Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-05-15
Captain Gideon Gardner.

People hereabouts know that Capt.
Gideon Gardner, of Chickasaw coun.
ty. was, through some hocus pocus
elected to the command of Company
B, It'll Regiment of Iowa Infantry
company made up principally of vol
untcers from Floyd and Chickasaw
counties. His management at the
time of the organization of the com.
pany last summer, caused considera-
BILE dissatisfaction, and many who
had desired to go with the company
abandoned it and returned to their
homes, or sought place in some 9th
err company. Knowing all these facts,
we are not at all surprised to see the
following petition, which explains it.
self ..-.
PrTsBuRc, TENN, April l6, 1862.
To the Command of the Seventh Regimen,
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and those in au.
thority: ~
We, your petitioners, members of
company 3D." 7th Regiment of Iowa
Volunteers, would respectfully state,
that Gideon Gardner, the present cap
tain of said company, is wholly unfit
and incompetent to have command OF
the company, for the following rea.
sons:
l. He either neglects or does not
know how to provide for the wants of
the company, in furnishing them clo-
thing and necessities as they are need.
ed by the men. ....
2. He does not attend to the wants
OF the sick in his company as he
should do; in one instance leaving
one Of his men to lay in the street in
st. Louis sick with typhoid fever
without money or any means of sub
sistence or transportation, and this
while the company was on the move
from Benton Barracks to Birds Point.
3. During the battle of Belmont,
NO., he left the company in charge of
a sergeant to cut their way through
the enemy to the boats as best they
could, he having received but very
slight wound in the shoulder, while
other officers in the regiment who
were much more seriously wounded
stayed with their men and led them to
the boats.
4. He joined the company at Fort
Henry, Tenn, on the 9th of February,
1862, but did not go with it on the IL,
of the same month when marched to
Fort Donelson to take part in its cap
ture, and he did not join the company
again until some days after Fort DON
elson was taken.
5. During the battle of Pittsburg,
Tenn, on the 9th and It'll of April, he
did not stay in his place on the line
with his men, but would stand be-
hind trees in the rear of his company
when the enemy fired upon the regi~
ment /; and on the afternoon of the 7th
after the enemy was routed, he left his
company Immediately after the regi-
ment came to halt and did not re-
turn for some time although strict Or
dcrs had been given by the comman.
der of the regiment that no one should
leave the ranks, and when he did re-
turn he rode on a horse which he cap
tured on the battle field and continu-
ed so to ride during the remainder Of
the day.
6. He either neglccts his duty or
does not know how to keep the com.
pany books correctly, nor how to fill
up discharges, descriptive and pay.
rolls, &c, and has not made out any
one of these papers since he has had
command of the company, further
than to sign his name to them in
many instances causing great incon-
venience and delay, when the Lieut.
enants were either absent or other
wise engaged SO that they could not
make them out. ...
I. He shows Partially among the
men, furnishing some for being absent
at roll call, while he lets others go who
are guilty Of greater breaches Of dis
cipline.
We would therefore respectfully
ask that Captain Gideon Gardner be
relieved from his present position, and
that some competent man, who will
take an interest in the prosperity and
welfare of tho company may he ap-
pointed in his place.