Saturday, 28th–Our regiment was mustered for pay at 9 o’clock this morning, and at 10 o’clock we had general inspection with all accouterments on, by the inspector general of the Seventeenth Army Corps, General William E. Strong.[1] I got an order today from the captain on the sutler for $1.50.
[1] Iowa may well be proud of the Third Brigade of the Sixth Division, Col. M. M. Crocker commanding. It is composed of the following troops, Viz.: The Eleventh, Thirteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Iowa Infantry. It turned out for inspection 1,935 rank and file. *** Since I have been a soldier, it has so happened that I have seen many brigades of many different army corps, both in the Eastern and Western armies, but never have I seen a brigade that could compete with this Iowa brigade. I am not prejudiced in the slightest degree. I never saw any of the officers or soldiers of the command until the day when I saw them in line of battle prepared for inspection. *** I cannot say that any one regiment of the brigade appeared better than another—they all appeared so well. The Eleventh was the strongest. It had 528 enlisted men and 20 officers present for duty, the Thirteenth 470 enlisted men and 22 officers, the Fifteenth 428 men and 29 officers, the Sixteenth 405 men and 33 officers. In the entire brigade there was not to exceed a dozen men unable to be present for inspection.—Roster of Iowa Soldiers, Infantry, Vol. II, p. 279.