If it were asked how many men Iowa furnished during the same period, for the Navy, the records of the Departments in Washington and of the Adjutant General's office of Iowa might be searched in vain for a satisfactory answer. Yet, this information must be obtained in some way and with reasonable accuracy, else Iowa's war history can never be fully written. Several of the States, notably Ohio and Massachusetts, have moved in this direction by appropriating money with which to pay the expense of gathering this data, in order to be able to complete their war records. Every State that furnished men for the Navy during the war should follow their example.

The writer of this article has spent much time searching the records of the Navy, War, and Treasury Departments for the data he now furnishes, and while he does not pretend that full credit is given Iowa for the number of men she furnished to the Navy, yet as a whole it is approximately correct. That part relating to officers is full and correct, while that relating to men before-the-mast must be considered as only approximately correct as to numbers.

As an Adjutant General “Nat" Baker was peerless. The system of records inaugurated and maintained by him was equal in every particular to that of any other State. Indeed. the war records of Iowa have been praised by the most competent critics as models. That they do not furnish the name. and service record of every man who served in the Navy from Iowa, is because there was no authorized recruiting for the Navy done in the State during the war period. Had there been a recruiting station for the Navy established in Iowa. doubtless a complete record of the work done by such station would be found in the Adjutant General's office. Unfortunately no such station was established. The sons of Iowa who entered the Navy in preference to the army, went away from the State to accomplish their purpose. Some went to St. Louis, others to Chicago and Cincinnati, where there were Naval recruiting stations, while others applied direct to vessels and were taken aboard and duly shipped. Thus the records

of such recruits became necessarily scattered, and Iowa failed to receive credits due her. The writer has endeavored to gather up the records and put them in substantial form for preservation.

The States lying on the seaboard and on the lakes furnished a large per centum of the men who served in the Navy during the war, yet twenty-nine States contributed to the whole number. The total number of enlistments for the Navy during the war, credited and not credited, was 121.954. The number of enlistments at rendezvous in the several States, and on board United States vessels, for which no credits are reported, is 20,177.

During the war Iowa had four officers of the line in the regular Navy. These were Lieutenant-Commander John G. Walker, Lieutenant George C. Remey, Lieutenant William

R. Bridgman and Ensign James Wallace. Lieutenant-Commander Walker was born in New Hampshire and appointed to the Navy from Iowa, in 1855, as acting Midshipman, and was made a Midshipman, June 9, 1859. He was attached to the U.S. Steamer "Connecticut" when the war began, and was transferred to the steam gun-boat Winona," West Gulf Blockading Squadron, in 1862. He bore a conspicuous part in

the dramatic passage by Forts Jackson and St. Philip and the capture of New Orleans. After the capture of that city he pushed on up to Vicksburg and engaged in the first operations against that strong-hold. His vessel ran by the batteries twice, and helped to demonstrate that the gunboats could, at that time, silence the batteries, but for want of a land force could do no more. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander, July 16, 1862, and commanded the Baron De Kalb" in her useful and brilliant career until she was sunk by two torpedoes below Yazoo City, in 1863. In the attack on Fort Hindman, or Arkansas Post, he showed himself to be a most skillful and brave commander. This fort was built with the best engineering skill, and heavily case-mated with railroad iron. It mounted thirteen heavy guns, among which were two teninch Columbiads and one nine-inch Dahlgren. In the advance upon this strong fortification, which commanded an unobstructed sweep of the narrow river for a mile or more, the "De Kalb" was in the advance and gradually worked her way up to within 150 yards of the fort. This movement was successfully repeated the second day of the fight. The firing by the fort and the boats was as deliberate as in target practice. The fight was furious from the beginning to the ending. Every gun in the fort was either dismounted or destroyed by the gunboats. No handsomer duel was ever fought between armored vessels and an iron case-mated fort at short range. Lieutenant-Commander Walker was cordially praised by Acting Rear Admiral Porter for his skill and bravery in this fight. Immediately following the surrender of this work, Lieutenant-Commander Walker commanded the fleet up White River, which compelled the evacuation of St. Charles, and pursued the fleeing rebels as far up as Duvall's Bluff, forcing them to abandon much property which fell into his hands. He was in the famous Yazoo Pass expedition, and participated in the attack on Fort Pemberton, Dromogould's Bluff, in the two attacks on Haines' Bluff, and commanded the first expedition up the Yazoo,

which cleared the river and destroyed a large quantity of rebel property. For this successful expedition, Acting Rear Admiral Porter commended him by reporting that "he deserved much credit for the handsome manner in which he performed this duty." Subsequently he commanded a fleet, and in conjunction with General Frank J. Herron, who commanded a land force of 7.500 men, ascended the Yazoo River to drive out General Johnston, who had fortified Yazoo City. The rebels were driven out and their rear guard captured. After the engagement the "De Kalb" was moving slowly along and ran foul of a concealed torpedo which exploded and sunk her. While she was sinking a second torpedo exploded under the vessel's stern, shattering her so that she sunk in fifteen minutes. There were no casualties, but the officers and men lost all of their personal effects. The Commander-in-chief of the squadron in his report of the expedition, says: "We were somewhat compensated for the loss of the De Kalb' by the handsome results of the expedition, which, in part, consisted in the loss to the enemy of all the guns left on the Yazoo, eight hundred thousand dollars worth of steamers, five hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of cotton, and much more in stores." Before Lieutenant-Commander Walker was transferred to the steam gunboat "Saco," on duty in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, he commanded a naval battery in the 15th army corps at the siege of Vicksburg. He was in command of the "Saco" at the capture of Wilmington, North Carolina, and other forts during 1864-6.

Among the younger officers of the regular Navy, there was not one who made a more brilliant and praise-worthy record during the war than this son of Iowa. He is at this writing a hale and vigorous man, and is regarded as the Chesterfield of the United States Navy. He has attained the highest rank possible in time of peace, that of Rear Admiral.

George C. Remey was born in Iowa and was appointed a cadet, September 20, 1855. He was commissioned a Lieutenant, August 31, 1861, and served in the steam gunboat,