First Person information for Company B

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Information for Co.B of the 24th Iowa

For the average age, town and nativity I looked at all 131 men who were with the company at one time or another. This was taken from the actual roster of Company B.
Average Age: 24
Youngest member of the company 16 (enlisted March 1864)

Oldest member of the company 39

Here are the towns men came from and how many:
Tipton 65 (Cedar County seat), Mechanicsville 13, Wilton 8, Red Oak 10, Cedar County 7, Muscatine County 1, Marshall County 2, Lowden 1, Johnson County 1, Pleasant Hill 1, Clarence 5, Iowa City 3 (Johnson County) , Lisbon 1, Rochester 3, Mt.Vernon 1, Davenport 1 (Scott County), Moscow 1, Jones County 1, La Grand 1, Marshalltown 1.
Most of us should say we are from Tipton.

Places of nativity:
Ohio 37, New York 13, Pennsylvania 28, Iowa 10, England 7, Illinois 4, Maryland 1, Ireland 3, Indiana 10, Virginia 5, Canada 1, Germany 2, Scotland 4, Missouri 1, Maine 1, Michigan 1, Massachusetts 1, Vermont, Wisconsin 1.
Information about Tipton and Cedar County

Taken from the 1877 book entitled A History of Cedar County

Census for Cedar County:
1840 1,253
1850 3,941
1860 12,949



Rivers: Cedar River and Wapsipinicon
Counties to the north, south, east and west:
North Jones County, East Clinton and Scott County, South Muscatine County, West Johnson and Linn County.

Churches in Tipton as of 1864: Methodist, First Presbyterian Church, First Evangelical Church, Episcopal Church, St.Johns Reformed Church, Universalists Church, Congregational Church, Catholic Church (no parish name for the first few years. Mass was held in a private residence, the celebrant was Father Lawrence of Muscatine.

One school in town. No name. Large two story brick building.
Businesses with owners name(s):
Dry Goods Dean and Ingram
Druggists Dr.Thomas Rigg
Clothiers Block and Wallace
Hardware, Tin shop, Agricultural Implements J.C. Reichert
Furniture, and Undertakers Fleming and Van Ness
Jewelry and Books J.L. Rowell
Physicians and Surgeons Dr. H.H. Maynard
Justice of the Peace I.N. Magee
Hotels: Aldrich House
Union House (Changed name from Temperance Hotel in 1860)
Goodrich House

Farming: I have a good friend writing who is working on an essay about 19th century agriculture in Iowa. I should have this soon and will send it.

Life in Iowa pre-Civil War: Once again I have another good friend here in Iowa putting something together for us. You could always Google for any background information.

John Brown was all over Cedar Company. He actually stayed in Cedar County( Travellers Rest) and recruited two boys the Coppoc brothers to help with his raid on Harpers Ferry. (The site where the men trained is marked with a monument placed by the DAR. The men fired their weapons into the barn that once stood on the site. All that remains is the foundation. One of our members own property where John Brown stopped numerous times) Edwin Coppoc was executed for his role at Harpers Ferry and his brother Barclay made it back to Iowa where he hid from Virginia officials looking for him. Check online for more information about John Brown or the excellent book entitled John Brown, Abolitionist.

1860 a major tornado swept the northern half of the county killing a family of seven.
West Branch and Springdale were both Quaker communities. Our 31st President was born in West Branch.
Newspapers: Tipton Times and Cedar Democrat (until 1864)

Don’t forget to write letters!
If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me or call.

Harrison
Captain Company B 24th Iowa

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Re: First Person information for Company B

Here is some good information we can use.

http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/bai/winschel.htm

[boozie]

Re: First Person information for Company B

Hey Hog! Those ten sons of Hoosierland were said to be the toughest boys in the Company.:tounge_sm

[Cravens]

Re: First Person information for Company B

Is that right? I have no beef with Indiana boys. Kansans on the other hand.............
My Great-Great-Grandfather fought in the Red River campaign with the 21st Missouri (Union). This event will mean a lot to me. I can't wait!!

Hog
David B. Cravens
Hairy Nation Boys

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Re: First Person information for Company B

For those of you working on your first person. Just remember that very few men were born in the state. Iowa gained statehood in 1846.

Hog, have you bought our chew yet?

