio friends. It was still the Paris of the second empire, and they left it on the nineteenth. Fifteen days there, then by rail to Dieppe, and there they took a steamer for New Haven. How flat sounds our familiar names after spelling out and fan- cying the otherwise unpronounceable names of continental Europe. Fifteen days of reflection and ocean, recalling, comparing, and the western world received them. The eager boy and girl came back the grave and thoughtful man and woman, with a world of new images. FORTIETH CONGRESS. 33 some perfect, many broken, others vanishing shadows. They had touched the old world of magic and memory. It had laid its hand on them lightly, to be sure, but they were not just the same, though no one could detect or suspect the difference. I close the little diary with regret ; regretting also that I have but traced its dead outline, its dry sketches. It details briefly, with a bright, brief episode of an interesting, busy life; presents little cabinet pictures, bits of warmth and color, to linger in the memory and my reader's fancy. He came back to find that an election had been lost; some lunacy had put that sham plank in the Repub- lican State platform, which, whatever it said, was popu- larly construed that the United States bonds should be paid in the national currency — greenbacks. It was always an abominable name ; a fragmentary party has rendered it unendurable. The bonds were to be paid in paper, no matter at what discount. To the eradication of this pernicious heresy and lunacy which had smitten the entire State in his absence, he was henceforth to be consecrated. Jefferson, the county seat of Ashtabula, the old home of his great predecessor, Giddings, of Benjamin F. Wade, and of several conspicuous personages; a seat of culti- vated men, and the home of the Howells and Howlands; also where the returned representative had warm friends and admirers, which he had seldom visited, tendered him that modern social invention, a reception, which he accepted. Of course there would be some speech making. In the speech of welcome the platform was referred to, and it was more than intimated that his unqualified acceptance, or at least acquiescence, would be a condition of his continued public service. I know not that there was Special design in it, it looked like that. His very clear and forcible speech of March, iS66, set forth his views, as then fixed and determined, and this was to be taken back or silenced. It was besides, not just the thing under the guise of courtesy and hospitality. Invite a man to a feast and pleasantly ask him to permit his host to poison his meat. They had forgotten Warren. They never forgot the lesson of this night. In his reply, cour- teously, to be sure, he never could be other, he exposed and denounced the policy of the platform ; told them that he would hold his seat on no such condition ; that the dogma was false, pernicious and fraudulent. In short, he administered a most wholesome lecture, which came near being a castigation. I was never advised of the social aspects of that festive occasion ; I presume it was enjoyable. Garfield is the most social and festive of men. With such a world — overrunning humor, wit and hearty good fellowship, as well as being the most mag- nanimous and forgiving of mortals, the time must be hard which his presence did not make a good time. That ended this vacation, and with it we tag out the European episode. Mr. Garfield now went on to the regular long session of the Fortieth congress. It- held an extra session before he went to Europe. To that we now return, and present an uninterrupted glance at the entire congress. It will be remembered that there was now not only no harmony, between the Republican congress and President Johnson, but open war. CHAPTER IV. FORTIETH CONGRESS. Extraordinary Character. — Impeachment. — Speech on the MiHtary Governments. — General Hancock. — Preparing His Presidential Can- didacy. — Arraignment of him. — Their Position now. — Speech on Impeachment. — The Currency Speec^. — .Arlington Oration. — Taxa- tion of the Bonds. — Reply to Butler and Pike. — Chairman of the Military Committee. The Fortieth congress was one of the most remarkable in our annals. It impeached the President, and sat more times than any under the constitution. It commenced on March 4, 1867, not in obedience to a proclamation of the executive, but in spite of him, and with the declared pur- pose of protecting the Republic from its executive. Its first session sat until July 20th, when it took a recess until November 21st, and sat from that date to the hour of the regular session. That session continued until July 27th, took a recess to September 21st, another to November loth, when it adjourned finally. The senate welcomed the return of Simon Cameron. Fessenden was received at the last congress. Prominent among the new senators were Roscoe Conkling and Jus- tin S. Morrell, from the house; Garrett Davis, from Ken- tucky, greatest talker of senators or common men; Charles D. Drake, ol Missouri, who was to fill an impor- tant place ; Oliver P. Morton, one of the great forces of that body, strong, fibrous, a moulder of measures and leader of men; Nye, of Nevada, a coarse wit, humorist and wag; and some others. George F. Edmunds entered the Thirty-ninth. The house became enriched by the presence of General But- ler. It also received General Morgan, of Ohio. General Logan, who resigned his seat for the war in the Thirty- seventh congress, resumed it in the Fortieth. 34 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD The session was not fruitful in the pcrfettion of laws. Its main purpose was to watch over and care for tlie ex- ecutive, v.hom it impeached and tried, and passed some of its important acts over liis veto. The regular session opened on the second of Decem- ber, and was but a continuance of th.e extra session in spirit and purpose. Obviously the pending contest — the first in our history, between the great Republican major- ity — in effect, the congress, the legislative departments and the executive — was to be pursued to a final issue, tu the exclusion of many more important matters. This was in some measure due to the mere ur.spent momentum of the war. The great war leaders < ould not at once arrest it. They may have misjudged of the point at which its forces should be ( onducted off. The executive with a temper as unaccommodating, in utter disregard of the essential spirit of the constitution, seemed to place himself directly across the way of the representatives of the people and of the States. There was no effort to placate, no toleration, not even forbearance, on the part of congress, and so the collision came, and ended as it began. In the great future, when the air becomes clear, and the light white, and distance gives needed perspect- ive, the events of the struggle will be estimated, and the men adjudged. The great contest which, coming ere the great agitations of the rebellion had ceased, for the time re-convulsed the Republic. Of the last work of the Thirty-ninth congress, was the "act to provide for the more efficient government of the rebel States," passed over the veto. This it was which made them military departments, governed by a general, certainly the best governments the most of them have had since the war. This law came up for amendment at the regular session. The discussion of this amendment and of the act, covered about all the ground of the pending controversy. Mr. Ashley's resolution of impeachment had failed, but the matter was in no way even interrujited. Garfield voted against that. On the seventeenth of January, 1868, in a forcible speech of twenty minutes, he gave his views of the pending situation, and it is a good spec- imen of how much a strong m.^.n can do in twenty min- utes. As showing his opinion of the main issue I quote a paragraph : "Some of our friends say, since the President is the chief obstacle, impeach him. .\s the end is more important than the means, so is the rebuildini; of law and liberty, on the ru;:-.s of anarchy and slavery, more important than the impeachment of .Andrew Johnson. *♦♦*.«♦ "Let no m.'.n suppose that because t:-.is house did not resolve to proceed «itli impeachment tliat it will abandon the loyal men of the South to the tender mercies of the rebels, or to the policy of the Pres- ident and his party." This is the speech in which he calls attention to the course of a certain major-general (Hancock) of the Union army, while at the head of the department for the government of Louisiana and Texas, under the law referred to, of which, doubtless, much may be said. This passage is given in full: I will not repeat the long catalogue of obstructions which the President has thrown in the way, by virtue of the power conferred upon him in the reconstruction law of 1867; but I will allude to one example where he has found in a major-general of the army a facile instrument with which more effectually to obstruct the work of reconstruction. This case is all the more painful, because an otherwise meritorious officer, who bears honorable scars earned in battle for the Union, has been made a party to tlie political madness which has so long marked the conduct of the President. This general was sent into the district of Louisiana and Te.vaswith a law of congress in his hand, a law that commands him to see that justice is administered among the people of that country, and that no pretence of civil authority shall deter him from performing his duty, and yet we find that officer giving lectures in the form of proclamations and orders on what ought to be the relation between the civil and military departments of the govern- ment. We see him issuing a general order, in which he declares that the civil should give way before the military. We hear him declaring that he finds nothing in the laws of Louisiana and Texas for a guide to his conduct. It is for him to execute the law-s which he was sent there fo administer. It is for him to aid in building up civil governments, rather than preparing himself to be the presidential candidate of that party which gave him no symp.u'.iy when he was gallantly fighting the battles of the country. This is now his position confronting this accusing tri- bune of the people, a candidate for the same high place. It is seen that in this speech. General Garfield bears honorable testimony to the high character and military fame of the major-general. Then came another "act of usurpation" as it was called, on the part of the President, which led to formal articles of impeachment. These were thoroughly dis- cussed, and on the third of March Mr. Garfield ad- dressed the committee in his usually well-considered, fresh, strong way. He had not before deemed it expedi- ent to impeach the President, though he believed him guilty. There was now- no alternative. The immediate cause was the removal of Secretary Stanton, and the ap- pointment of General Lorenzo Thomas. The question turned on his power under the constitution, and the civil tenure act, of March 2, 1867, enacted for the special purpose of preventing the very or any similar act, by the executive. In this fpceih the constitution is scanned; the statute carefully and discriminatingly examined, and it was shown that Stanton was removed in violation of the law, and Thomas, meekest and most amiable of mortals, was appointed in violation of the constitution. It is difficult to see how either conclusion can be avoided; certainly not the first. The President was impeached and afterwards tried, with a result which thoughtful men antic- FORTIETH CONGRESS. 35 ipated, although thoughtful men did not agree as to its merits. The good and evil of it were perhaps balanced. CURRENCY. On the fifteenth of May,- Mr. Garfield delivered his first exhaustive speech on the currency, which probably did as much as any single speech, to enlighten both con- gress and the countrj-, on the nature and character of money, its paper relative, their office, the laws which control their use — the whole brought out with breadth and clearness. Whatever of history and so-called science as illustrated by writers on political economy — all the liter- ature of the question — he had mastered and brought their united lights, made his own, to bear on the subject. The speech occupied two hours for its delivery. -The house is true to itself. To one of its own men — one of its wise and modest children, who always respects it, and never kicks up rows in the family, it is kind and true. Here was its favored one with his great roomy head, full of wise, distilled knowledge, almost wisdom, with the gatherings of the world's experience, gleaned in far journeys to remote regions, by knowing hands, with wise and clear thought of his own. The inexorable Sphinx had propounded its riddle, and he was to instruct them how to answer it. They gave him his time. He used it justly, and to the profit of all. No one will look to my hasty work for a full statement of his doctrines. They are now part of the common tliought, have crys- tallized into law, and command as well as instruct. Yet hereafter will be found a fuller statement of them. From the great and fierce warfare of the house, to sweet and peaceful Arlington, where, massed rank on rank, sleep the Republic's dead, what a change ! Here, on the thirtieth of the ensuing May, General Garfield delivered the first of the annual commemorative orations. The choice was apt and the duty ai)tly performed. Not out of the broad lines of his daily thought was it, and it fell naturally in the order of his labors. The reader shall judge of this; the following is the last fourth, entire. And now, consider this silent assembly of tlie de.id. Wliat does it represent? Nay, rather, what does it not represent ? It is an epitome of the war. Here are sheaves reaped, in the harvest of death, from every battlefield of Virginia. If each grave had a voice to tell us what its silent tenant last saw and heard on earth, we might stand, with uncovered heads, and hear the whole story of the war. Wo should hear that one perished when the first great drops of the crimson sho.vir began to fall, when the darkness of that first disaster at Manassas f_'!I like an eclipse on the Nation ; that another died of disease while w:r.- rily waiting for winter to end ; that this one fell on the field, in sight of the spires of Richmond, little dreaming that the flag must bo carried through three more years of blood before it sliould be planted in tV.-; citadel of treason ; and that one fell when the tide of war had swc-t us back, till th.e ro.ar of rebel guns shook the dome of yonder oapitcl, and re-echoed in the chambers of the executive mansion. We should hear mingled voices from the Rappahannock, the Rapidan, the Chicka- hominy, and the James; solemn voices from the Wilderness, and tri- umphant shouts from the Shenandoah, from Petersburgh, and the Five Forks, mingled with the wild acclaim of victory and the sweet chorus of returning peace. The voices of these dead will forever fill the land like holy benedictions. What other spot so fitting for their last resting-place as this, under the shadow of the capitol saved by their valor? Here, where the grim edge of battle joined; here, where all the hope and fear and agony of their country centered; here let them rest, asleep on the Nation's heart, entombed in the Nation's love! The view from tliis spot beajs some resemblance to that which greets the eye at Rome. In sight of the Capitoline hill, up and across the Tiber, and overlooking the city, is a hill, not rugged nor lofty, but known as the Vatican mount. At the beginning of the Christian era, an imperial circus stood on its summit. There, gladiatorial slaves died for the sport of Rome; and wild beasts fought with wilder men. In that arena, a Galileean fisherman gave up his life a sacrifice for his faith. No human life was ever so nobly avenged. On that spot was reared the proudest Christian temple ever built by human hands. For its adornment, the rich offerings of every clime and kingdom have been contributed. And now, after eighteen centuries, the hearts of two hun- dred million people turn towards it with reverence when they worship God. As the traveler descends the Apennines, he sees the dome of St. Peter rising above the desolate Campagna and the dead city, long be- fore the seven hills and ruined palaces appear to his view. The fame of the dead fisherman has outlived the glory of the Eternal city. A noble life, crowned with heroic death, rises above and outlives the pride and pomp and glory of the mightiest empire of the earth. Seen from the western slope of our capilol, in direction, distance and appearance, this spot is not unlike the Vatican mount; though the river that flows at our feet is larger than a hundred Tibers. Seven years ago, this was the home of one who lifted his sword against the life of his country, and who became the great imperator of the rebel- lion. The soil beneath our feet was watered by the tears of slaves, in whose heart the sight of yonder proud capitol awakened no pride, and inspired no hope. The face of the goddess that crowns it was turned towards the sea, and not towards them. But, thanks be to God, this arena of rebellion and slavery is a scene of violence and crime no longer! This will be forever the sacred mountain of our capital. Here is our temple; its pavement is the sepulchre of heroic hearts; its dome, the bendmg heaven; its altar candles, the watching stars. Hither our children's children shall come to pay their tribute of grateful homage. For this are we met to-day. By the happy sugges- tion of a great society, assemblies like this are gathering, at this hour, in every State in the Union. Thousands of soldiers are to-day turning aside in the march of li,'e to visit the silent encampments of dead com- lades who once fought by their side. From many thousand homes, whose light was put out when a soldier fell, there go forth to-day, to join these solemn processions, loving km- dred and friends, from whose hearts the shadow of grief will never be lifted till the light of the eternal world dawns upon them. And here are children, little children, to whom the war left no father but the Father above. By the most sacred right, theirs is the chief place to-day. They come with garlands to crown their victor fathers. I will delay the coronation no longer. Thus elevated and refreshed, we return to the national arena. TAXING THE BONDS. It will be remembered that laws which created the various bonds issued by the government during the war, prohibited their ta.\ation by all national. State, and mu- 36 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. nicipal legislation ; exemption was thus an inherent ele- ment of their existence; it was a property of theirs, and not an external and effaceable mark. Their taxation was of the class of assaults to which their payment in depre- ciated paper belonged. The proposition in various forms had been brought before the house by amendment to pending bills, and also by resolutions. The questions involved were the power to tax and the morality of so doing. Among the advocates of taxation were Fred- erick C. Pike, of Maine, who should have known better, and does now, and General Butler, of whom it is hard to say what he does or may know, in a straightforward way. They had both made elaborate speeches in favor of the policy. To these, jointly and severally, General Garfield replied on the fifteenth of July, in the course of which he gave an abstract of the English history and practice of taxation, which was necessary to dislodge positions fortified from alleged English methods on the Other side, during which his opponents questioned him and took many issues, to conduct which, on his side, required that roomy knowledge in which a man can turn, knowing all the ground, and all the resources of both sides. Both were able, adroit, and skilful debates, and Butler, aided by clerks and secretaries, whom he always uses, generally has in hand all there is. I do not state the matter unjustly in saying, that in the play of authori- ties, precedents, historical instances and illustrations, Gar- field's opponents were worsted, as well as in dialectics, direct and conclusive. Garfield is the fairest of debaters, and one of the most just and generous of opponents. It cannot be claimed that his speech on this occasion put an end to this, or of the impish brood of bad faith and repudiation, the spores of which hung suspended in the air; but it placed it out of the field of practical enlight- ened discussion. The subject will find further mention. I have gone through with two sessions of this congress, and have not yet stated that Garfield was placed at the head of the military committee. The speaker insisted he must have the chairmanship of an important com- mittee, as a ribbon to his button-hole at the least. And there was no other, without injustice to men of longer service, and I have written in vain, if it is not apparent that no man living appeared less solicitous as to the place nominally assigned him. Well, he was chair- man of the military committee, and on the twenty-sixth of February, 1S69, made his famous report on the re- organization of tlie army, long .in imperative necessity, awaiting the hand of a master. It makes a closely printed document of one hundred and thirty-two pages with an index. He called before him all the heads of the different departments of the army, quartermaster general, commissary general, paymaster general, surgeon general, as also the adjutant general, and all of the rest, among them General Hancock, and searched into and lit up every corner of the service, from the general down, and tabulated all the results, subjoined with a history of each department, from its organization to the day of the report; making thus a complete magazine of all the needed information on all the branches, as well as fur- nishing much curious matter, with a complete statement of expenditures for the fiscal year. The Fortieth congress under the constitution ended with the third of March, 1869, The Republicans failed to secure the conviction of the President before the high court of imi.ieachment. They had elected Grant to the presidency over Sey- mour, to which General Garfield contributed as largely as any single individual. In the vacation the Cincinnati Commercial sent a re- porter to Jefferson to secure his address on a memorable occasion, and he found time also for other work, to be mentioned elsewhere. CHAPTER V. BANKING AND THE CURRENCY. The Forty-first Congress. — Return of the South. — Accessions to the Houses. — Black Friday. — Investigation and Report. — The Census. — Tlie Currency. — His Bill. — Speech. — Nature of Money. — Need of Banks. — Glance at his Later Labors. This congress was memorable for the return of the seceding States to their places under the constitution, as integers of the Union. Under the law, it assembled on the fourth of March, 1869, inaugurated the President, raised its two flags over the two houses, and resumed the business of the Republic. In the house James G. Blaine was elected speaker, Mr. Colfax having been reduced to the post of vice- president. The senate received Carl Schurz to its chamber, also from the reconstructed States, Hiram R. Revells from Mississippi, and William Pitt Kellogg from Louisiana, and senators from other States. Georgia remained ab- sent. The accessions to the house, with the exception of Onier D. Conger, were more numerous than great, by the difference between number and size. Mr. Conger proved not only an able man, but, since Joe Root, no one with suqh a rasping wit has appeared in the house. Mr. Garfield was placed at the head of the banking BANKING AND CURRENCY. 37 and currency committee, with John Lynch, his second. Otherwise it was not above a good average. The first session lingered to the twenty-second of April. BLACK FRIDAY. A noticable thing of the ensuing vacation was the Black Friday of Wall street, falling on the twenty-fourth of September. On the re-assembling of congress, a memorial concerning it, demanding action by that body, was presenteci, and referred to Garfield's committee. At the holiday vacation he went to New York; became the guest of General McDowell, his friend, the command- ant of that department, where he remained incog. Se- curing an interview with a man having some information, and from whom he learned the name of one having more, he, by several intermediate steps, got up or down, to the immediate core of the matter. He finally secured an interview with J. E. Hodgkins of the gold board, who managed to smuggle him into the gold room, where a committee was trying Speyer, the Israelite, in whom there was guile, and the then supposed author of the fraud involved, or one of the conspirators, who were. Here he remained, listening, remembering and writing down when he went away, and then returning for another hearing, until he was compelled to return to Washington. Then he sent the sergeant-at-arms to occupy his place, near the witnesses, who were subpoenaed and hurried off to Washington, the moment they left the gold room trial, and were thus prevented from being communicated with, till they came to Garfield's hands, and were examined be- fore his committee. Among them were the reticent Jay Gould, as silent and inscrutable as Grant, the gorgeous and exi)ressive Jim Fisk, with diamond cluster and seal skin overcoat. His discourse sparkled with figures of speech.* An able report on the first of March con- cluded the investigation. So much of this as my limits permit is here found. It thus discloses the purpose and means employed, and reveals conspiracy against the business of the country, seemingto involve the highest oflScers of the Nation in it. On tlie first of September, 1868, the price of gold was one hundred and forty-five. During the autumn and winter it continued to decline, interrupted only by occasional fluctuations, till in March, 1869, it touclied one hundred and thirty and one-fourth (itslowest point for three years), and continued near that rate until the middle of .'\pril, the earliest period to which the evidence taken by the committee refers. At that time, Mr. Jay Gould, president of the Erie railroad company, bought seven millions of gold, and put up the price from one hundred and thirty-two to one hundred and forty. Other brokers followed his example, and b) the twentieth of May had put up the price to one hundred and forty- four and seven-eigliths, from which pomt, in spite of speculatiun, it *When asked what became of the twenty-five thousand dollars paid by Gould to Corbin, witli a pathetic wave of hands e.vpressive of utter loss, he replied, "Gone where the woodbine twineth." conti.iued to decline, and on tiie last day of July stood at one liuiidred and thirty-si.\. The first indication of a concerted movement on the part of those who were prominent in the panic of September was an effort to secure the appointment of some person who should be subser\'ient to their schemes, as assistant treasurer at New York, in place of Mr. II. H. Van Dyck, who resigned in the month of June. In this effort Mr. Gould and Mr. A. R. Corbin appear to have been closely and intimately connected If the testimony of the witnesses is to be believed, Mr. Corbin suggested the name of his step-son-in-law, Robert B. Cather- wood, and Mr. Gould joined in the suggestion. This led to an inter- view with Catherwood, the object of which is disclosed in his own testi- mony, as follows; "I went ne.\t day to have a conversation with Mr. Gould and Mr. Corbin, and I found that the remark was simp'y this: Tliat the parties could operate in a legitimate way and make a great deal of money, and that all could be benefitted by it in a legitimate manner. I satisfied my- self that I could not fill the bill." And again, (page 441); "Mr. Gould, Mr. Corbin, myself, and some other associates, had an understanding that we would go into some operations, such as the pur- chase of gold, stocks, &c., and that we would share and share alike." And, (page 441): "I declined to go into this sub-treasury business." On what grounds Mr. Catherwood declined to be a candidate does not appear. The parties next turned their attention to General Butterfield, &nd, both before and after his appointment, claimed to be his supporters. Gould and Catherwood testify that Corbin claimed to have secured the appointment, though Corbin swears that he made no recommendation in the case. General Butterfield was appointed assistant treasurer, and entered upon the duties of that office on the first of July. It is, however, proper to state that the committee have no evidence that Catherwood's name was ever proposed to the President or secre- tary as a candidate for the position, nor that General Butterfield was in any way cognizant of the corrupt schemes which led the conspirators to desire his appointment, nor that their recommendations had any weight in securing it. In addition to these efforts, the conspirators re- solved to discover, if possible, the purposes of the President and the secretary of the treasury in regard to sales of gold. The first attempt in this direction, as exhibited in the evidence, was made on the 15th of June, when the President was on board one of Messrs. Fisk and Gould's Fall River steamers, on his way to Boston. At nine o'clock in the evening, supper was served on board, and the presence at the table of such men as Cyrus \V. Field, with several leading citizens of New York and Boston, was sufficient to prevent any suspicion that this occasion was to be used for the benefit of private speculation; but the testimony of Fisk and Gould indicates clearly the purpose they had in view. Mr. Fisk says (page 171): "On our passage over to Boston with General Grant, we endeavored to ascertain what his position in regard to finances was. We went down to supper about nine o'clock, intending while we were there to have this thing pretty thoroughly talked up, and, if possible, to relieve him from any idea of putting the price of gold down." Mr. Gould's account is as follows (page 171): ".At this supper the question came up about the state of the country, the crops, prospects ahead, etc. The President was a listener; the other gentlemen were discussing; some were in favor of Boutwell's selling gold, ..uid SC;^ opposed to it. After they had all interchanged views, some one asked the President what his view was. He remarked that he thought there was a certain amount of fictitiousness about the prosperity of the country, and that the bubble might as well be tapped 38 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. in one way as another. We supposed, from tliat conversation, that the President was a contraciionist. * * His remark struck across us hke a wet blanket. It appears that these skilfully-contrived efforts elicited frotn the President but one remark, and this opened a gloomy prospect for the speculators ; for Mr. Gould testifies that early next morning he was at the telegraph office, and found there one of his associates telegraphing to New York to sell out his stocks. Upon their return to Xew York, Fisk and Gould determined to bring a great pressure upon the administration, to prevent, if possible, a further decline in gold, which would certainly interfere w ith their pur- poses of speculation. This was to be effected by facts and arguments presented in the name of the country and its business interests; and a financial theory was agreed upon, which, on its face, would appeal to the business in- terests of the country, and enlist in its support many patriotic citizens, but would, if adopted, incidentally enable the conspirators to make their speculations eminently successful. That theory was, that the business interests of the country required an advance in the price of gold; that, in order to move the fall ciops and secure the foreign mar- ket for our grain, it was necessary that gold should be put up to 145. According to Mr. Gould, this theory, for the benefit of American trade and commerce, was suggested by Mr. James McHenry, a prominent English financier, who furnished Mr. Gould the data with which to ad- vocate it. This theory is exhibited very fully in the testimony of Mr. Gould (pp. 4 and 5), and of Mr. Fisk (pp. 171 and 172). •Grant was followed to Newport in vain — something else must be done. If the impression could be produced that the secretary of the treasury would withhold gold for a month that would do. On the nineteenth of August the President passed through New York. The Times was to be used, and a seeming semiofficial article was written, headed "Grant's Financial Policy," to be used as a leading editorial, its publication to be secured by indirect means. The Times was reached, and the article put in double-leaded lines, ready. The editor became suspicious. It was published in an amended form, with the original in a parallel col- umn, and failed. An effort on Secretary Boutwell was ineffective also. It so happened that he did decide to sell gold sparingly during September. Perhaps this de- sign was penetrated, and gold touched near 13S, on the sixth. Gould purchased. His associates became alarm- ed, but he persisted. His means to force it up were various and curious. A pretense 'that the President had ordered the non-sale of gold in September was one means. That the advance of gold was the depression of the currency, should be kept in mind. At the middle of September Gould had gold at 135 and 136, and Gould was alone. He courted Fisk, who was coy, but became frisky. Fisk was told that Corbin had enlisted the interests of persons high in authority, that the President, Mrs. Grant, General Porter, and Gen- eral Butterfield were corruptly interested in the movement, and that the secretary of the treasury had been forbidden to sell gold. Though these declarations were wickedly false, as the evidence abundantly shows, yet the conipij.inded villainy presented by Gould and Corbin was too tempting a bait for Fisk to resist. He joined the movement at once, and brought to its aid all the force of his magnetic and infectu- ous enthusiasm. The malign influence which Cataline wielded over the reckless and abandoned youth of Rome, finds a fitting parallel in the power which Fisk carried into Wall street, when, followed by the thugs of Erie and the debauchees of the Opera House, he swept into the gold-room and defied both the street and the treasury. Indeed, the whole gold movement is not an unworthy copy of that great conspiracy to lay Rome in ashes and deluge its streets in blood, for the purpose of enrichmg those who were to apply the torch and wield the dagger. With the great revenue of the Erie railway company at their com- mand, and having converted the Tenth National bank into a manufac- tory of certified checks to be used as cash at their pleasure, they terri- fied all opponents by the gigantic power of their combination, and amazed and dazzled the dissolute gamblers of Wall street by declaring that they had in league with them the chief officers of the national government. Possessed of these real and pretended powers, the conspirators soon had at their command an army of brokers, as corrupt as themselves, though less powerful and daring. They opened an account for the "pool," which they styled the national gold account, hoping thus to strengthen the pretense that officers of the national government were interested with them. They gradually pushed the price of gold from one hundred and thirty- five and one-half, where it stood on the morning of the thirteentii of September, until on the evening of Wednesday, the twenty-second, they held it firm at one hundred and forty and one-half. Russell A^ Hills, clerk for William Heath & Company, had bough seven millions for the clique. James Ellis, partner of the same firm, had bought for them six millions, eight hundred and ninety-five thousand dollars more, under orders to put up the price and hold it there. Woodward testifies that he bought eighteen millions, of which ten millions were taken by Gould. H. K. Enos testifies that he bought ten millions. E. K. WiUard testifies that he bought ten millions. Charles E. Quincy. of Heath & Company teslilies that he held over fourteen millions. On the evening of Wednesd:i\-, the twenty-second, gold stood at one hundred and forty and one-half, and according to Fisk's testimony the conspirators held calls from fifty to sixty millions. Mr. Gould thinks it was not more than twenty-five millions, but his partner (Smith) testifies that they held from forty to fifty or fifty-five millions, in the purchase of which they had employed from fifty to sixty brokers. No better proof was needed that the natural tendency of gold was downward than the fact that it required these enormous purchases, with all the acompani- ments of fraud, to hold it three cents higher than it had stood sixteen days before. During the ten days in which these purchases were made, the con- spirators were disturbed by the mo\'ements of the secretary of the treasury. About the fourteenth of September it became known in New York that within a few days Secretary Boutwell would pass through the city, and that he had accepted an invitation to dine at the Union League club. It was noised about that the dinner was gotten up by parties short of gold, who expected to use the occasion to influence the secretary in favor of increasing his sales of gold, and breaking up the supposed clique. Mr. Gould became alarmed at the confident manner in which the secretary's intentions were spoken of, and solicitous as to what effect the bears and business men might have on the secretary's policy. He called on Coibin, and communicated his fears. The testimony shows that he distrusted Corbin's pretended influence. For nearly a fortnight he had called twice a day, and while studying the situation was narrowly watching Corbin's behavior. He knew that every cent of BANKING AND CURRENCY. 