The Nineteenth Iowa Infantry And The Battle Of Stirling Plantation

Men and officers of the 19th Iowa after their parole in July of 1864. They had been in the same clothing for over a year.

The first large contingent of Federal Prisoners was captured at an engagement at Stirling Plantation, Louisiana in September 1863, and included the 19th Iowa Infantry. The following gives a brief history of the unit and an account of the engagement.

The 19th Iowa was raised in the summer of 1862, with most of its recruiting being done in the southeastern part of the state. Company C was raised in Washington County. It mustered at Keokuk on August 2, and on September 3 was dispatched to St. Louis. Arriving at Benton Barracks, it was placed into a brigade commanded by Gen. F.J. Herron. It departed for Rolla, Mo. by rail on September 11. It then marched to Springfield, where it remained until October 11. From October 17 until December 7, it participated in the Prairie Grove Campaign, marching many a mile.

At the onset of the battle Companies, A,B, and C were ordered out as skirmishers under Lt. Root, the regimental adjutant. The regiment was ordered to advance on the left of the white house on the hill in support of the 20th Wisconsin. The regiment advanced under heavy fire, and continued to advance even though the 20th was repulsed. They made it to the orchard fence, where they took the combined fire of three confederate regiments, which caused heavy casualties, including the commanding officer, Lt. Col. Samuel McFarland who was killed and command devolved on Maj. D. Kent.

The regiment fell back, rallied and then charged again along with the 94th Illinois, this time gaining the crest. The regiment lost as follows: killed, officers 3, EM 42; wounded, officers 5, EM 140; missing, 2, total loss, 192.
After Prairie Grove the regiment participated in the campaign that captured Van Buren, Ark. It then participated in various scouts and marches in Arkansas and Mo. until June 3rd, when Herrons' division was ordered to Vicksburg. They went by rail from Rolla to St. Louis and then by the Steamer "Chouteau" to Young's Point, Louisiana where they arrived on June 10. They then marched across the point to a place below Vicksburg where they could be transported across the Mississippi.

On the 12th they were ferried across the river to Warrenton on the steamer "Silver Wave" . During this crossing they had a fine view of Vicksburg and the Federal mortar boats. Herron's division was placed at the extreme left of the union lines at Vicksburg. The 19th was used for making roads and doing picket duty in the rear and saw no actual combat. During the siege, only one man of the regiment was wounded, that being Thomas Pender of Co. "I".

After the Siege, the division did guard duty in and around the city. On July 11, the regiment was loaded on the steamer "Tecumseh" expecting to be ordered to Port Hudson. Instead news arrived that Port Hudson had surrendered, and they were dispatched up the Yazoo to assist in the expedition to capture Yazoo City, which was taken on July 14th. They operated in and around Yazoo city until the 21st, when they again boarded steamers at Yazoo city for a descent down the Mississippi.

The entire division was conveyed on the Armenia, Tecumseh, Meteor, Dove, Desarc, Prima Donna, St. Mary's Iatan, Arago, and Anglo Saxon. They flotilla arrived at Port Hudson on July 25th, where they went into camp. Although their camp was pleasantly situated. the regiment suffered greatly from sickness and many men died.
On August 13th they were moved to Carrolton, above New Orleans where they were rested until September 5. They were reviewed several times, once by Banks, and once by Grant. The regiment was pretty shabby, having not received any new clothing since the siege. On the 7th, Herron's division was dispatched on a "ten day scout" to the vicinity of the mouth of the Red River. The purpose of this expedition was to distract the confederates from Bank's planned advance up the Teche. Many of the men of the 19th were still unfit, and all of those who could not make the "scout" were left behind.

Accordingly, the regiment left with only 250 men. They landed at McCullum's plantation, four miles below Pointe Coupee, and made camp as comfortably as possible in spite of the heat. They also foraged liberally from the plantation poultry yards. The next day they marched to Morganza where they again went into camp.
On September 12, an expedition was planned to march inland to attempt to draw out Green's cavalry, thought to be operating on the west bank of the Atchafalaya. A small brigade was made up consisting of the 19th Iowa under Maj. Bruce, the 26th Indiana under Col A.D. Rose, a section of the 1st Mo. Light Artillery, and a battalion of the 6th Mo. Cavalry under Major Montgomery. To supplement the cavalry, a company of mounted infantry was created by drawing men from every regiment in the division. This company was under the command of Lt. Walton of the 34th Iowa.

The whole force was under the command of L. Col. J.B. Leake of the 20th Iowa. Shortly after leaving Morganza, the force encountered Confederate pickets. They skirmished all of the way to the Atchafalaya, and then returned and went into camp at the Norwood plantation house, about 6 miles from the Atchafalaya. The country was unknown and Leake had no adequate maps.

Upon scouting the country on the 13th, Leake discovered that the position at Norwoods was not good. There were several old roads and a half completed rail bed in the vicinity that would make it easy for Confederates to move and get in his rear. Pickets and posts were set out and Leake requested to withdraw about a mile closer to the Stirling plantation, but this request was refused.

