The 9th Iowa Infantry was organized at Dubuque, Iowa and mustered into Federal service on September 24, 1861. The HonorableWilliam Vandever, Representative from the 2nd Congressional District, Iowa, was authorized by President Lincoln to organize this regiment from the counties in his district, and he was commissioned by Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood as its first Colonel. The regiment went without a standard of colors until a group of women from Massachusetts presented them with a regimental flag in 1862. Service History:
Ordered to St. Louis, Missouri, Attached to Dept. of Missouri October, 1861, to January, 1862.
2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Army Corps, to September, 1864.
3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Army Corps, to July, 1865.
The regiment was mustered out on July 18, 1865, in Louisville, Kentucky. Before the regiment disbanded, the men gave their standard of colors to William Vandever as a memento. In 1886, Vandever presented the flag to veterans of the 9th Iowa Infantry at the annual encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic reunion in San Francisco and later wrote:
They gathered close around it and their manly bosoms heaved with emotion, and noble tears coursed down their cheeks. It is a sacred relic that I prize today more than anything else that I have in this world, coming to me as a memento of the sacrifices made to sustain this Union and as a freewill offering from the women of this country, and as a token of their sympathy in our struggle.
Total strength and casualties
Total enrolment was 1,440. The regiment lost 12 officers and 142 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 2 officers and 230 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 386 fatalities. 385 were wounded.
William Vandever. Residence Dubuque. Appointed Colonel Aug. 30, 1861. Mustered Sept. 24, 1861. Promoted Brigadier General, March 16, 1863. Resigned March 16, 1863. Brevet Major General June 7, 1865
Francis J. Herron. Residence Dubuque. Appointed Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 10, 1861. Mustered Sept. 24, 1861. Wounded March 7, 1862, Peas Ridge, Ark. Promoted Brigadier General July 30, 1862; Major General Nov. 29, 1863.
David Carskaddon. Residence Marion, nativity Ohio. Enlisted Sept. 14, 1861. Appointed Captain Sept. 24, 1861. Mustered Sept. 24, 1861. Promoted Colonel March 19, 1863. Wounded slightly July 29, 1864, Atlanta, Ga. Discharged for disability Dec. 29, 1864.
William H. Coyl. Residence Decorah. Appointed Major Aug 30, 1861. Mustered Sept 24, 1861. Wounded in shoulder severely March 7, 1862, Pea Ridge, Ark. Promoted Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1862; Brevet Lieutenant Colonel March 13, 1865; Major and Judge Advocate May 18, 1865
William Scott. Residence Independence, nativity England. Appointed Adjutant Sept 2, 1861, from Second Lieutenant of company C. Mustered Sept. 24, 1861. Wounded in leg March 7, 1862, Pea Ridge Ark. Resigned for ill health Oct. 11, 1862
Ferdinand S. Winslow. Residence Marion. Appointed Quartermaster Sept. 4, 1861. Mustered Sept. 24, 1861. Promoted Assistant United States Quartermaster, with rank as Captain, Jan. 30, 1862.
Jerome Bradley. Residence Dubuque, nativity Massachusetts. Appointed Quartermaster March 16, 1862, from Second Lieutenant of Battery. Commission declined March 16, 1862. Appears to have been appointed Captain A.Q.M. Volunteers Feb 19, 1863. See Official Army Registers, 1861-1867
Benjamin McClure. Appointed Surgeon Sept. 19, 1861. Mustered Oct. 11, 1861. Promoted Assistant Surgeon of Volunteers Feb 4, 1864; Surgeon of Volunteers Sept. 30, 1864.
Sergeant James M. Elson received the Medal of Honor for his action during the Siege of Vicksburg. His citation notes that Elson, "Carried the colors in advance of his regiment and was shot down while attempting to plant them on the enemy's works."
