mexicanwar

In 1846, during the administration of President James K. Polk, occurred the war with Mexico. A number of citizens of Johnson county enlisted in the army at that time, some of them serving in Mexico, while others were on duty elsewhere to take the place of “regulars” that had been sent to the front. A company of cavalry was made up mostly at Iowa City, who fully expected to go to Mexico when they enlisted, but instead were sent to Fort Atkinson on the Minnesota frontier, to watch the hostile Indians, in place of the regular army troops that had been sent from there to Mexico. The following are the names of the Johnson county men, as far as learned, who were members of that company:

Capt. Philip Shafer, now of Washington township.
J. R. Kimball, now of Iowa City.
Ebenezer Sangster, now of Lucas township.
W. Dollarhide, gone away.
A. J. Beason.
Elisha Ricord, now of Dallas, Texas.
M. Frye, gone to California.
Joseph M. Clemmens, deceased.
Phileas Harris, deceased.
W. F. Buck, now of Union township.
John Shaff, gone.
George W. Hess, deceased.
H. Harless, gone to California.
J. Milton Seydel, now of Scott township.

Other Iowa City men who were Mexican war soldiers, but not in the above company are:

A. R. Sausman, afterwards lived in Linn County, and now lives in Illinois.
Served in Company K, Fifteenth U.S. Infantry.

Samuel H. Thompson, walked from Iowa City to Muscatine, and enlisted there.
Served in Company K, Fifteenth U. S. Infantry.

Samuel Cole, now of Iowa City, was disabled in the Mexican war and draws a pension on account of it.

Michael McInnery, now a groceryman in Iowa City, was in the battle of Chapultepec;
was wounded in the cheek, and also in the side; had a bullet cut out.

Lewis Swinehard and Wm. B. Hampton also served in
Company K, Fifteenth U. S. Infantry in Mexico.

Source: History of Johnson County, Iowa, 1836 - 1882. Iowa City, Iowa, 1883, pages 525-526.