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1890 Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Story County, Iowa

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County, Va., October 17, 1840 His parents, William H. and Sarah V. (Hagy) Fitchpatrick, were also born there in 1814 and 1815, respectively. In 1842 the family removed to Clinton County, Ind., where they made their home until 1854, then located in Boone County, Iowa, and later in 1857 in Story County. The father and mother are still living, and now reside near Ames, Story County, Iowa. Joseph A., the eldest of eight children born to them, five of whom are living, spent his youth in attending the common schools and following the plow in Story County, sometimes teaching in winter. These occupations he laid aside upon Lincoln's first call for troops, and in May, 1861, enlisted in Capt. Scott's (afterward Col. Scott) Company E, Third Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry, for three years, with which he served until after the battle of Atlanta (having re-enlisted for the war), when it was consolidated with the Second Iowa Infantry, and became Company A of that organization. He remained with this regiment until the close of the war, engaged in active service from the start. During the summer, fall and winter of 1861 he was engaged in skirmishing all over the State of Missouri. He was in the battle of Shiloh April 6 and 7, 1862, where his regiment did valiant service, holding its line all day and repulsing every attack of the enemy. It was finally flanked and compelled to fall back, and in doing so, near 6 o'clock P. M., he, with a few others of the regiment including Maj. Stone, the commanding officer, fell in with the Iowa brigade, which a few moments afterward surrendered. He was a prisoner of war at Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the following ten weeks, when all the prisoners were paroled, but were not allowed to join their commands until exchanged several months later, during which time they remained in St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Fitchpatrick rejoined his regiment at Moscow, Tenn., in January, 1863, and later took part in the siege of Vicksburg, following which he went to Jackson, Miss., and was in the unfortunate and ill-timed assault on the enemy's works at that place July 12, 1863, in which more than one-half of those engaged were either killed or wounded. He was in Sherman's Meridian expedition in February, 1864, and was also in the Atlanta campaign, participating in the battles of Atlanta July 21 and 22, 18(34. On the last day, after five hours of stubborn fighting, he and several of his comrades were surrounded and captured. The only commissioned officer in the regiment at that time was killed the first day, and on the second day the regiment went into battle without a single officer to command, but did some of the most effective fighting of its whole term of service, literally fighting itself out of existence on that occasion. Mr. Fitch patrick, with the others then captured, was taken to that foul pen, Andersonville, and there subjected to the most inhuman cruelties and indignities ever inflicted upon prisoners of war by an enemy claiming any of the attributes of civilization. After remaining there ,three months, he was taken to Florence, S. C., where the treatment was no better, and on the 1st of March, following, was exchanged at Wilmington, N. C., having been reduced in flesh to a mere skeleton. From there he was sent to Annapolis, Md., and after a furlough home rejoined his regiment at Washington, D. C., in May, 1865, which soon after went to Louisville, Ky., and was there mustered out of service in July, 1865. Mr. Fitchpatrick was in the service for a period of four years and two months, during which time he was never sick or absent from duty with the exception of a while in prison and as otherwise noted. His career as a soldier was marked by loyalty and devotion to his country, and he returned to his home and friends with the consciousness of having fol-

Page 324 of 460

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