Civil War Service
During the Civil War, he served as an officer in the 2nd Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry. He was promoted from Captain of Company B to Major of the First Battalion on September 13, 1861, then to Lieutenant Colonel in 1862. He participated in the final stage of the Battle of Island Number Ten near New Madrid, Missouri, and saw combat during the Siege of Corinth, the Battle of Iuka in northeastern Mississippi, and the Battle of Collierville, Tennessee. From time to time he was also assigned as an inspector of cavalry for the Army of the Cumberland and, due to his legal experience, served as an acting inspector general and court martial president or judge advocate for troops in the lower Mississippi River theatre.
He was mustered out on October 3, 1864, upon the expiration of his term of service. He moved his family to Memphis, Tennessee before returning to Iowa in 1867, to a home in Clarinda.
Read more about this topic: William Peters Hepburn
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