six. The men were worn out by hard and continuous service, many were prostrated by sickness and a large number died. On the 22d of June, while a detachment form the regiment was blockading the road leading to Johnston’s army then trying to break the blockade, it was suddenly assailed by a body of eight hundred cavalry which cut off one company and made a furious attack on the others. The detachment made a vigorous fight and cut its way through to the camp but with the loss of nearly half its men. On the 5th, after the fall of Vicksburg, the regiment under Colonel Winslow, in a brigade commanded by Colonel Bussey, crossed the Big Black River and took the advance on the road to Jackson. Three hundred men under Major Parkell forming part of a force of eight hundred cavalry commanded by Colonel Winslow, on the 10th of August made a raid of over three hundred miles by Grenada and Coldwater to Memphis. From this time until December the regiment was employed on various expeditions over a wide range of country, losing but few men. The opening of winter found the regiment at Vicksburg in comfortable quarters. By the 19th of December enough reënlistments had been secured to constitute the Fourth Iowa a veteran regiment and during the early part of the winter enough recruits were received to fill up the ranks. On the 1st of February the Fourth Iowa Cavalry started with Sherman’s army on the Meridian expedition. This, with three other regiments of cavalry under Colonel Winslow, constituted the advance of the army and was almost constantly engaged with the enemy during the entire march of one hundred and fifty miles to Meridian. Battles of more or less magnitude were fought by the cavalry at Bolton, Jackson, Hillsboro, Morton, Tunnel Hill and Meridian. Upon its return to Vicksburg the regiment was granted a long expected furlough. On the 29th of April the veterans were back in camp at Memphis where they were joined by recruits filling up the
