The 22nd Iowa Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Service

The 22nd Iowa Infantry, also known as the "Johnson County Regiment", was organized at

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

and mustered in for three years of Federal service on September 9, 1862. Companies A, B, F, G, H, I, and K were credited to Johnson County. Companies C, D and E were credited to Jasper, Monroe and Wapello counties, respectively. After garrison duty in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, the regiment served in Gen.

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

Campaign of 1863 as part of the XIII Corps. The regiment was one of the first ashore in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

after the river crossing on April 30, 1863, and was the only Union unit to breach the defenses of Vicksburg, MS, at the

Railroad Redoubt The Railroad Redoubt (a/k/a "Fort Beauregard" in post-War accounts) was one of several redoubts, or small defensive earthworks, that were constructed during the American Civil War to protect the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, from Union attack. ...

, during the general assault of May 22, 1863. In late 1863 and early 1864, the regiment participated in operations on the Texas Gulf Coast and in Louisiana. In May 1864, it was ordered to Virginia and attached to the XIX Corps. The 22nd was one of only three regiments from Iowa to serve in Virginia, including during Gen.

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

's Shenandoah Valley Campaign of August–November 1864. It suffered heavy losses at the

Third Battle of Winchester The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate ...

and the

Battle of Cedar Creek The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, was fought on October 19, 1864, during the American Civil War. The fighting took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, near Cedar Creek, Middletown, and the Valley Pike. Du ...

. After several months of occupation duty, the regiment was mustered out in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, on July 25, 1865. Sergeant

Leonidas M. Godley Leonidas Mahlon Godley (June 13, 1836 – May 23, 1904) was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He enlisted as 2nd Sergeant of Company E, 22nd Iowa Infantry Regiment on August 6, 1862, and was promoted 1st Sergeant in January 1 ...

of Company E was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

in 1894 for his actions during the assault on the

, outside Vicksburg, on May 22, 1863. Based on its casualties in service, the 22nd Iowa is listed as one of Lt. Col William F. Fox's "Fighting 300 Regiments" in his book, "Regimental Losses in the American Civil War".

Total strength and casualties

A total of 1084 men served in the 22nd Iowa at one time or another during its existence. It suffered 6 officers and 108 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 1 officer and 135 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 250 fatalities. The 22nd Iowa’s losses at

were heavy – 27 killed, 118 wounded and 19 missing. Theirs was the highest single-action casualty toll suffered by any regiment of Grant’s army in the siege of Vicksburg.

Commanders

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

William Milo Stone, later Governor of Iowa (1864–68). * Colonel Harvey GrahamIowa Genweb Iowa in the Civil War Project after Logan, Guy E., Roster and Record of Iowa Troops In the Rebellion, Vol. 1

Other notable personnel

Lt. Col. Ephraim White, grandfather of football star and Supreme Court Justice Byron "Whizzer" White. Sgt.

Isaac Struble Isaac Sterling "Ike" Struble (November 3, 1843 – February 17, 1913) was an American politician who was a four-term Republican Representative of Iowa's 11th congressional district. Serving from 1883 to 1891, the Plymouth County resident ...

, attorney, and Congressman (1883–1891). Capt. Samuel D. Pryce, delegate to first GAR convention; author of regimental history
Vanishing Footprints: The Twenty-Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War.
Pvt. Upton Christian Holderman, Jr., father of Medal of Honor recipient Nelson Miles Holderman, of Lost Battalion fame.

References

External links