Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-09
BATTLE or BELMONT, MO- WAS
FOUGHT half CENTURY {
AGO; SMALL BUT FIERCE
THREE LEFT IN COUNTY
Justice Of Peace n. G. Nosler Tens
Of Part Of WapeiIo County Com
panies; Two Besides Him. X
self Still lat Home" 4"
(From Tuesdays Daily

| Fifty years ago today Company F OF
Ottumwa and Company l of Eddyvilie
| in the gallant Seventh Iowa engaged IN
their. first battle of the war OF the
rebellion at Belmont, Mo. Although
considered a small fight, the engage
ment resulted disastrously for the
Iowa boys, as over half Of the men be-
longing to the regiment who met death
! during the long struggle died on the
! field at Belmont. 1t was General
Grants first fight. Mason Bridenstine,
was the first Ottumwan to give up
| his life for the union-thc first to fall
from the ranks of the Seventh. just
three veterans who enlisted in the
Wapello county companies reside IN
this vicinity. They are Major Samuel
Mahon. then a lieutenant In Company
F, H, C: Nosler, corporal OF Company
l, and Ezra Stevens, of Company F,
now residing in Dudley. ~. /.
g4~5 NosIer Tells Of Battle ..s&~
Mr.. Nosler tells of the battle fought
Il half century ago today in the follow
ing article, showing the casualties at
Belmont and the losses Of the Seventh
Iowa from then until the close of the
war: ..a -r Il
This is the fiftieth anniversary Of
the battle Of Belmont, Mo-, November
:, 1861. It was the first engagement
in which that grand old leader, Cen
eral Grant, lead the federal troops. His
command consisted Of five regiments
of infantry, the Twenty-second,
Twenty-seventh, Thirtieth and Thirty
first Illinois and the Seventh Iowa.
While it was considered small battle
and the casualties of the Illinois regi-
ments were not large, the losses Of the
Seventh Iowa were heavy, considering
the number engaged. There were 400
men of eight companies Of this fight
ing Seventh engaged and Colonel Fox
in his history Of 300 Fighting Regi-
ments, (meaning those that had met
with heavy losses) gives the casualties
of the Seventh at Belmont as seventy
four killed and 1O2 wounded. It's losses
in killed during the term of service
was al out Of a total enlistment OF
1,47s. Ill.,
!. Rrindenstine First to Fall
Lieutenant Colonel Wentz and sew
eral line officers were among those
killed. Amongy this number was
Lieutenant Charles Gardner Of Com.
pany /, the first officer from Wapello
county to meet death in the war OF
the rebellion. Colonel J. G. Lanman
and Captain Kittredge of Company r,
and several other line officers were
wounded. Wapello county furnished
two companies in this regiment, F
from Ottumwa and I from Eddyville.
Mason Bridenstine of the Ottumwa
Company was the first of the ranks
to meet death, the ball piercing his alb.
domen after passing through the
heavy buckle Of his belt. i, >
With the exception Of the First Iowa
at Wilson's Creek, Mo-, August 10,
1861, this battle was the next in which
the troops were engaged. The mortal.
ity at Belmont was over eighteen per
cent Of the number engaged. equal to
the loss sustained in that gallant charge
of the brave four hundred at Bala-
klava after which the remnants of
this fight rested on their laurels. But
the Seventh Iowa recruited it's de-
pleted ranks and went again to the
front. ..,..'. e..
"Durin< the remainder of the war
the bullets and shells OF the rebels
sent two Of the Seventh to their death
at Fort Donnelson. Tenn, twelve more
at Shiloh. Tenn, twenty-eight at
Corinth, Miss, fifteen at Resaca. Ca,
one at Dallas, Ca, one at Kenesaw,
Ca, one at Marietta. Ca, four at
Atlanta, Ga, one at Altoona, Ca, and
two by guerillas on the march with
Sherman to the sea.
Only three who are now known to
reside in Wapello county. Belonged to
either of the companies at that. time.
Ezra Stevens, Company F. now living
at Dudley, Iowa, Major Samuel Mahon,
then lieutenant of Company F, and
myself, a corporal Of Company I, who
was wounded and taken prisoner at
Belmont"