1st Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry



HISTORICAL NOTES:
The Iowa 1st Cavalry Regiment was organized at Davenport August and September, 1861. Accepted by the United States Government June 13, 1861. Owned its own horses and equipment, and was first Regiment of three years' Cavalry accepted into United States Volunteers. Mustered out February 15, 1866. Moved to Iowa February 19-March 12, and discharged March 16, 1866. Regiment lost during service 2 Officers and 56 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 233 Enlisted men by disease. Total 293.
The Diary of James H. Cowan is on line.

OFFICERS:


ASSIGNMENTS:

Ordered to St. Louis, Mo., September 26, 1861; thence moved to Benton Barracks and to Otterville, Mo., October. Attached to Fremont's Army of the West and Dept. of Missouri to March, 1862. District of Central Missouri, Dept. of Missouri, to October, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Frontier, Dept. of Missouri, to November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Frontier, to June, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Army of Southeast Missouri, to August, 1863. 2nd Brigade, Davidson's 1st Cavalry Division, Arkansas Expedition, to January, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 7th Army Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to September, 1864. 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, 7th Corps, to February, 1865. (Veterans in Dept. of Missouri June to December, 1864.) 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, 7th Corps, February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, District of West Tennessee, Dept. of Tennessee, to June, 1865. Dept. of the Gulf to August, 1865. Dept. of Texas to February, 1866.
SERVICE:

Fremont's Campaign against Springfield, Mo., October 21-November 2, 1861. Moved to Sedalia and Georgetown November 9-16. (3rd Battalion, Cos. "I," "K," "L" and "M," at Benton Barracks, Mo., till March 6, 1862; then moved to Sedalia, Mo.) Pope's Expedition to Warrensburg and Milford, Mo., December 5-27, 1861. Action at Shawnee Mound, Milford, on the Blackwater December 18. Expedition against Poindexter January 6-10, 1862. Action at Silver Creek January 8 (Cos. "A," "F," "G" and "I"). Raid on Warsaw January 15 (Cos. "A," "F," "G" and "I"). Patrol and scout duty in Central District of Missouri till October. Action at Lexington, Lafayette County, March 10 (Cos. "B" and "D"). Expedition toward Osage and operations in Johnson, St. Clair and Henry Counties, March 18-30. Action at Louisville March 19. Monaghan Springs March 25. Musgrove Ferry March 28. On Blackwater, near Warrensburg, March 29 (Cos. "A," "F", "G"). Near Clinton March 30 (Detachment). Scouts on Marias des Cygnes and Elk Fork Rivers April 4-14. Near Shiloh April 11 (Cos. "D" and "K"). Scout to Montevallo April 13-14 (Cos. "D" and "K"). On Osage, near Montevallo, April 14 (Cos. "D" and "K"). Near Blackwater April 16 (Cos. "D" and "K"). Butler, Bates County, May 15 (Co. "D"). Butler, Bates County, May 26. Monaghan Springs May 27. Deep Water June 11. Guerilla Campaign against Quantrell's, Porter's and Poindexter's forces July to September. Pleasant Hill July 8 (Co. "K"). Expeditions in Cass County July 9 (Detachment). Lotspeach Farm July 9 (Cos. "E," "G," "H" and "L"). Clinton July 9. Sears House and Big Creek Bluff, near Pleasant Hill, July 11 (Cos. "H" and "L"). Clear Creek, near Tabersville, August 2 (Cos. "A," "G," "H" and "L"). Kirksville August 6 (Cos. "A," "G," "H" and "L"). Near Stockton August 9 (Detachment). Regiment reunites at Clinton, Mo., August 8. Big Creek September 9. Newtonia October 4 and 7. Oxford Bend, near Fayetteville, October 27-28. Expedition to Yellville November 25-30. March to join General Blunt December 3-6. Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7. Expedition over Boston Mountains to Van Buren, Ark., December 27-30. Dripping Springs December 28. Expedition from Huntsville to Buffalo River January 9-12, 1863. At Lake Springs till April, 1863. Operations against Marmaduke in Southeastern Missouri April 17-May 3. Jackson, Mo., April 27. Castor River, near Bloomfield, April 29. Bloomfield April 30. Chalk Bluffs, St. Francis River, April 30-May 1. At Lake Springs till July. Expedition against Little Rock, Ark., July 1-September 10. Expedition from Greensborough to Helena, Ark., July (Detachment). Brownsville, Ark., August 25. Near Bayou Metoe August 26. Reed's Bridge or Bayou Metoe August 27. Austin August 31. Ashley's Mills September 7. Bayou Fourche and capture of Little Rock September 10. Elizabethtown October 1. Vance's Store October 2. Expedition to Arkadelphia November 26-December 1. Reconnoissance from Little Rock December 5-13. Princeton December 6. Expedition to Camden December 15. Steele's Expedition to Shreveport, La., March 23-May 3, 1864. Antoine and Wolf Creeks April 2. Elkin's Ferry, Little Missouri River, April 3-4. Prairie D'Anna April 9-12. White Oak Creek April 14. Camden Cross Roads April 15. Occupation of Camden April 16-18. Camden April 20. Marks Mills April 25. Moro Bottom April 25-26. Jenkins' Ferry, Saline River, April 30. Veterans on furlough May and June. Non-Veterans on duty at Little Rock till February, 1865. Expedition to Fort Smith, Ark., September 25-October 13, 1864 (Detachment). Reconnoissance to Princeton October 19-23. Hurricane Creek October 23. Expedition to Saline River November 17-18 (Detachment). Veterans moved from Iowa to Missouri June 20, 1864. Operating against guerrillas, headquarters at Macon, Mo., till October. Scout in Boone and Howard Counties September 6-12. Skirmishes in Boone County September 7-8. Scout in Randolph, Boone and Howard Counties September 15-19 (Detachment). Skirmishes at Columbia September 16. Massacre at Centralia, North Missouri Railroad, September 27. Moved to Jefferson City, Mo., October. Skirmish at California October 9. Booneville October 9-12. Campaign against Price October-November. (Served as body guard to General Rosecrans.) Marais des Cygnes, Osage River, October 25. Moved to Warrensburg, thence to St. Louis, Mo., and to Helena, Ark., November-December. Operations in Arkansas January 1-27, 1865. Action at Dardanelle January 14. Expedition from Little Rock to Mt. Elba January 22-February 4. Ordered to Memphis, Tenn., February 17, and duty there till June. Expedition into Northern Mississippi March 3-11. Moved to Alexandria, La., June 15-22; thence to Hemstead, Tex., August 8-26. Moved to Austin, Tex., October 20-November 4, and duty there till February, 1866.
ROSTERS:
  • Company A - enrolled in Lee County and organized at Keokuk County.
  • Company B - the "Hawkeye Rangers," enrolled chiefly from Clinton County and Jackson County.
  • Company C - enrolled from Des Moines County, Louisa County, and Lee County.
  • Company D - enrolled from Warren County and Madison County.
  • Company E - organized in Henry County.
  • Company F - enrolled chiefly in Washington County and Johnson County.
  • Company G - known as the "Hardin Rangers," was enrolled from Hardin County, Dubuque County, Black Hawk County, Jones County, and Delaware County.
  • Company H - enrolled in Monroe County and Lucas County.
  • Company I - went from Wapello County and Keokuk County, with a few from Hancock County, Illinois.
  • Company K - or "Union Rangers," was enrolled in Clayton County, Allamakee County, and Winneshiek County.
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY:

    REFERENCES:
    REF: Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
    Federal Publishing Company. The Union Army.
    An Illustrated History of Monroe County, Iowa, (1896)