39 advance in Ihe price of gold added fifteen thousand dollars to Corbin's profit from the gold movement, and that this fact might explain Cor- bin's preten:-e of knowing the President's purposes, and of being able to inflticnce them. Corbin continued to assure Gould that there uas no danger, and on the evening of the seventeenth of September it was agreed that the former should address a letter to the President, urging him not to in- terfere in tl-.e gold market by ordering or permitting sales from the treasurv. During that night Corbin wrote a long letter on the subject, which \vas not considered worth pre5er\ing, but was destroyed soon after it was received by the President. The testimony shows that the letter contained no reference to the private speculations of Corbin, but urged the President not to interfere in the fight then going on between the bulls and bears, nor to allow the secretary of the treasury to do so by any sales of gold. The letter also repeated the old arguments in regard to transportation of the crops. Its contents are exhibited in the testimony of both Corbin (page 249) and Gould {page 155). \A'hile Corbin was writing it, Gould called upon Fisk to furnish his most faithful ser\'ant to carry the letter. W. O. Chapin was designated as the 'messenger, and early on the following morning went to Mr. Cor- bin's house and received it, together with a note to General Porter. He was instructed to proceed with all possible haste, and telegraph Fisk as soon as the letter was delivered. He reached Pittsburgh a little after midnight, and, proceeding at once by carriage to Washington Pennsylvania, thirty miles distant, delivered the letter to the President, and, after waiting some time, asked if there was any answer. The President told him there w'as no answer, and he liurried away to the nearest telegraph office and sent to Mr. Fisk this dispatch: "Letters delivered all right," and then returned to New York. Mr. Fisk appears to have interpreted the "all rlglit" of the dispatch as an answer to the doctrine of the Corbin letter, and says he pro- ceeded in his enormous purchases upon that supposition. This letter, which Corbin had led his co-conspirators to trust as their safeguard against interference from Mr. Boutvvell, finally proved their ruin. Its efifect was the very reverse of what they anticipated. General Porter testifies, (page 448) : The letter would have been like hundreds of other letters received by the President, if it had not been for the fact that it was sent by a special messenger from New York to Washington, Pennsylvania, the messenger having to take a carriage and ride some twenty-eight miles from Pittsburgh. This letter, sent in that way, urging a certain policy on the administration, taken in con- nection with some rumors that had got into the newspapers at that time as to Mr. Corbin's having become a great bull in gold, excited the President's suspicions, and he believed that Mr. Corbin must have a pecuniary interest in those speculations; that he was not actuated simply by a desire to see a certain policy carried out for the benefit of the administration. Feeling in that way, he suggested to Mrs. Grant to say, in a letter she was writing to Mrs. Corbin, that rumors had reached her that Mr. Corbin was connected with speculators in New York, and that she hoped that if this was so he would disengage him- self from them at once; that he (the President) was very much dis- tressed at such rumors. She wrote a letter that evening, which I did not see. That, I think, was the night after the messenger arrived, and while we were still at Washington. Pennsylvania. Both Mr. Gould and Mr. Corbin have testified in regard to this letter, and they state its contents substantially as given by General Porter. It was received in New York on the evening of Wednesday, the twenty-second. Late that night Mr. Gould called at Corbm's house. Corbin disclosed the contents of the letter, and they sat down to con- sider its significance. Both have detailed at length in their evidence what transpired between them that night and the following morning. (See Gould's evidence, pp, 156 and 157, and Corbin's evidence, pp. 231 to 253.) This letter created the utmost alarm in the minds of both these con- spirators. It showed Corbin that his duplicity was now strongly sus- pected, if not actually discovered. It showed Gould that he had been deceived by Corbin's representations, and that a blow from the treasury might fall upon him at any hour. The picture of these two men that night, as presented in the evi- dence, is a remarkable one. Shut up in the library, near midnight, Corbin was bending over the table and straining with dim eyes to de- cipher and read the contents of a letter, written in pencil, to his wife, while the great gold gambler, looking over his shoulder, caught with his sharper vision every word. The envelope was examined, with its post-mark and date, and all the circumstances which leiit significance to the document. In that inter- view Corbin had the advantage, for he had h.ad time to mature a plan. He seems to have determined, by a new deception, to save his credit with the President, and at the same time reap the profit from his specu- lation with Mr. Gould. He represented to Gould the danger of allow- ing the President any reason to believe that he, Corbin, was engaged in speculation, and said he had prepared a letter to the President deny- ing that he had any interest in the movement, direct or indirect, and said he must send the letter by the first mail, but that in order to send it, it must be true. He proposed, therefore, to Gould that they should settle the purchase of a million and a half by Gould, paying to him the accrued profits, which, as gold stood that night, would amount to over one hundred thousand dollars in addition to the twenty-five tliou- sand dollars he had already received. Gould was unwilling either to refuse or accept the proposition. Fear- ful, on the one hand, of losing his money, and on the other of incur- ring Corbin's hostility, he asked a delay until morning, and in the mean- time enjoined and maintained secrecy in regard to the existence of the letter. Gould went from Corbin's house to the office of the Erie railroad, still keeping Mrs. Grant's letter a secret from Fisk. ■ Later in the day he disclosed only enough of the truth to make Fisk jointly responsible for whatever amount of money he should pay to Corbin. Mr. Gould testifies that the check was drawn, but never paid to Corbin. Mr. Fisk knew only of Corbin's nervousness, but Gould knew far more. He says that Corbin had deceived him in pretending to possess knowledge of the President's purposes, and of being in any way able to influence them. He saw the whole extent of the danger and the ruin w^liich a treasury sale would bring upon him. New victims were prepared, and a new sdieme devised to save himself. Gould'.s old partner, Bcldcn, rushed upon the street and made immense purchases. He managed to induce Speyer to believe he was himself the broker for Fisk, Gould and others, with orders to buy. Others purchased. Gould says "I was a seller of gold that day. I pur- chased merely enough to make believe that I was a bull, and Fisk was in the gold room offering bets that gold would touch two hundred. Gold that day closed at one hundred and forty-four. The conspirators held a meet- ing, had lists of all the dealers. They had calls for more than one hundred millions. There were not fifteen millions real gold in New York, outside the treasury. Every man who had bought or loaned owed them, and must buy it of them to pay with, and at their prices. More than two hundred and fifty prominent men and firms were short. They resolved to publish the list, demand one 40 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. hundred and sixty for goM, and if settk-ments were de- layed later than three p. m. more would be required, but were advised that there was peril in that. It was then determined to push gold up still further the next day, Friday — day of doom. The name of Belden should cover the purchases. Heath's office was the head- quarters. Smith, Osborne, Dater, and Timpson, and other leading brokers of this cHque, were to frighten the borrowers of gold into private settle- ments in their office, and Jay Gould, tlie gui:ty plotter of all these criminal proceedings, determined to betray liis own associates, silent and imperturbable, by nods and whimpers, directed all. He knew that day better than ever the value of silence, and as he testified to the com- mittee, (page 143) : ■ ' I had my own plans, and did not mean that anybody should say that I had opened my mouth that day, and I did not. " Jpeyer was sent to the gold room and run gold up to one hundred and sixty, taking sixty million dollars. The clique needed vast sums of money so as to be able to pay for the gold that parties who declined to place margins in their hands might return to them. For this Gould had made, as he thought, ample pro- vision. He had some time before purchased a controlling interest in the Tenth National bank, and used that institution as a convenience to certify the checks of his firm. To this bank he wrote a letter the day before the panic, guaranteeing them from loss through certifying the checks of William Heath cS: Co. Russell A. Hills, clerk of Heath & Co. says, (p. 39S): "He told me that the Tenth National bank had agreed to certity to an unlimited e.\tent, day by day. A short time afterwards one of the officers of the bank came into the office of William Heath & Co., and said that it was impossible for the bank to certify, as there were three bank e.xaminers in there to prevent it." It is in evidence that on Tiiursd.ry the bank certified checks to the amount of twenty-five millions, and on Friday, notwithstanding the presence of the e.'caminers, certified fourteen millions more. While this desperate work was going on in New York, its alarming and ruinous effects were reaching and paralyzing the business of the whole country and carrying terror and ruin to thousands. Business men everywhere, from Boston to San Francisco, read disaster in every new bulletin. The price of gold fluctuated so rapidly that the tele- graphic indicators could not keep pace with its movement. The com- plicated mechanism of these indicators is moved by the electric current carried over telegraphic wires directly from the gold-room, and it is in evidence that in many instances these wires were melted or burned off in the efforts of the operators to keep up with the news. In the meantime two forces were preparing to strike the conspirators a blow. One was a movement led by James Brown, a Scotch banker of New York, and supported by many leading bankers and merchants. The situation of all those whose legitimate business required the pur- chase of gold was exceedingly criticil. and the boldest of them, under the lead of Brown, joined the great crowd of speculative bears in des- perate efforts to break down the conspiracy and put down the price of gold by heavy sales. The other was a movement at the national capital. The President returned from Pennsylvania to Washington on Thurs- day, the twenty-third, and that evening had a consultation with the sec- retary of the treasury concerning the condition of the gold market. The testimony of Mr. Boutwell shows that both the President and himself concurred in the opinion that they should, if possible, avoid any interference on the part of the govemment in a contest where both parties were strugghng for private gam; but both agreed that if the price of gold should be forced still higher, so as to threaten a general financial panic, it would be their duty to interfere and protect the busi- ness interests of the country. The ne.xt morning the price ad\anced rapidly, and telegrams poured into Washington from all parts of the country, exhibiting the general alarm, and urging the govemment to interfere, and, if possible, prevent a financi.il crash. This was issued: "Treasury Di-:i'Art.\ient, September 24, 1869. "Daniel Buttekworth, Assistant Treasurer United States, New York: "Sell four millions ($4,000,000) gold to-morrow, and buy four mill- ions (4,000,000) bonds. "George S. Boutwel„, "Charge to department. "Secretary Treasury. "Sent 11:42 A. M." The message was not in cipher, and there was no attempt to keep it secret. It was duplicated, and a copy sent over each of the rival lines. The one sent by the Western Union line was dated at the treas- ury 11:42, Washington time, and reached General Butterfield 12:10, New York time. That sent over the Franklin line was dated at the treasury 11:45, ^'i'' '■''^^ delivered to General Butterfield at 12:05, ^'^w York time. The actual time occupied in transmitting the dispatch from the secretary to General Butterfield, including messenger travel at both ends of the line, was eight minutes, the same over each line; but in the branch office of the Western Union company, at Washing- ton, there was a delay of eight minutes before the operator could get control of the wire. Its contents may have been heard in some of the telegraph offices in New York, by outside experts standing near the instruments, and thus the news may have been known in the gold-room in advance of its publication ; but the evidence on that point is not conclusive. A few minutes before noon, when the excitement in the gold-room had risen to a tempest, James Brown offered to sell one million at one hundred and sixty-two; then another million at one hun- dred and sixty-one; and then five millions more at one hundred and sixty; and the market broke, .\bout ten minutes afterwards the news came that the treasury would sell, and the break was complete. Within the space of fifteen minutes the price fell from one hundred and sixty to one hundred and thirty-three, and, in the language of one of the witnesses, half of Wall street was involved in ruin. It was not without difficulty that the conspirators escaped from the fury of their victims and took refuge in their up-town stronghold — the office of the Erie Railroad company. During Thursday and Friday thry had sold out, at high rates, a large pan of the gold they had previously purchased, and had made many private settlements at rates ruinous to their victims. They at once repudiated all the purchases they had made through Belden, amounting to se\enty millions, and it is e\ ident that, either before or after the fact, they bought Belden's consent to tl.is villainy. The gold clearing-house, with its almost unlimited facilities for set- tling the accounts of gold gamblers, v .s suffocated under the crushing weight of its transactions, and r.^ doors wtre closed. This admirable report carries the matter forward with amplitude of detail to conclusion. The blowing up and bursting of the bubble are here shown. It also appears that a congressional investigation in Garfield's hands was a very real thing. Toward the close of the Forty-first congress there arose between the two houses a grave controversy over the right of the senate to originate revenue bills. The house claimed the exclusive power over the subject. BANKING AND CURRENCY. 41 Able speeches were made on both sides. The question was not free from doubt, and never was directly settled. The bill out of which it arose went to a committee of conference, which disagreed. On the house report, on the last day of the session, Mr. Garfield made a speech covering the whole ground, prepared in his thorough way, which was accepted as the authoritative exposition of the claims of the house. During the spring session Mr. Garfield raised a special committee to prepare and report a plan for taking the approaching census, a work requiring a vast amount of unrequited labor, which could find no compensation in money or applause. His sub-committee spent forty days of the vacation, between the sessions, in elaborating his plan. At the request of the American Social Science association, he delivered an elaborate address before it on this subject, on the twenty-seventh of October, and he afterward produced his plan in a complete report, in the house, accompanied by a well-considered bill. With almost infinite care and pains he conducted this through the house, explaining, answering objections, and carrying It successfully through. He could not follow it to the senate, where it was lost, and the ninth census was taken as happened. Not wholly lost was this bill and labor. Ten years later the bill was reached and reintroduced. The Forty-fifth congress passed it into law, and under its en- lightened provisions the agents of the government are now taking the enumeration and statistics of the Republic. THE CURRENCY. It is time our attention was given more largely to Mr. Garfield's labors in his appointed field of the currency. He had, on the fourteenth of March, 1870, amply discussed public expenditures and the civil service, a kindred sub- ject, and, on the seventh of June, on his bill "to increase banking facilities, and for other purposes," he discussed "Currency and the Banks," where he may sparingly speak for himself to my readers. See the clearness with w^hich he sets forth the elementray truths on which his doc- trines rest, deepening the lines of his former speech already spoken of: Before entering upon the consideration of the bill itself, I ask the indulgence of tlie house while I state a few general propositions touch- ing the subject of trade and its instruments. A few simple principles form the foundation on which rests the whole superstructure of money, currency, and trade. They may be thus briefly stated ; First. Money, which is a universal measure of value and a medium of exchange, must not be confounded with credit currency in any of its forms. Nothing is really money which does not of itself possess the full amount of the value which it professes on its face to possess. Length can only be measured by a standard which in itself possesses length. Weight can only be measured by a standard, defined and recognized, which in itself possesses weight. .So, also, value c;in only be measured by that which in itself possesses a definite and known value. The precious metals, coined and stamped, form the money of the world, because when thrown into the melting-pot and cast into bars they will sell in the market as metal for the same amount that they will pass for in the market as coined money. The coining and stamp- ing are but a certification by the government of the quantity and fine- ness of the metal stamped. The coining certifies to the value, but neither creates it nor adds to it. Second. Paper currency, when convertible at the will of the holder into coin, thougli not in itself money, a title to the amount of money promised on its face ; and so long as there is perfect confidence that it is a good title for its full amount, it can be used as money in the pay- ment of debts. Being lighter and more easily carried, it is for many purposes more convenient than money, and has become an indispen- sable substitute for money throughout all civilized countries. One qual- ity which it must possess, and without which it loses its title to be called money, is that the promise written on its face must be good and be kept good. The declaration on its face must be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If the promise has no value, the note itself is worthless. If the promise affords any opportunity for doubt, uncertainty, or delay, the note represents a vague uncer- tainty, and is measured only by remaining faith in the final redemption of the promise. Third. Certificates of credit under whatever form, are among the most efficient instruments of trade. The most common form of tliese certificates is that of a check or draft. The bank is the institution through which the check becomes so powerful an instrument of ex- change. The check is comparatively a modem invention, whose func- tions and importance are not yet fully recognized. It may represent" a deposit of coin or of paper currency, convertible or inconvertible ; or may, as is more frequently the case, represent merely a credit, secured by property in some form, but not by money. The check is not money; yet, for the time being, it performs all the functions of money in the payment of debts. No greater mistake can be made than to suppose that the effective value of currency is not directly increased by the whole amount of checks in circulation. I would not for a moment lose sight of the great first necessity of all exchanges, that they be measured by real money, the recognized money of the world; nor of that other necessity next in importance, that bank notes or treasury notes should represent real money; should be of uni- form value throughout the country, and should be sufficient in amount to effect all those exchanges in which paper money is actually used. I would keep constantly in view both these important factors. But that is a superficial and incomplete plan of legislation which does not in- clude, in its provisions for the safe and prompt transaction of business, those facilities, which modern civilization has devised, and which have so largely superseded the use of both coin and paper money. The bank has become the indispensable agent and instrument of trade throughout the civilized world, and not less in specie paying coun- tries than in countries cursed by an inconvertible paper currency. Be- sides its function of issuing circulating notes, it serves as a clearing- house for the transactions of its customers. It brings the buyer and seller together, and enables them to complete their exchanges. It brings debtors and creditors together, and enables them to adjust their accounts. * * * * « ♦ I find there are still those who deny the doctrine that bank deposits form an effective addition to the circulation. But let us see. \ bank is established at a point thirty or fony miles distant from any other bank. Every man within that circle has been accustomed to keep in his pocket or safe a considerable sum of money during the year. That average amount is virtually withdniwn from circulation, and for the time being is cancelled, is dead. -After a new bank is established a large portion of that average amount is deposited with the bank, and a smaller amount is carried in their safes and pockets. These accumu- lated deposits placed in the bank, at once constitute a fund which can 42 LIFE OF TAMES A. GARFIELD. be loaned to those who need credit. At ieast four-fifths of the average amount of deposits can be loaned out, thus converting dead capital into active circulation. But the word deposits covers far more than the sums of actual money placed in the bank by depositors. McLeod, in his great work on banking, says: "Credits standing in bankers' books, from whatever source, are called deposits. Hence a deposit, in banking language, al- ways means a credit in a banker's books in exchange for money or se- curities for money." — Vol. 2, p. 267. Much the largest proportion of all bank deposits are of this class — mere credits on the books of the bank. Outside the bank, these de- posits are represented by checks and drafts. Inside the bank, they effect settlements, and make thousands of payments by mere transfer from one man's account to that of another. This checking and coun- ter-checking and transferring of credit, amounts to a sum vastly greater than all the deposits. No stronger illustration of practical use of de- posits can be found than in the curious fact, that all the heavy pay- ments made by tlie merchants and dealtsss in the city of Amsterdam for half a century, were made through a supposed deposit which had en- tirely disappeared some fifty years before its removal was detected. Who does not know that the si.\ hundred millions of dollars of deposits reported every quarter as a part of the liabilities of the national banks are mainly credits which the banks have given to business men? * If the analysis I have attempted to make of the principles which govern trade and business be correct, it will aid in ascertaining the wants of the country, and in determining what legislation is necessary to meet the demands of business. Mr. Speaker. I shall venture to hope that those who have honored me with their attention thus far, will agree that a mere supply of cur- rency, however .abundant, will not meet the case; coin and currency form only the change — the pocket-money of trade. For the great transactions which the marvelous energies of our people are carrying on they need and will demand that greater instrument of modern invention — that credit, currency, properly secured and guarded, which takes the forms of checks, drafts, and commercial bills. And this brings me to the question, how is the country now supplied with currency and with these other facilities for the transaction of business? It ought to be understood everywhere that the great injustice done to the western and southern portions of the country by the present dis- tribution of currency and banking facilities is so flagrant that it will not much longer be endured; and if the wrong be not soon righted the overthrow of the National banking system is imminent. In entering upon this question I am met by our philosophical eastern friends, who say, "Put the currency wherever you please, and, like water on the top of a mountain, it will find its level; the distribution, therefore, makes no difference, for the currency will necessarily find its natural place." Mr. Speaker, I recognize the truth asserted, but insist that it is not applicable to the case in hand. I offer, in answer, the fact that the dis- tribution of banking facilities under the State system before the war, is a better test of the wants of business than the present distribution. ■Wliat are the facts? In 1860-61, in ele\en of the southern and south- western States there were two hundred and ninety banks of issue, hav- ing a capital of one hundred and nineteen million, two hundred and twenty-three thousand, si.x hundred and thirty-three dollars, and a cir- culation of seventy-four million, one hundred and fifty-three thousand, five hundred and forty-five dollars, besides specie to the amount of twenty-six million, sixty-four thousand, five hundred and three dollars. Contrast that with the present situation. Trace a line from this capital westward, by the south line of Maryland, Pennsylvania, West \'irginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, and we find in the twelve States south of that line, whose population in i860 was nine millions, there are but seventy-one National banks, with a capital of only tliirteen million, one hundred and seventy-seven thousand, five hundred dollars, and a circulation of but eight million, nine hundred and thirty-six thousand, one hundred and sc\enty dollars. Besides the increase of population, the four million sla\ es have now become users of currency. The people of those States have not more than seventy-five cents each of bank circulation. It is monstrous to pretend that such a distribution is either equitable or just. Thus he states the existing state of things: Ninety-four millions of currency reserves in the vaults, thirty millions more than the law requires, money a drug at four and five per cent., and all this because speculation in the gold room was dull, while mi;I- ions of our industrious citizens find it difficult to loan money at ten and fifteen per cent ! It is marvelous with what patience the -American people permit them- selves to be robbed and defrauded. These speculators are now waiting to see what financial laws we pass, as my friend before me (Mr. Judd) suggests, and what influence they will have on the operations of the gold room. During this suspense, the gamblers of Wall street are letting their money lie idle, to see which way the tide will turn. Let Congress neglect to pass the legislation which is necessary to overcome the difficulties of the situation and we shall see the scenes of July and August, and September Last, with its black Friday, re-enacted. I hasten to say that I by no means indorse the notion that congress can determine, by any artificial mathematical rule, just how the currency ought to be distributed through the country, or how much is needed. But it cannot be denied that our past experi- ence and present situation demonstrate the outrageous injustice done in the West and South in regard to the currency. And now 1 inquire for a remedy. What shall it be? By what means shall we supply tlie West and South with currency and banking facilities to meet the demands of their rapidly increasing population and we.alth? Shall it be by an immediate increase of the volume of our paper money, to be followed by a greater depreciation of the whole mass, an increase of prices, and a great and disastrous disturbance of values and of all business transactions? For myself, I do not hesitate to declare that such legislation would be in every way ruinous to the interests and destructive of the credit of the country. I believe that the volume of our paper currency is already too large, and that a resumption of specie payments would reduce it. But, Mr. Speaker, whatever may be our individual opinions, it is clear that no measure of inflation can by any possibility become a law during the present session of Congress, The following resolution passed.l)y the Ssnate, without a dissenting vote, on the twenty-fourth of February last, indicates that no measure of inflation can meet the assent of tliat body. I quote the proceedings of the senate on this subject as recorded in the Ghbc of February 25th: ' ' Resolved, That to add to the present irredeemable paper currency of the country would be to render more difficult and remote tiie resump- tion of specie payments, to encourage and foster the spirit of specula- tion, to aggravate the evils produced by frequent and sudden fluctua- tions of vahies; to depreciate the credit of the Nation, and to check the . healthful tendency of legitimate business to settle down upon a safe and permanent basis ; and therefore, in the opinion of the senate, the existing volume of such cunency ought not to be increased. The Vice-President. Is there objection to the present consideration of the resolution ? "Mr. Sherman. I hope not. Let it pass. "Mr. Sumner. Let it pass. "The Vice-President. The chair hears no objection to tiie present consideration of the resolutioa, itnd it Is before the senate. "The resolution was agreed to." It is equally clear that no me.nsure for the resumption of specie pay- ment that includes contraction of the currency as one of its provisions BANKING AND THE CURRENCY. 