William R. Sargent, a native of Indiana and resident of Clayton, Iowa, enlisted at age 19 in Company I, 4th Iowa Cavalry on February 11, 1864, and was mustered into service the same day.

The 4th Iowa Cavalry saw extensive service in Arkansas and Mississippi, including the siege of Vicksburg, Brice’s Cross Roads, and Tupelo, and participated in several battles and skirmishes during General Sterling Price’s 1864 raid through Missouri. The 4th Iowa’s last major engagement was at Selma, Alabama, on April 2, 1865.

Sargent was mustered out with the regiment in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 8, 1865.

Little is known of Sargent’s life after the war. By 1880, he was living in Joplin, Missouri, working as a lead miner, and by 1890 in Aurora, Missouri.

He died on September 21, 1908, in Joplin, Missouri, and is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Joplin.

Carte-de-Visite by Campbell and Ecker, Louisville.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31955