Mapping my Ancestor’s Civil War Experience in the 37th Iowa Infantry - The Graybeards

Nearly all of us with roots in the United States dating to the Civil War probably have at least one ancestor who fought for either the Union or the Confederacy. Yes, that's right: even you. Have you ever thought about that? That the Civil War wasn't just some collection of battles you learned about in high school, but was actually a major experience lived by one of your own family members?

If you're a history buff, then you'll probably also be elated when I tell you that you can actually trace your ancestor's Civil War experience and visit all the places they would have visited over a century ago.

Before I walk you through how I mapped my 3rd great grandfather’s Civil War journey, you will want to check out these two resources; they’ll help you start mapping your own ancestor’s experience:

➡️ Using Muster rolls to Map your Ancestor’s Civil War Journey

➡️ What’s in a Civil War Service Record?

At this point, I've gone through my third great-grandfather George R West's service file and pension file, and I've had a read through of the fantastic book "The Graybeards: The Family of Major Lyman Allen during the American Civil War" - it even included a photo of George that I had never seen before! I now feel confident in my understanding of the history of the 37th Iowa Infantry, or the Graybeards, and my ancestor's role and movements within the regiment. So, in true Roam Your Roots fashion, I put it all on a map.

Iowa

The first point on the map in George's Civil War journey, which I sourced from the muster rolls in his service record is Dubuque, IA where he enlisted on September 1, 1862. A little over a month later, the 37th Iowa Infantry was ordered into quarters at Camp Strong, near Muscatine, IA. Today there is nothing honoring Camp Strong other than a small stone marking where the camp once was.

Missouri

On December 26, 1862 the regiment departed Camp Strong by rail en route to St. Louis, MO where they arrived in the early days of 1863. Notably, George was marked absent on the muster rolls on December 31st, when the regiment would have ostensibly been on a train en route to St. Louis. How this is possible, I'm not sure, and I'm not sure I'll ever know. Either way, he did eventually make his way to St. Louis where his regiment was stationed for the next six months.

For the first few days the 37th was stationed at Benton Barracks, located where the St Louis Fairground Park is today, and eventually relocated to Schofield Barracks, the location of which I have yet to discover (if you know, leave a comment down below!)

Illinois

By the end of July the 37th had finished their duties in Missouri and were to report to Alton, Ill. According to Major Lyman Allen's letters (which you can read in "The Graybeards: The Family of Major Lyman Allen during the American Civil War), George was left in charge of the regiment for some time at Alton while Col Kincaid was away - and this was, apparently, not a welcomed leadership move by the rest of the infantrymen, least of all Major Allen. He writes:

...the officers and soldiers seem to be well pleased to see Col. Kincaid back. It will not take one half as much red tape to tie up things in proper shape now as it did when West was trying to show off to good advantage by issuing his 10 orders per day. You know that I never thought much of gentility without ability, and I think just as little of a commanding officer who has no ability to command a regiment. West has the least knowledge of military tactics of any officer that I ever saw for a man who occupies the position he does.

In January of 1864, the regiment was ordered to move again, this time to Rock Island, Ill. They were housed in the town of Rock Island for three weeks until the Rock Island prison was opened, and that is where the 37th Iowa Infantry seemed to lose all respect. An inspector described the Graybeards as "decrepit old men and the most unpromising subjects for soldiers I ever saw."

In fact, a letter in George's service file indicates that he was brought under arrest in May 1864, when he would have been at Rock Island. At first, I was stunned by this until I came to realize through reading Major Lyman Allen's letters that the men of the 37th were putting each other under arrest at any chance they could get! A bit more research led me to discover that the 37th kept sanitation so poor at Rock Island that diseases supposedly traveled down river, where men of another regiment were stationed. They became so ill that the captain had no choice but to call for the arrest and court martial of those in charge at Rock Island - including my 3rd great grandfather.

Tennessee

Finally, in June of 1864, they were ordered to leave Rock Island en route to Memphis, TN. In a letter dated June 22, 1864, Major Allen notes that George's 40 days of being under arrest had ended - the arrest clearly never amounted to anything other than a confiscation of his beloved sword which, Major Allen notes, George was eager to have back in his possession.

But you know the saying - you win some, you lose some. George may have gotten his sword back in Memphis, but Memphis was sure to take something away before the regiment left Tennessee: his hearing. George's entire invalid pension application is based on his deafness, which he says incurred on or around July 15, 1864 due to shelling within close range of where the regiment was stationed.

Indiana & Ohio

One month later, the regiment was ordered to proceed to Indianapolis, IN where George was to be in charge of 5 companies guarding Camp Morton. On September 24, 1864, they moved to Columbus, OH where George and his companies were assigned to guard Camp Chase.

According to letters in George's service file, in April of 1865, George and his companies were ordered to remove to Cincinnati, OH - specifically Kelton Barracks where Col Kincaid was stationed - where they arrived on April 10. He was then instructed to take his companies to stand guard at Lytle Barracks.F

And finally, on May 16, 1865, George was finally given orders to report to Davenport, IA to muster out of service.

For a genealogist with a particular interest in geography, mapping out George's movements was incredibly fun; and for a person with terrible midwest geography knowledge, it was also incredibly educational! If you're interested in how I went about making this map, I filmed the process; you can watch the video below. I would highly recommend anyone with Civil War genealogy to challenge themselves to make a similar map and see where it will guide you!