very vague ideas of each other-the days when ladies and gentlemen in their carriages went out to see the South whipped in a half hour at Bull Run, and came back in unseemly haste, uncertain whether they could ever be whipped or not; while the South, with their chivalric pride, only wanted one stroke at the hated " Yank " to subdue him forever. The result was that when the committee returned with the news and the assurance that the governor would accept one company from Story County for " three years, or during the war," the second call, the Rebellion was seen in a new light-it was no holiday affair, but a bloody reality. The spontaneous uprising was very perceptibly cooled, and the ranks of volunteers thinned out. Those May days on the Story prairies were crowded with perplexities and uncertainties. News traveled westward slowly and conflicting reports, with more or less vague ideas of the stupendous character of the war, the conflicts of personal interests, and other things, often, no doubt, made it a matter of intellectual judgment rather than patriotism, subject to change with better information.
A company could have been formed at once, however, but Capt. S. B. McCall, of Boone, had raised a company and it was desired that these should be consolidated, as but one company would be received from this region. Capt. McCall and about forty men came on to Nevada and reorganized with the following officers: Captain, John Scott; first lieutenant, S. B. McCall ; second lieutenant, W. A. Wise, of Iowa Center. " There was quite a scramble for those offices," says Col. Scott, " but the war lasted long enough to enable those who were disappointed on this occasion to satisfy their ambition by getting like positions in other organizations." The company was enrolled as Company E, Third Iowa Infantry, on May 21, 1861, scarcely a month after the firing on Sumter, and was ordered to Keokuk at once to join the regiment. It took about a week to finish all preparations. There were ninety-five men at first; eight were added afterward; several were from other counties. It may be of interest to know who the Story men among them were: Capt. John Scott, George W. Crosley (who afterward became first lieutenant), W. A. Wise, Robert J. Campbell, Jesse R. Wood, Thomas Dent, Nathaniel Jennings, Samuel A. Daniel, Guilford Mullen, W. H. McCowan, Jesse Bowen, E. B. Craig, W. H. Casebolt, David H. Dill, Mich. D. Deal, J. N. Dye, Thomas M. Davis, Charles F. Ellison, Joseph A. Fitzpatrick, W. W. Fitzpatrick, George W. Groves, E. F. Hampton, H. H. Hally, George Jones, Ed. D. John, I. N. Johnston, Charles B. Maxwell, J. H. Miller, I. U. Riddle, Moses J. Riddle, John Sessions, John U. Schoonover, L. M. Vincent, W. R. White, W. C. White and Asa Walker. The oldest of these was but forty-one and the youngest eighteen, while the most of them were in the twenties. The Keokuk rendezvous was 178 miles away. On May 28 they started in wagons, and on reaching Iowa Center were feasted in royal style. Four days later, on June 1, they reached Keokuk, and on June 8 were mustered into service by Lieut. Alexander Chambers, U. S. A. Their movements will be traced farther on.
National events were crowding upon each other very fast by this time, and after this first departure of troops from the county, the real situation began to be more fully realized. Every sort of opinion arose from the most rabid Abolitionist down to the avowed Secessionist, with a great bulk of stout Unionists between. Among those, at various times, who were prominent Union speakers were John Scott, T. C. McCall, G. M. Maxwell, D. P. Ballard, J. L. Dana, L.