REPORT.

To His Excellency Samuel J. Kirkwood, Governor, and to the General Assembly of the State of Iowa:

GENTLEMEN: In obedience to the requirements of an act of the General Assembly, granting to the State Historical Society the sum of five hundred dollars annually, the Board of Curators would present the following Biennial Report for the period terminating December 1st., 1863. The period embraced in this report has been one of unparelled interest to us as citizens of this commonwealth, and of the great nation of which this is a component part. Almost every day of the past two years has come to us burdened with events most nearly concerning the existence and perpetuity of our free institutions-armies have been raised, and their thinned ranks again and again recruited; battles have been fought, victories won, and defeats sustained. On the great subjects of human freedom and the union of the States, public opinion has been day by day undergoing a grand crystalization, too grand for us to realize in the present age. In all this Iowa has borne an honorable and distinguished part. From her fertile prairies have gone forth 60,000 of her sons to battle for their country's flag, and their valor has been acknowledged in the most complimentary manner by the offiers of every army in which they have served. Their deeds of daring and heroic suffering constitute, even now, the pride and glory of our State; while next to these free institutions they have periled their lives to save, their history will be the most precious legacy that can be bequeathed to posterity. To us as officers of the State Historical Society, we feel that the past two years have come freighted to us with heavy responsibilities. Now, if ever, are to be collected those materials which shall constitute a complete history of the present times, for the actors in these stirring scenes are passing away with a mournful rapidity, and with them is too often lost to history that which should have enriched it. In view of the importance of this subject, the Curators

early adopted the plan of preferring a written request to the Chaplains of the various regiments of Iowa soldiers, that they would keep a minute and accurate journal for their regiments, in which they would record the various actions and marchings in which they might be engaged, and also all the little interesting incidents of camp and field. And whenever it has been possible, we have endeavored to press this matter upon their attention by personal interviews. Many other officers and intelligent privates have also been requested to give us, from time to time, an account of their doings, and to send to us such trophies and mementoes as may come into their possession. In many cases we have substantial reasons for believing that these requests are being complied with, and there is now accumulating in our halls quite a collection of flags, both loyal and rebel, and trophies of various sorts, many of them having a stirring individual history connected with them, as will be seen by reference to another part of this report.

Yet it is greatly to be regretted that many of those most actively engaged in the work of putting down the rebellion, are not awake to the importance of preserving the records we wish, thus greatly enhancing our labor, and leaving to be done by other hands that which they alone can do perfectly. In the third chapter of the constitution or the State Historical Society, it is declared to be a part of its object to "diffuse and publish information relating to the description and history of Iowa." From the lack of adequate funds this has been to a great degree impossible heretofore, and a large nuinber of histories of counties and other papers of a historic character, have accumulated on our shelves; but as there was a small surplus in the treasury at the close of 1862, it was thonght proper to commence the publication of a quarterly magazine devoted to this object, to be published in octavo form, each number to consist of not less than forty-eight pages, and the number of copies issued to be five hundred. Accordingly, the first number of the "Annals of the State Historical Society of Iowa" made its appearance in the month of April, 1863, and the last number for the year is just now issued. A copy of the same is herewith furnished. Owing to the limited state of our funds, it was deemed necessary to charge for this magazine the sum of fifty cents per annum; we had hoped that the returns from the subscription list would, in a large measure, cover the cost

of publication, but as we have not been able to employ an agent, hitherto, to canvas for subscribers, the list is yet but limited, and the returns of course meagre. An agent has now been employed to undertake this work, and we have little doubt but that his success will be such as to justify our first calculations. The main part of the "Annals" during the past year has been devoted to the history of Scott county, by Hon. Willard Barrows, of Davenport, a production of great value and interest to the student of the early history of Iowa. As soon as this is completed, it is intended to take the history of other counties; and so proceed as fast as our means will justify, to give publicity to all manuscripts of historic interest which are, or may hereafter come into our possession. We should not omit to mention that each number of the magazine contains a steel engraving of some of the pioneer citizens of the State. By reference to former reports of this committee it will be seen that it is a part of our plan to secure a portrait and picture gallery, in which shall appear the portraits of the early settlers and distinguished citizens of Iowa, and "views" of her landscapes, cities, etc. This plan was early adopted, and there is now in our possession a large number of pho· tographs, daguerreotypes and painted portraits of the kind desired. Promises have long since been received of portraits of all the Governors of the State and Territory, but they are not yet fulfilled. During the past two years special efforts have been made to obtain portraits of all the commissioned officers of the State who have entered the United States service, and considerable success has attended the effort. We now have in our gallery the photographs of a majority of the Iowa officers of the rank of Colonel and upward.

Mr. J. C. Buttree, engraver, of New York City, has donated to the Society more than one hundred fine steel engravings of the leading civilians and military men of the Nation, together with those of a few foreigners. These have been handsomely bound in a large quarto volume. We regard this as a very interesting feature of our work, and when it shall be still farther increased by the addition of those now promised, will be a source of pride to our State. In regard to the condition of the library and cabinet, owing to the death of Dr. Wm. Reynolds, who filled the office of Corresponding Secretary and Librarian for the first half of the term now reported for, we are not able to present the exact number of pamphlets, bound

volumes, trophies, natural curiosities, etc., that have been added since the last report. The addition in all these respects during the last year have been large. According to the report of the present librarian, the number of volumes received during the past year has been 460; number of pamphlets and papers, besides regular newspaper files), 152; articles for cabinet, 189. We would call your attention to a few only of the more important items in this report. From the Secretary of the Interior, we received at one time, 374 bound volumes, embracing complete sets of documents relating to the 35th and 36th Congress, together with other volumes of interest; from Joel Munrell, Esqr., publisher, of Albany New York, we received twenty bound volumes, and a large package of pamphlets, relating principally to the early history of New York; from Col. John Shane of the 13th Iowa regiment, a copy of "Dousat's Civil Law," in two large folio volumes, London edition and translation, published in A. D. 1741, a very rare and valuable work; from Howe & Taylor, publishers, of Marshalltown, five copies of the history of Marshall county, in pamphlet form; from Chief Engineer Thos. J. Jones, of the United States steamship Triconderoga, a very valuable collection of curiosities, obtained on the coast of Africa. From the Army we have received the flags of the 1st, 2d, 10th, 15th and 30th regiments of Iowa Infantry, together with several company flags. Most of these were accompanied by a letter giving their history, in brief, and all of them bearimg marks of honorable service. We have likewise received the flag of General Curtis, borne through the Arkansas campaign. To Maj. Gen. L. J. Herron we are indebted for the present of a rebel flag, which floated over the court house in Van Buren Arkansas, while he was held there as a prisoner; from

the flag of the 4th Texas Cavalry, a very handsome one, having a palmetto trece neatly worked in green silk, in the center of the field. There are three other rebel flags in our possession, and all of these were taken in action by Iowa soldiers. We have also an increasingly large collection of bowie knifes, muskets, pikes, chains, and other trophies, many of them having an individual history well worth preserving. Capt. D. J. Davis, of Company A., 22d Iowa, has sent us many articles of interest, such as rebel papers, muster rolls, etc. Mrs. Annie Wittenmeyer has also favored us in like manner with rebel papers and correspondence, one of