Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/299

OF IOWA and Lieutenant E. H. King became adjutant. The regiment remained in Vicksburg until August, then accompanied General Stevenson’s expedition to Monroe, and, returning from that unfortunate and disastrous raid, exhausted by hardships, remained in Vicksburg until February, 1864. A portion of the regiment reënlisted as veterans in January and accompanied Sherman on his Meridian raid. The non-veterans of the brigade were organized into the Iowa Battalion under command of Major Pomutz. The veterans visited their homes in March and returned to duty in April. In May the Iowa Brigade joined Sherman on his march to the sea. The Fifteenth participated in the battles of Kenesaw Mountain, Nickajack Creek and before Atlanta on the 21st of July, losing in killed and wounded nearly one hundred men.

BATTLE OF ATLANTA, JULY 22d

On the 20th of July, General Sherman was closing his army corps around Atlanta. General Hood was now in command of the Confederate army and assuming the offensive. On the 20th he had made a vigorous attack upon our advancing forces and a bloody battle ensued. On the 21st the enemy occupied a strong position on a range of hills and was well intrenched in lines which overlooked the valley of Peach Tree Creek, about four miles from Atlanta.

General Dodge with the Sixteenth Corps became warmly engaged. General McPherson had been killed and was succeeded by General Logan. The enemy had broken through our lines and a heavy fire in the rear created a panic, some of our regiment flying in confusion. Wood’s Division of the Fifteenth Corps, in which were several Iowa regiments and an Iowa brigade, charged on the advancing enemy with great fury and regained the broken line, recapturing several guns that had been taken. Generals Dodge and Blair were making a gallant fight against the desperate assaults of the enemy from various points.