Seventh Iowa Cavalry
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{{Infobox military unit , unit_name= 7th Iowa Cavalry Regiment , image=Flag of Iowa.svg , image_size=100px , caption=Iowa state flag , dates= April 27, 1863, to June 22, 1866 , country=
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, allegiance= Union , branch=
Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
, equipment= , battles=
American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...
*
Battle of Killdeer Mountain The Battle of Killdeer Mountain (also known as the Battle of Tahkahokuty Mountain) took place during Brig. Gen. Alfred Sully's expedition against the Sioux in Dakota Territory July 28–29, 1864. The location of the battleground is in modern ...
*
Battle of the Badlands The Battle of the Badlands was fought in Dakota Territory, in what is now western North Dakota, between the United States army led by General Alfred Sully and the Lakota, Yanktonai, and the Dakota Indian tribes. The battle was fought August ...
*
Battle of Julesburg The Battle of Julesburg took place on January 7, 1865, near Julesburg, Colorado between 1,000 Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota Indians and about 60 soldiers of the U.S. army and 40 to 50 civilians. The Indians defeated the soldiers and over the nex ...
*
Powder River Expedition :''This event should not be confused with the Big Horn Expedition during the Black Hills War.'' The Powder River Expedition of 1865 also known as the Powder River War or Powder River Invasion, was a large and far-flung military operation of the ...
The 7th Iowa Cavalry Regiment was a
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
that served in the Union Army during the
Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States of America and Republic of Texas agains ...
. In Chapter IX of MacKinlay Kantor's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Andersonville" (1955), the father of one of the main characters is commissioned as a lieutenant in Company G of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry.


Service

The 7th Iowa Cavalry was mustered into Federal service at
Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...
, for a three-year enlistment between April 27 to July 13, 1863. On September 19, 1863, it was deployed to Omaha en route to the west. In 1864, three companies of the regiments were part of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel M. Pollock's 1st Brigade of Brigadier General
Alfred Sully Alfred Sully (May 22, 1820 or 1821 – April 27, 1879) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War and the American Indian Wars. He served as Brevet Brigadier General in the Union army ...
's District of Iowa. In this organization, these companies participated in the Northwestern Indian Expedition, fighting at the
Battle of Killdeer Mountain The Battle of Killdeer Mountain (also known as the Battle of Tahkahokuty Mountain) took place during Brig. Gen. Alfred Sully's expedition against the Sioux in Dakota Territory July 28–29, 1864. The location of the battleground is in modern ...
and in the
Battle of the Badlands The Battle of the Badlands was fought in Dakota Territory, in what is now western North Dakota, between the United States army led by General Alfred Sully and the Lakota, Yanktonai, and the Dakota Indian tribes. The battle was fought August ...
. Units of the regiment were at Camp Rankin on the South Platte in January, 1865 when more than 1,000 plains Indians attacked the fort and stage station at Julesburg during the
Sioux Wars The Sioux Wars were a series of conflicts between the United States and various subgroups of the Sioux people which occurred in the later half of the 19th century. The earliest conflict came in 1854 when a fight broke out at Fort Laramie in Wy ...
following the
Sand Creek Massacre The Sand Creek massacre (also known as the Chivington massacre, the battle of Sand Creek or the massacre of Cheyenne Indians) was a massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the U.S. Army in the American Indian Genocide that occurred on No ...
. In the
Battle of Julesburg The Battle of Julesburg took place on January 7, 1865, near Julesburg, Colorado between 1,000 Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota Indians and about 60 soldiers of the U.S. army and 40 to 50 civilians. The Indians defeated the soldiers and over the nex ...
, 14 men of the 7th were killed, including 4 non-commissioned officers. Company F of the regiment accompanied Colonel James H. Kidd's column of the
Powder River Expedition :''This event should not be confused with the Big Horn Expedition during the Black Hills War.'' The Powder River Expedition of 1865 also known as the Powder River War or Powder River Invasion, was a large and far-flung military operation of the ...
in 1865 to the Powder and Tongue river valley's in
Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...
and
Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...
. The regiment was mustered out of Federal service on June 22, 1866.


Total strength and casualties

A total of 1420 men served in the 7th Iowa at one time or another during its existence. It suffered 1 officer and 21 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 1 officer and 74 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 97 fatalities.


Commanders

*
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
Samuel W. Summers *
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
Herman H. HeathIowa Genweb Iowa in the Civil War Project after Logan, Guy E., Roster and Record of Iowa Troops In the Rebellion, Vol. 1


See also

*
List of Iowa Civil War Units This is a list of American Civil War units from Iowa which fought in the Union Army. A total of 48 infantry regiments, nine cavalry regiments, and four artillery batteries were raised from Iowa. Infantry * 1st Iowa Infantry Regiment * 1st Iowa I ...
*
Iowa in the American Civil War The state of Iowa played a significant role during the American Civil War in providing food, supplies, troops and officers for the Union army. Prelude to war Iowa had become the 29th state in the Union on December 28, 1846. Settlers had defea ...


Notes


References


The Civil War Archive
*Ware, Eugene

Being a Fragment of the Early History of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming", Crane & Company (1911)
Eugene Ware Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...
was the most junior officer in the regiment when on September 19, 1863, it was deployed to Omaha en route to the
Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States of America and Republic of Texas agains ...
. Units and formations of the Union army from Iowa Military units and formations established in 1863 1863 establishments in Iowa Military units and formations disestablished in 1866 Military units and formations of the United States in the Indian Wars