On the evening of the 15th Leake learned from a citizen and from negroes that an attack was expected. He withdrew to the Stirling plantation and established his camps there. This position, though better than Norwoods, still had defects due to the roads that gave the confederates easy ability to move around the federal position. It was seven miles from Morganza. A levee ran along the east side of the road by the Stirling plantation, and Leake had a gap cut in it north of the house so that artillery could be moved through it if necessary. Constant pickets were kept out, but the force was so small that they were deemed to be inadequate, and the whole brigade was uneasy as to their position.

The confederates were becoming increasingly visible, and were often observed in small groups around Stirlings and between Stirlings and Morganza. Although Herron was apprised of the rebels between him and Leake, he took no efforts to secure their rear. Mouton had realized the opportunity to gobble up this small force and on the 19th had ordered Green to plan an attack. The final decision was made on the 25th. Green's 3,000 troops were at Centerpoint on the Atchafalaya on the 28th and commenced crossing by ferry at 3:00 p.m. Wallers and Roundtree's cavalry battalions together with Semme's battery were crossed by dark. Next were Speight's and Mouton's infantry brigades, and finally the 4th, 5th and 7th Texas Cavalry (dismounted), the last crossing by 1:00 a.m. on the 29th. The weather was very rainy.

On the morning of the 29th Mouton's and Speight's brigades were sent by a trail through the woods and swamps that intersected the Opelousas road about two miles north of the Stirling plantation. The balance of the confederates marched via the road toward the Fordoche Bridge near the Norwood house. They arrived there at about 11:00 a.m. and started skirmishing with the Federal pickets. Green's forces reached the federal pickets and cavalry west of the Fordoche bridge about 11:00 and commenced skirmishing. After about a half hour, sounds of firing was heard to the north at the Stirling farm. Just before noon, a shot was heard from the picket post north of camp at Stirling's, and then a number more shots were heard from the cane fields to the north and east of the house. Mouton had begun his attack.

Leake ordered the artillery up the road and in position at the gap in the levee to fire across the cane fields. The 19th was ordered to a fence running east to west behind the house and commence firing. The 26th Indiana was then posted to the left of the 19th and ordered to fire obliquely to the right. For some reason, the artillery had not made it to the gap in the levee and were being moved by hand among the outbuildings behind the house, where they were totally useless. Leake had available only 450 infantry, as so many were on picket. Both the 19th and 26th were pushed back from their position through the Stirling buildings, and took up a position on the levee, now facing east.

The levee made a good breastwork. The Confederates were in overwhelming force, and first attempted to turn the right of the 19th. The 26th was pulled out and placed on the 19ths right, with the 26th now facing south. Seeing the change in front, the confederates now moved to their right and poured though the gap in the levee, attempting to turn the left flank of the 19th. The weather was hot and the men were spent. Meanwhile the Confederate cavalry had completely routed the federal cavalry to the south near the Norwood farm. The Federal cavalry streamed away toward Morganza, apparently in such a hurry that none were even captured. They passed to the east of the Stirling plantation and the battle there.

Apparently the infantry at Stirling's were so involved with their own fight that they were not aware of what was happening to their cavalry. They observed a column of blue clad cavalry coming up the road from the direction of Norwoods. The federals supposed them to be the 6th Missouri until too late they determined that they were confederates dressed in uniforms captured from Brashear City. Vastly outnumbered, and assailed from both front and rear, the federals surrendered piecemeal. Leake had gone down wounded and had been captured, and there was no leadership left. Only a few managed to escape.

The Federals lost 16 dead, 45 wounded, and 454 prisoners. Confederate losses were 26 dead, 85 wounded and ten missing. Additionally, the confederates took two ten pounder parrot rifles with caissons, two new ambulances and one hospital wagon loaded with medical supplies, and all of the arms of the captured men. Green quickly consolidated his prisoners and spoils and moved back to the river, crossing it as quickly as possible. They were then marched to Alexandria, where they were held in the court room. From there they went through Natchitoches, Mansfield, Shreveport and finally arrived at Tyler in late October.

The continuing saga of the poorly clothed regiment is worth noting. They had not had an issue of clothing since before June of 1863. In December 1863 the enlisted men were marched from Camp Ford to Camp Parole in Shreveport, a distance of about 110 miles. They wintered at this Camp, and were marched back to Tyler in early March of 1864. After three weeks in Tyler, in anticipation of being paroled, they were again put upon the road to Shreveport, arriving at Greenwood, on the Texas-Louisiana border on the afternoon of April 8.

With the large number of prisoners taken at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, the parole negotiations stalled, and the 19th was held at Greenwood until early May, when they were marched back to Tyler again. An officer of the 19th Kentucky [US] noted in his diary how ragged the 19th was when they arrived back at Camp Ford. Finally, in early July, the 19th was among the first group of prisoners to be exchanged, and they were marched back to Shreveport, placed on Steamers, and transported to NEw Orleans.

The men had not had new clothing in over a year, and as prisoners had marched from Stirling Plantation to Tyler, from Tyler to Shreveport, back to Tyler, to Greenwood, back to Tyler, and then a final march to Shreveport in the same clothing. The images above were made before they were issued new clothing.

This article relating to the Battle of Stirling Plantation, Louisiana and related military activities in September of 1863 may not be copied without the permission of the author. Copyright ©1996 Randal B. Gilbert.