Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 1.djvu/336



96,088. The total number of votes polled at the first election for Governor was 15,005. There were few church buildings, and, outside the chief towns, the school houses were built of logs, as were nearly all of the farm houses, a large majority of the residences and many of the business and public buildings in the towns. There were no labor saving farm implements, and the scanty household furniture was largely of home manufacture. Salaries of public officials were small—the Governor received but $1,000; the Secretary of State, $500; the Treasurer, $400; and the State Librarian, $150 per annum.

The annexation of Texas brought on a war with Mexico in the spring of 1846. Iowa was still a Territory but was taking the steps necessary to become a State. The President was authorized by Congress to call into the field, arm and equip fifty thousand volunteers. He issued his proclamation and Iowa was requested to furnish a regiment. On the 1st of June, 1846, Governor Clarke, from the Executive office at Burlington, issued a call for a regiment of volunteers. There was great enthusiasm, mass meetings were held in many of the towns and enlistment began at once. By the 26th of June twelve companies had been enlisted, consisting of two companies in each of the counties of Lee, Van Buren and Des Moines and one in each of the counties of Dubuque, Muscatine, Johnson, Louisa, Washington and Linn.

Governor Clarke offered the command of the Iowa regiment to ex-Governor John Chambers, but because of ill-health he was not able to take the field, and, with reluctance, declined. In the meantime Captain Edwin Guthrie, of Fort Madison, and Frederick D. Mills, of Burlington, had raised an independent company of one hundred men, which was accepted and became “Company K” of the Fifteenth United States Infantry. The company had enlisted for one year, entered the service in July, 1847, and, in General Scott’s army of invasion, marched to the City of Mexico after fighting several battles in which this Iowa