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Civil War in Lee County and Rosters of
the Local
Volunteers
Keokuk's Role in the Civil War
Compiled and Transcribed by Sally Youngquist
&
Barbara Scott
Search IaGenWeb
Civil
War Project and you will find more information on each
name. http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/
While seemingly removed from the Civil
War, Keokuk
did in fact play a most important role. It was the central swearing-in
point
for all of the Iowa volunteers in the Civil War. At one time four camps
were
located here: Camp Ellsworth, 200 acres located in the area of
Hawthorne,
Decatur, and Messenger Road; Camp Rankin, named for Keokuk's Colonel
J.W.
Rankin, located between 11th and 12th Streets on Grand; Camp Halleck,
located
at 5th and Johnson; and Camp Lincoln, located in the Rand Park area,
site of
this Battle Reenactment. This camp held as many as 1,000 men at one
time.
Another of Keokuk's roles was to administer to the sick and wounded
brought by
boat from the southern battlegrounds. Seven Civil War hospitals were
located in
Keokuk with the largest, The Estes House, having 652 beds. The location
of the
Estes House was at 5th and Main Streets, now the site of Estes Park.
Keokuk's
National Cemetery is a direct result of the Civil War soldiers who died
inroute to Keokuk or after arriving at one
of the
hospitals. Both Confederate and Union soldiers are buried in this
National
Cemetery, one of the original twelve established by Congress July 17,
1862. It
is Iowa's only National Cemetery and the first established West
of the Mississippi. Keokuk provided many Civil War heroes, both
officers and
enlisted men, and civilians. Well over a thousand Lee County residents
volunteered for infantry or cavalry duty and most survived. Perhaps the
most
famous Keokuk Civil War hero was Major General Samuel Curtis, a former
Mayor of
Keokuk and a civil engineer who resigned his seat in Congress to lead
the 2nd
Iowa Regiment. Later given command of the "Department of Missouri",
Curtis led the Union victory at Pea Ridge, Arkansas, which saved
Missouri for
the Union.
Iowa Southern Border Brigade
"State Militia"
This Company of Volunteers were not mustered into service by the United
States
Army. This company was formed to protect Iowa's border from the slave
holding
state of Missouri. The men were armed citizens ready to resist any
attempt of
the rebel forces to invade the State of Iowa.
State Militia
The Thirty-seventh (37th) Infantry
"Grey Beards"This was a Volunteer unit
of older men, 45 and up, who were not eligible to serve in the regular
army.
These men were assigned to guard and garrison duty. They were not to be
put
upon active service in the field, except in the event of an emergency.
Gray Beard
Missouri Volunteers
Lee County Men
Illinois Volunteers
Lee County Men
Lee County Volunteers
First (1st) Iowa Infantry
Second (2nd) Iowa Infantry
Sixth (6th) Iowa Infantry
Seventh
(7th) Infantry
Fourteenth
(14th) Iowa Infantry
Fifteenth (15th) Iowa Infantry
Seventeenth (17th) Iowa Infantry
Nineteenth
(19th)
Iowa Infantry
Twenty-Fifth (25th) Iowa Infantry
Thirtieth (30th) Iowa Infantry
Thirty-Seventh Infantry
Different listing of "Grey Beards"
Forty-Fifth (45th) Iowa Infantry
Forty-Eighth (48th) Iowa Infantry
Fiftieth
(50th) Infantry
Sixtieth (60th) Infantry
60th Infantry / Colored Troops / Formed from First Iowa Infantry
First (1st) Iowa Cavalry
Third (3rd) Iowa Cavalry
Fourth (4th) Iowa Cavalry
Fifth (5th) Iowa Cavalry
Ninth
(9th) Iowa
Cavalry
Miscellaneous
Lee Co. Volunteers listed in companies that I can't place, meaning not
known to
be a Lee Co. Company. These may be a second enlistment as the
enlistment dates
are 1862-1864.
3rd Infantry, 8th Infantry, 9th Infantry, 10th Infantry, 12th Infantry,
13th
Infantry, 18th Infantry, 23rd Infantry, 28th Infantry, 29th Infantry,
36th
Infantry and 44th Infantry. 2nd Cavalry, 6th
Cavalry and 7th
Cavalry. 1st Battery Light Artillery, 3rd Battery Light
Artillery and
4th Battery Light Artillery Wisconsin Infantry and Nebraska Cavalry