43 can pass tliis house during the present congress. Shut up within these limitations, practically forbidden either to increase or diminish the volume of the currency, the committee on banking and currency were instructed by the house of representatives February 21, 1870, to per- form the duty described in the following resolution : Resolved, That in the opinion of the house the business interests of the country require an increase in the volume of the circulating cur- rency, and the committee on banking and currency are instructed to report to the house at as early a day as practicable a bill increasing the currency to the amount of at least fifty million dollars. Under these circumstances the duty of the committee was very diffi- cult to perform. Shut up between Scylla on the one side and Charyb- dis on the other, and propelled by this peremptory resolution, what could the committee do? It must give more banking faciUties. It must give more circulating currency. But it must neither increase nor decrease the volume of the currency. * * * * Thus he unfolds his bill and remedy: This bill is the result of a compromise of many differences of opin- ion, and perhaps suits no member of the committee in all its features'; yet, on the whole, they believe it will give the needed relief, with the least disturbance to the business of the country, and without injury to the public credit. I now invite the attention of the house to its provisions. It aims at two leading objects : To provide for a more equitable distribution of the currency without contraction or inflation, and without increased expense to the government ; and to jirovide for free banking on a spe- cie basis. The first of these objects the bill proposes to reach by the provisions of the first si.x and the last three sections of the bill. The second object is provided for in the remaining sections, being sections seven, eight, and nine. The provisions for the more equitable distribution of the currency and the increase of banking facilities are the following : First. The issue of ninely-fi\e million dollars of national bank notes in States having less than their proper portion. Second. The cancellation and retirement of the three per cent, cer- tificates, which now amount in round numbers to forty-five million five hundred thousand doIKirs, ;;:".d t'le cancellation and retirement of thirty-nine million five hundred thousand dollars of United States notes. Third. When the whole amount of the r.inety-five million dollars of additional notes shall have been issued, circulation shall then be withdrawn from States having an excess, and distributed to States being deficient, in such sums as may be required, not e.xceeding in the aggregate twenty-five million dollars. After developing the scope of the measure, he is con- strained to say pensively : I wish I were able to demonstrate also that there is no inflation in this bill; and here is the feature most unsatisfactory to me. For four years past I have pleaded for some practical legislation, looking toward a gradual and safe return to specie payments. It has been clear to my mind that resumption was impossible so long as the present volume of inconvertible currency is maintained. I have therefore strenuously op- posed all attempts to increase its \olume. But deeply impressed with the necessity of giving more equal facilities to the West ana South, and relieving the National bank system from the odium which the present unequal distribution brings upon it, I have consented, with reluctance, to this feature of the pending bill, believing that the benefits conferred by it will be greater than the evils that will result from the measure of inflation it contains. The actual increase of circulating notes which it authorizes is about thirteen million dollars; but the great increase of credit currency in the form of checks and drafts will, in my judgment, result in a very consid- erable expansion of paper credits. I cannot, in justice to myself, let this feature of the bill pass without expressing regret that the state of opinion in the house and country requires its enactment. And thus he deals with inflation and congressional meddling with the currency. But some gentlemen say, "Increase the greenback currency; issue more; it is popular; it is safe; it is cheap; give it liberally and satisfy the wants of the country." This brings us to the question whether we will have the National bank currency or a currency issued directly by the government. All those who believe that the national banks should be overthrown, and that the go\ ernment should itself become the man- ufacturer of the currency of the country, will doubtless oppose this bill in all its provisions. There are a few gentlemen, whose opinions I very greatly respect, who believe such a substitution ought to take place. I disagree with them for the following reasons: In the first place it is the experience of all nations, and it is the almost unanimous opinion of eminent statesmen and financial writers, that no nation can safely undertake to supply its people with a paper currency issued directly by the government. And, to apply that prin- ciple to our own country, let me ask if gentlemen think it safe to sub- ject any political party who may be in power in this government to the great temptation of over-issues of paper money in lieu of taxation? In times of high political excitement, and on the eve of a general election, when there might be a deficiency in the revenues of the country, and congress should find it necessary to levy additional taxes, the tenipta-' tion would be overwhelming to supply the deficit by an increased issue of paper money. Thus the whole business of the country, the value of all contracts, the prices of all commodities, the wages of labor, would depend upon a vote of congress. For one, I dare not trust the great industrial interests of this country to such uncertain and hazardous chances. But even if congress and the Administration should be always supe- rior to such political temptations, still I aflfirm, in the second place, that no human legislature is wise enough to determine how much cur- rency the wants of this country require. Test it in this house to-day. Let every member mark down the amount which he believes the busi- ness of the country requires, and who does not know that the amounts will vary by hundreds of millions? But a third objection, stronger even than the last, is this: that such a currency possesses no power of adapting itself to the business of the country. Suppose the total issues should be five hundred millions, or seven hundred millions, or any amount you please: it might be abund- ant for spring and summer, and yet when the great body of agricultural products were moving off to market in the fall, that amount might be totally insufficient. Fix any value you please, and if it be just sufficient at one period, it may be redundant at another, or insufficient at another. No currency can meet the wants of this country unless it is fotmded directly upon the demands of business, and not upon the caprice, the ignorance, the political selfishness, of any party in power. W'hat regulates now the loans and discounts and credits of our National banks? The business of the country. The amount increases or decreases, or remains stationary, as business is fluctuating or steady. This is a natural form of exchange, based upon the business of the country and regarded by its changes. And when that happy day arrives when the whole volume of our currency is redeemable in gold at the will of the holder, and recognized by all nations as equal to money, then the whole business of banking, the whole volume of cur- rency, the whole amoiint of credits, whether in the form of checks, drafts, or bills, will be regulated by the same general law — the business of the country. The business of the country is like the level of the ocean, from which all measurements are made of heights and depths. Though tides and currents may for a time disturb, and tempests vex 44 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. and toss its surface, still, through calm and storm the grand level rules all its waves and lays its measuring-lines on every shore. So the busi- ness of the country, which, in the aggregated demands of the people for exchange of values, marks the ebb and flow, the rise and fall of the currents of trade, and forms the base-line from wliich to measure all our financial legislation, and is the only safe rule by which the volume of our currency can be determined. But there is another point to which I desire to call attention. What- ever may have been our opinions and wishes hitherto, since this session began the supreme court of the United Slates has made a decision which adds a new and important element to this question. The court has declared that the legal tender notes are not, and cannot be made, a legal tender for debts contracted belore their issue. Now, I ask gen- tlemen to remember that my friend from Illinois [Mr. IngersoU] who is the champion of greenback issues on this side of the house, realized at once the importance and effect of that decision; for within two or three days after the decision was announced — I believe it was the very next day — he proposed an amendment to the constitution of the United States, providing that it should be lawful for congress to authorize the issue of treasury notes, and make them a legal tender in the payment of all debts, thereby admitting that he believed such an amendment necessary, in order that such an issue could be made. ***** Mark the conclusive force of these paragraphs: There is another consideration \vhich I desire to present to the house, and it is this: we are not permitted to choose betw'een banks and no banks. We are not permitted to choose between a National banking system managed immediately by the officers of the treasury. The Na- tional banks exist now only because they occupy the field and the ten per cent, tax on State circulation prevents the issue of State bank notes. If we abolish the National banks, and undertake to conduct the busi- ness of this country by the issues of greenback currency, the influence of State banks and of banking capital will soon compel the repeal of the ten per cent, tax; and then will spring up again all the wild-cat banks against which the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. IngersoU] de- claimed so eloquently a few days ago. We are shut up, in my judgment, to one of two things; either to maintain, extend,_and amend the present National banking system, or to go back to the old system under which every State was tinkering at the currency, without concert of action and uncontrolled by any gen- eral law. Then banks were established under the laws of twenty-nine different States, granted different privileges, subjected to different re- strictions, and their circulation was based on a great variet\- of securi- ties, of different qualities and quantities. In some States the bill- holder was secured by the daily redemption of notes in the principal city; in others by the pledge of State stocks, and in others by coin re- serves. But as State stocks differed greatly in value, all the way from the repudiated bonds of Mississippi to the premium stock of Massa- chusetts, there was no uniformity of security, and the amount of coin reser%es required in the different States was so various as to make that security almost equally irregular. This is followed with a series of pictures of the explo- sions of the State banking systems, already sketched, concluding with this: Thus it appears there were more than six thousand five hundred va- rieties of fraudulent notes in circulation; and the dead weight of all the losses occasioned by them, fell at last upon the people, who were not expert in such matters. There were in 1862 but two hundred and fifty- three banks whose notes had not been altered or imitated. The results of State banking are thus grouped and contrasted with the stability and usefulness of the Na- tional banks. In obedience to a resolution of congress, adopted January 7, 1841, the secretary of the treasury made a report, showing that from 1789 to 1841 three hundred and ninety-five banks had become insolvent, and that the aggregate loss sustained by the government and people of the United States was three hundred and sixty-five million four hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and ninety-seven dollars. The re- port also showed that the total amount paid by the people of the United States to the banks, for the use of them, during the ten years preceding 184T, amounted to the enormous sum of two hundred and eighty-two millions of dollars. Startling as these figures are, they fall far short of exhibiting the magnitude of the losses which this system occasioned. The financial journals of that period agree in the following estimate of the losses oc- casioned by the revulsion of 1837: On bank circulation and deposits $ 54.000.000 Bank capital, failed and depreciated 248,000,000 State stock depreciated 100,000,000 Company stock depreciated 80.000,000 Real estate depreciated 300,000,000 Total $782,000,000 The State bank system was a chaos of ruin, in which the business of the country was again and again ingulfed. The people rejoice that it has been swept away, and they will not consent to its re-establishment. In its place we have the National bank system, based on the bonds of the United States and sharing the safety and credit of the government. Their notes are made secure, first, by a deposit of government bonds worth at least ten per cent, more than the whole value of the notes; second, by a paramount lien on all the assets of tlie banks; third, the personal liability of all the shareholders to an amount equal to the capital they hold; and fourth, the absolute guarantee by the go\ern- ment to redeem them at the national treasury if the banks fail to do so. Instead of seven thousand different varieties of notes, as in the State system, we have now but ten varieties, each uniform in character and appearance. Like our flag, they bear the stamp of nationality, and are honored in every part of the Union. Now, I do not speak for the banks; I have no personal interest in them; but I speak for the interests of trade and the business of the counlrv, which demand that no measure shall pass this house which may rudely shock those interests. These twenty-five million dollars, which are not likely soon to be required, will be taken when needed, from States having a great surplus. About nine million dollars will come from the banks of New York that have over one million dollars of circulation each, and the balance will come from about eighty-four banks in three other States which have still a great excess above their proper proportion. I shall reserve for a later period in this discussion mv remarks on the funding provision of this bill embodied in the third, fourth, and fifth sections. I thank the house for its indulgence and the patient attention with which I have been honored. Thus dismembered, we produce but broken fragments of this massive production, simple and severe in its out- lines and solidity, like a doric temple, and as enduring. This was in iS6o. Many years were to intervene, much ]aboT, much exposition, by the clear, far-seeing financier, vhose career we are yet to trace, beginning on this sub- ject in the house, in March, 1866, casting down his gage POLITICAL ECONOMY. 45 CHAPTER VI. POLITICAL ECONOMY. The Tarifi'. — Politics at Williams. — Free Trade. — Protection.— His Williams Speech. — Speech of April, 1870. — Elementary Prices. — E.xpenditure and Prices. — High home prices close the Foreign Mar- ket.— Reduction of Prices. — Internal Revenue and the Tariff. — Speech of 1872. — Speech on Sugar Tariff, ^879. — Subject exhaust- ively treated. — Hoop Iron. — Transportation. — The Locomotive. — Railroad System considered. Certainly political economy is not an exact science, nor is scarcely any branch of it. Like our common law, its texts are clear and its rules certain. The facts depend on human testimonies, and hence are the most uncertain of things. This is charged against the law as a defect, residing in itself, when it consists almost entirely in the diflSculty of ascertaining the facts. The practical appli- cation of the doctrines of either the two schools of polit- ical economy, to industries and trade, encounter the same difficulty, in an exaggerated degree. The determining the conditions of things, and properly estimating results under given rules, by which servitudes are laid upon or omitted from given productions is most difficult. So what is meant by free trade, is sometimes in practice to his own people in Jefferson in 1867, and covering a part of the field by the speech just brought to the read- er's notice. Again on the floor January 23, 1872, and in March, 1874, and most effectively in April following. Finally, the great measure authorizing resumption became a law, which had to be defended against all comers, and never more ably than by him November 16, 1877. Then in the form of fiat money, in reply to Mr. Kelly, in March, 1878, and so in his own State in the great campaigns, and where alone he fought the battle in the silver phase of the maney-hued contest afterward. By special re- quest, he wrote a strong exposition, with ample historical illustration, in the Ailaniic Monthly of February, 1876. He made a great speech at Chicago, and another in old Faneuil, in Boston. Both were pronounced great, and those who heard either pronounced it greater than the other. And thus largely has he borne the burdens of j this great multiform issue, to the consummation of the | labors of himself and the band of the sagacious, far-see- i ing, steady statesmen who wrought with him, and which now, in the leisure of the prosperity thus secured to the country, his enemies find time and opportunity to assail him. not clearly defined. A slight duty leaves it freer than a heavy one, compared with which it is free. So what is meant by protection is clouded by the same obvious uncertainty. Each under certain conditions seems pref- erable to the other. Can there be found a resting place which shall so far embody the best of the one, as to per- mit the existence in moderate measure, of what is good in the other ? Each scliool will declare this impossible. When at Willams, on the nomination of Fremont, a gathering of students called on Garfield for a speech. In response he declared that he had never voted. His horror of slavery was so great. that he would unite with neither of the old parties, vvhile the disunion teachings of the abolitionists, kept him from acting with them. With the Fremont men he could unite and did. So he was a Republican by birth as well as by instinct and reflection. In the class-room, the professor stated clearly the abstract theories of the free traders and protectionists, and called for an expression of opinion of their respective merits. Garfield ventured to say, that to him free trade seemed to be absolutely right, but, for the United States, protection seemed an absolute necessity. When called upon for a practical solution, he replied in effect that he would be a protectionist till he could become a free trader. I do not know that this is a key to his views and leadings in congress. That he early studied the subject thoroughly, and thought of it comprehensively, we know. On the first of April, 1870, he delivered the first of any considerable speech on the tariff. He said that he felt the embarrassment of a man who was to add to the foi ty-two speeches already delivered in the committee (of the whole house). It had been an able, searching debate. He quoted Coleridge's declaration that the human race had suff'ered more from abstract definitions than from war, pestilence and famine. He was not pre- pared to question the poet-philosopher's declaration. There were two practical points from which no wide departure was permissible. The needs of the revenue, and the wants of our industries. In a sea of abstrac- tions, these were very real, and ever present. Modem scholarship was on the side of free trade. Mr. Kell}', the champion of protection, denied this, and mentioned Henry C. Carey, and the acceptance of his teachings in Germany. Mr. Garfield admitted what was due to Mr. Carey, but insisted that if England was struck out, half at least of the light of civilization would disappear. Mr. Carey was in the minority. While what he stated was true, every modern nation had in some form enforced the principle of protection. He then 46 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. presented a rapid and forcible review of the career of American industry. Like liberty, it had won its way by great struggles. The sketch of its colonial fortunes, like all his studies of English history, was very happy. He then defined and illustrated what he meant by American industry, and is forable, as he always is, when remitted to broad generalization. This brought him to the consider- ation of prices. The study of them requires a knowl- edge of whatever influences them. When the war begun, our debt sixty-five million dollars; our annual ex- penditures, on an average for eight years, ninety-five million dollars per annum :.one year of the war consumed one billion, two hundred and ninety million dollars; at the end we owed three billion dollars. Prices advanced, and were highest in 1866. louring the last four years (from 1870) the expenditures averaged three hundred and sixty million dollars per annum. From 1S66 we have tended to the ayite helium prices. The result — we have furnished a good market for foreign goods, but have lost the foreign market for most of ours. Cotton and provisions only do well abroad, and exceed in value all our other exports. Before the war we exported manu- factures amounting to forty-two million dollars a year; during the war but thirty-three million dollars. He pur- sued this subject to our trade with Canada, the Sandwich Islands, and, contrasting the years i860 and 1869, showed an exportation of seventeen million dollars for the first and five million dollars for the last. Our indus- tries need extended markets. "To do that, prices here must be so adjusted as to open to our trade more of the markets of the new world." They can now buy cheaper of foreigners. A further decline of our prices will finally bring that relief Then the channels of trade will open. It will take many years. While we raise two hundred and fifty million dollars of taxes, prices can never fall to a standard of sixty million dollars of taxes. The leg- islation which does not notice this economic law will be mistaken. When prices descend to a rate where the laborer can still save on a smaller wage, relief will begin. The laborer cannot suffer by this; ultimately will gain. Congress has done much to reduce taxation, and thus reduce prices. In the Thirty-ninth congress, we reduced the internal revenue one hundred million dollars; in the Fortieth, seventy million dollars more. We simplified the tax, removed it from industry, and imposed it on vice and luxury. The large internal revenue tax on our own manufact- ures was met by an increase of duty on the foreign com- peting articles. Since we have removed this internal tax we may well reduce the protecting duty. The war tax has disappeared. It is reasonable that the war tariff go also. Custom duties should be so adjusted as to avoid duplicate taxation. This furnishes but an imperfect outline of the unfold- ing of the principles on which the bill was framed. He I then proceeds to a discussion of details, answering ques- 1 tions, and making explanations. It i^rare that a man with such grasp and power over great subjects, in their I broad relations, has also such a mastery of details. No one ever escapes him, and from a full development of the large scope and design of an important measure, he at once descends, in an easy, graceful way, to the minut- est detail, and never leaves a question unanswered, or a detail unexplained. The tariff", internal revenue, taxation, in all their com- plex relations to home and foreign policies, became as much a specialty with General Garfield as the currency and banking; and he was at an early day received as au- thority upon the subject. i- ame aspects of the complex subject received so much light from his great speech of January 22, 1872, on public expenditure, that we must here refer the reader to the next chapter, and ask him to consider it in connec- tion with his views upon the tarifif here briefly brought to notice. His speech of February, 1879, on the sugar tariff bill is a copious discussion of the then interesting subject in connection with the broader and general one, and treated in his usual wav. The reader should study it. After some introductory remarks he says: The pending bill, like all bills which relate to customs duties.should be considered in its relation to four great interests: the revenues, home industries, foreign trade, and the interests of consumers. First, as a source of revenue for the support of the government, we are receiving about thirty-seven million dollars in coin per annum from duties on sugar in its various forms. That is about one-si.\th of all our revenues from ali sources. Tlie effect of any measure upon so large a part of the revenue is vital to our fisances and to the fiscal credit of the government. Second, it affects two great producing industries of our people. The first of these is the growth of cane and the production of cane sugar, to foster which congress has for a long time levied a discriminating duty, though only a single State is pursuing the industry. Notwith- standing the fact that sugar is one of the necessities of the daily life of our people, they have consented to pay a ta.\ which, under existing laws, averages about sixty-two and one-half per cent, ad valorem upon all the sugar they consume. This burden is borne cheerfully for the purpose of protecting and promoting a great home industry in one of our southern States. A second important industry which has grown up in connection with the sugar trade and has developed to a great magnitude in recent years is the business of refining. It is one of the interesting evidences of the progress of civilization that people are using less and less of the raw sugars of commerce, and more and more of refined sugars. And this change of habit is not merely a refinement of luxury but is demanded by a better knowledge of the laws of health. In a recent investigation made by the -Analytical Sanitary Commission of England, appointed to examine the various kinds of food. Dr. Hassell, the chairman, reported among other things the following: POLITICAL ECONOMY. 47 "We feel, however reluctantly, that we have come to Ih.e conclusion that the sugars of commerce are in general in a state wholly unfit for consumption." Tliat is the latest \ oice of science in England on the subject of unre- fined sugar. And if gentlemen will turn to the Popular Science Month- ly, of New York, for February, 1S79, tliey will find a very interesting scientific discussion of the various insects tliat infest food, and on pages 508 and 509 occurs,a passage relating to sugars, which I quote: " The sugar-mite, T.sacchari, (a magnified wood-cut of which ac- companies the passage), is most commonly found in brown sugar. It is large enough to be seen with tlie naljed eye, and sometimes appears as white specks in the sugar. It may be discovered by dissolving two or three spoonfuls of sugar in warm water and allowing the solution to stand for an hour or so. At the end of the time the acari will be found floating on the surface, adiiering to the sides of the glass, and lying mixed with the grit and dirt that always accumulate at the bottom. In ten grains of sugar as many as five hundred mites have been found, which is at the rate of three hundred and fifty thousand to the pound. Those who are engaged in handling raw sugars are subject to an erup- tion known as 'grocers' itch,' which is doubtless to be traced to the presence of these mites. They are almost invariably present in unre- fined sugars, and may be seen in all stages of growth and in every con- dition, alive and dead, entire or broken in fragments. Refined sugars are free from them. This is in part due, perliaps, to the crystals being so hard as to resist their jaws, but principally to the absence of albumen, for without nitrogenous matter they cannot live. , * "These degrading and disgusting forms are not proper food-stuffs, nor is tlieir consumption una\ oidable. Pure articles, in an undamaged condition, do not contain tliem, and their presence in numbers in any article of food is proof that it is unfit for human use and should be rejected. " This scientific testimony is corroborated by the experience of all per- sons who manipulate raw sugars, while no such effects result from the handling of refined sugars. For these reasons the consumption of raw sugars in this and in all other civilized countries has rapidly fallen off. And so, although in former years a large- quantity of what is known as grocers' sugars went directly into consumption without going through the process of refining, the amount of sugars of that class now used has been reduced to almost nothing. To exhibit something of the magnitude of this industry, I state a few facts: omitting maple, sorghum, and beet sugar, we consumed last year in round numbers one billion seven hundred million pounds of cane sugar. Of this amount we produced in our own country two hundred million pounds; the remaining one billion five hundred millions were imported. Reduce the whole to tons, the people of tlie United States consumed seven hundred and forty thousand tons of cane sugar last year, or an average of about forty-five pounds to each inhabitant. Of all this vast amount of sugar not two per cent, was consumed in the raw or unrefined state. Nearly all of it passed through some process of refining to fit it for the use of our people. From this it will be seen that in addition to the business of cane- planting and sugar-making tliere has grown up in this country a second industry of sugar refining, the importance of which may be sliown by a few additional facts. There are twenty-five thousand laborers in the United States to-day employed in the business of refining sugar and fitting it for use, in addition to those employed by the sugar producers. In this work they employ coopers, blacksmiths, mechanics, machinists, and other classes of laborers. Tliey consume thirty millions of pounds of bone-dust, eighteen lliousand kegs of nails, thirty thousand car- loads of staves, and three hundred tliousand tons of coal. In this statement I do not take into account the refining done by Louisiana planters in preparing their products for market, though a large majority of the sugar growers, have connected witli their mills some form of refining. I have staled these facts to show tlie extent of the two Ijome industries, which we should keep in view in any legisla- tion on tlie subject. The third interest to be considered is our foreign commerce, of which only a word needs to be said. We arc compelled to buy abroad aljout eighty-five per cent, of all our sug.ir. We buy it from tropical coun- tries with which, on every ground of public policy, we ought to main- tain healthy and active relations of trade. If we are able, by our supe- rior skill, to refine their low-grade sugars more cheaply than our neigh- bors and send them back with the added value of American labor, it will strengthen us industrially and commercially; and the fact that our refin ing interest has grown to such perfection that we have been able to sell in a single year to tropical countries about seventy million pounds of re- fined sugar, is a gratifying one on e\ery account. No change should be made in the law which will injure our conmiercial prospects in this direc- tion. The fourth interest, one of vital importance, is that of the consumers of sugar. They are not a class; they are the whole population of the United States; and there must be reasons of controlling strength that will justify any considerable tax on an article of food of universal con- sumption and of such prime necessity as sugar. That reason has been found partly in the necessity for revenue, but chiefly in the purpose of enabling our people to become self-supporting, and as far as possible to produce their own sugars, that they may not be dependent upon foreign countries for so important an article of food. In short, the chief reason for the tax is that American labor may find employment in producing and preparing food for .American tables. The duty on sugar has been levied in various forms. Up to 1846 sugars were classified into raw and refined sugars, with a low rate on the raw and a higher rate on the refined. But as the processes of manufacture and refining have been improved, additional grades have been added to the law from time to time to meet the new conditions. It was found in 1870 that the lower grades embraced so wide a range of products that a uniform tax upon one whole class was neither equit- able nor just ; and hence the law was so amended as to increase the number of classes and make the tax ad valorem in principle but specific inform; that is, sugar in all its forms was graded into seven classes, arranged in the order of its value, and a specific duty was levied upon each class, the lowest rate being imposed upon sugars of lowest value and a higher rate upon each successive class. The tax thus adjusted has been an efficient means of raising revenue. I have already shown that it produces more than thirty-seven million dollars a year. That it has afforded sufficient protection to the producers and refiners of sugar will not be denied. The theory of protection may perhaps be thus summarized: on any imported article which comes in competition with an American product the rate of tax should be proportionate to the amount of human labor which has been expended upon it at the time of importation. That which represents the least labor should bear the least burden of tax; that which represents the most should bear the greatest. The principle has generally prevailed in all our tariff laws relating to sugar. As the law now stands, the duty is adjusted by classifying all sugars into seven grades. First, the lowest, crudest, and cheapest product, which comes in liquid form and is known as melada. On that we levy a specific duty equal to about forty per cent, ad valorem. The next grade of sugar is represented by the specimen I hold in my hand, and is known in the trade and to our law as Dutch standard number seven. Until a recent period all sugar was manufactured by the simple process of boiling down the cane-juice and clarifying the product by means of clay. By that process the purity and strength and hence the value of aU crystallized sugar were exhibited by its color. Here, for example, [holding up a specimen], is a specimen of the lowest and crudest forms of crystallized sugar. Gentlemen will notice its dark color. It is 48 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. known and fjmded as Uutdi st md.ird number seven, and forms the second class in our present law. Here [holding up another specimen] is another specimen advanced higher, embodying more liuma.i labor, having less impurity in it, being advanced to a condition fit for use. It is known as Dutch standard number twenty. Then follows a discussion of the details, in which many gentlemen of the house participated, in the all- togethery way of that body. He is now an opposition member of the ways and means, giving the ruling major- ity the benefits of his thorough mastery of the subject, as faithfully given to the country now, as when he guided the policies of the ruling party. He contrasts the pres- ent law with the Robbins bill, which sought to consoli- date the grades of sugar, and he again touches the broad field, which he always illuminates. Hear him: Of the grades under No. lo, Dutch standard, there were received thirty-five million dollars out of thirty-seven million dollars; and of the grades under No. 7 I think about fourteen million dollars or fifteen million dollars. BiU from No. 10 down we get thirty-frve millions of the thirty-seven millions collected on sugar. What effect this change will have on the revenues it is difficult to say ; but I have no doubt it will wholly prevent the importation of the lowest grades, will increase the price of sugar to the consumer and probably decrease the revenue. At all events it is a dangerous e.xperiment to make in view of our pres- ent financial necessities. But I desire to show how it will operate as a protective measure. I have already shown that by our present law sugar pays a duty of forty per cent., forty-five per cent., forty-si.x per cent., forty-nine per cent., sixty-eight per cent., etc.. increasing in rate from the lower to the higher grades. Now note the effect of consolidating the lower grades, as proposed in the Robbins bill, end fi.King the single rate of two and forty.one hundredths cents per pound. Melada, which is the lowest grade and now pays about forty per cent., will then pay eighty per cent, ad valorem. The second grade, (that is, sugar not above No. 7,) which now pays forty-five per cent., will then pay si.\ty-eight and one- half per cent, ad valorem. The ne.xt grade will pay sixty per cent., the next higher fifty-three per cent., the next higher forty-five per cent., and the next forty-two per cent, ad valorem. In short, the Robbins bill is an inverted cone; the lowest grade of sugar must bear the highest rate of duty, and the highest grade will bear the lowest rate. In other words, the less labor there is in the im- ported product, the heavier the rate of tax upon it; and the more labor, foreign labor remember, there is in it, the least burden of tax will be put upon it. The fundamental doctrine of protection is completely overturned and reversed by this bill. Yet it is by no means a free trade bill. It so happens that on the grades upon which the extreme high rate of duty is imposed, our friends from Louisiana will recieve a very considerably larger protective duty than tlie present law gives them. Hence the favor with which this proposition is received by gentlemen from that portion of the country. Mr. Kelley. I desire to say that there is such a noise coming from the galleries that we sitting here by the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Garfield] cannot hear what he is saying. The Speaker /ro tempore. Unless silence is observed in the galleries they will be cleared. Mr. Garfield. Now, Mr. Speaker, I object to this bill, first, because it violates the fundamental principles of a just and equitable taxation; and I object 10 it in the second place because it puts a prohibitory duty upon the low-grade sugars that are refined by American skill, and become the cheap sugar in common use among our people. It injures one portion of our industrial interests and gives an unreasonable pro- tection to another. It violates the canons of free trade on the one hand, and of protection on the other. It destroys absolutely the business of refining the cheap low-grade sugars, and will increase the cost of sugars most in use. Let me illustrate still further. How is it that this day while I speak to you sugar is cheaper in the United States than it has ever been before? Because we have built up in this country a great industry, by which we are eclipsing the world as refiners of sugar. When the French manufacturers were at Philadelphia at our centennial, they were amazed to see that our sugar products there rivaled the best products of the Old World. They did not understand how it had been done. But it was the result of the same skill that has enabled America to surpass so many other countries in the recent exposition at Paris, and to carry off more medals in proportion to their exhibitors than any other five countries of the globe. We were so successful in the refining of sugar that two years ago we were exporting seventy million pounds of our refined product. It was becoming and it will become, if we are allowed to carry on this in- dustry, a great element in our export trade. We are trading with Cuba and South America ; we are compelled to depend largely upon the tropics for our raw material. Is it not wise for us to be able to send back the refined product in exchange? Or shall we so legislate as to give an undue protection to our Louisiana planters, and drive the refining business out of the United States, allowing Cuba, England, and other countries to do our refining for us ? Refined sugar we must have. The day is gone by when our people will eat the animals which abound in the raw unmanufactured sugars of the world. I say. there- fore, that this bill as drawn sins against the consumer and against the refining interest and unreasonably protects the producing interest of the country. Let me illustrate a little further. In the Phillipine islands there is a class of people who have not enough intelligence and resources to take the first simple step toward clarifying sugar. They have no limestone on their islands; they cannot even furnish the lime to drop into the sugar vats and clarify the product just a little. But they take the juice of the cane and boil it down in the crudest, rudest, simplest way, by labor the cheapest and least skilful ; and w hen they have reduced it to a black, cheap form of crystallized sugar, the dirtiest yet known, they put it up in sacks of one hundred and fifty pounds each, so that a man can carry it on his back to the landing to be shipped away. Our people are buying largely of that low grade of sugar from the Phillipine islands. We are buying it also from other countries where the produc- tion is of a low grade. This sugar we bring here, and by our skill and labor make it into a cheap, clean sugar for table use. Shall we now by law impose a prohibitory duty on all that trade and industry, an eighty per cent, rate or a sixty-five per cent, rate, keeping it all out and bring- ing in only the sugar that has been advanced by the higher and more intelligent processes of our nearer neighbors, thus cutting off the whole bu'-iness of refining these low-grade sugars? I hope not. I know there is some controversy among the refiners themselves. Some of them — indeed, quite a number of most estimable gentlemen — say, "Let this bill pass and we can do a better refining business than is done now; we can refine the high-grade sugars." Now, I am glad to have those gentlemen work the higher grades of sugar and make a success of them ; but I see no reason why our refineries should not also take the lowest grades of sugar, that which has the least value, the least labor in it, and bring it up by our American labor to a cheap, UiCful, merchantable form; and, therefore, I am unwilling, for the sake of helping one class of refiners, to destroy another. I do not believe it is necessary to destroy either. I r.