They Withdrew In The Night

A tactical stalemate, the Battle of Prairie Grover which was fought December 7^th 1862 ensured the Union hold on northwest Arkansas.

Confederate Major General Thomas C Hindman moved his Army of the Trans Mississippi between two Union forces under the command of Brigadier Generals James Blunt and Francis Herron.  At dawn on December 7^th 1862 Hindman moved first on Herron’s cavalry, however running into the Union infantry he lost ground.  The Confederates established a line northeast of Prairie Grove Church on a high wooded ridge.  Union artillery opened on Hindman’s line, setting up two failed Union attacks.  Confederate attacks were halted in the face of Union canister fire.  At the moment it looked as though Hindman would be successful in his attack against Harron’s troops, Blunt arrived on his left flank.

With the coming darkness of night, both side still held their part of the field.  They called a truce so that the dead could be gathered and the wounded tended to.  Hindman had blankets wrapped around the wheels of his cannon and silently withdrew during the night, giving control of northwest Arkansas to the Union troops.  The battle ended with about 1,250 Union casualties, and 1,300 Confederate.

Diseases Took There Toll

The 38^th Iowa was mustered in for three years of Union service November 4^th 1862, they were known as the Martyr Regiment.

The 38^th Iowa Infantry was recruited from Bremmer, Chickasaw, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek Counties.  They received their initial training at Camp Franklin in Dubuque, Iowa and mustered into Union service on November 4^th 1862.  The Regiment moved on January 2^nd 1863 to Fort Thompson in New Madrid, Missouri where they performed garrison duty, until June 6^th 1863 when the men left for Vicksburg as part of Union Major General Francis Herron’s Division.

The 38^th arrived near Vicksburg on June 11^th 1863.  Union General Ulysses S Grant moved the Division to the southernmost part of his line to protect against Confederate Cavalry thought to be moving in from Yazoo City, Mississippi.  The 38^th crossed the river on June 14^th 1863 and went into camp at Warrenton, Mississippi.  The 38^th and 34^th Iowa Infantry consolidated on December 12^th 1864.  During the Battle of Fort Blakely in Alabama on April 9^th 1865; one of the last battles of the war, men from the old 38^th charged redoubt #4 loosing 1 man killed and 8 men wounded.

The 38^th had a total of 1037 men in its service.  Two men were killed, and 315 died from diseases.  The 38^th lost more men to sickness than any other Iowa Regiment during the war.

If you’re interested in reading more about this Regiment A Brief History of the 38th Iowa is a good web site.