David Landis was reportedly born in Indiana in 1839. He volunteered for service in the newly formed 18th Iowa Infantry on 15 August 1862, a unit to which his brother, John, had recently been commissioned Captain of Co. D. David was also to serve in this company which formed in Clinton, Iowa and mustered into Federal service in early August 1862. He kept a small 3 x 5 in. "leatherette" pocket diary with (unfortunately) pencil notations for the short time he was in service. Many of the pages are lists of supplies (needles, thread, suspenders, paper envelopes) or members of Company D. One supply list predates service, being marked January 1862. About halfway through the book, he starts a journal, but only one page is noted for Oct. 1862. He started doing a bit better in December, with entries for the 12 through 18. Occasionally he mentions drills or other activity, but the 18th Iowa was assigned to the Federal garrison at Springfield, and saw little action in those first months. Although a rail line had not yet reached the town, it still served as an important depot for the Western and frontier forces. About the first of the year 1863, Confederate General John S. Marmaduke was made aware that there was a (his report said) lightly guarded depot in Springfield, one that the Confederates could easily overpower, gaining arms, wagons, mules, etc. So with General Shelby and Col. Emmett McDonald, he decided to make the short trip from Arkansas into Missouri, take the loot and flee. It turned out not to be so easy. Although the Union did not have the regulars on hand, there were some Missouri State Militia units nearby, plus a number of MSM men who lived in the area and were home on leave, and, one of the more interesting "units," there were hundreds of men in hospitals around the Springfield area. When word arrived that Marmaduke was headed their way, every able-bodied man responded. The Federals ended up arming dozens of civilians and any militiaman on leave in the region responded. Surgeon S.H. Melcher recruited 300 hospitalized men who could stand for a bit, including some artillery members, and they made up the "quinine brigade." Eventually, Springfield's defenders nearly equaled Marmaduke's forces. Marmaduke had sent one column under Col. Joseph Porter to come into Springfield from the east, to arrive on the 10th, but things moved quickly and Porter was unable to reach the town in time to be of any aid. The hastily cobbled-together defenders managed to save Springfield. The battle did not help the Landis brothers, however. Both were listed as severely wounded. John recovered from his wounds, and resigned his commission at the end of February. David was discharged for wounds in May. He returned home, but the reunion records indicate that he died of his wounds 12 Dec. 1863, after over 11 months of suffering. Other items in David's journal include records of the money he borrowed from John and two lists of names under "Letters sent and received" in which he marks each person's name when a missive exchange occurs. David was a "list maker," and there are lists for days of work and pay for those, other supply lists, and numbers, the meaning of which have been lost. Overall a bit light on the battle news and light and hard to read, but a rarity from the Western Theater and a soldier who barely served for half a year. Condition: Water wrinkling of some pages.
David Landis was reportedly born in Indiana in 1839. He volunteered for service in the newly formed 18th Iowa Infantry on 15 August 1862, a unit to which his brother, John, had recently been commissioned Captain of Co. D. David was also to serve in this company which formed in Clinton, Iowa and mustered into Federal service in early August 1862. He kept a small 3 x 5 in. "leatherette" pocket diary with (unfortunately) pencil notations for the short time he was in service. Many of the pages are lists of supplies (needles, thread, suspenders, paper envelopes) or members of Company D. One supply list predates service, being marked January 1862. About halfway through the book, he starts a journal, but only one page is noted for Oct. 1862. He started doing a bit better in December, with entries for the 12 through 18. Occasionally he mentions drills or other activity, but the 18th Iowa was assigned to the Federal garrison at Springfield, and saw little action in those first months. Although a rail line had not yet reached the town, it still served as an important depot for the Western and frontier forces. About the first of the year 1863, Confederate General John S. Marmaduke was made aware that there was a (his report said) lightly guarded depot in Springfield, one that the Confederates could easily overpower, gaining arms, wagons, mules, etc. So with General Shelby and Col. Emmett McDonald, he decided to make the short trip from Arkansas into Missouri, take the loot and flee. It turned out not to be so easy. Although the Union did not have the regulars on hand, there were some Missouri State Militia units nearby, plus a number of MSM men who lived in the area and were home on leave, and, one of the more interesting "units," there were hundreds of men in hospitals around the Springfield area. When word arrived that Marmaduke was headed their way, every able-bodied man responded. The Federals ended up arming dozens of civilians and any militiaman on leave in the region responded. Surgeon S.H. Melcher recruited 300 hospitalized men who could stand for a bit, including some artillery members, and they made up the "quinine brigade." Eventually, Springfield's defenders nearly equaled Marmaduke's forces. Marmaduke had sent one column under Col. Joseph Porter to come into Springfield from the east, to arrive on the 10th, but things moved quickly and Porter was unable to reach the town in time to be of any aid. The hastily cobbled-together defenders managed to save Springfield. The battle did not help the Landis brothers, however. Both were listed as severely wounded. John recovered from his wounds, and resigned his commission at the end of February. David was discharged for wounds in May. He returned home, but the reunion records indicate that he died of his wounds 12 Dec. 1863, after over 11 months of suffering. Other items in David's journal include records of the money he borrowed from John and two lists of names under "Letters sent and received" in which he marks each person's name when a missive exchange occurs. David was a "list maker," and there are lists for days of work and pay for those, other supply lists, and numbers, the meaning of which have been lost. Overall a bit light on the battle news and light and hard to read, but a rarity from the Western Theater and a soldier who barely served for half a year. Condition: Water wrinkling of some pages.
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