Civil War Diary
Civil War Diary
Alonzo W. Fuller
Company D 21st Iowa
of Elkader, Iowa
August 9, 1862, I enlisted into the United States service in the company that Captain Boardman was recruiting.
18th - The company was full and we elected officers. Captain Boardman, Lieutenants Granis and Buttes and Orderly Sergeant Cooley. The same evening we had a ball and at 12 o’clock midnight the Lieutenants and 70 men started for Dubuque by way of Strawberry
Point, distance of 76 miles.
20th - Captain Boardman and 14 men started for Dubuque, took stage to Clayton got on a ferry boat at 11:00 p.m. and got to Dubuque at 2:00 p.m. on the 21st.
22nd - We were mustered into the United States Service and went into camp at Camp Franklin in the same afternoon.
September 9th, - We were mustered for pay.
16th - Started for St. Louis on the steamboat Henry Clay. It rained all the time till we got to Rock Island. There we stayed and go off and dried our things and stayed overnight, the next day we got on the boat again and went as far as Montrose and took the cars for Keokuk, at which place we embarked on the Hawkeye state and arrived at St. Louis on the 20th and went into camp at Benton barracks where we stayed overnight. The next day we had a grand review in the forenoon and in the afternoon got orders to go to Rolla. At 6:00 we marched about five miles to the cars and got ready to start at 10:00 p.m. and arrived at Rolla at sunrise on the 22nd and got tents and went into camp the same day, stayed there till
the 28th when we moved to camp Dunlap where we could get good water. We stayed there till October 19th. We started for Salem, marched 21 miles and camped overnight. Started the next morning before daylight and got to Salem at 11:00 a.m. a distance of 15 miles. Got dinner and then went into camp. We were assigned to General Warrens brigade.
October 31 - We were mustered for pay.
November 2 - The regiment started for Houston (Missouri). I with several others of our company were left at the hospital on account of not being able to march on the 9th. I started for Houston and got there on the 12th. Thirteen left Houston for Hartsville, marched ten miles and camped overnight. The next day marched 12 miles to Beaver Creek and camped. The next day marched 14 miles to Hartsville.
November 24 - The train was attacked and burned. George Chapman was killed and E. Russell and J.J. Robinson were wounded. John Lowe, Frank Ruff and J.J. Robinson taken prisoners and paroled. Jacob Haindell escaped uninjured, sixteen still was wounded the same night on picket.
December 2nd - Left Hartsville for Houston marched 22 miles. Arrived at Houston 3rd and went into camp.
January 9 1863 - About 300 men out of our regiment and 250 out of the 99 Illinois and some calvary and artillery left Houston under the command of Col. Merill to reinforce the garrison at Springfield. On the 11th we met the enemy at Hartsville and had a fight with them. Engagement lasted nearly all day and at night both sides retreated our forces going to Lebanon.
12th - Remainder of the troops at Houston started to reinforce our men at Hartsville and marched 30 miles there. We heard that they had all left Hartsville and fearing that the enemy would go around and try to take Houston we started back before daylight the next morning and got there at 4:00 p.m. The rest of the regiment got to Lebanon on the 12th and the 13th started for Houston and arrived there on the 15th pretty well used up having traveled 143 miles since this started the roads and weather being very bad.
25th - Started for West Plane marched 5 miles, found we were on the wrong road and came back. It snowed and the roads were very bad.
26th - At a.m. started again, marched 12 miles.
27th - Marched 18 miles over the Ozark mountains.
28th - Marched 11 miles.
29th - Marched 7 miles and got to West Plane whole distance 50 miles. There we found General with 13,000 men. It was very cold weather while we were there, the snow was six inches deep.
February 8 - The whole command started for Fran mountain and Pilot Knob. The 10th and 11th we layed over at Thomasville and started again on the 12th and on the 15th arrived at Eminence where we were payed off for the first time.
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