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Subject: [IOWA] 1903 Bio of James C. Parrott
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 10:19:38 EDT

James C. Parrott was born in Easton, Maryland, May 21, 1811. His father was
an officer in the War of 1812 but the son was trained for the mercantile
business. In February, 1834, he enlisted in the First United States Dragoons which
was largely composed of young men from wealthy and aristocratic families of
the eastern States. The regiment was sent to Fort Gibson in Indian Territory.
Its colonel was Henry Dodge and its adjutant Jefferson Davis. Young Parrott
was a sergeant in Company I, whose captain was Jesse B. Browne. The
organization of the regiment was completed in the summer of 1834. George Catlin, the
famous painter of Indian portraits and writer on Indian life, was with the
regiment on its Indian campaign. Three companies under the command of Colonel S.
W. Kearny were stationed at old Camp Des Moines the present site of Montrose.
The captain of Company B, was E. V. Sumner, afterwards a famous Major-General
of the Army of the Potomac. Captain Nathan Boone of Company H, was a son of
Daniel Boone of Kentucky. Parrott was with the expedition sent through
northern Iowa in 1835 to settle Indian troubles. Elsewhere some account of this
expedition is given. Sergeant Parrott was discharged from service in 1837 and
took up his residence at Fort Madison. He was intimately acquainted with Black
Hawk, the famous Sac chief, and an admirer of that great Indian leader. When
the Rebellion began Mr. Parrott raised a company which was incorporated with
the Seventh Infantry as Company E with him as captain. In the Battle of
Belmont he was dangerously wounded. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the
regiment commanding it in the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Corinth, and
commanded a brigade in the campaigns of the Army of the Tennessee, under
Grant, Sherman and Smith and participated in the battles on Sherman's march to the
sea. Colonel Parrott was promoted to the rank of brevet Brigadier-General at
the close of the war. He served ten years as postmaster of Keokuk which had
long been his home and where he died on the 17th of May, 1898.



Debbie Clough Gerischer
Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County
http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/
IAGENWEB: Special History Project:
http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm
Gerischer Family Web Site:
http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/

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