James Finley Wheatcraft- Iowa 40th Infantry, Company E

James Finley Wheatcraft worked hard and fought hard.  James was my great-great-grandfather.  Not much has been written about him but much can be surmised about him based on census and military records.  James was born in March 1843 in Perry County, Ohio.  He was the youngest in his family and had 1 sister and 3 brothers.  His father, Edward, and brother, Joseph, died within one day of each other (likely from disease) when James was 5 years old.  When he was about 16, he moved to Iowa with his mother, Deborah, and brother, Daniel.  Shortly thereafter, the Civil War began and James enlisted on August 15, 1862 at the age of 19.

Civil War Service
James served under John A Garrett as a private in Company E of the 40th Infantry Regiment out of Iowa.  His regiment was mustered into service November 15, 1862 and had about a month of drilling before he was sent to Columbus, Kentucky where the Confederate army was preparing an attack. The Confederates backed down and the regiment remained in Columbus during the winter.  Though the men saw no action, many became sick and died or had to be discharged during this time.  In March 1863, the men moved to Paducah, Kentucky where conditions were better and their health improved.  On May 31, 1863 Colonel Garrett received orders to move down the river and join General Grant's army in the Vicksburg Campaign but only as part of the army of observation.  After 6 months of service, the regiment still had not participated in combat.  During a 5-mile march to Mechanicsville, the men heard the sounds of artillery fire ahead and upon their arrival, the Confederate army was in full retreat.  No doubt the men of the Iowa 40th Infantry were anxious to put their months of drilling to the test.  Still, they played an important part in keeping the enemy forces away from Union troops during the Vicksburg Campaign.  On July 23, 1863, the regiment joined General Steele's army in the march on Little Rock and remained there for nearly a year.  One man in the regiment reported that at one point during the march to Little Rock only 219 men out of the regiment's 750 were able for duty.  In March 1864, the regiment joined General Banks in the Red River Campaign.  Finally the regiment saw action but this initiative was a Union failure and may have even extended the length of the war.  In early 1865, Colonel Garrett was assigned to the command of the District of South Kansas at Fort Gibson, where he and his regiment stayed until they were mustered out August 2, 1865.  During the course of the war, only 15 men in this regiment died in battle and 43 were wounded. However, 186 men died from disease, mainly malaria. 

James likely heard these words spoken from Colonel Garrett before going into one of the few battles the regiment encountered:

"Boys! we will probably have a little fight. Remember your own good name, and the fair fame of the glorious young State which sent you to the field. Don't tarnish them. Do you see that flag? Follow and defend it. Don't shoot at the sky; there are no rebels up there. That climate does not suit them. Aim low, and send them where they belong. That's all."

Following the war, James married Serepta Blackwood in 1867.  He and Serepta had a son, Oscar.  Serepta died before Oscar was even 2 years old.  James was faced with raising Oscar on his own while tending to about 80 acres of farmland.  James' own mother had passed away in 1866 so he couldn't turn to her for help as most widowed men would have done in that time. James married Helen Mariah Bishop within 6 months of Serepta's passing.  James and Helen had 8 daughters and 3 sons.  By 1880, James packed up his family and moved to Valley County, Nebraska. 

James Finley Wheatcraft and family circa 1887

Helen died in 1891 and James married Sarah Greene 7 years later.  Toward the end of his life, James was an active member of the United Brethren Church of Davis Creek, Nebraska.  James passed away January 10, 1918 at the age of 74 from heart trouble.  A tragic, recurring theme throughout James' life was death by disease--the death of his father and brother when he was young, the death of 2 wives and raising young children while tending to a large farm, and most notably serving nearly 3 years in the Civil War in a regiment that saw so much loss.  James was clearly a strong man both in physique and in character.

Sources:

-Roster and Record of Iowa Troops In the Rebellion, Vol. 5  By Guy E. Logan  found at http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/books/logan/mil709.htm

-The Union Army, Vol. 4

150 Years Ago

In honor of the beginning of the Civil War 150 years ago tomorrow, my next few blog posts will take a look at my ancestors who risked life and limb in service of their country.  Many associate the Civil War with slavery.  While abolishing slavery was definitely an important and central part of the Civil War, really, it was about even more than that.  The Confederate states wanted to secede from the Union and become a separate nation.  According to the Constitution, they had every right to secede.  But the North wasn't willing to give up those states without a fight.  And what a fight it was!  For 4 years, North fought against South.  Brothers literally fought against their brothers.  Some states were divided on which side to take.  Men fought out of moral obligation.  Other men fought in order to make money for their family.  For $300, a large amount in those days, men could buy their way out of fighting.  Some didn't want to fight but couldn't afford the $300 and were forced to fight or become deserters.  In the end, more than half a million soldiers lost their lives but the Union was victorious in preserving the integrity of the United States and abolishing slavery.  The damage was done and reconstructing the Southern states took another 12 years.