Organized at Burlington and mustered in July 17, 1861. Moved to Keokuk August 3, thence to St. Louis, Mo., August 9, and duty there till September 19. Attached to Dept. of Missouri, to March, 1862. 1st Brigade, 5th Division, Army Tennessee, to May, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, Army Tennessee, to July, 1862, and District of Memphis, to November, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, District of Memphis, 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of Tennessee, November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Memphis, 13th Corps, to December, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 17th Army Corps, to January, 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps, to March, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Corps, to May, 1863. 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Corps, to July, 1863. 4th Brigade, 4th Division, 15th Corps, to September, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 15th Corps, to September, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Corps, to July, 1865.

SERVICE.-Moved to Jefferson City, Mo., September 19, 1861. Fremont's Campaign against Springfield, Mo., October 7-November 9. At Sedalia till December 9. Moved to Lamine Bridge November 9, thence to Tipton January 22, 1862, and duty there till March 7. Expedition to Crump's Landing, Tennessee River, and operations there March 7-14. Expedition from Savannah to Yellow Creek, Miss., and occupation of Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., March 14-17. Battle of Shiloh April 6-7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. March to Memphis, Tenn., via LaGrange, Grand Junction and Holly Springs June 2-July 21. Skirmish with Forest July 2. Provost duty at Memphis till November. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November, 1862, to January, 1863. Tallahatchie march November 2-December 12. At Grand Junction and duty along Memphis & Charleston railroad till June, 1863. Regiment mounted. Expedition to Hernando, Miss., April 17-26, 1863. Holly Springs April 17. Scout from LaGrange into Northern Mississippi April 29-May 5. Salem May 20. Expedition to Senatobia, Miss., May 21-26. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., June 9-14. Siege of Vicksburg June 14-July 4. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 4-10. Birdsong Ferry, Big Black River, July 4-6. Jones' Ford and Messenger's Ferry July 6. Queen Hill July 7. Siege of Jackson July 10-17. At Big Black till September 25. Moved to Memphis, thence march to Chattanooga, Tenn., September 25-November 20. Operations on Memphis & Charleston railroad in Alabama October 20-29. Battles of Chattanooga November 23-25. Tunnel Hill November 23-24. Mission Ridge November 25. Pursuit to Graysville November 26-27. March to relief of Knoxville November 28-December 17. At Scottsboro, Ala., till April, 1864. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May 1-September 8. Demonstration on Resaca May 8-13. Near Resaca May 14. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Chattahoochie River July 6-17. Battle of Atlanta July 22. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Ezra Chapel Hood's second sortie, July 28. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesborough August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Pursuit of Hood into Alabama October 1-26. Snake Creek Gap October 15. Ships Gap October 16. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Griswoldsville November 22. Ogeechee River December 7-9. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Salkehatchie Swamps, S. C., February 3-5. South Edisto River February 9. North Edisto River February 12-13. Congaree Creek February 15. Columbia February 16-17. Lynch's Creek February 25-26. Battle of Bentonville, N. C., March 20-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 9-13. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D. C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June. Mustered out July 21, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 8 Officers and 144 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 126 Enlisted men by disease. Total 280.

John G. Scoville's account of the 6th Iowa's travels:
We ware sworn in to the united States
Servis [sic] at Burlington Iowa July the 17 1861, went to Keokuk thence to Jefferson Barracks
then to St Louis then to Lafayett [sic] Park in rear of St Louis then to Tipton Mo then to
Jefferson City then to Syracuse then to Warsaw then to Springfield then to Sedalia then to
Lamien crossing on Lamien River whare we wintered the first winter then to Tipton then
to Syracuse then to St Louis then by boat to Cairo then up the Ohio River to Paduka then
up the Tenn River to / Pittsburg landing whare we helped fight the Battle of Shiloh then
visited our Corinthan brothern then to Lagrange then to Memphis then to yockney [sic] and
talahochee [sic] then to Holly Springs then to Lafayett [sic] then to Moscow then to Grand Junction
then to Lagrange then to Memphis then to down the Miss River to Snyders Bluffs on the
yazoo River then to Jackson then to Big Black River then to Vixburg [sic] then to Memphis
then to Corinth then to Rogersville then up Elk River went up it 50 miles to cross it then
to Florance [sic] on the Tenn River then to Iuka then to crossed the Cumberland Mountains /
then to Bridgeport then to Lookout Mountain then to Chattanooga then to Mishinary [sic]
Ridge then to Cleveland then to Charleston and Calhoon [sic] then to Athens then to some
crossing near Knoxville then to Athens then to Bridgeport then to Chattanooga then
Steverson then to Scottsborough [sic] where we wintered and reinlisted [sic] then home on veteran
furlo then renedsvoos [sic] at Davenport then by the way of Chicoga to Jeffersonville then to
Louisville then to Nashville then to Steverson then to Chattanooga then commences the
campaign through Georgia went through / Snake Gap, Resaca, Kingston, Dallas, Big
Shanty, Marietta, Atlanta, East point, then to Griswillville then to Fort Mccalister then to
Beaufort SC then to Columbia then to Gordonsville then to Goldsborough then to
Washington City then to Louisville Ky.