-grct that the refiners do not unite on some common ground on POLITICAL ECONOMY. which all could have had a fair chance. But there seems to liave been an internecine war among them; and with such a war I have no sympathy. There is so much information as well as discussion in this admirable performance, that one leaves it with much regret From his great speech in reply to Rand. Tucker, of the month of June, 187S, I can only quote this copious passage : Too much of our tariff discussion has been warped by narrow and sectional considerations. But when we base our action upon the con- ceded nation:d importance of tlie great industries I have referred to, when we recognize the fact that artisans and their products are essen- tial to the well-being of our country, it follows that there is no dweller in the humblest cottage on our remotest frontier who has not a deep personal interest in the legislation that shall promote these great na- tional industries. Those arts that enable our Nation to rise in the scale of civilization bring their blessings to all, and patriotic citizens will cheerfully bear a fair sliare of the burden necessary to make their count r)' great and self-sustaining. I will defend a tariff that is national in its aims, that protects and sustains those interests without w hich the Nation cannot become great and self-sustaining. So important, in my view, is the ability of the Nation to manufact- ure all these articles necessary to arm. equip, and clothe our people, that if it could not be sectired in any other way I would vote to pay money out of the Federal treasury to maintain government iron and steel, woolen and cotton mills, at whatever cost. We are often surprised in an examination of the labors of congress, to find under what inexpressive heads lie hidden interesting, often most valuable, matter. Duty on sugar was not very suggestive. We have seen what it covered. Now we come upon hoop-iron, where I lin- ger only to say, that in Mr. Garfield's minority report of the ways and means, of May, 1880, may be found sev- eral large cubes of very considerable specific gravity, and of great value in the markets of wisdom. It is a com- pact presentation of one part of the mighty subject of iron — of "pig-iron" also, in some of its important fea- tures. This is apparent when I quote from it the effect which would result from the change in the duties, which it most vigorously opposes: I. It will destroy at least six millions of capital now invested in ma- chinery specially and e.Kclusively applied to this particular branch of manufacture in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and other States. II. It will turn out of employment not less than five thousand artis- ans and laborers who are now engaged in this special manufacture, and about ten thousand more who are engaged in the production of the material of which hoop-iron is made. III. It will transfer the profits of these manufactures to the importers and to our rivals in foreign countries, and will not materially reduce the cost of the furnished products to American consumers. This is shown by the fact that since the importation of cut-hoops, under the treasury ruUng of 1878, has been allowed at thirty-five per cent, the importers and foreign producers have fixed the prices at so small a fraction below the price at which the American manufacturer can produce them, that only a very small advantage has accrued to the consumer; and the home production has become impossible. IV. It is wholly out of harmony with the duties imposed by existing laws upon every other form of iron manufacture, as may be seen by examining the Revised Statutes (Boutvvell's edition), pp. 464, et seg. It violates two principles which have controlled nearly all our tariSf legislation since the foundation of t!ie government: First, that all im- ported articles which are alike in kind and in their relation to the wants and industries of tlie United States shall be treated alike in the customs laws. Second, thatimported articles which come into competition with the industries of this country shall bear a rate of duty proportioned to the amount of skill and Labor employed in their production. - , These extracts also show the steady, far-seeing devo tion of their author, to the vast and varied interests of the Republic, caring for each and all, with the same en- lightened solicitude and sagacity. Immediately connected with the tariff, and interwoven with every fibre of the system of production in all forms, is the great subject of transit, the means of transporta- tion. It falls so naturally into this chapter, that I may here place Mr. Garfield's views on our system of railroads, in their relations to commerce, the country generally, as set forth in his speech in the house of June, 1S74. The danger of mistranslating is so great, and the reader has such a preference for Mr. Garfield's expression of his own thoughts that time and space must, as most men and things do, give place for him. The trouble is, there is such an exceeding much of him, that one is bewildered by his magnitude, which defies compression. He is not porous. In studying this speech, the place to begin is easily found, though I shall pass to a later paragraph. I cannot give it entire, nor can I find a place short of the end where I would stop, and one can't leave any of him out, at intermediate points. We pass matter of pith and moment, and break in upon him here: What have our people done for the locomotive, and what has it done for us? To the United States, with its vast territorial areas, the rail- road was a vital necessity. Talleyrand once said to the first Napoleon that " the United States was a giant without bones." Since that time our gristle has been rap- idly hardening. Sixty-seven thousand miles of iron track is a tolerable skeleton, even for a giant. WTien this new power appeared, our peo- ple everywhere felt the necessity of setting it to work; and individuals, cities. States, and the Nation lavished their resources without stint to make a pathway for it. Fortunes were sunk under almost every mile of our earlier roads in the effort to capture and neutralize this new power. If the State did not head the subscription for a new road, it usually came to the rescue before the work was completed. '' The lands given by the States and by the National government to aid in the construction of railroads reach an aggregate of nearly two hun- dred and fifty million acres — a territory equal to nine times the area of Ohio. With these vast resources we have made paths for the steam giant ; and to-day nearly a quarter of a million of our business and working men are in its immediate service. Such a power naturally attracts to its enterprises the brightest and strongest intellects. It so LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. would be difficult to find in any other profession so large a proportion of men possessed of a high order of business ability as those who con- struct, manage and operate our railroads. The .'\merican people have done much for the locomotive; and it has done much for them. We have already seen that it has greatly re- duced, if not wholly destroyed, the danger that the government will fall to pieces by its own weight. Tiie railroad has not only brought our people and their industries together, but it has carried civilization into the wilderness, has built up States and Territories, which but for its power would have remained deserts for centuries to come. "Abroad and at home," as Mr. Adams tersely declares, "it has equally nation- alized people and cosmopolized nations." It has played a most im- protant part in the recent movement for the unification and preserva- tion of nations. It enabled us to do what the old military science had pronounced im- possible, to conquer a revolted population of eleven millions, occupying a territory one-fiftli as large as the continent of Europe. In an able essay on the railway system Mr. Charles F. Adams, jr., has pointed out some of the remarkable achievements of the railroad in our recent history. For e.\ample, a single railroad track enabled Sherman to maintain eighty thousand fighting men three hundred miles beyond his base of supplies. Another line, in the space of seven days, brought a reinforcement of two fully equipped army corps around a circuit of thirteen hundred miles, to strengthen an army at a threatened point. He calls attention to the still more striking fact that for ten years past, with fifteen hundred millions of our indebtedness abroad, an enormous debt at home, unparalleled public expenditures, and a depreciated paper currency, in defiance of all past experience, we have been stead- ily conquering our difficulties, have escaped the predicted collapse, and are promptly meeting our engagements; because, through energetic railroad development, the country has been producing real wealth, as no country has produced it before. Finally he sums up the case by de- claring that the locomotive "has dragged the country through its diffi- culties in spite of itself." It is unnecessary to particularize further; for whether there be peace or war, society cannot exist in its present order withoiit the railroad. I have noticed briefly what society has done for the locomotive, and what it has done for society. Let us now inquire what it is doing and is likely to do to society. ' The national constitution and the constitutions of most of the States were formed before the locomotive existed; and of course no special provisions were made for its control. Are our institutions strong enough to stand the shock and strain of this new force? The editor of the Nation declares the simple truth wlien, in a recent issue, he says; "The locomotive is coming in contact with the frame-work of our institutions. In this country of simple government the most powerful centralizing force which civilization has yet produced, must, within the next score of years, assume its relations to that political machinery which is to control and regulate it." The railway problem would have been much easier of solution if its difficulties had been understood in the beginning. But we have waited until the child has become a giant. We attempted to mount a colum- biad on a carriage whose strength was only sufficient to stand the recoil of a twelve-pound shot. ' The danger to be apprehended does not arise from the railroad, merely, but from its combination with a piece of legal machinery known as a private corporation. In discussing this theme we must not make an indiscriminate attack Upon corporations. The corporation limited in its proper uses is one of the most valuable of the many useful creations of law. One class of corporations has played a most important and conspicuous part in securing the liberties of mankind. It was the municipal corporations — the free cities and chartered — that preserved and developed the spirit of freedom during the darkness of the Middle Ages, and powerfully aided in the overthrow of the feudal system The charters of London and of the lesser cities and towns of England made the most effective resistance to the tyranny of Charles II., and the judicial savagery of Jeffreys. The spirit of the free town and the chartered colony taught our own fathers how to win their independence. The New England township was the political unit which formed the basis of most of our States. Since the dawn of history, the great thoroughfares have belonged to the people, have been known as the king's highways or the public high- ways, and have been open to the free use of all, on payment of a small, uniform tax or toll to keep them in repair. But now the most perfect and by far the most important roads known to mankind are owned and managed .as private property by a comparatively small number of private citizens. In all its uses, the railroad is the most public of all our roads; and in all the objects to which its work relates, the railway corporation is as public as any organization can be. But in the start it was labeled a private corporation; and, so far as its legal status is concerned, it is now grouped with eleemosynary institutions and private charities, and en- joys similar immunities and exemptions. It remains to be seen how long the community will suffer itself to be the victim of an abstract definition. It will be readily conceded that a corporation is strictly and really private when it is authorized to carry on such a business as a private citizen may carry on. But when the State has delegated to a corpora- tion the sovereign right of eminent domain, the right to take from the private citizen, without his consent, a portion of his real estate, to build its structure across farm, garden, and lawn, into and through, over or under, the blocks, squares, streets, churches, and dwellings of incorporated cities and towns, across navigable rivers, and over and along public highways, it requires a stretch of the common imagination and much refinement and subtlety of the law to maintain the old fiction that an organization is not a public corporation. In the famous Dartmouth college case of 1819 it was decided by the supreme court of the United States that the charter of Dartmouth col- lege is a contract between the State and the corporation, which the legislature cannot alter without the consent of the corporation; and that any such alteration is void, being in conflict with that clause of the constitution of the United States which forbids a State to make any law impairing the obligation of contracts. Tliis decision has stood for more than half a century as a monument of judicial learning and the great safeguard of vested rights. BtH: Chief Justice Marshall pronounced this opinion ten years before the steam railway was born ; and it is clear he did not contemplate the class of corporations that have since come into being. But year by year the doctrine of that case has been extended to the whole class of private corporations, including railroad and telegraph companies. But few of the States in their early charters to railroads reserved any effectual con" trol of the operations of the corporations they created. In many instances, like that of the Illinois Central charter, the right to amend was not reserved. In most States each legislature has narrowed and abridged the powers of its successors, and enlarged the powers of the corporations ; and these by the strong grip pf the law, and in the name of piivate property and vested rights, hold fast all they have received. By these means not only the corporations but the vast railroad and telegraph systems have virtually passed from the control of the State. It is painfully evident from the experience of the last few years that the efforts of the States to regulate their railroads have amounted to but little more than feeble annoyances. In many cases the corporations have treated such efforts as impertinent intermeddling, and have brushed away legislative restrictions as easily as Gulliver broke the cords with which the Lilliputians attempted to bind him. GARFIELD AS A FINANCIER. 51 I do not say that this tax is excessive ; perhaps it is not ; but its rate is determined, and tlie amount levied and collected, not by the autiior- ity of the State, but by private parties whose chief concern is to serve their own interests. We have seen that the transportation tax is the amount paid to the companies for their investment. How much they shall invest, where, and under what limitations it shall be invested, has been wholly left to the companies themselves ; but whether they have invested their capital wisely or unwisely, however much the business may be overdone, the investors must be paid for the use of their capital, and that payment is made by the community. In roost of the States railroads may be built in unlimited nuxubers wherever five or ten men, who incorporate themselves under the general law, may choose to build them, This has probably been allowed in the belief that free competition in building and operating roads would produce economy in the manage- ment and cheapness in transportation. But this expectation has utterly failed. All railroad experience has verified the truth of George Stephenson's aphorism, that "when com- bination is possible, competition is impossible." Great Britain has gone much farther into the study of this question than we have, and the result of her latest study is thus expressed in the London Quarterly Review of April last : By the common consent of all practical men competition, the orcUnary sefeguard of the public in matters of trade, has ceased to offer the slightest protection (except in a few unimportant cases of rival sea trafiic) against railway monopolies. In spite of the efforts of parliament and parliamentary commissions, combinations and amalgamation have proceeded at the instance of the companies, without check and almost without regulation. United systems now exist, constituting by their magnitude and by their exclu- sive possession of whole districts, monopolies to which the earlier authorities would have been strongly opposed. Nor is there any reason to suppose that the progress of combination has ceased, or that it will cease until Great Britain is divided between a small num- ber of great companies. The article concludes with tliis striking paragraph : "We have tried the luissez /aire policy and it has failed; we have tried a meddlesome policy, and it has failed also. We have now to meet the coming day, when all the railways, having completed their several systems, may, and probably in their own interests will, combine together to take advantage of the public. In the face of this contin- gency we have simply to make our choice between two alternatives; either to let the State manage the railways, or let the railways manage the State." And here we leave him as abruptly as we began. Were I compiling a hand-book for the campaign, I should include the paper-pulp speech. CHAPTER VII. GARFIELD AS A FINANCIER. Appropriation. — Expenditure. — Budgets. — Study of the Subject. — Committee Laws of Expenditure. — Cost of War. — When they wiH disappear in Our Case. — Speech 1872. — Speech 1874. — Episode. — Plat- heads. The Forty-second congress is to be forever distinguished as that in which the vast and complex system of public expenditure was to be established on a basis of sound financial principles, with perspicuous rules of method and order, for the guidance of the labors of those to whom the great task of framing the appropriation bills for the national expenditures might be imposed. The services of James A. Garfield in this field are more un- known to his countrymen, and less appreciated than those of almost any statesman known to our history, the fruit of whose hidden work the people have un- consciously enjoyed. To them these pages will be a revelation. \\'e have already seen him mastering and unfolding the subject of finance and taxation; immedi- ately connected with expenditure, always united in the hand of the English chancellor of exchequer; he is now to develop expenditure, and appear in the character of the first and greatest American chancellor of the excheq uer of our parliamentary history ; he is himself to undergo slight mental modification, exuberance of expression, the little expressions of fancy, happy efforts of memory in quotation, which waited on his earlier efforts on the floor, are exorcised, and at the end of the Forty-third congress he went forth, not a deeper, higher, or stronger man, but one, on the whole more compacted and indu- rated, holding himself more perfectly in his own hand. He was placed at the head of the committee on appro- priations, with Aaron A. Sargent, Oliver J. Dickey, Free- man Clark, Frank W. Palmer, Eugene Hale, Wm. E. Niblack, Samuel S. Marshal, and Thomas S. Swan, selected with the care which indicated the accurate knowledge of men of the speaker of the house. , The duties of the committee were a part of the labors of the waj's and means, until the Thirty-ninth congress, when the appropriation was created. The annual expenditure was provided for in twelve bills, and their consideration in the two congresses, under Garfield, occupied a third of the -time of the house. It was a privileged com- mittee, might sit during the sessions of the house, and its business always in order, subject to the will of the house. The first labor of the chairman was personal qualifica- tion. Here he always began. His knowledge was al- ready large and accurate. He went to the great reservoir LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. English histor)', usage and method. He read the budget speeches of the chancellors of the exchequer for twenty years; studied their various methods, their grasp of their subjects, arrangements, presentations and explanations; studied their estimates, and what if any were their funda- mental rules, and mastered the history of their expendi- ture during long periods of time. Then he took up our own which was scanty enough. He studied the appropriations themselves, with their re- lations to the extent of population and business of the people. He found that for a long time, it was the usage to appropriate a given sum in solido for the government at large, with no reference to the different departments ; that in time came a general division of a sum for each department; then subdivisions for the bureaus, and further, subdivisions for groups of items, and finally all were itemized, and a specific sum designated for each Of these were born the whole brood of deficiencies, against which no attained knowledge and skill have yet devised a safeguard. These divisions and sub- divisions, the further they were intelligently carried, be- came the safeguards more and more effective, for the protection of the treasury, against the wash of that great flood which had hitherto by its volume and current, swept away the unguarded moneys. Then he took up the baffling matter of wastes and their causes, lapses, surpluses and deficiencies. All this was machinery ; mechanics, administration, surpluses and deficits involved principles. Below lay the great question of the laws of public expenditure. Upon what did they rest? What should govern expenditure? What had? In England there was an obvious relation between expenditure and population, engaged as the English were in their vastly diversified employments. In America the same relation was found to exist, modified by its wider expansion, and the condition of the territory it occupied. From these he deduced the rate of expense in time of peace. He found that war was constantly breaking in, breaking up ever}'thing, devouring everything, and de- manding new and extraordinary revenues, disarrang- ing all the sources of income, and compelling a resort to new methods, often of credit or loan supply, the burdens of which would remain after their cause had ceased. What, then, does war do? What are its effects as a mat- ter of pure finance, upon expenditure and the sources of revenue? His labor was limited to expenditure. He made wide and several inductions, as history offered the means. This, to him, seemed the rule. Take a given public war, mark the average of expenditure before it began, note its continuance in time, double this time, and the sum would represent the probable period, at which the expenditure would be near what it was when the war began, having reference to the rule of population, and in this country, its proportion to the country it covered. In this estimate, another thing came in for consideration. Upon the conclusion of the war, in determining at what period the ante bcllum rate of expenditure will be reached, it became necessary to distinguish between what items of expense were due wholly to the war, and what were incident to peace onlv, and what partook of both. As time advances, under a wise administration, the for- mer would diminish, and more nearly approximate equal- ity with the sum required for peace, which in turn would constantly be on the i.icrease. The intersection of the war descending line, with the rising peace margin would mark the point, below which their united volume would never descend. The rise of the peace expenditure, would compensate the decrease of that for war. The time for this cutting of the lines, he calculated, would, in our present case, be reached in 1876. Upon this theory of expenditure, he formed his first budget. The general soundness of it was confirmed by the experience of the two congresses, during which he presided over expenditure, and the system and methods thus introduced, have not been widely departed from since. Some further words will explain the basis of his per- sonal relations with the gentlemen of his committee, and the methods he employed to secure from each his best efforts in the common cause. Hitherto it was the rule of the senate, and in a modified form of the house also, that all the members of the committee were the practical subordinates of the head. He commanded a company of privates — was the one figure on the floor — the chief, absorbing all the credit and notoriety the place gave him. Garfield introduced a new practice, and with it new life and efficiency in his company. Here, too, he drew on his own experience and early observation. When first one of the Hiram corps of teachers, the chief had a way of absorbing and drawing to himself the credit due to his several lieutenants. The evil as well as in- justice of it, was seen and felt by the young professor of languages. When he succeeded to the headship, in in- terviews with each of the professors and teachers, he commended them for such merit as they had, and urged them severally to go forward on their appointed ways, making and wearing their own fames. The institution sprang into new life and vigor. When expostulated with, as diminishing his own reputation and importance, he answered, "See what it is doing for the college." It was effective service that he wanted. He knew men, and GARFIELD AS A FINANCIER. 53 secured it, leaving to others to care for his reputation. He early unfolded his views of expenditure to his associates. He then explained his idea of their rela- tions to him, and to each other. Of the twelve great bills, one at least, was committed to each of the nine, to whom it was delivered by the chief, with all the infor- mation he had, and full suggestions as to the best method of dealing with it. A discriminating reduction of the estimates was the standing order, each man to go to all the departments, heads of bureaus, and down to the hid- den, unknown men, who did know, all this informa- tion to be gathered, noted, collated and filed. When the man's bill was perfected and passed upon, he re- ported it, had the charge of it on the floor, made the opening speech, and the closing argument, with his chief and associates present, a trained, intelligent, armed band, acting in concert, ready to aid when needed — until then remaining silent. The work and credit of it thus were the task and property of the given man. The commit- tee without reference to party lines, at once came to be a band of friends, standing closely about the chief whom they loved, never differing or jealous, always effective on the floor, and useful in committee. For himself, Garfield took largely the care of the re- maining bills, while each member was prepared to aid him and all the others. On the introduction of his leading bill, the chairman took occasion to unfold his general views, which he did on the twenty-third of January, 1872. From this I quote nearly all which is an exposition of his views. Mr. Chairman: In opening the discussion of this bill, I realize the difficulties which at all times attend the work of making appropriations for carrying on this government. But there are more than ordinary difficulties attending the work of a chairman who succeeds to a position which has been so adorned as has the chairmanship of the committee on appropriations during the last two years.* The most I can now venture, is to express the hope that by the generous aid of my col- leagues on the committee, and the support of the Iiouse, I may be able to follow, at a humble distance, in the path my predecessor has tra\'eled. I would not occupy any time this morning in the preliminary discus- sion of this bill, but for the f.^ct that this general appropriation bill, more than any other of the eleven which will come before the house, embraces in its scope nearly the whole civil establishment of the gov- ernment. The approval of this bill is, in a certain sense, the approval of the whole system to which the other appropriations will refer. If our general plan of appropriations ought to be attacked, this is the place to begin. If they have a sufficient reason for being in the main what they are, that sufficient reason can be given for the passage of this bill substantially as it stands in the print before us. I therefore beg the indulgence of the committe while I call attention to a few ques- tions which have arisen in my mind during the study I have given the subject. * Mr. Dawes, now in the senate. REL.\TION OF EXPENDITURES TO THE GOVERNMENT. And first of all, I will consider what part expenditures play in the affairs of the government. It is difficult to discuss expenditures com- prehensively without discussing also the revenues ; but I sh.all on this occasion allude to the revenues only on a single point. Revenue and the expenditure of revenue form by far the most important element in the government of modem nations. Revenue is not, as someone has said, the friction of a government, but rather its motive power. With- out it the machinery of a government cannot move ; and by it all the movements of a go\crnment are regulated. The expenditure of rev- enue forms the grand level from which all heights and depths of legis- lative action are measured. The increase and the diminution of the burdens of taxation depend alike upon their relation to this level of ex- penditures. That level once given, all other policies must conform to it and be determined by it. The expenditure of revenue and its dis- tribution, therefore, form the best test of the he.ilth, the wisdom, and the virtue of a government. Is a government corrupt, that corruption will inevitably, sooner or later, show itself at the door of the treasury in demands for money. Tliere is scarcely a conceivable form of cor- ruption or public wrong that does not at last present itself at the cash- ier's desk and demand money. The legislature, therefore, that stands at the cashier's desk and watches with its Argus eyes the demands for payment over the counter, is most certain to see all the forms of pubhc rascality. At that place, too, we may feel the Nation's pulse : we may determine whether it is in the delirium of fever or whether the currents of its life are flowing witli the steady throbbings of heaUh. \\'hat could have torn down the gaudy fabric of the late government of France so effectually as the simple expedient of compiling and publish- ing a balance sheet of the expenditures of Napoleon's government, as compared with the expenditures of the fifteen years which preceded his reign? A quiet student of finance exhibited the fact that during fifteen years of Napoleon's reign the expenditures of his government had been increased by the enormous total of three hundred and fifty million dol- lars in gold per annum. HOW SHALL EXPENDITURES BE G.\UGED? Such, in my view, are the relations which tlie expenditures of the revenue sustain to the honor and safety of the Nation. How, then, shall they be regulated? By what gauge shall we determine the amount of revenue that ought to be expended by a nation? This question is full of difficulty, and I can hope to do little more than offer a few sug- gestions in the direction of its solution. And, first, I remark that ihe mere amount of the appropriations is in itself no test. To say that this government is expending two hundred and ninety-two million dollars a year, may be to say that we are penu- rious and niggardly in our expenditures, and may be to say that we are lavish and prodigal. There must be some ground of relative judgment, some test by which we can determine whether expenditures are reason- able or exorbitant. It has occurred to me that two tests can be applied. TEST OF POPULATION. The first and most important is the relation of expenditure to the population. In some ratio corresponding to the increase of popula- tion it may be reasonable to increase the expenditures of a government. This is the test usually applied in Europe. In an official table I have before me the expenditures of the British government for the last fifteen years, I find the statement made over against the annual average of each year of the expenditure per capita of the population. The aver- age expenditure per capita for that period, was two pounds, seven shil- lings and seven pence, or about twelve dollars in gold, with a slight tendency to decrease each year. In our own country, commencing with 1830 and taking the years when the census was taken, I find that the expenditures, per capita, exclusive of payments on the principal and interest of the public debt were as follows: 54 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. In 1830 $1 03 In 1840 I 41 In 1850 I 60 In i860 I 94 In 1870 4 26 or, excluding pensions, three dollars and fifty-two cents. No doubt this test is valuable. But how shall it be applied? Shall the increase of expenditures keep pace with the population? We know that popu- lation tends to increase in a geometrical ratio, that is, at a per cent, compounded annually. If the normal increase of expenditures follows the same law, we might look forward to the future with alarm. It is manifest, however, that the necessity of expenditures docs not keep pace with the mere increase of nunibers; and while the total sum of money expended must necessarily be greater from year to year, the amount per capiln ought in all well-regulated governments in time of peace *o grow gradually less. TEST OF TERKITORI.\L SETTLEMENT AND EXP.\NSION. But in a country like ours there is another element besides popula- tion that helps to determine the movement of expenditures. That ele- ment can hardly be found in any other country. It is the increase and settlement of our territory, the organic increase of the Nation by the ad- dition of new States. To begin with the original thirteen States, and gauge expenditure till now by the increase of population alone, would be manifestly incorrect. But the fact that there have been added twenty-four States, and that ..we now have nine territories, not includ- ing Alaska, brings a new and important element into the calculation. It is impossible to estimate the effect of this element upon expendi- tures. But if we examine our own records from the beginning of the government, it will appear that every great increase of settled territory has very considerably added to the expenditures. If these reflections be just, it will follow that the ordinary movement of our expenditures depends upon the action of two forces: first, the natural growth of population, and second, the extension of our terri- tory and the increase in the number of our States. Some day, no doubt — and I hope at no distant day — we shall have reached the limit of territorial expansion. I hope we have reached it now, except to en- large the number of States within our borders; and when we have set- tled our unoccupied lands, when we have laid down the fixed and cer- tain boundaries of our country, then the movement of our expenditure in time of peace will be remitted to the operation of the one law, the increase of population. That law, as I have already intimated, is not an increase by a per cent, compounded annually, but by a per cent, that decreases annually. No doubt the expenditures will always in- crease from year to year; but they ought not to increase by the same per cent from year to year; the rate of increase ought gradually to grow less. EXPENDITURES OF ENGL.\ND. In England, for examiilc, where the territory is fixed, and they are remitted to the single law of increase of pojjulation, the increase of e.