Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/486

 brigade, the regiment was under Captain Ridlen. Colonel Garrett was assigned to the command of the District of South Kansas with headquarters at Fort Gibson and retained the place until his regiment was mustered out. On the 2d of August, 1865, the Fortieth Iowa was mustered out of the service and after a journey by steamer of 1,500 miles, reached Davenport on the 10th, and was soon disbanded.

According to the census of 1860 there were about 1,000 persons of African descent in Iowa. The beginning of the Rebellion sent more into our State from Missouri and it is likely that the negro population had increased to nearly 2,000 before 1863. These realized early in the gigantic struggle that their race had a vital interest in the results of the war. The success of the Union armies would almost certainly bring emancipation to the slaves. As soon as our Government determined to enlist colored soldiers the negroes of Iowa hastened to volunteer their services. The Sixtieth regiment of United States colored troops was largely made up of Iowa men. Six companies of this regiment went into camp at Keokuk, where they were mustered into the service of the United States on the 13th of October, 1863. The four companies which completed the regiment, entered the service at St. Louis at different times during the two following months. The regiment numbered about nine hundred. It was not employed in any of the great campaigns of the war but through no fault of the patriotic men who were anxious for participation in the fighting line. Assigned to garrison duty at St. Louis, while serving about a year and a half, it performed valuable guard and garrison duty. The Sixtieth was afterwards employed on similar duties in other parts of the Mississippi Valley. The chief officers of the regiment were Colonel John G. Hudson, Lieutenant-Colonel