[boozie]

Re: First Person information for Company B

I think that is pretty cool Hog. We are going to have a good time!

Is that right? I have no beef with Indiana boys. Kansans on the other hand.............
My Great-Great-Grandfather fought in the Red River campaign with the 21st Missouri (Union). This event will mean a lot to me. I can't wait!!

Hog
David B. Cravens
Hairy Nation Boys

[KarinTimour]

Re: First Person information for Company B

Gentlemen:

I won't be attending, but in the interests of promoting first person, here are a number of questions which should give a soldier with a decent amount of griping skill occupied for some time:

1. Who was the Governor?

2. If someone lived in a rural area, outside a town, who was law enforcement? Sheriff? Did the Sheriff deal with theft, domestic disputes, etc?

3. Who was the head of local government outside towns? County board of supervisors?

4. Who registered people for the draft? When did they/would they draft people? In New York, after everyone was registered, they'd only go to the draft if they couldn't fill their recruiting quota (set by the state governor for their county). It was a point of honor not to have to resort to drafting anyone, so the pressure tended to build when it was time to meet the county quota.

5. The information about William Ripley said that the farmers from this part of Iowa relied on the Mississippi to get their produce to market. Who would have done this before the war? Did they use flatboats like Lincoln did in the 1840s? Would any of the members of this company have already been to New Orleans pre-war on a flatboat? Since Vicksburg fell last July, are the folks at home shipping produce down the river again?


6. What would have been the local newspapers? What was the largest paper from home they might have been getting? Keokuk Times? (sic) What was it's name?

7. Did they have good mail service? How did letters reach them?

8. Who was representing them in Congress and Senate?

9. Who collected taxes, and when did they do it?

Hope that's helpful,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Re: First Person information for Company B

This site will help.

http://iagenweb.org/cedar/index.htm

Governor Kirkwood. The "War Governor". Buried here in Iowa City.

[KarinTimour]

Re: First Person information for Company B

Dear Harrison:

Thanks for the site, there is a wealth of information there.

I got to thinking about newspapers on-line and found that the Council Bluffs Library has the newspaper on-line.

Some of the topics in the January 17, 1864 paper that the average soldier might have opinions about:

1. According to the Cedar Valley Times, the Cedar Rapids City Council was considering paying the family of a recruit $20/a month (if married) and $10 a month if single. If a married recruit was killed, they'd pay his widow the $20 for the balance of his enlistment.

2. According to the Dubuque Times of 1/14/1864, the next Legislature was considering repealing the Maine Liquor Law -- seems they were concerned about losing the tax reveneue. Given the temperance pledge of the unit, might make for some lively discussion.

3. The Chicago and Rock Island railroad company announced that they were raising pay of engineers form $70 a month to $90 a month.

4. On 1/7 the US House of Representatives voted to outlaw all rebels and to refuse to consider any proposals for peace. The vote was 88 to 24.

5. There was a rumor reported that the Confederacy had recognized the Empire of Mexico and asked that Napoleon recognize the CSA in return.

6. In International news, Lord Lyons of Great Britain had predicted to Earl Russel that the American War wouldn't last another 3 months.

7. Cass County, Iowa voted to offer $200 bounty to each recruit.

8. Spotted fever had broken out in Southern Keeokuk, and there had been at least one fatality.

9. A correspondent serving in the 31st Iowa reported to the Ananan (sic?) "Eureka" that the flag of the 31st Iowa was the first Union flag planted on "Mission Ridge."

10. The "Hawkeye Flag" of Winterset, in Madison County reprinted the following from "The Statesman" as evidence that Merrit is a war man: "We acknowledge candidly that we had supposed him an anti-war man...but by the....in the last weekly press we were mistaken. "The following classes are in favor of the war:
All the abolitionists;
All the contractors;
All the shoddy manufacturers;
All the loyalty league women, who are loyal to Lincoln;
Two-thirds of the clergy
The Devil and his imps."

11. In looking through the timeline on the Encyclopedia of Louisiana, discoverd that Lousiana at this point in the war had two Governors, as well as representation in both the US and CS Senate and House of Representatives. The US Governor, who had been elected in February with 54% of the vote, by early March was in the midst of an attempt to give the vote to African-Americans in Louisiana.

Hope that's helpful,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com