CIVIL WAR

Cape Girardeau County Missouri Genealogy Trails

Contributed by Michelle Kennedy Byrd

Regimental History
Thirty-second Infantry IOWA
(3 years)


Thirty-second Infantry. Cols., John Scott, Gustavus A.
Eberhart, Lieut.- Cols., Edward H. Mix, Gustavus A. Eberhart,
Jonathan Hutchinson, Majs., Gustavus A. Eberhart, Jonathan
Hutchinson, John R. Jones.

This regiment was mustered into the service at Dubuque, Oct.
6, 1862 and was sent to St. Louis. On Dec. 17 Cos. C and I
started on an expedition west of New Madrid, during which they
captured from the enemy 5 commissioned officers, 3 enlisted
men, 35 horses and 50 head of cattle. Col. Scott, with 20
men, examined the various points on the river between New
Madrid and Cape Girardeau, where trade or smuggling was
practicable. On his return he brought a scouting party, 50
strong, from Cape Girardeau to Lane's landing, from which
place it returned to Cape Girardeau through the interior,
making a successful reconnaissance.

Co. C was attached to the 4th MO cavalry as mounted infantry
and engaged in arduous duties. Co. E was placed on duty at
Fort Quinby, near Columbus, Ky., and H and K were sent to
Island No. 10. The duties at this place were largely in
protecting the contraband colony and in guarding public stores
though there were expeditions to either shore and some
fighting. In one of these affairs, Oct. 22, 1863, Private
John D. Baker of Co H was killed by guerrillas.

A detachment of six companies of the 32nd, B. C, E, H. I and
K, participated with the 2nd brigade, 3rd division, 16th army
corps, in the famous and successful Meridian raid of Gen.
Sherman, in which the railroads were torn up and destroyed.
On Feb. 28, 1864, near Canton, Miss., a forage train of _2
teams, guarded by 25 men of Co. C, was attacked by 300 mounted
Confederates. A gallant resistance was made, the fight
lasting over half an hour. Private Edward Flood was killed.
The Confederates admitted a loss of 25 killed and wounded. The
train escaped with a loss of eight teams captured -- due to a
panic among the teamsters.

A detachment of the 32nd, Cos. A, D, F and G. was attached to
a cavalry division under Gen. Davidson and remained with it
until ordered to Vicksburg in Jan. 1864, to rejoin the
regiment. Gen. Davidson expressed his appreciation of the
courage and fidelity of the detachment in a special order.

On March 4 the regiment was reunited, and on the 10th it
entered on the Red River expedition. In Gen. Smith's division
and Col. Shaw's brigade, it bore a gallant part in the marches
and the battles of the campaign. At the storming of Fort De
Russy the brigade played a brilliant role. In the battle of
Pleasant Hill, Smith's division was ordered to the front, and
Shaw's brigade, in the advance, did the hardest fighting of
the day. It seems almost incredible that the 32nd, cut off
from its brigade and entirely surrounded, with nearly one-half
of its numbers killed or wounded, not only held its own, but
near dark fought its way through, joined the advanced troops,
and in less than 30 minutes was ready to meet the enemy again.

At the battle of Bayou de Glaize during the retreat the 32nd
was actively engaged, its casualties being 5 wounded. At Lake
Chicot, in a sharp engagement of only a few minutes, the
regiment lost 4 killed and 4 wounded. The 32nd also
participated in the Tupelo campaign, and was in the battle of
Nashville with Col. Gilbert's brigade, Smith's division. In
the final charge on the afternoon of Dec. 16, the regiment
captured a battery of 5 guns with 50 prisoners, losing 1 man
killed and 25 wounded.

The regiment was present at the siege and capture of Spanish
Fort, and after the storming of Fort Blakely and the fall of
Mobile it remained in Alabama until sent to Clinton, IA, where
it was mustered out on Aug. 24, 1865. During its term of
service the regiment lost, in killed or died from wounds, 95;
died from disease, 206; wounded, 142; discharged, 173.

Source: The Union Army, vol. 4