\- pciiditure during Ihc last fifteen years of |jeaco has been only about one and three-quarter per cent, conip mnilcd annually. I believe nobody has made a very careful estimate of the rate in our country; our growth has been too irregulat to afford data for an accur.ite estimate. But a gentleman who has given much attention to the subject expressed to me the belief that our expenditures in time of peaca have increased about eight per cent, compounded aninially. I can hardly believe it; yet 1 am sure that somewhere between that and the English rate will be found our rate of increase in times of peace. I am aware that such estimates as these are unsatisfactory, and that nothing short of the ac- tual test of experience can determine the movements of our expendi- tures; but these suggestions, which have resulted from some study of the subject, I offer for the reflection of those who care to follow them out. EFFECTS OF W.\R ON EXPENDITURES. Thus far I have considered the expenditures that arise in times of peace. Any view of this subject would be incomplete that did not in- clude a consideration of the effect of war upon national expenditures. I have spoken of what the rate ought to be in time of peace, for carry- ing on a government. I will next consider the effect of war on the rate of increase. And here we are confronted with that anarchic element, the plague of nations, which Jeremy Bentham called "mischief on the largest scale." After the fire and blood of the battle-fields have disap- peared, nowhere does war show its destroying power so certainly and so rentlessly as in the columns which represent the taxes and expendi- tures of the nation. Let me illustrate this by two examples. In 1792, the year preceding the commencement of the great war against Napoleon, the expenditures of Great Britain were less than twenty million pounds sterling. During the twenty-four years that elapsed, from the commencement of that wonderful struggle until its close at Waterloo, in 1815, the ex- penditures rose by successive bounds, until, in one year near the close of the war, it reached the enormous sum of one hundred and six million seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds. The unusual increase of the public debt, added to the natural growth of expenditures from causes already discussed, made it impossible for England ever to reach her old level of expenditure. It took twenty years after Waterloo to reduce expenditures from seventy-seven million seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds, the annual average of tlie second decade of the century, to forty-five million seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds, the expenditure for 1S35. This last figure was the lowest England has known during the pres- ent century. Then followed nearly forty years of peace, from Waterloo to the Crimean war in 1854. The figures for that period may be taken to represent the natural growth of expenditures in England. During that period the expenditures increased, in a tolerably uniform ratio, from forty-five million seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds, the amount for 1835, to about fifty-one million seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds, the average for the five years ending 1853-54. This increase was about four million dollars of our money per annum. Then came the Crimean war of 1854-1856, during one year of which the expenditures rose to eighty-four million five hundred thousand pounds. Again, as after the Napoleonic war, it required several years for the expenditures of the kingdom to get down to the new level of peace, which level was much higher than that of the former peace. During the last ten years the expenditures of Great Britain have again been gradually increasing ; the average for the six years ending with March 31, 1871, being sixty-eight million seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds. WAR EXPENDITURES OF THE UNITED ST.\TES. As the second example of the effect of war on the moN'ement of national expenditures, I call attention to our own history. Considering the ordinary expenses of the government, exclusive of payments on the principal and interest of the public debt, the annual average may be stated thus : Beginning with 1791, the last decade of the eighteenth century showed an annual average of three million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. During the first decade of the present century, the average was nearly five million five hundred thousand dollars. Or, commencing with 1791, there followed twenty years of peace, during which the annual average of ordinary expenditures was more than doubled. Then followed four )-ears, from 1812 to 1S15. inclusive, in which the war with England swelled the average to twenty-five million five hundred thousand dollars. During the five years succeeding that war, the av'erage was sixteen million five hundred thousand dollars; GARFIELD AS A FINANCIER. 55 and it was not until 1821 that the new le\el of peace was reached. During the five years, from 1820 to 1825, inchisive, the annual average was eleven million five hundred thousand dollars. From 1825 to 1830 it was thirteen million dollars. From 1830 to 1835 it was seventeen mill- ion dollars. From 1835 to 1840, in whicli period occurred the Semi- nole war, it was thirty million five hundred thousand. From 1840 to 1845, it was twenty-seven million dollars. From 1845 to 1850, during which occurred the Mexican war, it was forty million five hundred thousand dollars. From 1850 to 1855, it was forty-seven million five hundred thousand dollars. From 1855 to June 30, 1861, it was si.tty- seven million dollars. From June 30, 1861, to June 30, 1866, seven hundred and thirteen million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars; and from June 30, 1866, to June 30, 1871, the annual average was one hundred and eighly-nine million dollars. It is interesting to inquire how far we may reasonably expect to go in the descending scale before we reach the new level of peace. We have already seen that it took England twenty years after Waterloo before she reached such a level. Our own experience has been pecu- liar in this, that our people have been impatient of debt, and have always determinedly set about the work of reducing it. Here followed a valuable and carefully prepared table. DUR-\TION OF \V.\R E-XPE.NDITURES. Throughout our historj' there may be seen a curious uniformity in the movement of the annual expenditures for the years immediately following a war. We have not the data to determine how long it was, after the war of independence, before the expenditures ceased to de- crease; that is, before they reached the point where their natural growth more than balanced the tendency to reduction of war expenditure ; but in the years immediately following all our subsequent wars, the de- crease has continued for a period almost exactly twice the length of the war itself. After the war of 1812-15, ^^^^ expenditures continued to decline for eight years, reaching the lowest point in 1823. After the Seminole war, which ran through three years. 1836, 1837, and 1S3S, the new level was not reached until 1844, six years after its close. After the Mexican war, which lasted two years, it took four years, until 1852, to reach the new level of peace. WHEN SH..\LL WE liEACH OUR NEW LEVEL OF EXl'ENnH UKES? It is perhaps ui.safe to b.ase our calculations for the future on these analogies ; but the wars already referred to have been of such varied character, and their financial effects have been so uniform, as to make it not unreasonable to e.xpect that a similar result will follow our late war. If so, the decrease of our ordinary expenditures, exclusive cf the principal and interest of the public debt, will continue until 1S75 or 1876. It will be seen by an analysis of our expenditures, that, exclusive of charges on the public debt, nearly fifty million dollars are expenditures directly for tlie late war. Many of these expenditures will not again appear, such as the bounty and back pay of volunteer soldiers, and payment of illegal captures of British vessels and cargoes. We may reasonably expect that the expenditures for pensions will hereafter steadily decrease, unless our legislation should be unwarrantably ex- travagant. We may also expect a large decrease in expenditures for the internal revenue department.' Possibly, we may ultimately be able to abolish the department altogether. In the accounting and disburs- ing bureaus of the treasury department we may also expect a further reduction of the force now employed in settling war claims. We cannot expect so rapid a reduction of the public debt and its burden of interest as we have witnessed for the last three years; but the reduction will doubtless continue, and burden of interest will con- stantly decrease. I know it is not safe to attempt to forecast the future; but I venture to express the belief that if peace continues the year 1876 will witness our ordinary expenditures reduced to one hun- dred and twenty-five million dollars, and the interest on our public debt to ninety-five million dollars; making our total expenditures, ex- clusive of payment on the principal of the public debt, two himdred and thirty million dollars. Judging from our own experience and from that of other nations, we may not hope thereafter to reach a lower fig- ure. In making this estimate I have assumed that there will be a con- siderable reduction of the burdens of taxation, and a revenue not nearly so great in excess of the expenditures as we now collect. This is the presentation of general principles and shows the breadth and grasp of Garfield's mind. This rapid reduction of the principal and interest of our public debt tends also to strengthen the hope that for three or four years to come our expenditures may continue to decrease. It would be cheering, indeed, it we might also hope that when the Nation again begins the ascent it will be up the beautiful slope where no sign of war shall come for many long years. If so, the ascent will be gradual and gentle, and will mark the course of that highway along which the Nation shall move upward and forever upward in its grand career of prosperity. But let it forever be borne in mind that the day which witnesses a new war increases more and more heavily than ever the calamities of the past. For the burdens ot the past are mainly the burdens of war, and there is a point to which a national debt may rise when its people lose heart and grow hopeless under the burden. NECESSITY OF REDtJCING OUR PUBLIC DEBT. Conceding to F.ngland all her wealth, all her greatness, and all her glory, still one fact in her histcft'y is so full of gloomy portent that I have never been able to understand how her statesmen could look upon it without the profoundest alarm. It would seem that all hope of pay- ing off, or even of considerably reducing her public debt, is extin- guished in the minds of her people. The last attempt in that direction was made by the chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Gladstone, in his speech on the budget of 1866. After affirming that nine leading nations of Europe had incurred a debt of no less than one billion five hundred million pounds sterling during the last twenty-five years, and that, too, in a time of very general peace, he said that America was the only great iiation-of the world that was now considerably reducing her debt. Then referring to the British debt, he said : "At the close of war against France in i8iq, the British debt was nine hundred and two million two hundred and sixty-four thousand pounds. On the fifth of January 1854, it was eight hui drcd million five hundred and fifteen thousand pounds. From 1815 to i85.*, there were nearly forty years of the most profound tranquility ever known in this country.' " * * « * "The rate of decrease during that period was two million six hundred and nine thousand pounds per annum." # * * * " I do not believe if we take the whole years of peace since 1815, that the average reduct^n would reach three million pounds. If ever v e should become involved in any great and protracted war, we must expect to see the debt increase at about ten times the annual rate by u^hich we reduce it in time of peace." A steady though not extravagant reduction of our debt should be the fixed policy of the Nation. Here followed a luminous exposition of the treasury reports of receipts and expenditures, with illustrative tables. An examination of the present and of the next year's estimates which were compared with those of Great Britain, concludes thus: S6 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. I may venture to say for the committee on appropriations, that while they have endeavored to follow the line of rigid and reasonable econ- omy, they have not forgotten the vastness and variety of the functions of government, whose operations should be maintained \ igorously and generously. It would be a mistake to cut down e.vpenditures in any de- partment, so as to cripple any work which must be accomplished, and which can better be done at once and ended, by a liberal appropriation than to let it drag on through a series of years by reason of insufficient appropriations. It is better to make a reduction of whole groups, when that can be done, than merely to cut down individual items. But I hope that members of the house will bear in mind that in many of our civil departments we have large forces of employes, \vhich the settlement of war accounts made necessary, and which, when their work is done, it will require no little courage and effort to reduce to a peace basis. In doing so. it would be well for us to adopt the sentiment recently e.xpressed by Mr. Gladstone, in the house of commons, that— "The true way to save is not the cutting down of single items, but a more complete organization of our departments, and the determina- tion, that for whatever the country spends, it shall have full value in labor, talent, or materials." In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I thank the members of the house for the patience with which they have listened to these dry details, and for the kind attention Nvith which they have honored me. I yield the floor for any remarks which other gentlemen may desire to make, and then I shall submit the bill to the judgment of the committee of the whole. ■ As a general unfolding and discussion of elementary principles, also an exposition of that portion of a budget which deals with expenditure, this stands as the first and ablest in the house. It opened a new era. The legislative bill became, in Mr. Garfield's hands, the budget bill of the house. On its introduction at the first session of the Forty-third congress, he again made an elaborate presentation of his views generally. I repro- duce some of its leading propositions to be taken with the speech just quoted from : The bill now pending before the committee of the whole is the best gauge by which to measure the magnitude and cost of the National government. Its provisions extend to every leading function of the government in the three great departments — legislative, executive and judicial — and includes the ci\il functions of the military and naval es- tablishments. It appropriates for all tlie salaries and contingent ex- penses of all the officers and employes of the civil service. If its pro- visions could be thrown upon canvas, they would form an outline map exhibiting the character and the magnitude of the government of the United States. This is the proper standpoint from which to study the public expen- ditures, to examine the relation of expenditures to taxation, and of both to the prosperity and well-being of the Nation. * * * The necessary expenditures of the government form the base line from which we measure the amount of our taxation required, and on which we base our system of finance. We have frequently heard it remarked, since the session began, that we should make our expendi- tures come within our revenues — that we should "cut our garment ac- cording to our cloth." This theory inay be correct when applied to private affairs, but it is not applicable to the wants of nations. Our national expenditures should be measured by the real necessities and the proper needs of the government. We should cut our garment so as to fit the person to be clothed. If he be a giant, we must provide cloth sufficient for a fitting garment. The committee on appropriations are seeking earnestly to reduce the expenditures of the government ; but they reject the doctrine that they should at all hazards reduce the expenditures to the level of the rev- eaues, however small those revenues may be. They have attempted rather to ascertain what are the real and vital necessities of the govern- ment : to find what amount of money will suffice to meet all its honor- able obligations, to carry on all its necessary and essential functions, and to keep alive those public enterprises which the country desires its government to undertake and accomplish. When the amount of ex- penses necessary to meet these objects is ascertained, that amount should be appropriated ; and ways and means for procuring that amount should be provided. There are some advantages in the British system of managing their finances. In tlie annual budget reported to the house of commons, ex- penditures and taxation are harnessed together. If appropriations are increased, taxes are correspondingly increased. If appropriations are r.fduced, a reduction of taxes accompanies the reduction. On some accounts, it is unfortunate that our work of appropriations is not connected directly with the work of taxation. If this were so, the necessity of taxation would be a constant check upon extravagance, and the practice of economy would promise, as its immediate result, the pleasure of reducing taxation. SURPLUS AND DEFICIT. Revenues and expenditures may be considered from two points of view ; in relation to the people and their industries, and in relation to the government and the effective working of its machinery. So far as the people are concerned, they willingly bear the burdens of taxatioti, when they see that their contributions are honestly and wisely ex- pended to maintain the government of their choice, and to accomplish those objects which they consider necessary for the general welfare. So far as the government is concerned, the soundness of its financial affairs depends upon the annual surplus of the revenue over expendi- tures. A steady and constant revenue drawn from sources that repre- sent the prosperity of the Nation — a revenue that grows with the growth of national wealth, and is so adjusted to the expenditures that a constant and considerable surplus is annually left in the treasury above all the necessary current demands; a surplus that keeps the treasury strong, that holds it above the fear of a sudden panic ; that makes it impregnable against all private combinations ; that makes it a terror to all stock-jobbing and gold-gambling — this is financial health. This is the situation that wise statesmanship should endeavor to sup- port and maintain. Of course in this discussion I leave out the collateral though impor- tant subject of banking and currency. The surplus, then, is the key to our financial situation. Every act of legislation should be studied in view of its effects upon the surplus. Two sets of forces are constantly acting upon the surplus. It is increased by the growth of the revenue and by the decrease of expenditure. It is decreased by the repeal or reduction of taxation, and by the increase of expenditures. When both forces conspire against it, when taxes are diminished and expenditures are increased, the surplus disappears. With the disappearance of the surplus comes disaster — disaster to tlie treasury, disaster to the public credit, disaster to all the public in- terests. In times of peace, when no sudden emergency has made a great and imperious demand upon the treasury, a deficit cannot occur except as the result of unwise legislation or reckless and unwarranted administration. That legislation may consist in too great an increase of appropriations, or in too great a reduction of taxation, or in both combined. HISTORY AND CAUSE OF DEFICITS. Twice in the history of this Nation a deficit has occurred in time of peace. In both instances it has occurred because congress went loo far GARFIELD AS A FINANCIER. 57 in the reduction of taxation — so far as to cripple the revenues and de- plete the treasury. It may be worth our while to study those periods of our history in which deficits have thus occurred. I do not speak of periods of war, for then the surplus is always maintained by the aid of loans; but I speak of deficits occurring in times of peace. From the close of the last war with England, in 1815, our revenues maintained a healthy and steady growth, interrupted only by years of financial crisis. A constant surplus was maintained suffi- cient to keep the treasury steady and diminish the public debt, and finally complete its payment. But in 1833, the great financial discussion, which at one time threatened to dissolve the Union, was ended by the passage of the compromise tariff of 1833 — a law that provided for the scaling down of the rates of taxation on imports in each alternate year until 1842, when all should be reduced to the uniform rate of twenty per cent, ad valorem. By this measure the revenues were steadily decreased, and in 1840 the treasury was empty. During the nine preceding years the receipts into the treasury had averaged thirty-two millions a year; but in 1840 they had fallen to nineteen and a half millions, and in 1841 to less than seventeen millions. True, the expenditures had grown with the growth of tht country; but no large or sudden expenditure appeared in any of those years. The deficit appeared, and it was unquestionably due to too great a reduction of taxation. This deficit brought political and financial disaster. To meet it a special session of congress was con- vened in June, 1841, and President Tyler sent in his message, in which he declared that by the end of the fiscal year of March 4, 1842, there would be a deficit of eleven million four hundred and six thousand one hundred and thirty-two dollars and ninety-eight cents, and a fur- ther deficit by September, 1842, of four million eight hundred and forty- five thousand dollars. In his message of December 7, 1841, he reported a still further de^ ficit, and declared that these accumulated deficits were the results of the too great reduction of taxation by the legislation of 1833. These accumulated deficits amounted to more than all the receipts for that year. They were to that time what a deficit of three hundred millions would be to us to-day. I understood the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Dawes] to de- clare that congress had never increased taxation in time of peace. Our history does not bear him out in this assertion. The congress of 1841-42 was called upon to repair the wasted reve- nues by an increase of taxation. The debates of that body show that the bill they passed was treated wholly as a necessity of the revenue. The bill itself was entitled "An act to provide revenue for the govern- ment." It became a law in 1842, and under its influence the revenues revived. In 1843 the surplus reappeared, and again the revenues con- tinued to grow with the growth of the country. Excepting the period of the Mexican war, which, hke all other mod- ern wars, was supported by the aid of loans, the surplus continued down to and including the first year of Buchanan's administration. During the four years of Pierce's administration, the revenues had ex- ceeded seventy millions a year; but in the first year of Buchanan's term, an act was passed so largely reducing the duties on imports that the revenues dropped to forty-six and a half millions in 1858, and a deficit appeared which continued and accumulated until the coming in of Lincoln's administration. Let us notice the growth of that deficit. On the first day of July, 1857, the public debt, less cash in the treasury, was eleven millions three hundred and fifty thousand two hundred and seventy dollars and sixty- three cents; on the first day of July, i860, the account stood, total debt, less cash in the treasury, sixty-one million one hundred and forty-seven thousand four hundred and ninety-seven dollars, showing a deficit ot fifty millions in the space of three years. When Mr. Lincoln was in- augurated, in 1861, the debt had increased to nearly ninety millions and there had accumulated a deficit of more than seventy millions, and those four years of Buchanan's administration were not years of extraordinary expenditures. Indeed, during those four years, the ex- penditures had not averaged so great as in the last year of the adminis- tration of Mr. Pierce. The deficit then did not arise from an increase of expenditure, but from a decrease of revenue. For four years the government had been paying its ordinary expenses by the aid of loans at ruinous rates, and by forced loans in the form of treasury notes. Here, as in the former case, the final remedy for the deficit was taxa- tion. ■ V The first act of the last session of congress in Buchanan's term was an act to authorize the issue of treasury notes to meet the expenditures of the government; and almost the last act of that session was the act of March 2, io6i, to provide for the payment of outstanding treasury notes, and to meet the expenditures of the government by increasing the duties on imports. This act was passed by a Republican congress, and was reluctantly approved by a President whose policy and whose party had produced the deficit, and brought financial distress upon the country by cutting too deeply and too recklessly into the public reve- nues. RErENT CONDITION OF THE TREASURY. Mr. Chairman, when the house convened in December last, we were startled by the declaration that another deficit was about to appear. We were informed that we might look for a deficit of forty-two millions by the end of the current fiscal year. This announcement was indeed the signal for alarm throughout the country: and it became the imper- ative duty of congress to inquire as to whether there would be a deficit, and if so, to ascertain its cause and provide the remedy. In this instance, to the ordinary causes that produce a deficit, there had been superadded the disastrous financial calamity that visited a portion of the business interests of this country in September last; a panic that fell with unparalleled weight and suddenness, and swept like a tornado, leaving destruction in its track. We have not yet suffi- ciently recovered from the shock to be able to measure with accuracy the magnitude of its effects. We cannot yet tell how soon and how completely the revenues of the country will recover from the shock. But we have sufficient data to ascertain, with some degree of accuracy, the part that the legislation of congress has played in producing the situation in which we now find ourselves. That we may more clearly trace the legislative steps by which we have reached our present position, I invite your attention to the condi- tion of our finances at the close of the war. Leaving out of view the fiscal year ending June 30, 1865, in which there were paid over the counter of the treasury the enormous sum of one billion two hundred and ninety million dollars, the accumulated products of taxation and of loans, we begin our examination with the year that followed the close of the war, the fiscal year ending June 30, 1866. In that year, our aggregate revenues, from all sources, exclusive of loans, amounted to five hundred and fifty-eight million dollars, and our expenditures to nearly fi\e hundred and twenty-one million dollars, leaving us a clear surplus of thirty-seven million dollars. These were the gigantic propor- tions of our income and our payments. From these as a base line we sketch the subsequent history of our finances. From these vast totals the work of triple reduction began — reduction of the revenue by the re- peal of taxes, reduction of ordinary payments by the decrease of expendi- tures, reduction of the public debt by applying to it the annual surplus. Then follows a history of surplus and reduction of taxation, since the war, with tables and results, after which he mildly solaces himself and warns others, thus: Mr. Chairman, it is a grateful task to remove burdens from the in- dustries and the earnings of the American people. No more grateful work can an American congress be called upon to perform. But while 58 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. we are relieving tlie people from tlie burdens of taxation, it should al- ways be borne in mind tliat we are in danger of so crippling the rev- enues as to embarrass the government and endanger the public credit. It is a great thing to remove all burdensome taxes; but there is danger that while congress may imitate Tennyson's Godiva, who — Took away the tax, And built herself an everlasting name, — ■ yet in so doing, it may cause the public credit to go forth from a de- spoiled treasur)', and, like the Lady Godiva, ride naked in the streets of the world. We have had abounding faith in the elasticity of our revenues. We have found that even reduction of rates frequently brings us increased revenues; that the buoyant and almost immortal life of our industries will make tlie tree of our revenues bloom again, how oftensoever we may pluck its flowers and its fruits. We think of it as the fabled tree which Virgil's hero found in the grove of Avemus. "Whenever the bough of gold was plucked away, another sprang out in its place: Primo avulso non deficit alter Aureus; et simili frondescit virga metallo. But, sir, we may pluck the golden bough once too often. We may pluck away with it the living forces of the tree itself. Thus refreshed, he continues the broad discussion of surplus and deficit, uitli apt reference to our own ex- perience. Then he takes up our recent expenditure, which calle^i up Mr. Daw'es, his predecessor. The whole is illustrated by carefully prepared tables and figures. This only brings us through the first third of this very statesman like performance. The conference report on the tariff bill being before the house on the twenty-third of the following June, which gave scope for the counterpart of his budget, he Submitted to the house a clear and forcible presentation of it, supplementing the effort just brought to our notice. The reader is now in possession of the means of form- ing an estimate of the views of Mr. Garfield upon the great subjects of money, the currency, taxation and ex- penditure, with so much of his reasoning as enables him to see the grounds on which they rest; and it is not my purpose to return to either of them, though six years of congressional life remain to be glanced at. I turn back to refer to an episode. I REMOVAL OF THE FLATHEADS. In the vacation of the summer of 1872, General Gar- field went on a mission to the Indian country, by ap- pointment of the executive. The Flatheads, occupying the valley of the Bitter Root, or Snake river, had long refused to comply with their engagement to remove to a new reservation, some hundred miles distant. With his characteristic thorough- ness, he began with Lewis and Clarke's expedition, and read up all the literature on the Indian question. He started in May, this threader of the intricacies of bud- gets, accompanied by the companion of his European tour, and sweet child, Mollie, whom he left at Leaven- worth, and himself staged the four hundred and fifty miles between Salt Lake City and the Snake. The FlatJuads were all Catholics, and numbered five or six hundred — a superior order of the natives, with some rudiments of civilization. There were plenty of stories of Lewis and Clarke, who were there more than sixty years before. He saw an elderly, intelligent half-breed, the reputed son of Captain Clarke, "(vhose flame-red hair testified of the probability of the story. The general him- self visited the reservation and judged of its capacity and fitness for their residence. On his return he assembled the Indians and the agents, when after a two or three days' talk, two of the three chiefs assented to the terms he was authorized to offer, and he was thus able to ex- ecute his mission satisfactorily. On their way back, at Chicago, he purchased a paper and there read the first account of the Credit Mobilier embroglio. He hurried on to Washington, made his re- port to the President on the thirteenth or fourteenth of September, and at once secured the publication of the statement of the facts he always made, and calmly awaited what time might unfold. Through all of the not quite forty-one years of his eventful life, this was the first whisper derogatory of his name. In the next part of my labors, the reader will find an exhaustive expose of this, and the other two charges which came upon him at about the same time, one of which grew out of his con- scientious discharge of his duties as the head of the coin- mittee on appropriations, and another was calumniously connected with it. Let no reader be deterred by the seeming length of what is offered him. He will there find all the original material from which he can form a satisfactory judgment of General Garfield's conduct, in all the cases referred ; to, and I have written thus far in vain, if I have not shown that the thus assailed man is fully entitled to have each of his countrymen examine and decide for himself, the merits of these charges. A CHAPTER ON SLANDERS. 59 PART THIRD. CHAPTER I. A CHAPTER ON SLANDERS. Credit Mobilier. — The Charge and How Met. — Union of Credit Mo- biiier with the Union Pacific. — Its Purpose and Plans. — Oakes Ames, Trustee, Places His Stocl<, and How. — Suit and Exposure. — Garfield's Proitipt Action. — Blaine Demands an Investigation. — The Committee.- — Its Report Exonerates Garfield from Blame. — Leaves Him Exposed to Charge of Perjury. — Case Considered. — All the Evi- dence Given.