Young Adulthood: The Civil War
Charles Robert enlisted twice during the Civil War. He enlisted first from Prairie Grove, Clarke Co., Iowa on 26 July 1862 and belonged to Co B, 18th Regiment, Infantry (Iowa). The unit was mustered at Clinton, Iowa, on 5 August 1862. This would have occurred about 3 months before his twentieth birthday.
The 18th Regiment was commanded by COL John Edwards, while the officers in Co. B were CPT William M. Duncan, 2LT James M. Boreing, and 2LT William Stonaker. The unit went to Sedalia, Missouri, then to Springfield, and later went to Fayetteville, Arkansas, before returning to Springfield.
He apparently did not rise above the rank of private and did not participate in any significant skirmishes during the war. Charles was discharged for disability on 27 January 1863, Springfield, Missouri. Discharge Register Dept. of the Missouri showed him discharged for "phthisia pulmonalis." The record for the regiment mentioned that many soldiers were afflicted with disease, primarily measles. It can be reasoned that Charles Robert had measles pneumonia, a serious and sometimes fatal disease in adults.
| Total enrollment | 1127 | |
| Killed | 28 | |
| Wounded | 79 | |
| Died of wounds | 9 | |
| Died of disease | 113 | |
| Discharged for disease, wounds, etc. | 253 | |
| Buried in national cemeteries | 89 | |
| Captured | 63 | |
| Transferred | 15 |
He again enlisted for service on August 22, 1863 while residing at Hopeville, Clarke Co., Iowa, into Co. H, 9th Cavalry (Iowa) and was mustered out in Little Rock, Arkansas, on 3 February 1866. The 9th Cavalry was organized on 7 September 1863 under the command of LTC Mathew M. Trumbull and was only involved in minor skirmishes until the end of the war.
| Total enrollment | 1353 | |
| Killed | 9 | |
| Wounded | 15 | |
| Died of wounds | 10 | |
| Died of disease | 165 | |
| Discharged for disease, wounds, etc. | 89 | |
| Buried in national cemeteries | 100 | |
| Captured | 10 | |
| Transferred | 11 |
U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles:
Name: Charles R Garrett
Residence: Hopeville, Iowa
Age at enlistment: 21
Enlistment Date: 22 Aug 1863
Rank at enlistment: Private
State Served: Iowa
Survived the War?: Yes
Service Record: Enlisted in .
Enlisted in Company H, Iowa 9th Cavalry Regiment on 22 Aug 1863.
Mustered out on 03 Feb 1866 at Little Rock, AR.
Birth Date: abt 1842
Sources: Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of Rebellion
See Appendix 2 for a history of the 9th Cavalry Regiment.
Charles Robert Garrett, date unknown
Assumed to have been taken while in the cavalry regiment because of the sword.
He would not have had a sword in an infantry unit.
Charles’ brother, Wesley Green(e) Garrett, was killed by the Indians in Nebraska near Ft. Kearney on July 22, 1864. Wesley was operating as a freighter on the Oregon Trail. At the time of his death, he left behind a wife Lucy and one daughter, Emma Jane, AKA Mamie. For more details on this tragedy, please see Appendix 3.
After the war he belonged to the William Dufur Post #297, Murray, Clarke Co., Iowa, which existed from 28 May 1884 until 2 December 1931. (Grandson Doyle E. Garrett –“When Charles Robert was mustered out of the Army, they let him off the train in Creston, Iowa. It was cold and it was dark. He walked the twenty plus miles home to Macksburg, Iowa.”)