My Genealogy Hound

ANDERSON, ISRAEL, was born in Greene Co., Penn., Feb. 28, 1815; came to Van Buren Co., Iowa, in 1837, thence to this county in 1840. In 1861, he was appointed Captain of Co. C, 3d I. V. C.; was engaged in the battle of Pea Ridge; the company were marching by columns of four: the rebels were coming from the right; Capt. A. looked about and cried out where is the Colonel? (Lieut. Col. Trimble had been severely wounded and compelled to leave the field.) Not seeing the Colonel or Maj. Perry, he gave out the following order, not found in cavalry tactics, in a loud and determined voice, “Fours right! draw revolver and give them hell, boys.” The order was promptly obeyed. One of Gen. Pike’s Indians just then fired at him from where he was lying on the ground in ambush; the ball missed the Captain, but struck his horse; the Captain, knowing his horse was hit, saw the Indian, fired at him with his revolver and also called to one of his men to shoot that scoundrel; his cavalry was repulsed, the company moved to another part of the field, and, in half a mile from where the Captain’s horse was shot, he dropped dead, and he immediately remounted another; next day, on looking over the field, several of Gen. Pike’s Indians were found dead, piled upon the very spot from whence his horse was fired upon and killed; Capt. A. was subsequently wounded at Batesville, Ark., in 1862. He is tall and straight, six feet two inches in height, with dark complexion and keen, piercing eye; he is generally known as old “Black Hawk,” with which chief and Keokuk and other leading Indian chiefs he was well acquainted. Capt. A. has been married three times; present wife was Sarah Hamilton. Has been twice Sheriff of Lee Co.