Pvt. Thomas R. Pipes

Company F of the 17th Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry

Thomas R. Pipes was the son of  John Pipes and Elizabeth (Thomas) Pipes of Howard and Schulyer County, Missouri. he was born in Howard County on March 30, 1840 but in the 1850 Census of Missouri his parents are living in Schulyer County, Missouri. We are still working on connecting his parents to one of the Missouri families. In the early 1860's Thomas was living in Palmyra, Warren County, Iowa where he signed up for the Iowa Volunteer Infantry. Palmyra is a small community just SE of Des Moines about 10 miles. He was assigned to the 17th Iowa and was mustered in at Keokuk, Iowa in the far SE corner of the state on March 28th, 1862 as a member of Company "F". His enlistment describes him as 5' 10 1/2" tall, with dark complexion and blue eyes and dark hair. A short description of the activities of the 17th is given below.

In the Special Census of 1865 in Donophan County, Iowa Twp., Kansas, Thomas is listed as 25 years old and in the home of John Pipes. This census says Thomas was a Soldier of the war and was born in Missouri. 

In his pension application Thomas states that he was wounded on May 14, 1863 in Jackson, Mississippi in actions that preceeded the siege of Vicksburg. His wound was a serious gunshot to the left thigh and it apparently bothered him for the rest of his life. He describes it as contributing to his discomfort and being rheumatoid and bothersome.

Thomas re-enlisted with the 17th as a veteran of the war in March of 1864 and served out the war until his discharge at Louisville in July of 1865.

After the war he married Adeline Sherwood on Nov 15th, 1866. The marriage took place at White Cloud, Doniphan County, Kansas and was performed by Rev Thomas Moore. Adeline was known as "Addie" most of her life and was a native of  St. Joseph, Missouri, being born there on September 19th, 1847.

They lived in White Cloud from the time of their marriage until 1881 when they relocated to the town of Leon in Butler County, Kansas. The only record of children is mention of a son named John who was born on March 2, 1868 in White Cloud and had apparently died before Thomas' application for pension in 1898. Both Thomas and Addie lived the rest of their lives in Leon and are buried there in the Leon cemetery. Thomas died on June 24, 1926 and Addie died on April 18, 1933. A local man named Arlo Rousseau and his wife were apparently taking care of Addie in her last days as they applied to the government for relief of some of her pension to settle debts after her death. There was no mention of any surviving children.

An interesting note is that on Thomas' death certificate it lists his occupation as a retired Engineer. I do not know if that is a railroad reference or something else at this point.

17th Regiment Infantry

Organized at Keokuk March 21 to April 16, 1862, and mustered in April 16, 1862. Left State for St. Louis, Mo., April 19.

Attached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of Mississippi, to November, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 7th Division, Left Wing 13th

Army Corps (Old), Dept. of Tennessee, to December, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 7th Division, 16th Army Corps, to January, 1863.

2nd Brigade, 7th Division, 17th Army Corps, to September, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 17th Army Corps, to

December, 1863, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 15th Army Corps, to April, 1865. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 15th Army Corps,

to July, 1865.

SERVICE.--Duty at Benton Barracks, Mo., until May 5, 1862. Moved to Hamburg Landing, Tenn., May 5-7. Advance on and

siege of Corinth, Miss., May 8-30. Action on Corinth Road May 29. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 12. Camp at Clear

Creek, near Corinth, until August 15. Expedition to Ripley, Miss., June 27-July 1. Moved to Jacinto August 15, and duty

there until October 2. Expedition to Iuka, Miss., September 18-20. Battle of Iuka September 19. Moved to Corinth

October 2. Battle of Corinth October 3-4. Pursuit to Ripley October 5-13. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November

2, 1862, to January 10, 1863. Duty at Bray's Station guarding Memphis & Charleston Railroad until February 8, March to

Memphis, thence moved to Helena, Ark., March 2-3. Yazoo Pass Expedition and operations against Fort Pemberton and

Greenwood March 13-April 5. Moved to Richmond, La., April 17-20. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April

25-30. Battles of Port Gibson May 1; Raymond May 12; Jackson May 14; Champion's Hill May 16; Big Black River Crossing

May 17. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Fort Hill Bastion June 25.

Surrender of Vicksburg July 4, and occupation of that city until September 9. Moved to Helena, Ark., September 9;

thence to Memphis, Tenn., September 29, and march to Chattanooga, Tenn., October 10-November 19. Battles of

Chattanooga November 23-25; Tunnel Hill November 23-24; Mission Ridge November 25. Pursuit to Graysville November

26-27. Provost and guard duty at Huntsville, Ala., December 22, 1863, to June, 1864. (Veterans on furlough April and

May.) At Tilton, Ga., July 2 to October 13. Attack on Tilton October 13. Regiment captured. Remnant Joined Sherman at

Savannah, Ga., January, 1865. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Salkehatchie Swamps, S.C., February

3-5. South Edisto River February 9. North Edisto River February 12-13. Columbia February 15-17. Lynch's Creek February

25-26. Cox's Bridge, N. C., March 19-20. Battle of Bentonville March 20-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance

on Raleigh April 9-13. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army.

March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June.

Mustered out July 25, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 66 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 121 Enlisted

men by disease. Total 194.

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