In commemoration of the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862), in which many Iowa soldiers died, historian Timothy Walch corrects a statement that many people, including myself, had believed to be true. It’s reprinted here for the record. Walch’s full piece can be read here.
For generations thereafter, Iowans would proudly brag of having shouldered more than their share of the burden. Some went so far as to claim that, per capita, Iowa had sent more soldiers to the war than any other state in the Union. Unfortunately, that boast was not true. In his award-winning book, Bright Radical Star, historian Robert R. Dykstra gives credit to Iowa for sending nearly half of its prewar white military-age population off to war. He also adds, however, that four northern states had higher percentages of service per capita than Iowa.
The Centerville Daily Iowegian wrote about Iowans’ participation in a re-enactment of the battle.
Ulysses S. Grant had ordered the Iowans to hold their position at all costs. They did, for six hours — enough to enable the Union to organize its lines and win the battle the next day.