Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/441

 the State which sent it into the field; and left hundreds of its brave men in Southern graves.

THE THIRTY-FOURTH IOWA INFANTRY

This regiment was raised in August, 1862, in response to the call of the President for volunteers, issued July 2 of that year, immediately after the disastrous defeat of McClellan’s army in the Richmond campaign. A long and terrible civil war was now seen to be inevitable and 300,000 more soldiers must reënforce our defeated armies in the field. It was the supreme test of patriotism and nobly did the loyal citizens respond. This Iowa regiment was full and in camp in less than sixty days from the date of the President’s proclamation. Companies A and I were from Decatur County, Companies B, C, D and H, from Warren, Companies E, G and K, from Lucas, Clark and Marion and Company F from Wayne County. They went into camp at Burlington numbering nine hundred fifty-three men, where the regiment was organized in September by the appointment of George W. Clark of Warren County, colonel; W. S. Dungan of Lucas, lieutenant-colonel; R. D. Kellogg of Decatur, major; and W. W. Bryant of Warren, adjutant. While at Camp Lauman the measles broke out among the men and not less than six hundred of them were afflicted with the disease. On the 22d of November the regiment embarked on a steamer and going down the Mississippi arrived at that desolate and unhealthy rendezvous Helena, Arkansas. Soon after landing the smallpox appeared and before it was subdued several men died. The regiment was assigned to Thayer’s Brigade of Steele’s Division and joined General Sherman’s army which was about to enter upon the Vicksburg campaign. In that expedition the Thirty-fourth bore its full share. The bloody repulse at Chickasaw Bluff proved that Vicksburg was far too strong to be taken by assault and