Muscatine Light Guards

Muscatine Light Guards - Inventory Number: MUS 201

The Muscatine Light Guards were a militia unit based in Muscatine, Iowa, a city along the Mississippi River. In the 19th century, local militia or “light guard” companies were common across the U.S., especially before the establishment of the modern National Guard. These units often had both military and social functions — they could be called into service in times of unrest or emergency, but also participated in parades, ceremonies, and drills.

These groups were seen as elite community organizations and were often well-uniformed and equipped. The ornate uniforms and formal posing in this image demonstrates the pride and prestige associated with membership.

At the onset of the Civil War in 1861, Muscatine men hurried to enlist, sending more men to the conflict than any other county in the state despite the fact that others had much larger populations. 

That same year, 18-year-old Shelby Norman of Muscatine was mortally wounded at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, the first Iowan to be killed in action on a Civil War battlefield. The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard. It is sometimes called the "Bull Run of the West."  Pictured at right is the Charge of the 1st Iowa at Wilson's Creek.

The recorded history of the county reports that in the Muscatine area in 1862 "the excitement of war continued unabated. Muscatine’s loyalty was kept up to the front. The empty sleeves, the crutch, the widow’s weeds, grew rapidly in numbers." 

That year, on April 6-7, 1862, the Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was fought in southwestern Tennessee. The two-day battle was the costliest in American history up until that time. Both sides were shocked at the carnage and no one suspected three more years remained in the War and eight larger and bloodier battles were yet to come.

"More Iowans died here than in any other battle of the Civil War and April 6 was the worst day in Muscatine’s history, marked by a casualty list that touched every neighborhood and left a legacy of empty chairs and widows’ weeds. [...] Muscatine remembered Shiloh simply because it couldn’t forget, and for 50 years the city celebrated Shiloh Day."

-Jeffrey Shay, Remembering the Battle of Shiloh, Muscatine Journal

In 1863, Alexander Clark helped organize Iowa's black regiment, the 60th United States Colored Infantry (originally known as the 1st Iowa Infantry, African Descent), though an injury prevented him from serving. (From the 1840s to the Civil War, Muscatine had Iowa's largest black community, consisting of fugitive slaves from the South and free blacks who had migrated from the eastern states.)

Muscatine continued to play a very active role in the Civil War through its conclusion. Archivally framed.

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Inventory Number: MUS 201