The Civil War's "Greybeards"

From the August 10, 2014, Listverse "10 Oldtimers Who Kicked Ass in Wartime."

This is just one of the ten, the one that applied to the Civil War.

The 37th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment was known as the "Greybeards."  They were made up of men who were past the age of military service but fir and healthy enough to serve.

The regiment was the brainchild of George Kincaid, a 50-year-old farmer.  By 1862, the number of Iowa's volunteers was dwindling..  Kincaid's idea was to raise a regiment of men of a certain age to show "a wonderful experience of loyalty and patriotism."  The hopes were that these "Greybeards" would shame the young into volunteering.

Many on the original roster were in the 60-70 age range and one was even 80.

Their primary task was garrison duty and guarding prisoners.  They did have deaths, but that came from disease.

One of them was Anton Busch, a German immigrant who was 52.  (Part of the Anheiser-Busch folk?)

--Old Secesh