"Samuel Day the the 22nd Iowa"
by

Chapter 12

The Texas Expedition

In early November 1863, the First Division boarded the steamer Thomas A. Scott, described by Jacob Switzer as "a fine iron steamer but very narrow and one which rolled very badly on the sea (134)" Their destination was the mouth of the Rio Grande, off Brazos, Texas. The steamer sailed through very rough seas, a difficult voyage for the infantrymen. Upon arrival at Point Isabel, Texas, on November 24, a storm came up while off-loading the men. Still half loaded with troops, the Thomas A. Scott put back out to sea, leaving the disembarked troopers stranded on shore. The rough seas continued, so the steamer headed north for calmer waters and on November 27 arrived at Mustang Island. Here, they were later joined by the men who had been put ashore at Point Isabel.

The 500 man strong regiment then marched to Fort Esperanza, a Confederate stronghold protecting the entrance to Matagorda Bay(135). This 70 mile march was made mostly along the beach, but the men sometimes ventured inland to hunt for game. Deer were said to be plentiful, and both Switzer and Jones wrote of feasting on venison, wild goose, pork, beef, and mutton. After crossing St. Joseph’s and Matagorda Islands, the regiment completed its march on December 1, 1863, with its arrival at Fort Esperanza.

Fort Esperanza was described as a formidable structure, which the enemy had abandoned only the previous evening. Before they evacuated, the Confederates put a torch to the fort’s powder magazines. Finding the fort abandoned, the division sailed across the bay to Decrou’s Point, a peninsula on Matagorda Bay(136). Here, the division remained in camp from December 7, 1863, to January 3, 1864. Switzer recalled Christmas dinner consisted of "fried ham and light biscuit, baked by one of our mess. The ham was not issued to us in the regular way and history does not record where we received it." (137)

On January 4, the division moved to Indianola, Texas, where they set up winter quarters. Switzer recalled,

While here in camp we suffered the severest "northwester" of our Texas experience. The wind blew from the north or northwest for about a week, ice froze to the thickness of half an inch, and the soldiers suffered intensely from the keen piercing winds, as they seemed to be much more penetrating and cutting in this climate than they are in the North. (138)

While at Indianola, the First and Second Brigades were consolidated into the First Brigade, First Division, 19^th Army Corps, under the command of General Cadwallader C. Washburn. On January 12, Union scouts spotted a band of Confederate cavalry approaching their position. The division formed in line of battle and as the Confederates approached, Union pickets met the cavalry with a heavy fire of muskets and artillery, driving off the Rebels. No losses were reported by either side. On two other occasions, Confederate cavalry patrols intercepted Union scouting parties that included members of the 22^nd Iowa, and several members of the regiment were captured during these encounters.

In February, an early spring hit the Indianola area, making a pleasant camp for the men. S.C. Jones reported the regiment’s strength on February 9, 1864, at 649 men with 397 present for duty, 22 sick in camp, and 230 absent, sick, detached, or prisoners of war.(139)

On March 13, the division left Indianola and returned to Matagorda Island with orders to defend the coast from Confederate attack. They were also employed rebuilding the defenses of Fort Esperanza. For example, on March 19, 12 officers and 275 men of the 22^nd Iowa reported to the engineers for duty and spent most of the day rebuilding the fort’s center lunette. The hard work was done in shifts, with half the regiment working while the other half rested. (140)

After Colonel Harvey Graham of the 22^nd Iowa was ordered back to Iowa to recruit more men, Major Houston of the Twenty-third Iowa assumed command of the brigade. Union forces were beefed up when the 14^th Rhode Island, a Negro regiment, joined the 22^nd Iowa at Fort Esperanza. At midnight on March 30, the 22^nd Iowa was called out to guard the 14^th Rhode Island Regiment because of a rumored mutiny. After the ringleaders of the mutiny were identified and punished, the Negro regiment was returned to duty. (141)

On April 21, the regiment was ordered to proceed on an expedition to Port Lavaca, Texas, to obtain lumber for improvements on the barracks and forts on Matagorda Island. The regiment boarded the steamers Planter and Matamoras and left for Port Lavaca on Matagorda Bay. Upon seeing the approaching Union troops, a company of Confederate cavalry fled further inland. The Union troops disembarked and filled the ship’s hold with lumber. This operation was unmolested until the Union troops were ready to set sail when they spotted a band of Confederate cavalry. A detachment of the 22^nd Iowa was sent out to meet and disperse the Confederate cavalry. Major Houston moved the 22^nd Iowa behind the Confederates and engaged them in a spirited skirmish. The Confederates escaped on horseback with the loss of one killed and several wounded. The 22^nd Iowa reported no casualties in this engagement. The lumber arrived on Matagorda Island without further incident.

On April 25, the regiment was ordered to procure 10 days rations and prepare to move. Two days later, the right wing of the 22^nd Iowa was loaded onto steamers, the left wing following on April 29¾ destination, New Orleans. This signaled the end of the Texas expedition, and the start of yet another campaign for the 22^nd Iowa, General Nathaniel Banks’ "Famous and ill-fated Red River Expedition." (142) 

134 . Switzer, History II, p. 41.

135. Marsh, C.C., Captain, U.S.N. Retired. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series I, Volume 20. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1921. p. 685. The strength of the regiment was contained in a report by the Captain of the Thomas A. Scott.

136. Decrou’s Point was also spelled De Crow’s Point.

137. Switzer, History II, p. 43.

138. Ibid., pgs 43-44.

139. Jones, 22^nd Iowa, p. 59.

140. Official Records, Vol XXIV, Part 2, p. 667.

141. Jones, 22^nd Iowa, p. 62.

142. Thrift, Iowa in the Rebellion, p. 568.

 

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