Dubuque, Iowa in the Civil War

This most recent trip to this Mississippi River town, I learned a bit of the town's Civil War history at the Old Jail Museum.

In the presentation, I learned that Confederate prisoners were at one time held captive in the basement (dungeon) below the old jail. The person working the desk didn't know anything about them though.

Touring the attached museum, I also found that a fairly large Northern training camp was also located there called Camp Union. They also have a large flag carried by the local regiment that fought at the Battle of Wilson's Creek.

--Old Secesh

Dubuque, Iowa's Role in the War

From the April 15th Dubuque (Iowa) Telegraph Herald.

Dubuque was the home of two medal of Honor winners: Francis J. Herron who won his at the Battle of Pea Ridge and George W. Healey, who captured 7 Confederates July 29, 1864, at Newman, Georgia. He himself was later captured and imprisoned at Andersonville.


From the April 13th Dubuque Telegraph-Herald.

Dubuque had a training facility for local troops.

The first one was at Camp Union located on the bottomland adjacent to lake Peosta on the Mississippi River. It opened for instruction in August 1861. The 9th and 12th Iowa were recruited and trained there.

By September, there were some 600 soldiers there and ten barracks. It closed December 1861, but reopened again in July 1862 as Camp Franklin. The 21st, 27th, 32nd and 38th Iowa regiments trained there.

A total of 120 men in the 21st were from Dubuque.

Soldiers from Grant County later became part of the Iron Brigade and trained at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Hawkeyes getting Into It. --Old B-R'er