The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-08
Men Who Formed Old Third
Iowa, NoW Josh U. S. In
fantry Made Name For
Themselves Back in '98

fantry Made Name Fo1
Themselves Back in '98
keokuk soldiers are part OF the
rainbow division, officially known at
the One Hundred Sixty-eighth infan
try. 1t used to be called the ThlrC
Iowa. All of it's officers fought to
gether in the Philippines, and some
of the names on the old muster rolls
are conspicuous for acts of bravery
The following story of the regiment
by John Ball, battalion sergeant major
of the 16Sth, published in the Des
MONIES Capital will be of interest tc
keokuk people:
This is story of the One Hundred
and Sixty-eighth infantry, erstwhile
the Fighting Fifty-tirst" and Fifty
fifth" and recently the Third Iowa in
tantry.
It is composed of Des Moines and
central Iowa men. It's leaders have
been with it for years, some of them
since It's organization, twenty-five
years ago.
The readers Of this probably know
many of them-know them as business
men, as professional men. as artisans
with a recollection that they have
military titles.
But few of you know where and
how they won those titles. Few know
thoroughly the history Of the regiment
these men compose.
Veterans In Service.
Few of their fellow Iowans realize
that these men have followed the
Stars and Stripes half way around the
world to the west, have answered the
|country's call to guard the United
States from a lawless element In
neighbor nation to the south, and In so
doing have written inquiries history
for the citizen army of the Hawkeye
state.
Iowa was stirred few weeks ago
when the flash came from the war de-
partment that the Third Iowa infantry
had been one of those national guard
organizations which had been chosen
to be among the first military repre-
sentatives Of the United States in its
great fight for democracy on the bat
tlet1elds of France.
But there is a reason why this reg1-
ment was chosen. There is a reason
why the Third Iowa infantry. renamed
when the call came the One hundred
sixty-eighth infantry, United States
Expeditionary Force, was one of the
six infantry regiments from the entire
national guard Of the United States to
be designated to go in the van. 1t Is
the purpose of this story to tell you
that reason.
There was national guard in Iowa
previous to 1892, but this is modern
history-made during a time most OF
it's readers remember. Before 1892 it
consisted OF six regiments Of infantry
of eight companies each.
April 80, 1892, the reorganization
took place. The Iowa troops were
formed into four regiments Of infan-
try of twelve companies each. The
Third regiment was formed by merg-
ing eight companies from the old Fifth
regiment and four companies of the
old Third.
The Regiment In 1892.
The companies were then stationed
as follows:
Company A at Dies Moines.
Company B at Vfllisca.
Company at Glenwood.
Company D at Indianola.
Company e at Shenandoah.
Company F at Oskaloosa.
Company G at Creston.
Company H at Des Moines.
Company I at Bedford.
Company X at Red Oak.
Company l. at Council Bluffs.
Company M at Greenfield.
Wen skip over the first six years OF
the new regiment, from 1892 until
1898. That time was probably spent
1t is true, but not in the spectacular
service that marks the second period
that of the war with Spain and the
Filipino instruction Prisoners in
county jails were guarded from threat
ening mobs, Coxey's army was con-
trolled in 1894 when 1t encamped near
Council Bluffs on It's march to Wash
ing ton" Mobs were quoted in riots
in various Iowa towns.
April 2s, 1898. President Mckinley
issued a call to the guards to prepare
for war. The Third regiment gather
ed at the state fair grounds at Des
Moines, which it periodically named
Camp Mckinley Five weeks later it
was mustered into federal service as
the Fifty-first Iowa Volunteer infan-
try, and on June 5 left Des Moines for
San Francisco on the first lap on a
voyage which was to keep 1t in foreign
service more than year and a half.
At San Francisco.
On leaving Des Moines the regin emit
consisted of sixty-dve men to each
company. Recruiting officers were
left behind, and enlisted the regiment
to full strength Of 106 men to each
company. These later recruits were
forwarded and joined the regiment In
San Francisco.
At San Francisco the regim ent un-
derwent its first hardships Of the war.
The men were encamped at Camp
Merritt, Gen. e. 8. Otis commanding
The camp was far from suitable, be-
ing as Col. John c.. Lopez, the Fifty
tirst's commander, wrote in his report