Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/225

The services of the Fifth had been most arduous in two of the remarkable campaigns in military history—says Ingersoll:

“It had marched through the swamps of Louisiana; marched and fought over the hills of Mississippi; rushed under the guns of Vicksburg in the terrible unavailing assault; sweltered in the heat under those formidable works during long weeks of siege; commenced another campaign before that was finished and materially assisted in bringing it to a successful close; by steamer, railway and march, traveling five hundred miles to join in the final grand victory of the year, whereby the backbone of the Rebellion was broken, and its complete destruction made a question of time.”

Campaigns like these had fearfully reduced the ranks of the splendid regiment that, two and a half years before, had marched proudly to the levee at Burlington, in the full vigor of young manhood. Now, in January, 1864, as the remnant took its line of march to Huntsville, Alabama, to go into winter quarters, there were scarcely two hundred of the original nine hundred and eighteen men remaining. While here, one hundred and fifty members of the regiment (being most of the men present, fit for duty) reënlisted as veterans and, on the 1st of April, started on furlough to visit their homes in Iowa. They returned in May to join their brigade at Decatur, Alabama. A number of the members of this regiment were taken prisoners by a cavalry raid. On the 30th of July, the non-veterans were honorable mustered out and soon after the veterans were transferred to the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, and with this event the history of the Fifth Iowa Infantry closed.

During its three years’ service, the Fifth had marched on foot more than 2,000 miles, through Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, participating in Fremont’s “One Hundred Days’ Campaign” in 1861; in Pope’s campaign against New Madrid and Island Number Ten; in Grant’s campaigns of Iuka, Corinth, Vicksburg and Chattanooga;