— Ames Impeaches Himself. — Contradicted by His Pa- pers and Writings. — Xo Case. — Garfield's Statement. — Its Support. — Wholly Innocent. Living and walking on a level above the heads of dealers in votes, caucus and convention managers, never having an acquaintance ■with the makers and workers of rings; surrounded by an atmosphere too raeified and cold for subsidists and lobbi'ists, the jobbers in congres- sional legislation; never having about him men of whom questions are asked and whose ways lie through the un- known, he ■was suddenly compelled to pass the ordeal of calumny, relentless as slander is, and coine to appreciate the fugacious tenure of reputation, and be compelled to fall back, and in, upon himself. The three charges, "Venal Dealing in Stock," "The DeGolyer Contract," and "Salary Grab," like three assaulting hosts, came upon him by surprise. Allies they were, each giving might to the others, though prob- ably had it not been insisted that he was vulnerable to the first, the other two would have been less fierce and persistent. CREDIT MOBILIER. The alleged stock transaction is supposed to have oc- curred late in 1867 or early in 1868. No assailant has been able, to fix its date. As we have seen, it transpired to the public, and took form, in the summer or autumn of 1872. This seeming cover of time and silence gave it added weight and -H-ings. The charge involved many, each of whom had been regarded as unapproachable by corruption. The number involved, their high personal characters, in the curious illogic of the public mind dealing with charges upon men, gave it force and weight instead of doubt and improbability. On the second day of the third session of the Forty- second congress, Mr. Blaine, whose name was on the list of the proscribed, acting by request of others, demanded an immediate investigation by the house, and a commit- tee of five was appointed, consisting of Luke P. Poland, Nathaniel P. Banks, George W. McCrary, William E. Niblack and William M. Merrick, all men ranking with the first of the body, and the two last among the ablest of the representative men of the Democracy. After a patient and exhaustive hearing, in which all known sources of information were used in all the known and un- known ways of congressional investigations, the commit- tee having perfect jurisdiction of the case, unanimously exonerated Mr. Garfield. No man of the house before believed him guilty. No member has ever since given it credit, or will repeat the charge. On the eighth of May, 1873, Mr- Garfield him- self gave a masterly expose of the case to the public, which seemed to clarify the atmosphere of all the color- ing matter that the committee left suspended in it. There is no silencing malice, or answering the scruples of aspiring rivals. They did not irnmediately die out. The year following was their apparent opportunity, and he was assailed in his own district, on all the charges. On the nineteenth of September, 1874, he invited friends and enemies to a discussion of all the charges, now boldly made upon him. That was the vital issue in his pending re-election. There, in a calm, colorless manner, clear and forceful, he distinctly stated each charge, and exposed and disproved it, calling upon any and all to answer or deny his statements or conclusions, giving them ample time for that purpose. No one undertook the hopeless task. The issues thus made his people adjudged in his favor, and from that no appeal has ever been made. It was taken as conclusive in the State, and reaffirmed by his unanimous nomination and election by the Re- publicans of the Ohio legislature to the senate of the United States. His recent national nomination is an af- firmation of the judgment of congress and of his own people. During all the time of the congressional investigation, as during all the years since, men and women, the purest in the land, of lives the most elevated and blameless, men of the most exalted positions, of unquestioned integrity and. purposes, sought and associated with him, cultivated his society, gave him their trust, their love, and applause. They hailed his nomination as an omen, a pledge for the elevation of our poUtics, and the purifi- cation of our highest public and national life. Against slander there is no plea of former acc[uittal; no statute of limitations is a bar; no trust, no faith, no love however profound and universal are the least protection against it. Every man, wherever he stands, however surrounded, is within reach, exposed to its shafts. It may be said that the judgment of the house of rep- resentatives, of the State of Ohio, of a national conven- tion, do not bind the people of the Republic, and these questions of fraud and misconduct may be heard in the 6o LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. great forum. The charges are not now renewed because any intelligent man believes them, nor for the purpose of injuring the candidate as a man, but it is a means of •war which may embarrass, possibly harm, political oppo- nents in a national contest for power. I will deal with this matter as a new question. It is alleged that in December, 1S67, or January, 1868, Mr. Garfield in effect corruptly purchased and held for some time, ten shares of stock of a corporate body, known as the Credit Mobilier, and that he real- ized by the transaction three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. If there was fraud in this transaction it can be shown precisely where it resides, and the evidence can be pointed out that proves it. The stock itself must have been tainted, or there was fraud in the purchase, or the pur- pose of the acquisition was bad. Some things need to be stated for a clear apprecia- tion of the case. The Union Pacific railroad company was chartered by congress. It received large subsidies of land to secure its construction. Congress promised a liberal loan of United States bonds, deliverable upon the completion of its sections. Should these prove inade- quate, the company was authorized to issue its own bonds, and to the extent of the insufficiency of the United States bonds, to pay for the construction; these con- struction bonds of the company were to be prior in security to the debt of the company to the United States for its bonds. The government of the United States ap- pointed two of the directors, and retained the right to annul the company's charter. These great advantages were secured to the company by act of congress of July, 1864. No further legislation was sought by the company. In 1859 Pennsylvania incorporated a company which afterward took the name Credit Mobilier from the French company of that name, with a capital of two million five hundred thousand dollars, which was afterward, by its own action, increased to three million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Its declared purpose was to use its capital to aid the construction of great works of improvement the profits of the building of which would be dividends on its stock. Later, Thomas C. Durant, of New York, who was largely an owner and manager of the rail- road company and the Credit Mobilier, and Oakes Ames, of Massachusetts, who was also a stockholder in both com- panies, united their energies, genius, and means, for the construction of the road, the building up of the Credit Mobilier, and the enriching of themselves and associates. The means employed were by a contract, executed in August, 1867, between Oakes Ames and the Union Pa- cific, for the construction of six hundred and sixty-seven miles of railroad for the sum of forty-seven million nine hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. In October, 1867, another contract was made between Oakes Ames, the Credit Mobilier, and seven trustees, to whom Ames had assigned the contract for construction, by which the Credit Mobilier was to advance money to build the road at a rate of interest and commissions of nine and one-half per-cent. - All the leading holders of Union Pacific stock were holders of Credit Mobilier stock. To ensure the perpetual control of the Union Pacific, it was desirable that the seven trustees should hold perpetual proxies of the Union Pacific stock, and thus secure the direction of the company. To ensure this, the profits of the Ames construction contract were to be divided only among the holders of the Credit Mo- bilier stock, who, as holders of the Union Pacific stock, should deliver their proxies to the seven. All this is shown in Willson's (2d Cred. Mob.), Rep. No. 78, 42d Cong., 3d Ses. It should be stated, that as in effect, the principal stockholders of the Union Pacific, thus contracted with themselves as the Credit Mobilier, to build the road, for which the bonds of the United States were to pay. It was at enormous profits, so great that the Credit Mobilier stock from below par in a few months was worth three or four times its par value, though none was ever in the market. This is apparent from both the Poland and Wilson reports. The case I am considering assumes that the dividends of the one thousand dollars of stock, paid for itself in five months, with a balance over of three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. Also, it should be remembered, that by this device, under the provision of the act of July, 1864, which permitted the Union Pacific to issue its own bonds, and give them priority in security over its debt to the United States for its bonds, it managed to displace them, and thrust in its own in advance of them, as first mortgage bonds. The Poland committee justly holds this to be a fraud upon the United States. "Obviously terms and devices so extraor- dinary would be kept within the counsel of the conspir- ators. That it did not transpire to the world, and was not disclosed by Oaks Ames to the implicated members of congress, is the concurrent testimony of all the wit- nesses, and the unanimous finding of the Poland com- mittee. In the autumn of 1867, there seem to have been six hundred and fifty shares of Credit Mobilier unsold, and some controversy arose between Durant, Ames and Henry S. McComb, a large stockholder, as to their dis- position. Each claimed that he needed them to fill pro- mises to applicants. Ames was finally permitted to re- A CHAPTER ON SLANDERS. 6i ceive three hundred and forty three shares at par and in- terest from the preceding July. Thus armed Oakes Ames, a member of the house, made his peaceful way to the capital, on his mission of placing this stock, in accord- ance with the rule of his life, as stated in his letters found further on. He selected his depositaries with care, in every instance his political, and some of them, his personal friends, who had entire confidence in his business tact and honesty — men of nice integrity who would never be suspected, whom he could have had no wish to involve in difficulty, and neither of whom — he nor any man — would dream of approaching with a corrupt proposition. To each he sold or offered to sell at par, with interest from July. To no one did he disclose the relations of the two corporations, nor yet the enormous value of the stock. To assure some, he guaranteed a profit of ten per cent. Some paid him. Some did not. He was in- different about that. To not more than one, was the stock transferred. It stood in his name, he received the dividends, converted the bonds received and paid over, in a careless, pleasant way, as a man would, who had a secret, which some of them might blunder on, if each trans- acted his own business for himself. His transaction was with each separately. He told no one of his sales to either of the others, and each kept his own counsels. That there was no understanding between Ames and each of these men, nor between them as there would have been, had the purpose on tlieir part been corrupt, is proved by the surprise and panic produced, when the real character of the arrangement was made known. Even then, there was no concert, save to demand a trial. Ames had a purpose. He did not desire further legisla- tiorL The Union Pacific had not asked it. He was afraid that certain prominent men might ask impertinent questions in the house. He wanted silent, independent nfluence in different parts of the house. He did not intimate tnat he wanted it; did not disclose the real value of the commodity he was selling. That might lead to inquiries. Having planted his stocks, he wrote his letters of January 25th and 30th, and placidly pursued his peaceful way. About the time of this stock-planting by Oakes, Mr. H. S. McComb planted a suit in the Pennsylvania courts against him, to recover these very shares, and time giving birth to other events, passed silently over both transac- tions. In the summer of 1872, the Pennsylvania case sprang into flower. McComb gave his deposition, and produced the following letters — reproduced before the Poland committee, where he testified: Washington, January 26, 1868. H. S. McComb, Esq. — Dear Sir: Yours of the twenty-third is at hand, in which you say Senators Bayard and Fowler have written to you in relation to their stock. I have spoken to Fowler, but not to Bayard. I have never been introduced to Bayard, but will see him soon. You say I must not put too much in one locality. I have as- signed, as far as I have given, to four from Massachusetts; one from New Hampshire,- one, Delaware; one, Tennessee; one-half, Ohio; two, Pennsylvania; one, Indiana; one, Maine; and I have three to place, which I shall put where they will do most good to us. I am here on the spot, and can better judge where they should go. I think after this dividend is paid we should make our capital four million dol- lars, and distribute the new stock where it will protect us. Let them have the slock at par, and profits made in the future. The fifty per cent, increase on the old stock I want for distribution here, and soon. Alley is opposed to the division of the bonds, says he will need them, &c., &c. I should think that we ought to be able to spare them with Alley and Cisco on the finance committee. We used to be able to borrow when we had no credit and debts pressing; we are now out of debt and in good credit. 'Wliat say you about the Lond dividend? A part of the purchasers here are poor, and want their bonds to sell to enable them to meet their payment on the stock in the C. M. I have told them what they would get as dividends, and they expect, I think — when the bonds the parties received as the eighty per cent, dividend, we better give them the bonds. It will not amout to anything with us. Some of the large owners will not care whether they have the bonds or certificates, or they will lend their bond to the company, as they have done before, or lend them money. Quigley has been here, and we have got that one-tenth that was Underwood's. I have taken a half, Quigley a quarter, and you a quarter. Judge Carter wants a part of it. At some future day we are to sur- render a part to him. Yours truly, 0.\KEs Ames. Washington, January 30, 1868. H. S. McCOMB. — D^ar Sir: Yours of the 28th is at hand inclosing copy of letter from, or rather to, Mr. King. I don't fear any investiga- tion here. What some of Durant's friends may do in New York can't be counted on with any certainty. You do not understand by your letter what I have done and am to do with my sales of stock. You say more to New York. I have placed some with New York, or have agreed to. You must remember that it was nearly all placed as you saw on the list in New York, and there was but about 6 or 8 M for me to place. I could not give all they wanted or they might want out of that. You would not want me to offer less than one thousand (M) to anyone. We allowed Durant to place $58,000 to some three or four of his friends or keep it himself. / have used tiiis wiiere it will produce most good to us I think. In view of King's letter and Washburn's move here, I go in for making one bond dividend in full. We can do it with perfect safety. I understand the opposition to it comes from Alley. He is on the Finance Committee, and can raise money easy if we come short, which I don't believe we shall ; and if we do, we can loan our bonds to the Company, or loan them the money we get for the bonds. The contract calls for the division, and I say have it. When shall I see you in Washington? Yours truly, Oakes Ames. IMcComb sued Ames for this very stock, gave his de- position, and thus these letters transpired to the public and produced wide-spread excitement. General Garfield was then in the Indian country, as will be reniembered, and on his return first heard and saw them, on the thir- teenth or fourteenth of September. He immediately called upon his friend, Gen. H. V. Boynton, of the Gin- (,2 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. cinnati Gazette, and authorized the following, wliich appeared in that print, September 15th: " General Garfield, who has just arrived from the Indian country, has to-day had the first opportunity of seeing the charges connecting his name willi receiving shares of the Credit Mobilicr from Oakcs Ames. He authorizes the statement that he never subscribed for a single share of the stock, and that he never received or saw a share of it. W^lien the company was first formed, George Francis Train, then active in it, came to Washington and exhibited a list of subscribers, of leading cap- italists, and some members of congress, to the stock of the compon; . The'subscription was described as a popular one of one thousand dol- lars cash. Train urged General Garfield to subscribe on two occasions, and each time lie declined. Subsequently he was again informed that the list was nearly completed, but that a chance remained for him to subscribe, when he again declined, and to this day he has not subscribed ior or received any share of stock or bond of the company." The sittings of the Poland committee, as will be re- membered, were attended by excited crowds, and among the statements of the daily press were repeated accounts of the dismay of the gentlemen whose names appeared in Mr. Ames' list. The paragraph from the Gazette shows that none of these statements applied to General Garfield. Mr. Train's connection with the Credit Mo- bilier is apparent by other evidence. In his account of that company Mr. McComb says: "The Credit Mcbilier corporation was the result of a charter ob- tained by a man named Duff Green, from the Pennsylvania legislature, called the 'Pennsylvania Fiscal Agency.' It was subsequentlv changed by legislati\'e enactment to the Credit Mobilier of America, and some little change made in its provisions. It was purchased by Thomas C. Durant, from a man in Pennsylvania named Hall, and George Francis Train. It was purchased especially with a view of building the Pacific railroad. The Pennsylvania legislature made an amendment in the charter allowmg a branch office to be in New York, and providing tiiat it should be managed by what was called a railway bureau, all of whom need not be directors of the company." — Poland's Report, page j. Thomas C. Durant said — Some parties were interested in this Pennsylvania fiscal agency when I first went into the Credit Mobilier. They had taken a few shares of stock before the branch was established in New York, under the amend- ed charter. I sent Mr. Train to Philadelphia. We wanted it for a stock operation, but could not agree what was to be done with it. Mr. Train proposed to go on an expanded scale, but I abandoned it. I think Mr. Train got some subscriptions; what they were I do not know; they were never collected and returned to the company. — Id. page i6g. The Poland committee was created by, and sat under, the following resolution; W'/ureas, accusations have been made in the public press, founded on alleged letters of Oakes Ames, a representative from Massachusetts, and upon the alleged affidavits of Henry S. McComb, a citizen of Wil- mington, in the State of Delaw\are, to the effect that members of this house were bribed by Oakes Ames to perform certain legislative acts for the benefit of the Union Pacific railroad company, by presents of stock in the Credit Mobilier of America, or by presents of a valuable character derived therefrom : Therefore, Resolved, That a special committee of five be appointed by the speaker pro tempore, whose duty it shall be to investigate whether any member of this house was bribed by Oakes Ames, or any other person or corporation, in any matter touching his legislative duty. J^esotved /urtiier, That the committee have the right to employ a stenographer, and that they be empowered to send for persons and papers. — Poland Reports, page i. — l\ began its labors December 12th, and sat many weeks, filling over five hundred pages with the sworn statements of many men, chief of whom was the unhappy Oakes Ames. On the eighteenth of February the committee made its final report, written by the chairman. The following is so much of this paper as deals with the charge against Mr. Garfield: The ficts in regard to Mr. Garfield, as found by the committee, are identical with the case of Mr. Kelley to the point of reception of the check for three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. He agreed with Mr. .\mes to take ten shares of Credit Mobilier stock, but did not pay for the same. Mr. .^mes received the eighty per cent, dividend in bonds, and sold them for ninety-seven per cent., and also received the sixty per cent, cash dividend, which together paid the price of the stock and interest, and left a balance of three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. This sum was paid over to Mr. Garfield by a check on the sergeant-at- arms, and Mr. Garfield then understood this sum was the balance of dividends after paying for the stock. Mr. Ames received all the subse- quent dividends, and the committee do not find that, since the payment of the three hundred and twenty-nine dollars, there has been any com- munication between Mr. Ames and Mr. Garfield on the subject until this investigation began. Some correspondence between Mr. Garfield and Mr. Ames, and some conversations between them during this in- vestigation, W'ill be found in the reported testimony. • * * The committee do not find that Mr. Ames, in his negotiations with the persons above named, entered into any detail of the relations be- tween the Credit Mobilier company and the Union Pacific company, or g.vve them any specific information as to the amount of dividends they would be likely to receive further than has been already stated. * * In his negotiations with these members of congress, Mr. Ames made no suggestion that he desired to secure their favorable influence in con- gress in favor of the railroad company, and whenever the question was raised as to whether the ownership of this stock would in any way interfere with or embarrass them in their action as members of congress, he assured them it would not. The committee, therefore, do not find, as to the members of the present house above named, * that they were aware of the object of Mr. Ames, or that they had any other purpose in taking this stock than to make a profitable investment. * * * * It ought also to be stated that no one of the present members of the house above named appears to have had any knowledge of the dealings of Mr. Ames with other members. The committee do not find that either of the above named gentle- men, in contracting with Mr. Ames, had any corrupt motive or purpose himself, or was aware that Mr. Ames had any, nor did either of them suppose he was guilty of any impropriety or even indelicacy in becom- ing a purchaser of this stock. Had it appeared that these gentlemen were aware of the enormous dividends upon this stock, and how they were to be earned, we could not thus acquit them. Mr. Poland is an able and learned man. There was within his easy reach ample material for a vigorous, dis- criminating, judicial disposition of the case, which would have saved us further labor. It lacks all those qualities. *Ames and James Brooks not included in the list referred to. A CHAPTER ON SLANDERS. 63 It is feeble, and pervaded with a good-natured indiffer- ence; or worse, an easy-going laziness, in grasp, statement and argument, cruel and hurtful to a man whom he pro- foundly respected, and for whom he has expressed the greatest admiration. There is an unwritten history of statement and comment, by several members of the committee, bearing on this feature, cotemporaneous with the report, profitless to inscribe now. At the first opportuity after the report was made. Gen- eral Garfield addressed the House, as follows : I rise to a personal explanation. During the late investigation by the committee, of which the pentleman from Vermont (Mr. Poland) was the chairman, I pursued what seemed to be the plain path of duy, to keep silence, except when I was called upon to testify before the com- mittee. When testimony was given which appeared to be in conflict with mine, / waited, expecting to be called agaiji if anything was needed from me in reference to these discrepancies. I was not recalled; and when the committee submitted their report to the house, a consider- able portion of the testimony relating to me had not been printed. In the discussion .which followed here, I was prepared to submit some additional facts and considerations, in case my own conduct came up for consideration in the house; but the whole subject was concluded without any direct reference to myself, and since then the whole time of the house has been occupied with the public business. I now desire to make a single remark on this subject in the hearing of the house. Though the committee acquitted me of all charges of corruption in action or intent, yet there is in the report a summing up of the facts in relation to me which I respectfully protest is not warranted by the tes- timony. I say this with the utmost respect for the committee, and without intending any reflection upon them. I cannot now enter upon the discussion; but I propose, before long, to make a statement to the public, setting forth more fully the grounds of my dissent from the summing up to which I have referred. I w'ill only say now that the testimony which I gave before the committee is a statement of the facts in the case as I have understood them from the beginning. More than three years ago, on at least two occasions, I stated the case to two personal friends substantially as I stated it be- fore the committee, and I here add that nothing in my conduct or con- versation has at any time been in conflict with my testimony. For the present I desire only to place on record this declaration and notice. The purpose thus publicly declared he executed, as we have seen, in the following May. Obviously, if there was fraud in the alleged purchase of the Credit Mobilier stock, it must be in the point that it was purchased, or the alleged dividend was re- ceived, with the knowledge of the fraudulent arrange- ment bv'^tween the Union Pacific Company and the Credit MobiKer, to which the purchaser, a member of the house, wouM thereby become a party. There is no pretense that ihere is a shadow of evidence that Mr. Garfield had the sligliLCst Ivr.owltdgc, or any hint to put him on his inquiry as to th.s transactions between the two companies; Aines swore that he did not know of them. But the com- mittee did i)urm;t itself to say that he agreed to buy ten shares, but did net pay for them, that Ames held them for him, and out of the dividends he jwid for the stock, and that the balance, three hundred and twenty-nine dollars, was paid to Garfield by Ames, in a iheck on the sargeant-at-arms of the house. Each of these statements General Garfield solemnly denied on his oath; and it is now alleged that, though he was guiltless of corruption in the purchase itself, he was guilty of the gravest crime known Vo the law, in the denial of the innocent purchase itself Certainly this is the mest illogical of accusations. If General Garfield was innocent of wrong, why should he commit perjury to conceal it ? It is true, the committee appeared to disbelieve him ; what it did do was to disregard his case, shir it over, couple it with another man's, and disregard the evidence. Not only do they seem to have disbelieved him, but they disbelieved Oakes Ames also, who at first swore that Garfield was entirely innocent, and found facts without evidence. Not thus is this case to be dismissed. I am remitted to the dreary task of examining in detail the real and seeming proofs. The charge of perjury is to be proved by a weight of evidence equal to that of two men. The evidence of one man is met and balanced by that of the accused, is the rule of law and logic. I do not place this case solely on the basis of legal evidence, which is but the mass of human experience formulated into prac- tical rules for convenience and use. Let all sources of information be employed, which practical intelligence uses in deahng with common grave affairs. There really are but two witnesses, and a itw side lights, which attend the transaction. Oakcs Ames is the sole source of inculpatory evi- dence. His connection with the whole transaction at once compromises him so entirely, that it is a rule alike of experience and law, that full credit cannot be given him. He has knowledge, but his integrity is impaired. He who would entrap the people's representatives by half truths, and whole suppressions, is thereby gravely dis- credited. Is it said that Garfield occupies the same position — is compromised and therefore discredited? That is the fact to be proved. Until his guilt is established his credit is unimpaired. He is a witness entitled to full credit. Oakes Ames, the thus impeached witness, and sole source of criminative evidence, is further, and more gravely, compromised. The man who makes different statements of the same matter, though one statement is not on his oath, so far discredits himself, that his state- ment ceases to be a source of full proof. In his letter to McComb of January 25, 1868, he says he had sold to Garfield, of Ohio, twenty shares of stock at two thousand dollars. He swore before the committee, 64 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. that there were but ten shares at one thousand dollars. The first statement was in writing, when the supposed transaction was fresh, when he was under an obligation to be truthful and accurate; the second, four years later, on his oath. Both cannot be true. The man who made them, is not truthful. It is alike a rule of law and intelligence, that a man who deliberately swears that the fact to be proved does not exist, and then that the same fact does exist, thereby destroys himself as a source of information as to the existence of that fact. The facts to be established were, that this same witness sold to Garfield ten shares of Credit Mobilier stock, and paid him as a dividend on it, three hundred and twenty- nine dollars. On these points, I quote from the Poland Rep. at p. 28, under date of December 28th: Q. In reference to Mr. Garfield, you say that you agreed to get ten shares for him, and to hold them till he could pay for them, and that he never did pay for them nor receive them? — A. Yes, sir. Q. He never paid any money on that stock nor received any money from it? — .■\. Xot on account of it. Q. He received no dividends? — A. Xo, sir ; I think not. He says he did not. My own recollection is not very clear. Q. So that, as you understand, Mr. Garfield never parted with any money, nor received any money, on th^t transaction? — A. Xo, sir; he had some money from me once, some three or four hundred dollars, and called it a loan. He says that that is all he ever received from me, and that he considered it a loan. He never took liis stock, and never paid for it. Q. Did you understand it so? — A. Yes; lam willing to so under- stand it. I do not recollect paying him any dividend, and have for- gotten that I paid him any money. The sum of this i.s, that he agreed to sell Garfield ten shares, but did not. Garfield did not pay for them, and never received from him, Ames, any dividend. And so, later, on the same day, from p. 40, in answer to Mr. McCrary who recalled his attention to it. Q. I do not understand distinctly your answer to Mr. Merrick's question as to how many members of congress received these dividends upon that slock, and what members did not receive it, among those you have mentioned. — A. I think that all who paid for their stock re- ceived their dividends up to the time this suit was commenced; that is my impression. Q. Who received the dividends? — A. Mr. Patterson, Mr. Bing- ham, James F. \Yilson did, and I think Mr. Colfax received a part of them. I do not know whether he received them all or not. I think Mr. Scofield received a part of them. Messrs. Kelley and Garfield never paid for their stock, and never received their dividends. Surely this is plain and direct. I here interject a passage from the evidence of Mr. Durant from page 173, and then resume Mr. Ames. It will be remembered that these three hundred and forty- seven shares carried to Washington stood on the Credit Mobilier books in the name of Oakes Ames as trustee. As to these I quote from Mr. Durant, on the fourteenth of January, speaking of this same stock: A. The stock that s'.ands in the name of Mr. Ames, as trustee, I claim belongs to the company yet, and I have a summons in a suit in my pocket waiting to catch him in Xew York, to ser\'e the papers. Thus threatened with another suit, to recover from him this very stock, all of which he had received back in his own right be.'"ore this date, and was thus perfecting his title to it, through tlie pretense of a sale, as trustee, and a re-purchase in his individual right, on the twenty-second of January he went again upon the stand — this time for him- self, so far as Garfield is concerned, for it was only by a sale to him and a re-purchase that he could hold it. It is claimed that at this time he swore positively that he did sell Garfield the stock, and did pay him a dividend, in a check for three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. The payment of the dividend was the only proof of an actual sale. If he did so swear, in the face of his swearing above, with the exception of Judge Poland there is no human intelligence that will pretend to credit his state- ment, or call a fact proved because he swore to it. As a source of evidence he has ceased to exist. My reader now understands the character and quality of the sole witness by whom it is said General Garfield is proved to have [lurchased Credit Mobilier stock, re- ceived a dividend, and is convicted of perjury, in depos- ing that he did not. The whole of that evidence in the least criminative I now lay before him — premising that General Garfield appeared before the committee and gave his evidence on the fourteenth of January. Q. In regard to Mr. Garfield, state to the committee the details of the transactions between you and him in reference to Credit Mobilier stock. — A. I got for Mr. Garfield ten shares of the Credit Mobilier stock, for which he paid par and interest. Q. WHien did you agree with him for that? — A. That agreement was in December, 1867, or January 1868 ; about that time ; about the time I had these conversations with all of them. It was all about the same time. Q. State what grew out of it. — A. Mr. Garfield did not pay me any money. I sold the bonds belonging to his one thousand dollars of stock at ninety-seven, making seven hundred and seventy-six dollars. In June I received a dividend in cash on his stock of si.x hundred dol- lars, which left a balance due him of three hundred and twenty-nine dollars, which I paid him. That is all the transaction between us. I did not deliver him any stock before or since. That is the only trans- action, and the only thing. Q. The three hundred and twenty-nine dollars which )'0U paid him was the surplus of earnings on the stock above the amount to be paid for it, par value ?— .\. Yes, sir ; he never had either his Credit Mobilier stock or Union Pacific Railroad stock. The only thing he realized on the transaction was the three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. Q. I see in this statement of the account with General Garfield, there is a charge of forty-seven dollars ; that is interest from the July previous, is it ? — A. Yes, sir. Q. .\nd the seven hundred and seventy-six dollars on the credit GARFIELD AS A FINANCIER. 65 side of the account is the eighty percent, bond dividend soMat ninety- seven ? — A. Yes, sir. Q. And the six hundred dollars on tlie credit side is tlie money dividend? — A. Yes, sir. Q. And after you had received tlicse two sums, they in the aggre- gate overpaid the price of stock and inlcrcst three liundred and twenty- nine dollars, which you paid him ? — A. Yes, sir. Q. How was that paid ? — A. Paid in money, I believe. Q. Did you make a statement of this to Mr. Garfic'.d? — A. I pre- sume so ; I think I did with all of them ; that is my impression. Q. When you paid him this liiree hundred and twenty-nine dollars, did you understand it was the balance of liis dividend after paying for his stock ? — A. I supposed so ; I do not know what else he could suppose. Q. You did not deliver the certificate of stock to him ? — A. No, sir; he said nothing about that. Q. Wliy did he not receive his certificate? — A. I do not know. Q. Do you remember any conversation between you and him in the adjustment of these accounts? — A. I do not. Q. You understood that you were a holder of his ten shares? — A. Yes, sir. Q. Did he so understand it ? — A. I presume so. It seems to have gone from his mind, however. Q. Was this the only dealing you had with him in reference to any stock? — A. I think so. Q. Was it the only transaction of any kind ? — A. The only trans- action. Q. Has that three hundred and twenty-nine dollars e\er been paid to you ? — A. I have no recollection of it. Q. Have you any belief that it ever has ? — A. No, sir. Q. Did you ever loan General Garfield three hundred dollars ? — A. Not to my knowledge ; except that he calls this a loan. Q. You do not call it a loan ? — .\. I did not at the time. I am willing it should go to suit him. Q. What we want to get at is the e.x.ict truth. — .\. I have told the truth in my statement. Q. When you paid him three hundred and twenty-nine dollars, did he understand that he borrowed that money from you ? — A. I do not suppose so. - Q. Have you any belief now that he supposed ? — A. No ; only from what he said the other day. I do not dispute anybody. Q. We want your jurlgment of the transaction. — .■\. My judgment of the transaction is just as I told you. There was but one thing about it. Q. That amount has never been repaid to you ? You did not sup- pose that you had any right to it, or any claim to it ? — A. No, sir. Q. You regarded that as money belonging to him after the slock was paid for? — A. Yes, sir. Q. There were dividends of Union Pacific Railroad stock on these ten shares? — A. Yes, sir. Q. Did General Garfield ever receive these? — A. No, sir; never has received but three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. Q. And that he has received as his own money? — A. 1 suppose so ; it did not belong to me. I should not have given it to him if it had not belonged to him. Q, You did not understand it to belong to you as a loan ; you never called for it, and have never received it back? — A. No, sir. Q. Has there been any convers.ition between you and him in refer- ence to the Pacific stoc!; he was entitled to? — A. No, sir. Q. Has he ever called for it ? — .