Representing: Union
20th IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: Summer, 1862 Camp Kirkwood Clinton, IA
Mustered In: 8/25/1862 Camp Kirkwood Clinton, IA
Mustered Out: 7/8/65 Mobile, AL
REGIMENTAL HISTORY:
The 20th Iowa was a three year, western theater infantry regiment. It departed the state on 9/5/1862 for Benton Barracks located near St. Louis, MO. From there it moved to Rolla and, later, Springfield.
Attached to a brigade, about 10/5/1862 the 20th made a forced march to Newtonia, MO. There it took up the pursuit of fleeing Rebel forces who had been defeated at that place.
The 20th then participated in various movements around Pea Ridge, AR. It concluded the year with the 12/7/1862 battle of Prairie Grove, AR. At Prairie Grove it charged up a hill, but was repulsed losing fifty out of the two hundred seventy men engaged.
With the dawning of 1863 the 20th marched and moved throughout Missouri and Arkansas, ultimately returning to Rolla, MO in April. From Rolla, the regiment travelled to Vicksburg, MS. When that Confederate fortress fell on 7/4/1863 the 20th was the first unit on the Union Army's left to plant its colors on the battlements.
After Vicksburg the 20th marched to Port Hudson, MS. There it experienced much sickness before moving on to Carrollton and the vicinity of Morganza.
In late October, 1863 the regiment moved towards Brazos, TX. From there it went to Mustang Island where, for three months, it performed garrison duties.
June, 1864 saw the 20th move to Brownsville, TX for more garrison duty. From there it sailed to New Orleans, LA. From there it travelled to Ft. Gaines, AL and, from there to the siege of Ft. Morgan AL. It then returned to New Orleans.
October of 1864 found the 20th at Devall's Bluff, AR. It passed time there and at Brownsville, TX until 1/8/1865 when it embarked on the campaign to capture Mobile, AL. At that city's Ft. Blakely the regiment was part of the assaulting column which carried the works. Remaining at Mobile, provost marshal (military police) duties preceded final muster.
REGIMENTAL LOSSES:
Officers Killed Or Mortally Wounded: 1; Officers Died Of Disease, Accidents, Etc.: 2; Enlisted Men Killed Or Mortally Wounded: 13; Enlisted Men Died Of Disease, Accidents, Etc.: 157.
SOLDIER:
Residence: Center Point, IA Age:
Enlisted/Enrolled: 8/14/1862 Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 8/23/1862
Discharged For Disability: 3/9/1864 New Orleans, LA
Highest Rank: Pvt.
Rank At Discharge: Pvt.
PERSONAL/FAMILY HISTORY:
NOTE: The birth - to - death biographical profile of David Taylor was created in September, 2021 during the Covid-19 medical pandemic. It contains less depth of detail than many other biographies within this website because military service, pension and other veteran-related files housed in Washington, D.C.'s National Archives were not available. At a later time those documents will be obtained and the data contained therein added to the narrative which follows.
____________________________________________________________________________________
David Nelson Taylor was born 12/9/1844. The place of his birth was Port Washington Tuscarawas County, OH.
Parenting David were Thomas Taylor (b. 2/10/12 Gnadenhutten Tuscarawas County, OH - d. 7/4/1891 Linn County, IA) and Mary (need Good b. 9/14/1813 Newton Muskingum County, OH - d. 7/16/1872 Linn County, IA) Taylor. The Taylors were farmers.
Thomas and Mary produced eight children. Of the eight, David was the third. Older than he were John Taylor (b. 10 /21/1836 Tuscarawas County, OH) and James Taylor (b. 9/30/1838 Gnadenhutten Tuscarawas County, OH). His younger siblings were: Henry Carr (b. 4/11/1847 Tuscarawas County, OH), Lucretia Jane Taylor (b. 7/17/1850 Linn County, IA), Frances Taylor (b. 5/28/1852 Linn County, IA), Jonathan Taylor (b. 4/22/1854 Linn County, IA) and Charles F. Taylor (b. 3/19/1856 Linn County, IA).
As noted by the states in which the Taylor children were born, after the 1847 birth of Henry and prior to the birth of Jane in 1850 Thomas moved his family from Ohio to Iowa. In the latter state census tallies for 1856 and 1860 denoted the Taylor address community in Linn County to be Otter Creek.
By the time he enlisted in the U.S. Army during 1862 it appears that David had left the family farm. Although he was still living in Linn County, his residential community as of August 14th was Center Point.
Private Taylor's enlistment period was three years. However, he did not serve that entire time. He was granted a disability discharge on 3/9/1864 while in New Orleans, LA. Without accessing his military service/medical records the nature of his disability remains an unknown.
Based on available documentation, after exiting the military David appears to have returned to residence in Linn County, IA. Exactly where, though, is unknown.
On 1/23/1866, in Linn County, IA, David married. His bride was Helen Mary Moore. Helen had been born in Center Point Linn County, IA on 9/30/1847.
During their years together David and Mary produced eight children: Drusilla M. Taylor (b. 2/3/1867 IA), Jessie Taylor b. 2/23/1869 IA), Mary Taylor (b. 8/16/1871 IA), Ernest Taylor (b. 2/1/1874 Fall City King County, WT - d. 1/1/75 Fall City King County, WT), Olive Maud Taylor (b. 4/2/1876 Fall City King County, WA), James Guy Taylor (b. 7/16/1879 Fall City King County, WT), Delbert Taylor (b. 10/16/1882 Fall City King County, WA) and Dick Taylor (b. 5/31 1886 WT). Five of the eight were living at the dawn of the twentieth century.
Looking at where the Taylor children were born, after the birth of Mary (8/16/1871) and prior to the birth of Ernest (2/1/1874), David and family quitted Iowa and removed westward to Washington Territory (WT). What had drawn the Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest and exactly when they arrived here are not known.
Arriving in the Seattle, King County area, the Taylors took up farming in or near the eastern King County communities of Snoqualmie and Fall City. The 1880 U.S. Census noted Snoqualmie while those of 1900 and 1910 reflect Fall City.
Helen Mary Moore Taylor died on 4/8/1904. No death certificate has been found for her, so the cause of the fifty six year old's demise and where she died are unknowns. She was/is, however, buried in the Fall City Cemetery.
In early 1907 David applied for and was granted a U.S. Government disability pension based on his days of Civil War soldiering. It appears that beginning on 3/6/1907 he received a twelve dollar per month stipend. By 5/1/1920 that payment had grown to fifty dollars per month.
Following Mary's death David remained in Fall City. IN 1910 he was sharing his residence with daughter Olive, two female boarders and an eighteen year old granddaughter.
By 1920 daughter Olive had married. She and her husband were residing with David, not in Fall City, but some miles north of there in Granite Falls Snohomish County, WA.
Former Union infantry Private David N. Taylor died on 6/15/1923 in Granite Falls Snohomish County, WA. Cause of the 78.6 year old's death was "general arteriosclerosis" with "myocarditis" contributing. He was/is buried with Mary in the Fall City Cemetery. In 1928 his final bivouac was marked with a U.S. military headstone.
Buried at Fall City Cemetery
©2024 Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State • All Rights Reserved.