The Civil War hit Iowa like a fist. Then the shooting began.
At Shiloh, the woods became a slaughterhouse, as Iowa regiments crashed into the storm. The 2nd Iowa fought until it nearly got swallowed. The 6th Iowa pushed forward through fire and smoke. Men bit cartridges, rammed loads, and fired until powder coated their tongues. Lines shattered, re-formed, and surged again because the choice stayed the same: hold or break.
At Vicksburg, Iowa soldiers dug in under siege. The 21st Iowa charged into a wall of musket fire and kept coming. The 22nd and 23rd Iowa cut trenches deeper, traded shots with hidden rifles, and watched the city choke behind earthworks. The 26th Iowa arrived late and found the same grind?heat, sickness, exhaustion, and the steady crack of sharpshooters.
The campaign rolled through Louisiana into the Red River, where the war turned muddy and jagged. Iowa regiments shoved through bayous, fought in brutal spring heat, then fell back when everything unraveled. The 14th and 27th Iowa endured the retreat, paying for each mile in sweat and fear.
After the battles faded, Iowa units ended up in Texas, scattered along rivers and coastlines, guarding and patrolling. The 26th Iowa spent months there, far from home, trapped between boredom and sudden violence.
This book follows the war as Iowa soldiers lived it?Shiloh's chaos, Vicksburg's siege, the Red River's frustration, and the uneasy aftermath?told close enough to hear the shots.