\. No, sir. Q. Have you ever offered it to him? — A. No, sir. Q. Has there been any conversation in relation to it ? — A. No, sir. Q. Has there ever been anything said between you and him about rescinding the purchase of the ten shares of Credit Mobilier stock ? Has there anything been said to you of its being thrown up, or aban- doned, or surrendered ? — A. No, sir; not until recently. Q. How recently? — A. Since this matter came up. Q. Since this investigation commenced? — A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you consider at the commencement of this investigation that you held these other dividends, which you say you did not pay to him, in his behalf? Did you regard yourself as custodian of these dividends for him ? — A. Yes, sir ; he paid for his stock and is entitled to his dividends. Q. Will the dividends come to him at any time on his demand? — A. Ves, sir, as soon as this suit is settled. Q. You say that three hundred and twenty-nine dollars was paid to him; how was it paid? — .A. I presume by a check on the sergeant-at- arms. I find there are some checks filed without any letters or initials indicating who they were for. The following memorandum referred to by witness as a statement of his account with Mr. Garfield, was placed in evidence: J. A. G. [Garfield]. Dr. 1868. To ten shares stock Credit Mobilier of .\ $1,000 00 Interest 47 00 June 19. To cash 329 00 $1,376 00 1868. By dividend bonds. Union Pacific railroad, $r,ooo, at eighty per cent, less three per cent $776 00 June 17. By dividend collected for your account 600 00 $1,376 00 Leaving these statements without further remark, save to note the corlcscrew-y process of leading questions I quote Oakes Ames from page 353, under date of Janu- ary 29th. He had found a bunch of old checks in the office of the sergeant-at-arms, which Judge Poland is talking up with him in a luminous way: Q. Here is another cheek upon the scrgeant-at-arms of the same dale, June 22, 1868: "Pay O. A. or bearer three hundred and twenty- nine dollars, and ch.irge to my account. Oakei.\mes." That seems to have been paicl to somebody and taken up by the sergeanl-al-arms. These initial are your own? — A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know who had tlie benefit of that cheek?— I cannot tell you. Q. Do you think you received the money on it yourself? — A. I have no idea. I may have drawn the money and handed it over to another person. It was paid on that transaction. It may ha\e been paid to Mr. Garfield. There were several sums of that amount. Q. Have you any memory in reference to this check? — A. No, sir; I have no memory as to that particular check. I found these checks in the package which the sergeant-at-arms gave me, and I find tliem on the sergeant-at-arms' books. Q. You have some memory in regard to some of these men receiv- ing payment of their dividends?— .•\. They all received payments of their dividends. There is no question of that in my mind. There may be in the minds of others. Q. Is there any other gentleman here in congress who received three hundred and twenty-nine dollars dividend except those who liave already been named by you?— .\. I don't think of any other. Q. In regard to Mr. Garfield, do you know whether you gave him a check or paid him the money?- .\. I think I did not p.ay him the money. He got it from the scrgeant-at-arms upon a check. 66 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. This is the check entire, placed by itself: "June 22, 1868. "PayO. A. or bearer three hundred and twenty-nine dollars, and charge to my account. Oakes .'\mes." From page 555 of this pitiful record, I quote this, and all there is on the dreary expenses bearing on this matter, still in the plastic hand of the amiable chairman. Q. You think the check in which you wrote nothini; to indicate the payee must have been for Mr. Garfield? — A. Yes, sir, that is my judg- ment. No ! he did not think so — had not said he thought so. In the pitiful helplessness of his position, groping in darkness, he timidly ventured the suggestion, "It may have been paid to Mr. (larfield." Then, uhen the chair- man insisted that he thought so, he helplessly assents. The stupidity of the chairman was of that dense quality appalling to the gods. He assumes that Garfield must have been paid by a check, and this was it, — notwithstand- ing Ames swore (page 25) that he thought he paid with money, — because this check had no possible mark or sign to show by whom, or for what, it was issued; and Ames assented. Here, then, in this aimless, nameless slip of paper resides the evidence which convicts Gen- eral Garfield of a purchase of stock, and of perjury to conceal the purchase. A word disposes of it. Turn back to Ames' account with Garfield, on page 241, to this item. "To cash [paid], $329. Against this payment stands the date, June 19, 1S68. This check is dated June 2 2d, three days afterward. How could a check not drawn till the twenty-second of June pay a debt on the nineteenth of June? Had the dates coincided, or this check been before payment, some seeming warrant for the chairman's assertion might exist. The alter date of the check is fatal to his case, and to him. It is to be borne in mind that GeneraRkirfield, having made his statement before the court, was then bearing the burden of the Republic's great appropriations through the house. The statement that he had counsel before the committee is untrue. Judge Black, when there, was of counsel for McComb. There was further so-called evidence from Oakes Ames. He several times early referred to a certain memorandum book, and finally j)roduced extracts from it. He was at once required by tiie chairman to pro- duce it, which he did February nth. The ground on which the committee received it is not obvious. Bearing in mind that the Garfield account, page 241, dates the pay- ment of the three hundred and twenty-nine dollars June 19, 1868, what corroboration does Mr. Ames receive from his tardy book? This is taken from page 450 of the report: 1868. Saturday, January 2, 18 H. L. Dawes. Scofield 600 600 Patterson 1,800 Painter 1 , 800 Wilson a,, 1,200 C'olfa-x 1,200 Bingham 1,200 Allison 600 Kelley 329 I Wilson 329 Garfield 329 Q. You put down in this list what was to be paid to these men; it is not an entry of the payment you had actually made?. — A. It is a list of payments to be made, and which were made in different ways, some in one way and some in another. The entry is in a book for 1S6S. The list is dated January 2, 18C9, and contains the names of the men to whom payments of dividends were to be made. Among them is that of Garfield, who, if ever paid, was paid months before. Here is another of the entries from p. 453 Id.: 1868. Sunday, June 31. Checks on commerce, deposited with Sergeant-at-Arms $10,000 P'd S. Colfax 1,200 ' ' James F. Wilson 329 " H. L. Dawes 600 " William B. Allison 60O " G. W. Scofieid , . 600 " J. W. Patterson 1,800 " John A. Logan 329 " James A. Garfield 329 '* William D. Kelley •.'-'• " Henry Wilson 1.200 " John A. Bingham 1,200 Q. This entry, "Paid.S. Colfax one thousand two hundred dollars, '* is the amount which you paid by this check on the sergeant-at-arms? — A. Yes, sir. Q. Was this entry upon this page of these various names intended to show the amount you were to pay or that you had paid; was that made at this date? — A. I do not know; it was made about that time. I would not have written it on Sunday; it is not very likely. It was made on a blank page. It is simply a list of names. Q. Were these names put down after you had made the payments or before, do you think? — A. Before, I think. Q. You think you made this list before the parties referred to had actually received their checks, or received the money? — A. Yes, sir; that was to show wh(5m I had to pay, and who were entitled to receive the sixty per cent, dividend. It shows whom I had to pay here in Washington Q. It says ''paid." — A. Yes, sir; well, I did pay it. (J. Wh.it I want to know' is, w'hether the list was made out before or after payment? — A. About the same time, I suppose; probably before. These are marked paid, and dated June 31st, and is left for its own comment Here follows another from p. 459 : Q. Now turn to any entries you may have in reference to Mr. Gar- field. — \. Mr. Garfield's payments were just the same as Mr. Kelley 's. (J. 1 find Mr. Kelley's name on the list of June dividend payments for three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. That I understand you to be the amount of the June dividend after paying the balance due on his A CHAPTER ON SLANDERS. 67 stock? — A. Yes, sir; the general statement made up for Mr; Garfield is as follows : GARFIELD. 10 shares Credit M $1,000 7 mos. 10 days 43 3^ 1.043 36 80 per ct. bd. div. , at 97 776 267 36 Int'st to June 20 3 64 271 00 1,000 C. M. 1,000 V. P. Q. You received six himdred dollars cash divideiid on his ten shares? — A. Yes, sir. Q. And, as you say, paid him tliree liundred and twenty-nine dol- lars, as the balance of the dividend due him.^- A. I thinlv I did. Q. This general statement is not crossed oi^7 — A. No, sir. Q. In this list of names for the June dividend, Mr. Garfield's name is down for three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. — A. That would be the balance due. Q. The cross opposite his name indicates that tlie money was paid to him? — A. Yes, sir. Mr. Clark remarked that Mr. Ames was not certain whether this amount was paid Mr. Garfield by check or in currency. The Witness. If I drew tlie check I may have paid him off in cur- rency, as i find no check with initials corresponding to his. Q. We find three checks for the amount of three hundred and twenty-nine dollars each; one is in blank; there are no initials written in. There are, however, the same number of checks for tliat amount as are called for by the names on this list for that amount. — A. I am not sure how I paid Mr. Garfield; I paid him in some form. Q. This statement of Mr. Garfield's account is not crossed off, which indicates, does it, that the matter has never been settled or ad- justed? — A. No, sir; it never hai,. Mr. Clark reiuarked that he supposed it was understood that no one of these gentlemen had ever seen the entries in this book. Q. Can you state wliether you have any other entry in your book relating to Mr. Garfield? — .-\. No, sir. From page 47 1 1 quote the last of Mr. Ames' state- ments as to the facts themselves, made as follows: Q. In testifying in Mr. Garfield's case you say you may have drawn the money on the check and paid him; Is not that answer equally ap- plicable to the case of Mr. Colfa.x? — A. No, sir. Q. Why not? — A. I put Mr. Colfax's initials in the check, while I put no initials into Mr. Garfield's check, and I may have drawn the money myself. Q. Do you say that if you put any initials before the words "or bearer" into a check, that is evidence that you gave him the check, and that he drew the money on it? — A. I am satisfied that I gave him (Colfa.x") the check any way, because it belonged to him. Q. Did not Mr. Garfield's check belong to him? — A. Mr. Garfield had not paid for his stock. He was entitled to three hundred and twenty-nine dollars balance; but Mr. Colfax had paid for his stock, and I had no ousiness with his one thousand, two hundred dollars. Q. Is your recollection in regard to this payment of Mr. Colfax any more clear than your recollections ;as to the payment to Mr. Garfield? — A. Yes, sir, I think it is. Do you doubt that I gave him (Colfax) the check ? Q. That is not a proper question for me to answer; if it were I should. As bearing on the unmarked check of June 22, 1868, the check of the report, Mr. Dillon, the cashier, said : Q. There is a check payable to O. A. or bearer; have you any recollection of that? — A. That was paid to himself. Q. Have you any memory that it was, or do you judge of that by the form in which the check is drawn? — A. No; I have no distinct memory about it. I have no doubt myself tliat I paid that to Mr, Ames. —Poland Reports, page 4yg. I observe of these statements^that so far from claim- ing that he had any, the least memory of the payment of a dividend to Mr. Garfield, Mr. Ames several times says that he had none. His first testimony directly con- tradicts what he subsequently testified. He is sustained by no witness. He is not corrobor- ated by any writing of his own. His first account is marked paid June 19, 1868. The sole check by which it could have been paid bears a later date. In his list of June 31st, it is marked as paid. He declares that though marked paid, this was a list of men to be paid, though the claim is that Garfield was paid before. And the list of January 2, i86g, was also that of men then unpaid, of whom Garfield was one, and, finally, that the account never was settled. Thus these papers, so far from sustaining the witness, contradict him, and impeach each other. The strangest feature of the case is yet to be named. Ames sold to Garfield ten shares of stock, and held it for hirn as trustee; made one payment in June, 1868, and, though he continued to hold it, and collect the di- vidends, of course, from that day of payment to his ap- pearance before the committee — a period of five years — he never again so much as mentioned the subject to Garfield. He swore he did not. And, stranger yet, here was this young man, owner of this money-coining stock, impecunious, running about for money and never going to Ames for it on this stock, never to the present time calling him to account, oblivious of ownership, declaring he did not own it, and all the time the sky was serene, and Ames was collecting dividends as owner of the stock, and without a pretense that he had repurchased it. Owner cestui que trust and trustee never so conducted themselves toward the proj)- erty. The parties never for an instant held this relation to this Credit Mobilier stock. To pretend they did is the feeblest of sham. It is remembered that Garfield authorized the state- ment in the Gazette of September 15th, and quietly awaited events. He was not called before the committee until the 14th of January. As preliminary, I quote a paragraph from his expose of May 8, 1873, page 8. After saying that Mr. Ames sought him, he continues: 68 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELt3. Soon after the investigation began, Mr. Ames asked me what I re- membered of our talis in 1867-8 in reference to the Credit Mobilier Company. I told him I could best answer his question by reading to him the statement I had already prepared to lay before the committee when I should be called. -Accordingly, on the following day, I took my written statement to the capitol, and read it to him carefully, sen- tence by sentence, and asked him to point out anything which he might think incorrect. He made but two criticisms; one in regard to a date, and the other, that he thought it was the Credit Foncier, and not the Credit Mobilier, that Mr. Train asked me to subscribe to in 1866-7. Wlien I read the paragraph in which I stated that I had once borrowed three hundred dollars of him, he remarked, "I believe I did let you have some money, but 1 had forgotten it." He said nothing to indi- cate that he regarded me as having purchased the stock; and from that conversation I did not doubt that he regarded my statement sub- stantially correct. His first testimony, given a few days afterward, confirmed me in this opinion. I give his testimony entire. Poland's report, page 128: W.VSHINGTON, D. C, January 14, 1873. J. A. Garfield, a member of the United States house of represen- tatives from the State of Ohio, having been duly sworn, made tne fol- lowing statement ; The first I ever heard of tlie Credit Mobilier was some time in 1866 or 1867— I cannot fix the date— when George Francis Train called on me and said he was organizing a company to be known as the Credit Mobilier of America; to be formed on the model of the Credit Mobilier of France; that the object of the company was to purchase lands and build houses along the line of the Pacific railroad at points where cities and villages were likely to spring up; that he had no doubt money thus invested would double or treble itself each year; that subscriptions were limited to one thousand dollars each, and he wished me to sub- scribe. He showed me a long list of subscribers, among them Mr. Oakes Ames, to whom he referred me for further information concern- ing the enterprise. I answered that I had not the money to spare, and if I had I would not subscribe without knowing more about the pro- posed organization. Mr. Train left me, saying he would hold a place open for me, and hoped I would yet conclude to subscribe. The same day 1 asked Mr. Ames what he thought of the enterprise. He expressed the opinion that the investment would be safe and profitable. I heard nothing further on the subject for a year or more, and it was almost forgotten, when some time, I should say, during the long ses- sion of 1868, Mr. Ames spoke of it again;. said the company had or- ganized, was doing well, and he thought would soon pay large divi- dends. He said that some of the stock had been left or was to be left in his hands to sell, and I could take the amount which Mr. Train had offered me, by paying the one thousand dollars and the accrued inter- est. He said if I was not able to pay for it then, he would hold it for me till I could pay, or until some of the dividends were payable. I told him I would consider the matter; but would not agree to take any stock until I knew, from an examination of the charter and the condi- tions of the subscription, the extent to which I would become pecuni- arily liable. He said he was not sure, but thought a stockholder would be liable only for tlie par value of his.stock; that he had not the stock and papers with him, but would have them after a while. From the case, as presented, I probably should have taken the stock if I had been satisfied in legard to the extent of pecuniary liabiUty. Thus the matter rested for some time, I think until the following year. During that intenal I understood that there were dividends due amounting to nearly three times the par value of the stock. But in the meantime 1 had heard that the company was involved in some contro- versy with the Pacific railroad, and that Mr. Ames' right to sell the stock was denied. Wiien I next saw Mr. Ames 1 told him I had con- cluded not to take the stock. There the matter ended so far as I was concerned, and 1 had no further knowledge of the company's opera- tions until the subject began to be discussed in the newspapers last fall. Nothing was ever said to me by Mr. Ames or Mr. Train to indicate or imply that the Credit Mobilier was or could be in any way connected with the legislation of congress for the Pacific railroad or for any other purpose. Mr. .Ames never gave, nor offered to give, me any stock or other valuable thing as a gift. 1 once asked and obtained from him, and aftenvard repaid to him, a loan of three hundred dollars; that amount is the only valuable thing I ever received from or delivered to him. I never owned, received, or agreed to receive any stock of the Credit Mobilier or of tiie Union Pacific railroad, nor any dividend or profits arising from either of them. By the chairman : Question. Had this loan you spe.ak of any connection in any way with your conversation in regard to the Credit Mobilier stock? — A. No connection in any way except in regard to the time of payment. Mr. Ames stated to me that if I concluded to subscribe for the Credit Mo- bilier stock, I could allow the loan to remain until the payment on that was adjusted. I never regarded it as connected in any other way with the stock enterprise. Q. Do \ou remember the time of that transaction? — A. I do not remember it precisely. I should think it was in the session of 1868. I had been to Europe the fall before, and was in debt, and borrowed several sums of money at different times and from different persons. This loan from Mr. Ames was not at his inbtance. I made the request myself. I think I had asked one or two persons before for the loan. Q. Have you any knowledge in reference to any dealing of Mr. Ames with any gentlemen in congress in reference to the stock of the Credit Mobilier? — A. No, sir; I have not. I had no knowledge that Mr. .Ames had ever talked with anybody but myself. It was a subject I gave but little attention to; in fact, many of the details had almost passed out of my mind until they were called up in the late campaign. By Mr. Black: Q. Did you say you refused to take the stock simj^Iy because there was a lawsuit about it? — .A. No; not exactly that. I do not remember any other reason which I gave to Mr. .Ames than tliat I did not wish to take stock in anything that would involve controversy. I lliink I gave him no other reason than that. Q. When you ascertained the relation this company had with the Union Pacific railroad companj'. and whence its profits wcic to be de- rived, would you have considered that a sufficient reason for declining it irrespective of other considerations? — -A. It would have been as the case was afterward stated. Q. At the time you talked with Mr. Ames, before you rejected the proposition, you did not know whence the profits of the company were to be derived? — A. I did not. I do not know that Mr. .Ames withlield, intentionally, from me any information. I had derived my original knowledge of the organization of the company from Mr. Train. He made quite an elaborate statement of its purposes, and I proceeded in subsequent conversations upon the supposition that the org.mization was unchanged. I ought to say for myself, as well as for Mr. .Ames, that he never said any word to me that indicated the least desire to in- fluence my legislative action in any way. If he had any such purpose, he certainly never said anything to me which would indicate it. Q. You know now, and have known for a long time, that Mr. .Ames was deeply interested in the legislation on this subject? — .V. I supposed that he was largely interested in the Union Pacific railroad. 1 have heard various statements to that effect. I cannot say I had any such information of my own knowledge. Q. You mean that he did not electioneer witli you or .solicit your A CHAPTER ON SLANDERS. 69 vote?— A. Certainly not. None of the conversations I ever had with him had any reference to such legislation. By Mr. Merriclt; Q. Have you any knowledge of any other member of congress being concerned in the Credit Mobilicr stock? — A. No, sir; I have not. Q. Or any stock in the Cnion Pacific railroad? — A. I have not. I can say to the committee that I never saw, I believe, in my life a certifi- cate of stock of the Union Pacific railroad company, and I never saw any certificate of stock of the Credit Mobilicr, until Mr. Brooks exhib- ited one. a few days ago, in the house of representatives. Q. Were any dividends ever tendered to you on the stock of the Credit Mobilier upon the supposition that you were to be a subscriber? — A. No, sir. Q. This loan of three hundred dollars you have repaid if I under- stood you correctly. — A. Yes, sir. By Mr. McCrary: Q. You never examined the charter of the Credit Mobilicr to see what were its objects ? — .\. No, sir; I never saw it. Q. If I understood you, you did net know that the Credit Mobilier had any connection with the Union Pacific railroad company? — A. I understood from the statement of Mr. Train that its objects were con- nected with the hands of the Union Pacific railroad company and the development of settlements along that road ; but that it had any relation to the Union Pacific railroad, other than that, I did not know. I think I did hear also that the company w;is investing some of its earnings in the bonds of the road. Q. He stated it was for the purpose of purchasing land and build- ing houses? — A. That was the statement of Mr. Train. I think he said in that connection that lie had already been doing something of that kind at Omaha, or was going to do it. Q. You did not know that the object was to build the Union Pacific railroad? — ,\. Xo, sir; I did not. This is the clear, distinct statement of a man giving a succinct account of a transaction in strict accord with all we have learned of the facts. Mr. Ames' first testimony fully corroborates and sustains it in all details. Garfield received the first information of the real use made of the Credit Mobilier from Judge Black. On re- ceiving that he put an end to all negotiations with Ames. In corroboration of his evidence, and that this was al- ways his statement of the case, I produce Judge Black's statement bearing date before the report of the committee was made. It covers the whole case and should silence even malice. PniL.'\DF.LPHi.\, February 15, 1873. My Dear Sir. From the beginning of the investigation concerning Mr. Ames' use of the Credit Mobilier, I believed that General Garfield was free from all guilty connection with that business. This opinion was founded not merely on my confidence in his integrity, but on some special knowledge of his case. I may have told you all about it in con versation, but I desire now to repeat it by way of reminder. I assert unhesitatingly that, whatever General Garfield may have done or forborne to do, he acted in profound ignonince of the nature and character of the thing which Mr. Ames was proposing to sell. He had not the slightest suspicion that he w.as to Ix; taken into a ring organized for the purpose of defrauding the public ; nor did he know that the stock was in any manner connected with anything which came, or could come, within the legislative jurisdiction of congress. The ca.se against him lacks the scienter which .alone constitutes guilt.- In the winter of 1869-70, I told General Garfield of the fact that his name was on .Ames' list; that .\mes charged him with being one of his distributees; explained to him the character, origin, and objects of the Credit Mobilier; pointed out the connection it had with congressional legislation, and showed him how impossible it w.as for a member of con- gress to hold stock in it without bringing his priv.ate interests in conflict with his public duty. That all this was to him a perfectly new revela- tion I am as sure a.s I can be of .such a fact, or of any fact which is capa- ble of being proved only by moral circumstances. He told me, then, the whole story of Train's offer to him and .\mes' subsequent solicita- tion, and his own action in the premises, much as he details it to the committee. I do not undertake to reproduce the conversation, but the effect of it all was to convince me thoroughly that when he listened to /\mes he was perfectly unconscious of anything evil. I watched care- fully every word that fell from him on this point, anddid not regard his narrative of the transaction in other respects with much interest, because in my view everything else was insignificant. I did not care whether he had made a bargain technically binding or not; his integrity depended upon the question whether he acted with his eyes open. If he had known the true character of the proposition made to him he would not have endured it, much less embraced it. Now, couple this with Mr. .Ames" admission that he gave no expla- nation whatever of the matter to General Garfield; then reflect tliat not a particle of proof exists to show that he learned anything about it pre- vious to his conversation with me, and I think you will say that it is al- together unjust to put him on the list of those who knowingly and will- fully joined the fraudulent association in question. J. S. Black. Hon. J. G. Blaine, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Judge Black was not the attorney of Garfield, and not a political friend. He revealed to Garfield the facts of the relation of the Union Pacific company and the Credit Mobilier, when Garfield had no motive to conceal his own position. He also revealed to him tlie existence of Mr. Ames' list. On this information Garfield acted. The question now under consideration is not whether Garfield is venal in the matter of the Credit Mobilier stock. We know he was not, but whether he was guilty of perjury in denying that charge.. Did he state the facts as he understood, and stated them to others at the time? These are important questions. On this point hear the following: Hiram, Ohio, February 18, 1873. Dear .Sir: It maybe relevant to the question at issue between your- self and Mr. Oakes Ames, in the Credit Mobilier investigation, for me to state that three or four years ago, in a private conversation, you made a statement to me involving the substance of your testimony Ije- fore the Poland committee, as published in the newspapers. The material points of your statement were these: That you had been spoken to by George Francis Train, who offered you some shares of Credit Mobilier stock; that you told him that you had no money to invest in stocks; that subsequently you had a conver- sation in relation to the matter with Mr. .-Vines ; that Mr. .Ames offered to carry the stock for you until you could pay for it, if you cared to buy it ; and that you had told him in that case perhaps you would take it, but would not agree to do so until you had inquired more fully into the matter. .Such an arrangement .as this was m.ade, .Ames agreeing to carrry the stock until you should decide. In this way the matter stood, as I understood it, at the time of our conversation. My understanding 76 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. was distinct tliat you had not accepted Mr. .\mes' proposition, but that the shares were still Iield at your option. You stated, further, that the company was to operate in real prop- erty along the line of the Pacific road. Perhaps I should add that this conversation, wbicli I have always remembered very distinctly, took place here in Hiram. 1 have remembered the conversation the more distinctly from the circumstances that gave rise to it. Having been intimately acquainted with you for twelve or fifteen years, and having had a considerable knowledge of your pecuniary affairs, I asked you how you were getting on, ai-,d especially whether you were managmg to reduce your debts. In reply you gave me a detailed statement of your affairs, and concluded by saying you had had some stock offered you, which, if you bought it, would probably make you some money. You then proceeded to state the case, as I have stated it above. I cannot fi.'C the time of this conversation more definitely than to say that it was certainly three, and probably four, years ago. B. A. Hinsdale, Hon. J. A. Garfield, President of Hiram College. Washington, D. C. That he had not closed with the offer of Ames in the spring of iS68, is clear, from the following statement. He was then deliberating: Clevel.ind, Ohio, May, i 1873. Dear General : I send you the facts concerning a conversation which I had with you, (I tliink in the spring of 1868,) when 1 was slop- ing in Washington for some days, as your guest, during the trial of the impeachment of President Johnson. While there, you told me that Mr. Ames had offered you a chance to invest a small amount in a company that was to operate in lands and buildings along tlie Pacific railroad, which he (.\mes) said would be a good thing. You asked me what I tliouglit of it as a business proposition; tliat you had not deter- mined what you would do about it, and suggested to me to talk with Ames, and form my own judgment, and if 1 thought well enough of it, to advance the money and buy the slock on joint account with you, and let you pay me interest on the one-half, I could do so. But I did not think well of the proposition as a business enterprise, and did not talk with Ames on the subject. After this talk, having at first told you that I w^ould give the subject thought, and perhaps talk with Ames, i told you one evening that 1 did not think well of the proposition, and had not spoken to Ames on the subject. . Yours, truly, J. P. ROBISON. Hon. J. A. Garfield. Both of these gentlemen are widely known and es- teemed in their own State. This is all that belongs to the case. During the inves- tigation there was an interview between the parties, of which each gave an account. Neither throws any light on the case. Garfield expected to be called before the committee, to reply to the new and inexplicable statements of Mr. Ames. He was not. The conclusion must be that Gen- eral Garfield never purchased Credit Mobilier stock of Oakes Ames; that he never received money from him as dividends on stock; that all his own statements in the case are in strict accord with truth. CHAPTER H. SALARY GRAB. Involves onty a Question of judgment. — Resolution requiring Gar- field's Resignation. — Popular Phrenzy. — Garfield as Chairman of the Committee of .Appropriations has Charge of the Bill. — Its Magnitude and Importance. — Scheme is an Amendment to it. — Voles Eighteen Times .Against It. — His own Statement. — Meets all his Accusers. A\'hile our young man was taking his first practical les- son in the fragile tenure of human reputation, and the air was thick with the vapor and odors of the Credit Mobilier, a convention of his constituents adopted the following resolution: "A' son and Baldwin once sat. Where Emmet and DuPon- ceau, Webster and Pinckney, and Wirt, and Johnson, and Black, and Evarts, and half a hundred other great advocates had been heard, and had left the traditions of their fame. This was the court, sitting iii the old senate chamber of Webster, Clay, Calhoun, Ewing, Seward, Chase and Sumner, in the capitol, fanned by the two flags over the two houses, in which he first appeared. It was a great case, a causa celebra. Misguided men, caught in the great whirlpool of the rebellion, which drew in a hemisphere, were in the grasp of relentless power, which had itself in a way become revolutionary, in its war to save from greater revolution. It had become unscru])ulous, relentless, inexorable ■ — had substituted its hasty, unlawful ordinances for the irrepealable law of the land, unmindful that if it stripi^ed the awful form of Justice of the consecrating robes of the law, and sent it forth to take its penalties in men's forfeited lives, that in this guise its judgment was vengeance, and it became a murderer and not justice; that this was a violation of the inner essence of law and justice, which alone authorized the very war which the Nation was then waging; that there was no more consti- . tutional right to put Milligan to death, as he had been adjudged, or send him to the penitentiary for life, to which the President commuted his ])unishment, than there was for the revolt of the States. And this was the awful paradox the Nation was enacting. It was seeking to preserve its life by violating the principle which gave it a right to live. It was waging war on exactly the same absence of right and law, as that on which alone the re- bellion rested. Who was to come forward and make all this clear, and save the lives and liberties of Milligan and his band, and save the Nation from the suicide involved in their punishment? A man of courage as well as of rare ability. For precisely the same spirit which had en- meshed Milligan in the fatal snair of lawless doom would concentrate its wrath on his advocate.. It required more courage than to rally the fleeing soldiers from Chicka- mauga. A man who could scornfully confront an enraged convention ; stand alone against the house of represent- atives and denounce it; a man who went and searched out the cause he knew not in the old capitol prison, and turned upon the great secretary of war, girt with his armies, and a more powerful and subservient public opinion ; and this blond- faced, blue-eyed saxon young man went for- ward to this duty. And this was the young lawyer's first case, paralleled in the history of our jurisprudence by the defense of the British soldiers for the Boston massacre, by John Adams, in the old revolutionary time. That the peril to himself was not imaginary, the young man soon felt, in the condemnation expressed of him in the jour- nals of his own State, and the momentary denunciation of his constituents. The case was tried in March, 1866, and deemed of the utmost importance to the National cause. Under the vague, shadowy war power, never defined even by those who exercised it, these men were seized in 1 864, in the State of Indiana, then not invaded; they were not in the military service, and were charged with conspiracy against the United States, inciting insurrection, disloyal practices, violations of the laws of war, commit- ted in Indiana, tried by a military commi.ssion unknown to any law, and sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was approved by President Lincoln, who com- 78 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. mutec" death to imprisonment for life. The prisoners applied for a habeas corptts, under the act of congress of March 3, 1S63. The United States circuit court were divided in opinion, and the case came before the supreme court to settle the questions thus raised. Others appeared with Mr. Garfield, but he from his position and surround- ings was mainly relied on. For the United States ap- peared Attorney-General Speed, Henry Stanberry, his successor, and General Butler. My quotation from Mr. Garfield's argument must be brief After a happy state- ment of the case — that the question was, whether the commission had a legal existence, he said: As a first step toward reaching an answer to this question, I affirm that every citizen of the United Slates is under the diminion of law; that wliether he be a civilian, a soldier, or a sailor, the constitution pro- vides for him a tribunal before which he may be protected if innocent, and punished if guilty of crime. He then quoted the fifth amendment to the constitu- tion, and traced out the power for the creation of courts under that instrument. From that he diverged to the military department, and stated with exactitude its limits of authority, and traced down the current of enactment and usage, and the jurisdiction of military courts. He then drew the line which divided the citizen from the soldier. One side of it he was a citizen, and amenable to the civil courts; the other he was a soldier, under the jurisdiction of military courts. The line had been marked all the way. A man does not pass that line from citizen to soldier, till mustered into the military service, With his usual perspicuous care, he then clearly opened out the cases on these points, showing that the supreme court had jurisdiction to inquire into and review the case before it. The prisoners were not in the naval service, nor in the military, nor militia ; and called into service, were mere civilians. He then examined the authority for military commis- sions. Thus he states the position of the attorney-general and his associates. The honorable attorney-general and his distinguished colleague (General Butler) declare that — I. .