19th Iowa Infantry Regiment "A Journal of Travel"

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: SPC-2021-037

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

“A Journal of Travel” (1862-1863, 1870) documents the experiences of the 19th Iowa Infantry Regiment, an infantry regiment that served the Union Army during the American Civil War. This journal consists of daily accounts from different members of the regiment, ranging from a few words to several pages and describing their travels and experiences. The entries document the regiment’s movements and activity day by day, providing personal, first-hand accounts of battles and events. This includes the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7th, 1862, which resulted in a 40% casualty rate for the regiment, including the death of Lieutenant Colonel Sam McFarland. The entries end on September 28th, 1863, one day before the Battle of Stirling’s Plantation, in which most of the regiment was captured. The journal entries pick back up with brief entries from an unknown author beginning on March 10th, 1870 and describing an expedition in Kansas. The back of the journal also contains drawings of the Battle of Prairie Grove and the Battle of Stirling's Plantation, as well as expense accounts for several members of the regiment and notes. Also included is a handwritten insert with a biography of James H. Hicklin, one of the journal’s authors.

Dates

1862-1863, 1870

Creator

United States. Army. Iowa Infantry Regiment, 19th (1862-1865) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Biographical / Historical

The 19th Iowa Infantry Regiment was a Union infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in Keokuk, Iowa and was mustered in on August 25, 1862. The 19th Iowa was assigned to General Heron’s “Army of the Frontier”. After a strenuous 35 mile march on December 6th, 1862, the troops prepared for battle, fighting in the Battle of Prairie Grove. The regiment of nearly 500 men suffered over 200 casualties, including 45 dead, 143 wounded, and two captured. These casualties included the death of their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sam McFarland. The 19th Iowa went on to fight in the Siege of Vicksburg before fighting in the Battle of Stirling’s Plantation on September 29th, 1963. This battle resulted in much of the regiment being captured. Most of these men were paroled in 1864, and the regiment ended the war by fighting in the Battle of Spanish Fort and the Battle of Fort Blakely, before being officially mustered out on June 10th, 1865. At its largest, the regiment consisted of 1132 men, and suffered 92 deaths in battle and 100 from disease, totaling 192 fatalities over the course of the war.