Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/192

the left and General C. F. Smith on the right. Both were successful and several of the outworks were taken and held. As night came on the weather became intensely cold, and our men held the lines without tents of fires, amid sleet, snow and piercing wind. Hundreds were frost-bitten and some of the wounded were frozen to death. General Grant had been reënforced until his army now numbered about 30,000, and it became evident to General Floyd, commander of the Rebel army, that there was no hope of victory or retreat. Two steamers reached the fort during the night, when Floyd and Pillow, leaving General Buckner in command, loaded the steamers with soldiers, and escaped up the river. The next morning General Buckner surrendered the effort, seventeen heavy siege guns, forty pieces of field artillery, about 15,000 soldiers, and all of the stores and property. General Grant’s losses amount to about 2,000 killed, wounded and missing. This victory, by far the greatest Union victory up to this time, was hailed with rejoicing everywhere. It was the first surrender of a large Rebel army, the first battle that seriously weakened the Rebellion. Iowa had three regiments in this battle—the Second, Seventh and Fourteenth. The Iowa regiments, one of western sharp-shooters, the Twenty-fifth and Fifty-second Indiana, made up the brigade commanded by Colonel J. G. Lauman, of the Seventh Iowa. This was the one selected by General Smith to lead the assault on the left, on the 15th. Colonel Tuttle, with the Second, led the advance.

“The Rebel works were five hundred yards in advance; the line of march was up a hill obstructed by abattis. The advance was sounded at 2 p. m. Silent as the grave and inexorable as death the Second Iowa pushed its way up the hill through a storm of grape, shell and ball. Many dropped dead and many were wounded. Reaching the works the men sprang over without a moment’s hesitation. The Rebels made a stubborn fight but nothing could withstand the fierce charge of the Iowa Brigade. The outer works were captured and the men held them, sleeping on their arms as night came on. Color-Sergeant Henry B. Doolittle fell early in the charge; Corporal S. Page seized the flag and pressed on until killed;