\ military commission derives its power and authority wholly from martial law; and by that law, and by military authority only are its proceedings to be judged or reviewed; that — II. "Martial law is the will of the commanding officer of an armed force, or of a geographical military department expressed in time of war, within the limits of his military jurisdiction, as necessity demands and prudence dictates, restrained or enlarged by the orders of his mili- tary chief or supreme executive ruler," and that "the officer executing martial law is at the same time supreme legislator, supreme judge, and supreme executive. " To give any color of plausibility to this novel proposition, they were Compelled not only to ignore the constitution, but to declare it sia5- pended; its voice drowned in the thunders of war. Accordingly, with consistent boldness, they declare that the third, fourth and fifth articles of amendments "are all peace provisions of the constitution, and, like all other conventional and legislative laws and enactments are silent ' inter arma,' when * salus populi suprema est hx.'" Applying these doctrines to this cause, they hold that from the fifth of October, 1864, to the ninth of May, 1865, martial law alone existed in Indiana; that it silenced not only the civil courts, but all the laws of the land, and even the constitution itself; and during that silence the executor of martial law could lay his hand upon every citizen, could not only suspend the writ of habeas corpus, but could create a court which should have the exclusive jurisdiction over the citizen to try him, sentence him, and put him to death. We have already seen that the congress of the United St.ites raises and supports armies, provides and maintains navies, and makes the rules and regulations for the government of both; but it would appear from the teachings of the learned counsel on the other side, that when congress has done all these things — when, in the name of the Republic, and in order to put down rebellion and restore the supremacy of law, it has create(,l the grandest army that ever fought — the power thus created rises above its source and destroys both creator and law. They would have us believe that the government of the United States h.as evoked a spirit which it cannot lay — has called into being a power which at once destroyed and superseded its author, and rode, in uncontrolled triinnph, over citizen and court, congress and constitution. All this mockery is uttered before this august court, \vhose every member is sworn to administer the law in accordance with the consti- tution ! Mark the strengtii of the last paragraphs. In a masterly argument of simple, compact force and vigorous strength, he proceeds for the next hour and a half to the utter extinction of every shadow of law, pre- cedent and reason, supporting the proposition contended for by the government. Authorities were never more logically compacted and effectually presented, and the case at bar clearly placed within their reach, than by him. Then he opened out, explained, and enforced the reasons for the war legislation of congress, showing that military commissions found no resting place or support in them. I quote his beautiful and impressive peroration: When Pericles had made Greece immortal in arts and arms, in liberty and law, he invoked the genius of Phidias to devise a monument which should symbolize the beauty and glory of Athens. That artist selected for his thejne the tutelar divinity of Athens, tlie Jove-born goddess, protectress of arts and arms, of industry and law, who typified the Greek conception of composed, majestic, unrelenting lorce. He erected on the heights of the Acropolis a colossal statue of Minerva, anned with spear and helmet, which towered in awful majesty above the sur- rounding temples of the gods. Sailors on far-off ships beheld the crest and spear of the goddess and bowed with reverent awe. To every Greek she was the symbol of power and glory. But the Acropolis, with its temples and statues is now a heap of ruins. The visible gods have vanished in the clearer light of modern civilization. We cannot restore the decayed emblems of ancient Greece, but it is in your power, O Judges, to erect in thi^ citadel of our liberties, a monument more 1-. st- ing than brass; invisible indeed to the eye of flesh, but visible to t!ie eye of the spirit as the awful form and figure of Justice, crowning and adorning the republic; rising above the storms of political strife, above the din of battle, above the earthquake shock of rebellion; seen from afar and hailed as protector by the oppressed of all nations; dispens- THE LAWYER. 79 ing equal blessings, and covering witli the protecting s'.iic'.d of law the weakest, the humblest, the meanest, and. until declared by solemn law unworthy of protection, the guiltiest of its citizens. The argument was delivered in a crowded court room, and was justly esteemed by the cool-judging, wise old heads of the bar, as one of the ablest in that forum, consecrated to weight, logic and law, with a suspicion of dullness and a flavor of the somniferous. They congratulated him and the judges complimented him. The court adjudged as follows: First. That on the facts as stated in said petition and exhibits, a writ of habeas corpus ought to be issued according to the prayer of said petition. Second. That on tlie facts stated in the said petition and exhibits, the said Lanibdin P. Milligan ought to be discharged from custody as in said petition is prayed, and according to tlie act of congress, passed third of March, 1863, entitled "An act relating to habeas corpus, and regulating judicial proceedings in certain cases." Third. That on the facts stated in said petition and exliibits, the military commission mentioned therein had no jurisdiction legally to try and sentence said Lambdin P. Milligan in the manner and form as in said petition and exhibits are stated. And it is therefore now here ordered and adjudged by this court that it be so certified to the said circuit court. Judge Davies pronounced the opinion which was for a time withheld, and the wise logical world, as between him and General Garfield, adjudged him the guiltier. However much it blames an advocate for appearing on the unpopular side of a case, it always visits the per- suaded and convinced judge with greater punishment than it awards to the advocate who persuaded and con- vinced him. Mr. Garfield's argument placed him at once in the rank of the very able men who appear in the supreme court of the United States — would have conferred great distinction on almost any other man. Some way, as his gifts are so much more abundant, greater things seem to be exacted of him than of others, for the same meed. Had he the persistent, untiring push of some others — of which no flavor exists in him — he might have ruined the possibility of going to the first place ten years ago. We think of this and are silent. It was wise to be unconscious of great deserving. He could wait. THE ALEXANDER CAMPBELL WILL CASE. This remarkable man who exercised so great an influ- ence over the faiths, opinions and even the fortunes and lives of so many; who had mainly built up a new church on the restored, old foundations, as was claimed, founded a college, defended revelation against infidelity, and Pro- testanism against Rome, whose opinions largely influenced the thought of his time, finally fell under the delusion j that he had himself visited Jerusalem, and it was the I solace of many hours, to give glowing descriptions of the ; fallen city. These were due as was supposed, to the vivid pictures of the desecrated home of the old and new faith, conveyed to him in the letters of an intellectual and favorite daugliter. He was a man of much wealth, and was the father of two sets of children. Those of the first wife being daughters, to whom in his life time he had apportioned what he deemed their just shares of his i property. By his will he devised the residue to the chil- dren of the second wife. The elder daughters were dead, leaving children and husbands. These husbands, one the president of his college of Bethany, Virginia, re- pudiated the claimed settlement with them, and brought their suit to set aside the will for alleged, non-sound mind of the testator, and thus be let in with the younger children to an equal share of the residue of the estate. They employed eminent counsel, among whom was the late Ben. F. Stanton, formerly of Ohio. The devisees under the will, retained Judge Jerry Black and General Garfield. The case by arrangement was left to the judges, and came on for trial in the spring of 1868, in the Vir- ginia court. The case had then been pending for a year or more. On his retainer, Garfield, overwhelmed as might be i supposed, set himself about his preparation in his 1 usual, thorough way. In the first place he broadly mas- tered the whole body of testamentary law, without refer- ence to his case. He always covers the whole ground, that no possible thing can anywhere spring up, out of unknown territory, to surprise him. He went through the Roman civil law, and then began with the older Eng- lish books; Swinburn, and the cases referred to by him, and so down to Jarman, thence to our own text writers and cases. Then he turned to the questions involved — testamentary capacity, and rriastered the cases. Espe- cially he studied the leading New York case of Lispinard, where rules were recognized certainly not severe, in their limits as to capacity. Then came the Parrish case, later, in the same courts, appearing by the syllabus to overrule the former, and redefining testamentary capacity, requir- ing a higher and broader range of mind, and furnishing a new definition, in the opinion of Chief Justice Davies. This with the dissenting opinions of Gould and others, al- together cover three hundred pages or more. He made ample notes of his studies, and laid everything away. The case did not come on in 1867; he went to Europe, returned, and went through with the labor and distrac- tions of the long session, and when the senate was trying the President, accompanied by Judge Black, he went to try the will case in Virginia. The greatest interest was So LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. manifested in the trial, and the court house was crowded the ten days it occupied. Over forty witnesses were examined. On the third day Judge Black returned home, leaving Garfield to tread the wine-press alone, save the aid of a junior who had looked up the witnesses. The case against the will was strong. Stanton, book in hand, read Judge Davies' rule to each of his witnesses, and from the most of them, received answers that Mr. Campbell did not meet its requirements. Garfield called his own witnesses and made a fair showing, putting in some interesting evidence. Stanton arose for the closing argument, a strong-fibered, logical, masterful mind, and a clear, forcible speaker. He cleared the ground, re-read Judge Davies' definition, and at the end of his six hours' siieech left not a shred of a case for the will. The devisees were dismayed. Alex- ander, jr., was in despair. It was utterly useless to con- tend further. What occurred during the night following I have from one who was there at the time. Garfield had not seen his notes or books for a year. He packed them up and carried them to Virginia. On overhauling them he found that he had not his notes. For once his marvellous memory was in halWault. He remembered that there was somewhere a charm which rendered the Parrish case and Judge Davies harmless to his case; that the Alice Lispinard case was the rule after all. The syllabus of the Parrish case stated that the Lispinard case was overruled, and so Judge Davies declared, and then, late at night, he sat down to read the case through. Toward morning his waiting, wakeful friend, saw him throw up his hands, breathe an exclamation of relief, close the book with a resounding cla|), and he went to bed. He met his clients with hopeful words in the morning, which were lost on them. The fame of the or- ator had long before reached Bethany. There was the utmost anxiety to hear him. The college had a holiday, and men from a distance were there. Mr. Garfield be- gan what was justly regarded a very ])owerful speech, by re-stating in the clear forceful way for which he is famous, the proposition and case of Mr. Stanton, and asked that gentleman if he had stated them fairly. Mr. Stanton arose and declared that they were stated with surpassing force and clearness, and beyond his own power of stating them himself, and he sat down with a taunting commendation of it, to the teeth of his "con- gressional friend." Garfield, resuming, said to the court: "If at the end of fifteen minutes I do not convince the court that the plaintiff's case has no resting place in the law, I will retire from it." He then turned to the lead- ing dissenting opinion of the Parrish case, and read pas- sages showing that the dissenting judges, and the whole court united with Davies in the judgment, pronounced, not because the court adopted his new rule, but because the facts under the rule of the Lispinard case showed that Parrish was incompetent to make a will. This was a reaffirmance of the Lispinard case, a repudiation of Judge Davies' new rule, and the destruction of the legal ground on which Mr. Stanton had rested his case. He had not read the whole case, evidently, and the re- porter had not, but made up the syllabus from the opin- ion of the chief justice. The production of the ruling of the court thus brought out, was a shock from which Stanton and his friends did not recover. The court ex- amined the book, as did opposing counsel, when Mr. Garfield was directed to proceed with his argument. Of course he had now to show that, under the rule of the Lispinard case, Mr. Campbell was competent to make a will. The instrument was in Mr. Campbell's own hand. It recited the alleged settlement with the elder children, which the husbands denied. Other curious testimony came in to sustain the will, all of which was used with ingenious effect. The speech placed the case beyond reply, which a Wheeling lawyer attempted. The court sustained the will, and the case was ended. Mr. Garfield received nothing for his great work in the Milligan case; not even the thanks of the liberated men ever reached him. For the Campbell case he re- ceived a fee of three thousand five hundred dollars. The three cases of the New York Life Insurance com- pany with Taite and others, the same with Steatham and others, and the same with Dudley et a/., all tried in the supreme court of the United States, in which Ger>eral Garfield appeared for the company, were of the first im- portance, as they settled very grave principles. In the first case he was associated with Judge Curtiss, one of the most eminent men of the American bar, and by many ranked as the first lawyer. The insured were residents of the rebel States, war intervened, all com- munication was cut off, the annual premiums for re- newals were not paid. Suits were brought, after the war, and after the death of the parties, to enforce the policies against the company. What was the effect of the war on the contract of insurance? The question was new and difficult. Its discussion would find iirecedents and analogies going a good way, and then the advocate and court were remitted to the reasonableness and rightfulness of the case under the circumstances. Other contracts and marine insur- ance were the helps and guides, but they stopped short. So the decisions of the supreme court, settling the pow- ers of agents, under appointments before the war, came in, also cotton cases decided in the same court. THE LAAVYER. 8i On the first trial of the first case, the court were equally divided. Before the second, and trial of the other cases, Judge Curtiss died, and other counsel were employed in the other cases, to aid Garfield. The prep- aration of the briefs was his entire work, and my reader now knows how he performed the labor. He also made the principal arguments. His examination of authorities was discriminating and accurate. No case escaped him. His argument upon general principles was cogent and convincing. Chief Justice Waite complimented him upon the principal one, and the court accepted and followed him in the decision, to the extent, that the contract of in- surance was inoperative from the date of the war. His grasp and handling of the cases and principles involved were able and lawyer-like, which is about the highest praise lawyers ever award each other. He was paid five thousand dollars for these trials. I have thus called attention to three or four cases of exceptional importance, to show something of Mr. Gar- field's ability and learning as a lawyer, and his method of dealing with great and important issues. The subject has little interest for the average reader. In running my eye over the calendar of the supreme court I observe that he tried the case of the United States vs. Henderson in 1872 ; a Montana case in 1873 ; an important railroad case also the same year, and that the number of his cases have increased since. He has in that court tried more than twenty cases of greater or less importance, which under the circumstances of his immense labors in the house, in the great canvasses of which scarce a word has been said, and the fact that he had no connection with lawyers anywhere by which cases have been placed in his hands, and that through the country he is not known as a lawyer, is really a very remarkable practice. It may be said also that of the many lawyers distinguished at their home bars very few who become members of congress are ever admit- ted to the supreme court, and the appearance of any of them there is phenomenal. Edmunds is occa- sionally there. Carpenter very often; Freelinghuysen and Bayard, I have seen there ; Conkling, rarely. The nu- merous and important cases from New York are tried by the lawyers who managed them in the Slate courts. But- ler is there a good deal ; Hoar, rarely. Garfield at one time had seven cases on the calendar, among them the famous Goodyear patent case. I remember that he went to Mobile and tried an important case and was paid five thousand dollars for it. He has appeared in the supreme court of Pennsylvania and several times in the supreme court of the District of Columbia. He must have de- rived from his law practice in these later years over twenty-five thousand dollars. He would be a power be- fore juries. In most all lines of law he has been thor- oughly tested, in none has he fallen below the first class. It never has required in this country, nor in England, the greatest intellect to make the greatest lawyer in either country. Very high mental excellence in certain direc- tions is requisite, with great and steady labor. Garfield's intellect, as I believe, fairly takes place with the rare few — the very best; certainly his is one of the largest and broadest minds that have appeared among us. Could it be diminished in some directions it would be phe- nomenal. Cut away one half and he would be a genius. He could easily become a great lawyer with a supera- bundance for literature, philosophy and metaphysics, where he early excelled. LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. CHAPTER IL MISCELLANEOUS WORK. Extent and Character. — American Review. — Atlantic. — A Centurv in Congress. — General Thomas. — .\lnieda Booth. — Dr. Robison.— Eliza Mother. There remains a ma.ss of other labors scattered through all these years, contributions to the press in various forms, essays, addresses on various occasions, strewn over my table, enough in themselves to have made a reputation, had they not been smothered and lost sight of in the grave and great labors of their author, in the National house of representatives. Some mention must be made of these — some bits to show their flavor. They fall into three groups, or two and a miscellany. There are those connected with his thought and service in the house. His is eminently a productive mind, constantly searching out the foundation, the essential philosophy of things, and while doing hard, practical work, there came to be large outside margins, and deep lower reservoirs of knowledge, lying all about, and under the product of his labor. From these resources he has drawn, as time or call permitted or required. Of this class is his paper in the Republic, a political and party magazine, published at Washington, and edited by the late Judge Edmunds, a practical, sagacious mind. It appeared in July 1873, and is a concise re-presentation of the subject of public ex, penditure, and the underlying reasons which should con- trol them — with a subject which the reader is supposed now to have some familiarity. Mr. Speaker Randall had engaged to furnish the North American Review a paper contrasting Republican extrav- agance and profligacy with Democratic economy and vir- tue, and Mr. Garfield was asked to furnish a Republican counterpart, after the polyglot style of the Revietc—to give all sides and decide nothing, in the spirit of the luminous Story in his law books. Garfield promised the paper. Mr. Randall withheld his— never furnished it, and later Garfield's appeared under the title of "Appropria- tion and Misappropriation," where the reader will find the amplest opportunity of comparing, and contrasting the merits of the great parties in this important field of ad- ministrative law and policy, as set forth by Mr. Garfield. So also in Mr. Blaine's symposium in the same journal, a concise paper upon negro suffrage, and his two remark- able papers on the army of the United States in the Re- viejc in the spring of 1S78. His study of the history of our National legislation, affecting our industries and resources, the currency, tariff, and revenues, with his eager, grasping mind, which caught the spirit and life of what produced and con- trolled the vast and variegated volume of enactment, made him familiar with the men who legislated and their methods. Living, as he had for so many years, in the house, and becoming possessed of its unwritten legends and traditions, there grew up in his mind the idea of presenting a summary of the origin of congress, as an entity, and a rapid sketch of it as a thing apart, yet living and continuing, with historic incidents, and mention of prominent men, whose lives illustrated it, with some ref- erence to its customs and habits. The result thus far was his paper, "A Century in Congress," in the Atlantic for July, 1877. Something more than a translated flavor of this admirable performance is due to the reader. Here are a few paragraphs following the happy opening : THE .\MERIC.\N CONGRESS. Indeed, the history of liberty and union in this country, as developed by the men of 1776 and maintained by their successors, is inseparably connected with the history of the National legislature. Nor can they be separated in the future. The l-Tnion and the congress must share the same fate. They must rise or fall together. The germ of our political institutions, the primary cell from which they were evolved, was the New England town; and the vital force, the informing soul of the town was the town-meeting, which, for all local concerns, was king, lords, and commons in one. It was the training- school in which our fathers learned the science and the art of self-gov- ernment, the school which has made us the most parliamentary' people on the globe. The idea of a congress on this continent, sprang from the necessity of union among the colonies for mutual protection, and tlie desire for union logically expressed itself in an inter-colonial representative as- sembly. Every such assembly in America has been a more or less marked symbol of union." This seminal idea he rapidly traces lo the origin and growth of the union as it takes form in action, in con- ventions. This action, as in most instances of human progress, seemed an accidental blind groping for present expediencies, rather than the result of sagacious forecast. There is a large outlook in the paper, showing wide read- ing and a complete mastery of the causes which led to the convention of the first congress proper. There was the meeting of the governors at Albany, in 1748, fol- lowed by the congress at Albany, of 1754- This was made up of twenty-five coinmissioners, of whom Franklin was one. There, in some way, the great words union and congress found utterance. One would like to know who discovered them. The second convention which called itself a congress first, was held at New York, in June, 1765, tp devise meaiis of resistance to the stamp MISCELLANEOUS WORK. 83 act, and we see the great names of the pre-revolutionary time. Here was the genesis of things. There for the nrst time James Otis saw John Dickinson; there Gads- den and Rutledge sat beside Livingston and Dyer; there the brightest minds of America joined in tiie discussion of their common danger and common rights. The session lasted eighteen days. Its dehberations were most solemn and momentous. Loyally to the crown, and a shrinking dread of opposing estabUshed authority, were met by the fiery spirit which glowed in the breasts of the boldest thinkers. .Amidst the doubt and hesitation of the hour, John .-^dams gave voice to the logic and spirit of the crisis when he said: "You have rights ante- cedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the great Lawgiver of the universe." * » ♦ • » THE CONTINENT.'VI. CONGRESS OF I774. Nine more years of supplication and neglect, of ministerial madness and stubborn colonial resistance, bring us to the early autumn of 1774, when the Continental congress was assembling at Philadelphia. This time the alarm had been sounded by New York, that a sister colony w'as being strangled by the heavy hand of a despotic ministry. The response was immediate and almost unanimous. From eleven colonies came the foremost spirits, to take counsel for the common weal. From the assaulted colony came Samuel and John Adams, Gushing and Paine. They set out from Boston in August, escorted by great num- bers as far as Watertown. Their journey was a solemn and trium- phant march. The men of Hartford met them with pledges to abide by the resolution which congress might adopt. New Haven welcomed and Roger Sherman addressed them. Refreshed by a visit to the grave of Bidvvell, one of the king-killers, they went on to their reception by the Sons of Liberty at New York. There came Jay- and Livingston, Sherman, Deane and Hopkins; from the far South, Washington, Henry, Lee, Gadsden, and Rutledge. In congress sat fifty-five men and eleven colo- nies — colonies, archaic word, about to become "Nameless here forevermore. " Then follows an account of congress of 1775; con. gress of revolt and independence with a resume of the congressional life of the old war, full of the old names and the mention of great events. The paper is very fascinating. Room for the sketch of the first congress under the constitution must be had. This brings us to the congress of the constitution, which began its first session at New York on the fourth of March, 1789. Fears were entertained that some of the States might neglect or refuse to elect senators and representatives. Three States h.id hitherto refused to adopt the constitution. More than a month passed before a quorum of the senate and house appeared in New York; but on the sixth of April, 1789, a quorum of both houses met in joint session and witnessed the opening and counting of the votes for president and vice-president by John Langdon. Having dispatched the venerable Charles Thomson, late secretary of the old congress, to Mount Ver- non to inform Washington of his election, the new congress addressed itself to the great work required by the constitution. The three ses- sions of the first congress lasted in the aggregate five hundred and nineteen days, exceeding by more than fifty days the sessions of any subsequent congress. It was the high duty of this body to interpret the powers conferred upon it by the constitution, and to put in motion not only the machinery of the senate and house, but the more com- plex machinery of the executive and judicial departments. It is worth while to observe with what largeness of comprehension and minuteness of detail the members of that congress studied the problems before them. While Washington was making his way from Mount Vernon to New York, they were determining with what cere- monials he should be received, and with what formalities the intercourse between the President and the congress should be conducted. .A. joint committee of both houses met him on the Jersey shore, in a richly furnished barge, and, landing at the battery, escorted him to the resi- dence which congress had prepared and furnished for his reception. Then came the question of the title by which he should be addressed. The senate insisted that "a decent respect for the opinion and practice of civihzed nations required a special title," and proposed that the President should be addressed as "his highness, the President of the United States of America, and protector of their liberties." At the earnest remonstrance of the more republican house, the senate gave way, and finally agreed that he should be addressed simply as "the president of the United States." It was determined that the President should, in person, deliver his "annual speech," as it was then called, to the two houses in joint ses- sion; and that each house should adopt an address in reply, to be de- livered to the President at his official residence. These formalities were manifestly borrowed from the practice of the British parliament, and were maintained until near the close of Jeffer- son's administration. Communications from the executive departments were also to be made to the two houses by the heads of those departments in person. This custom was unfortunately swept away by the Republican reaction which set in a few years later. Among questions of ceremony were also the rules by which the President should regulate his social relations to citizens. Washington addressed a long letter of inquiry to John Adams, and to several other leading statesmen of that time, asking their advice on this subject. The great historic theme is further pursued, under the suggestive sub-titles of "Congress and the E.Kecutive,' "Congress and the People," and the significant one of "Congressional Culture." One hopes Mr. Garfield will take this interesting sub- ject up in the later of time and give the world a book. With his sagacious perception and discrimination, his going alway to the foundation and building logically, his reverence for truth, his copious language and clear style, he certainly could write history, and of the highest order. There is also his masterly article on "The Currency Conflict," in the same magazine for February, 1876, of twenty compact pages, furnished at the request of the editor. So good a statement of the whole case, with his- torical references, and forceful argument, from his posi- tion, cannot be found in the copious literature of the subject, in space so narrow. All the utterances of the mind whose labors we have so slightly dealt with, upon any subject, are curious as well as valuable. One likes to see how things look to such an intellect. One wants to know how it deals with them and what are its estimates of them. One expects fresh, vigorous treatment, and looks for light. Here is 84 LIFE OF JAMES A. GARFIELD. an oration delivered at Ravenna, July 4, i860; "National Politics," at Warren, September, 1S66; an address to the Geauga historical society; "Free Commerce between the States," in the house, in 1864, and might have been most profitably delivered anywhere. We cannot mention his addresses to literary societies. There is another class of productions. I hold in my hand two — "In Memoriam" addresses, and in view of my swollen copy, hesitate to open either. One is in- scribed "George H. Thomas;" almost a book, of fifty-two noble pages, delivered before the society of the army of the Cumberland, November 25, 1S70, Garfield talking to his comrades of their great old commander. .Some things from this without comment. Here is his sketch of the old hero, among the opening paragraphs: No line can be omitted, no false stroke made, no imperfect sketching done, which you, his soldiers, will not instantly detect and deplore. I know that each of you here present, sees him in memory at this mo- ment, as we often saw in life; erect and strong, like a tower of solid masonry: his broad, square shoulders and massive head; his abundant hair and full beard of light brown, sprinkled with silver; his broad fore- head, full face, and features that would appear colossal, but for their per- fect harmony of proportion; his clear complexion, with just enough color to assure you of robust health and a well-regulated life; his face lighted up by an eye which was cold gray to his enemies, but warm, deep blue to his friends; not a man of iron, but of live oak. His attitude, form and features all assured you of inflexible firmness, of inexpugnable strength; while his welcoming smile set every feature aglow witli a kindness tliat won your manliest affection. • *******' No human life can be measured by an absolute standard. In this world, all is relative. Character itself is the result of innumerable in- fluences, from without and from within, which act unceasingly through life. Who shall estimate the effect of those latent forces enfolded in the spirit of a new-born child — forces that may date back centuries and find their origin in the life, and thought, and deeds of remote ancestors — forces, the germs of which, enveloped in the awful mystery of life, have been transmitted silently from generation to generation, and never perish! .\11 clierishing nature, provident and unforgetting, gathers up all these fragments, that nothing may be lost, but that all may ultimately reappear in new com- binations. Each new life is thus the "heir of all the ages," the possessor of qualities which only the events of life can unfold. The problems to be solved in the study of human life and character are, therefore, these: Given the character of a man, and the conditions of life around him, what will be his career? Or, given his career and sur- roundings, what was his character? Or, given his character and career, of what kind were his surroundings? The relation of these three fac- tors to each other is severely logical. From them is deduced all gen- uine history. Character is the chief element, for it is both a result and a cause — a result of influences and a cause of results. On the twenty-sixth page is this extract, summing up a perfect thing; In the presence of such a career, let us consider the qualities which produced it, and the character which it developed. We are struck, at the outset, w*ilh the evenness and completeness of his life. There were no breaks in it, no chasms, no upheavals. His pathway was a plane of continued elevation. A little further on is this : In such a career, it is by no means the least of a man's achievments, to take his own measure, to discover and understand the scope and range of his own capacity. Did Garfield ever apply this rule to himself? To him (Thom