Of the fifty regiments of brave and loyal troops that went out from Iowa to battle for the right in the Civil War; none had a more brilliant career or shed a brighter light upon the State or Nation; than the Seventh Iowa Veteran Volunteer I nfantry. From the time of its first engagement; General Grant sfirst battle of the War of the Rebellion; Belmont; Mo.; November the 7th; 1861; to the Grand Review at Washington at the close of the war; its name and fanae was ever prominently before the country. No regiment was more a pride among the lovers and defenders of the Union none more emphatically a terror to its foes. Yet; of the brave deeds of the gallant men of this regiment; of their varied experiences joyful or painful; of their hardships and trials; of their toilsome inarches and campaigns; of their martyred dead and their honor ed living; no connected published record has been made. Without which it must have soon passed into oblivion; or have lived in the uncertain recollections of the participants of those stirring scenes. To rescue its memory from obscurity has been my ambition. To me it has been a labor of love; without hope of reward pecuniarily. At the request of a large number of the regiment; in reunion assembled; I was persuaded to make this; my first literary attempt. I have endeavored in the general writeup to give a truthful review of the service of the regiment. It was my for tune to have been a member during its entire service and with it on the fighting line. The mortality on the battlefield was not exceeded by any regiment from the State and only equalled by one. It was one of the few veteran regiments from I owa; in the sense of two enlistments. I have been assisted by many officers and men who have furnished me their personal diaries; memorandums and sketches; for which I am under many ob ligations. I make no claim to literary ability; but(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)
#5919924 in Books 1972 #File Name: B0006W6TKM555 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great Old Time BookBy victor vignolaI'll qualify this by stating that I enjoy reading Regimental History's and veteran's accounts - which may or may not be a sign of a personal shortcoming. Such books hold a special place for me as in that one senses the veteran telling his story or the story of his military brothers for all generations. Regimental history readers know that as well as a treasure trove of first hand information; there is also always an occasional element of historical inaccuracy that sometimes creeps into any of these books. But that's why these books are to be used as a source for information and not as THE definitive end of story narrative. This book was written by Capt. C.A. Stevens - THE historian of Berdan's U.S. Sharpshooter's in 1892. It was republished by Morningside Books in the 1980's. It is a thick book (over 500 pages) and it includes an appendix with complete rosters of those that served with the men that wore green. As with any Civil War regimental history; there is an element of humor; camp stories; hardship and some exaggerations that creep into the recounting of the events. But when one realizes that this history is being written by a veteran to share the story of bravery and experiences that this proud regiment experienced throughout the Civil War (Berdan's men were with the Army of the Potomac from the Peninsula Campaign through Appomattox); it becomes a historical novel of sorts. Stevens writes in a way that emotes the feeling that he's sitting in a chair in the room telling a story. He recounts stories of individuals and his recollection of wartime conversations. He moves the reader from campaign to campaign; vignette to vignette. For battlefield stompers; it is useful to read his sections about the experiences of the Sharpshooter's at various stages or battles and then go to the actual site and walk the ground that they trod. That is not hard to do since Berdan's men were involved in approximately 65 engagements. For sure this book is not for everyone - especially those that want the macro-view of every battle. However; it is a good read for those that desire to know some of the soldier's stories and personal perspectives from that era.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Dry factual accountBy APersonalOpinionThis is a very choppy; dry account of Berdan's sharpshooters. While some first hand accounts are included somehow the author manages to achieve more of a dry regimental history than a compelling first hand account of what should be a very unique Civil War era story.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Book ReviewBy Gordon DudaA must read book for US sharpshooter enthusiasts and reenactors. The book is a first hand account of soldier's lives and the battles involving the Berdan's regiments. Nothing is more intriguing to me; than reading the words of one who was there.
