official end of the war as an occupation force. They were mustered out on August 13th, 1865. Overall the regiment suffered 15 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 3 officers. Another 176 men died of disease for a total of 194 casualties in a unit that was composed of 1442 men over its three-year existence. [12]
The Teamster
Little is known about John Henry Walkinshaw as a combat soldier. Due to an unfortunate accident his ability to serve was drastically diminished early in his military service. During their first winter the 8th Iowa Cavalry was stationed in Waverly, Tennessee as part of the defensive arrangements around the railroad. John was assigned to be a teamster. On or about January 1st, 1864 John was one of three teams that had been dispatched on a foraging expedition, along with a small detail as an escort. [15] With a wagon full of appropriated corn, John’s train was coming down a hill that was covered with sleet and ice. The teams became tangled. His saddle mule slipped on the ice, and threw John over a steep bluff where he fell 20 ft.[16] This fall resulted in serious injuries to his back.[7] John was helped back to camp, where an orderly [16] took him to the Regimental Surgeon. That surgeon (Mr. Gutherie) [15] lanced and cupped the wounds to draw blood from the bruised area. [17] John would state that he spent six weeks in the regimental hospital. [5] This claim was supported by other soldiers who remember him there, [5, 16] though the army would later assert that there were no official records that confirmed his hospital stay despite the private testimony of his comrades. [18] (The [continued on page 9]
©All rights reserved by Pathways in Genealogy. 2020. No part of this website/blog may be reproduced without the express written permission from the owner.
Little is known about John Henry Walkinshaw as a combat soldier. Due to an unfortunate accident his ability to serve was drastically diminished early in his military service. During their first winter the 8th Iowa Cavalry was stationed in Waverly, Tennessee as part of the defensive arrangements around the railroad. John was assigned to be a teamster. On or about January 1st, 1864 John was one of three teams that had been dispatched on a foraging expedition, along with a small detail as an escort. [15] With a wagon full of appropriated corn, John’s train was coming down a hill that was covered with sleet and ice. The teams became tangled. His saddle mule slipped on the ice, and threw John over a steep bluff where he fell 20 ft.[16] This fall resulted in serious injuries to his back.[7] John was helped back to camp, where an orderly [16] took him to the Regimental Surgeon. That surgeon (Mr. Gutherie) [15] lanced and cupped the wounds to draw blood from the bruised area. [17] John would state that he spent six weeks in the regimental hospital. [5] This claim was supported by other soldiers who remember him there, [5, 16] though the army would later assert that there were no official records that confirmed his hospital stay despite the private testimony of his comrades. [18] (The [continued on page 9]
©All rights reserved by Pathways in Genealogy. 2020. No part of this website/blog may be reproduced without the express written permission from the owner.
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