Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-08-30
our ARMY CORRESPONDENCE.
STEAMER METROPOLITAN,
Aup 25th 1861. {

it would not be uninteresting to your readers
to have few incidents of personal charac-
ter, connected with our own companies A and
c, which would not be gathered up elsewhere.
And it is no less due to the brave boys them
selves that record should be made of their
individual deeds by which they have covered
themselves with glory, and rendered the name
of their State illustrious. The 1st Iowa regi-
ment have had the high honor Of being the
first of Iowa's sons to entwine the laurels,
red from the battle field around her fair brow.
am sorry that such a review as am at
tempting must be so imperfect There are
of course many instances of courage and dar-
ing which equally deserve mention with those |
have learned, Of which neither nor per- |
haps any one else know anything, save the
actors themselves, whose modesty prevents |
their publishing them.
And first, must says that in printing my
last letter you made an omission which may
perhaps do injustice to our captain. In it l
stated that Lieut. Satterlee was in command
of the company in the first part Of the action
during the temporary absence of Capt. Cum
Minis, in another part Of the engagement. The
latter part of the sentence you omitted, leaving
room for the inference that Capt. Cummins
was off the field at that time, which would
be entirely incorrect. At the death Of Capt.
Mason and the disabling of Lieut.. Purcell,
Capt. Cummins assisted in forming company
| C, which had then no commissioned officer to
command it, to resist terrific charge of the
enemy, after which he returned to his own
company and led it throughout the rest of the
engagement.
Company c was made the object of repeat
ed attacks. From its being the color company
the enemys chief ambition seemed to be to
keep them down. The whole company agree
in awarding the highest praise to Sergeant
Grant who commanded the company after the
death of Capt. Mason and the wounding Of
Lieut.. Purcell. He displayed great GOODNESS
and bravery. John Cogdal of was hit
in the shoulder very severely among the first,
and was disabled, Swinging his gun with his
sound arm he broke it square off at the stock
declaring that 1.-The secessionists couldn't have
that"
| John Anderson behaved with GOODNESS and
sprinkling of rolllcking humor which aided
much in infusing life into those around him.
At one time Gen. Lyon led the Iowas in a
charge, as he came to their front and called
them his brave boys and ordered them to fol-
low, John giving whoop like red skin and
shouting "bully for the boy with the brass
knuckles," bounded in advance of his company
and kept there in the whole of that brilliant
charge.
Henry Blanck, of A, although excused
for some time previous to the battle from all
military duty, and his name not called on the
roll, he being detailed as butcher for the army,
shouldered his musket and refused to stay
behind, but marched at the head of the COM
pany, and was in the thickest of the fight
Der. At one time while the company were
resisting desperate attack, he stepped for
ward ten or twelve PAGES in advance of the
company cut bush and very deliberately re-
turned, "What was that for?' said the Capt.
f "Wanted better sight at devil over there"
was the laconic answer
Jacob Kan and William Stone were both
shot, the first through the hand, the other
slightly in the neck. Each seemed to fight only
the more desperately. Kan refused to leave
the field, and they both, with several others,
stood firing away at the enemy some time
after their company had retired, and until
they were ordered back by Gen. sweeny.
My friend Ned Couch acted pretty much
as he would on big hunt, keeping cool and
laughing at all the funny things that occurred,
danger itself not being able to repress his love
of fun; and Ned fought like tiger too.
Newton Brown of company A, was wound
ed severely in the thigh, and fell. He had a
load in his gun and raising up on one leg gave
the contents to the enemy before he would
leave the ground
George Keckler of company G, who was
shot through the breast, fought like hero.
Jesse II. Lucas of our company was wound
ed quite painfully in the early part Of the en-
gagement, and was forced to return to the
ambulanccs While there body Of the enc
my's cavalry madea charge upon those guard
ing the wounded. Mr. Lucas, bound not to
be cheated out of his share of the fighting,
drew his revolver and fired three times,
bringing one that he knew of to the ground
mortally hurt, and most probably doing good
execution with the other shots, as Jesse is
known to be one of the best shots in the regi-
ment,
VIM. II. Taylor, of company A, at the bat
tie of McCuloch's Store, had quite little
adventure which deserves mention. Compa-
MES A and were detailed as skirmishers,
and advancing through the woods on the right
of the route of our columns, came out on the
road at McCulloch's Store, some half mile
ahead of the main body. Here the two com
panies were ordered back to the regiment, a
small guard being left with some stores there
captured. Gen. Lyon soon came up with a
few of his body guard, and dismounted and
went to fine spring there A few minutes af-
forwards body of seyenty-tive horsemen
rode up from the direction of our army very
leasurely and dismounted and were watering
their horses Gen. Lyon, not knowingof any
cavalry being ordered there by him, walks up
to one of the men and accosted him i'll his
rough way, "who are youg where DO you
come from9'' "Who are you ~ was the res
ponse. Quick as flash Gen. Lyon tvrning
to his few men shouted 'fire men! fire p
The secessionists, for such they were, leaped
into their saddles with shout of "mount !.
mount ~ and darted down the road like
Whirlwind the bullets flying after them in