SIXTEENTH ALWAYS ON DUTY The Sixteenth Regiment Iowa Infantry Volunteers left Davenport March 20, 1862, was engaged in the battle of Shiloh, April 6th and 7th, meeting with heavy loss; took part in the siege of Corinth, camped at Corinth from its evacuation till July 28th; marched to Bolivar, Tennessee; made a reconnoissance to Summerville, August 23d, returning to Bolivar on the 26th; left September 11th for Corinth, and thence was sent out to reconnoiter the position and forces of the enemy at Iuka, September 17, returning to Brownsville; were ordered to Jacinto, Mississippi, where they joined Rosecrans' command.  The regiment again marched on Iuka, was engaged in the battle of Iuka, September 19, 1862.  The regiment again arrived at Corinth October 2d; was engaged in the two days' battle of Corinth, October 3d and 4th, and pursuit of the enemy to Ripley; returned to Corinth on the 11th; was in camp till November 2d; marched to Grand Junction, camped till November 28th; marched to Holly Springs, passing through the town; arrived in front of the enemy's fortified position on the Tallahatchie river on the 29th.  The enemy was forced from its position November 30th.  The regiment crossed the river December 2d and went into camp; was engaged in guarding and building the railroad bridge across the river; marched to the south of Oxford, Mississippi, on the 19th; returned to Holly Springs on the 21st; in camp till December 29th.  Marched to Memphis, embarked on transports for Young's Point; arrived on the 24th and remained till the 29th; moved to Lake Providence, Louisiana, where the regiment remained till April 21st.  Returning to Milliken's Bend, marched by way of Richmond, Louisiana, to Grand Gulf, thence to Vicksburg; was engaged in the operations against the latter place May 22d.  The regiment was in the expedition to Mechanicsburg under General Blair; returned to Vicksburg, June 1st; engaged in the siege until the 23d; marched to Black river; guarded the crossing till the fall of Vicksburg; had a sharp engagement with the enemy July 4, 1863; part of the regiment having crossed the river and driven the enemy from his position on the opposite bank.  July 12th was ordered to reinforce General Sherman at Jackson and bring up an ammunition train. Jo. Johnson having evacuated Jackson, the army returned to Vicksburg July 28th; camped near Vicksburg till the 6th of August.  The regiment was engaged in the march to Monroe, Louisiana.  Returning to Vicksburg, remained in camp till the third day of February, 1864, when they started on the Meridian campaign.  After a march across the entire state of Mississippi, returned to Vicksburg March 4, 1864; left Vicksburg March 17th on veteran furlough.  The regiment again started from Davenport, Iowa, May 3d; arrived at Clifton, Tennessee, about the middle of May; marched to Huntsville, Alabama, arriving at the latter place May 22d; marched to Decatur, Alabama; thence across the mountains to Rome, Georgia, where they arrived on the 5th day of June.  Starting agian the next morning, joined the main army under Sherman, near Acworth, on the 10th; arrived in front of Kenesaw mountain on the 11th; had a sharp engagement with the enemy June 15th; the regiment was engaged in the attack on Kenesaw mountain June 27th, meeting with heavy loss.  The regiment was under the enemy's fire from June 14th to July 2d; moved from left to right of the line, meeting the army again July 4th; had another sharp engagement, driving the enemy.  On the 5th the Sixteenth again had the advance, driving the enemy from his fortified position and across Nick-a-jack creek; were under fire of the enemy until the 16th day of July, when the rebels were compelled to cross the Chattahoochee; the regiment was then marched to Rossville, where it crossed the Chattahoochee river and pushed on for Atlanta; was engaged in the battles of July 20th and 21st, meeting with heavy losses in killed and wounded and receiving General McPherson's special compliments.  July 22d, when Hood made his famous charge that opened the battle of Atlanta, the Sixteenth Iowa, flanked in the right by the Eleventh, on the left by the Fifteenth, with the Thirteenth Iowa in the rear, all forming "the old Iowa brigade," was at the main point when the charge was made.  The Sixteenth captured more of the enemy than it had men in its ranks, but was eventually surrounded and captured in turn and taken to Andersonville.  But in a short time, being exchanged, they rejoined the army under Sherman.  The regiment was increased by recruits and started from Atlanta, November 15th; marched to Savannah, before which place it arrived December 10th; after much hard marching, skirmishing, etc., drove the enemy behind their fortifications. At Savannah this regiment was the first to seize the Savannah & Charleston railroad, and under directions of Brigadier-General Belknap commenced destroying the same; was engaged in the siege till the evacuation of the city; marched to the suburbs of the city and went into camp on the 21st, where it remained getting ready for the next campaign.  After a review of the entire army by General Sherman, the Sixteenth was put in motion January 6, 1865, for Beaufort, South Carolina; marched against Pocataligo January 15th, the Seventeenth corps (to which the Sixteenth belonged) driving the enemy out of his strongly fortified position; remained here at Pocataligo until the 28th, when the new campaign commenced. Marching to Rivers bridge, on the Salkahatchie, met the enemy strongly fortified.  At this point the Salkahatchie forms an almost impenetrable swamp about two miles wide, which was waded by the Fourth division, Seventeenth army corps, on the 3d of February, 1865; drove the enemy from their position; continued the march, driving the enemy before them, capturing every place which they attempted to hold, and after encountering many hardships, privations and dangers, arrived at Goldsboro on the 22d of March, 1865.  Remaining at Goldsboro, North Carolina, until the 10th of April, the regiment was again on the march in search of the enemy.  Pushing forward the command entered Raleigh on the 16th; camped till the 2d of May. The war being brought to a close, the command marched for Washington, where it took part in the grand review, may 24th; left Washington June 7th and arrived at Louisville June 12th. During the period embraced herein, the regiment suffered severly in killed, died of wounds received, or of disease contracted in the line of duty.  It may truly be said of the Sixteenth, it was always at the front, oftener, perhaps, under order than it wanted to be, but never in battle or march did it fail in the performance of its whole duty. Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L