While these two portions of the regiment were engaged upon the expedition as
heretofore described, the men and officers who had not re-enlisted and whose
term of service had expired were mustered out of the service and returned to
their homes in Iowa. The names of these soldiers will be found in the subjoined
roster, with the dates of their honorable discharge by reason of expiration of
term of service.
they had, in fact, become veterans, although not so officially designated. They
had faithfully served the their term of three years, many of them were not in
physical condition to be again mustered into the service, and all of them had
earned the right to retire with honor and without being subjected to criticism
by comparison with their comrades who remained have the official right to the
title of
Veterans, and are so designated in the roster, the lack of that title should not
be considered as a disparagement to those who did not re-enlist when their
original term of three years had expired.
The reunited Veterans, under command of Colonel John W. Noble, remained in
camp at Louisville while preparations were being made for the next and last
great campaign in which they were to engage.
The regiment was assigned to the First Brigade of the Fourth Division of the
Cavalry Corps, commanded by Brevet Major General James Wilson. The division was
under the command of Brevet Major General Emory Upton, and the
brigade-consisting of the Third and Fourth Iowa and Tenth Missouri Cavalry was
under the command of Brevet Brigadier General Edward F. Winslow. The three
regiments numbered about two thousand four hundred men and officers. It was
especially fitting that these regiments, which had so long been associated
together, should be retained in the brigade and commanded by an officer under
whom they had fought so often and in whom they implicit confidence.
It was evident that this last struggle was to be a desperate one. The cavalry
forces of the enemy were under the command of Lieutenant General N. B. Forrest,
of whose ability and courage no troops on the Union side had better knowledge
than those composing Winslow's Brigade, which had so often fought the rebel
forces under command of that intrepid Southern leader.
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