The 37th Iowa Infantry Regiment Was Made Up Of Men Between The Age of 45 & 80 Years Old !

Davenport Daily Gazette (Davenport, Iowa) 18 Sept 1862

Phillip Flannery was at a best guess 50 years of age when he enlisted in the newly formed 37th Iowa Infantry in December of 1862. The reason for the confusion lies in the different ages he gives on several census records but as it happened his then perceived advanced age was not an issue for him in late 1862. The newly formed regiment he had joined was completely unique in the history of the US Civil War in that it comprised of men who were over forty-five years of age.

At that age these men were normally exempt from the obligations of military duty. As a result of appeals from the political establishment and in particular the Governor of Iowa, who was intent on not only embarrassing younger men into enlisting but proving that men above normal military age were more than willing to volunteer, permission was given by the US War Department to allow this new and unusual regiment to be raised.

As a result of its makeup this new unit became known and designated as the “Greybeard Regiment.”. The military hierarchy’s plan for the estimated 1,000 men of the 37^th​ was as provost guards, logistics & train supply guards, or guards at prisoner of war camps which in turn would release younger soldiers back to regular military service. Accounts at the time say that the age of the men varied from the youngest at 45 to the oldest, Curtis King, who claimed to be 80 years of age. Later descriptions of King state he was over 6 feet tall, blind in one eye, but still possessing a lot of stamina and a willingness to accept the hardship of a soldier’s life. He was said to have Fathered at least 21 children when he enlisted ! In June of 1863 due to illness he was released from the Army and Curtis King died only a few weeks later as one of the earliest casualties within the regiment.

Curtis King (1783-1863) – Find a Grave Memorial – 37th Iowa Infantry

Philip Flannery was born and raised in Dunkerrin in County Offaly, Ireland. In 1831 he married Honora Tracey, who was from just across the county border in the neighboring Tipperary. Their marriage is registered in the Clonmacnoise Parish Register as is the births of 2 children, Mary in 1832 and James in 1835. Before emigrating to the United States in the 1840’s at the height of the Irish Famine one of their children had died and even more tragically the second child died during the arduous sea journey to the new world and was buried at sea. The notorious “coffin ships” of the famine period had claimed another victim.

04243/02, Clonmacnois – Catholic Parish Registers at the NLI – Phillip Flannery & Honor Tracey (Marriage 1831)

02479/01, Moneygall – Catholic Parish Registers at the NLI – Mary Flannery (Baptism 1832)

On arrival in America the couple first settled in Galena, Illinois and were able to secure a plot of farm land from the government. They began farming in what was then an area of harsh wilderness still inhabited by Native American tribes and over the next few years the couple would have 3 children. As the railroads began to expand Phillip took the opportunity to work on the new network and the families circumstances began to improve with this change of employment.

The town of Galena would in fact have a huge and historical connection to the US Civil War and to the entire path of American history. Ulysses S Grant would arrive in the town in early 1860 to work in his Fathers leather store as a simple clerk. He was, at this point in his life, struggling for any direction but only 5 years later Grant would be hailed as the greatest Union hero of the Civil War and would eventually, in 1869, be elected the 18th President of the United States.

Phillip Flannery and his family would not be in Galena to get acquainted with Grant as by the early 1850’s the Flannery family were again on the move. Presumably following the ever expanding railroads, and the employment gained as a result, the family next re-located to what was then the new state of Iowa and to the town of Anamosa. It was in the state of Iowa where the family would settle down and continue to prosper. By 1860 Phillip had opened a grocery store and the family were thriving. But in April 1861 the US Civil War ignited and Phillip Flannery took the fateful decision to enlist in The 37th Iowa “Greybeards”.

1860 US Census Image | findmypast.ie – Phillip Flannery, Anamosa, Iowa

The 37th first duties would be in in St. Louis, Missouri guarding Confederate prisoners at Gratiot Prison. The soldiers housed at Gratiot later described the solders of the 37^th​ Iowa as “old gentlemen – kindly and fatherly.” But those first few months of service were during the harsh winter of 1882-63 and some of the older men began to suffer as a result. The initial enthusiasm for army life was severely dented and by February of 1863 almost 200 men from the regiment had either died or had been discharged due to disability. In May of 1863 “The Greybeards” were transferred to guard duty on the Pacific railroad line running from St. Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri and in January 1864 were again transferred, this time to Rock Island, Illinois where once again they were assigned to guarding Confederate prisoners.

While the 37th were never intended to see combat they did find themselves in “the line of fire” on one occasion. In June of 1864 as the men were repositioned to Memphis, Tennessee to guard vital supply wagons they were attacked by Confederate Guerrillas as they moved to Holly Springs, Mississippi. The 37th returned fire on the rebels and kept control of the supply train but three of the defending “Greybeards” were killed and four others were wounded. These 3 men were the only combat deaths for the 37th Iowa during the Civil War.

Towards the end of 1864 Phillip Flannery’s company was transferred to the state of Ohio and to Camp Chase in Columbus where they were again tasked with guarding a huge population of Confederate prisoners. Up to 8,000 inmates were held at Camp Chase and with such a large number of prisoners crowded in a relatively small area outbreaks of deadly diseases were commonplace. While serving at Camp Chase Phillip Flannery became very ill and in January on 1865 was transferred to the US Army Hospital at Gallipolis, Ohio. He was suffering from severe diarrhea caused by Dysentery no doubt due to the unsanitary conditions rampant at Camp Chase. Phillip Flannery died at Gallipolis Hospital on the 21st January 1865 only a few months before the end of the Civil War. He is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio and was only 53 years of age at the time of his death.

Sometimes during our research into Offaly men who served on both sides of the US Civil War we have had occasions where the realization strikes home that fellow Offaly men were in fact in close proximity to each other during fighting. On this occasion the coincidence is an even more amazing one. One of the men being housed in Camp Chase during the period Phillip Flannery was on guard duty was a young Confederate soldier named Michael Guilfolye. He was the son of Patrick Guilfoyle whose story we published on this site in February of this year and astoundingly Patrick Guilfoyle also originally hailed from Dunkerrin, near Moneygall in County Offaly.

Private Michael Guilfoyle also became sick while being housed at Camp Chase and passed away, also from Dysentery, in February of 1865 only a short few weeks after Phillip Flannery. Two Offaly families who originated from a small area on the border of the county were both forever, but similarly, altered by their involvement in the US Civil War. It would be really nice to know if these two men ever knew of each others existence while at Camp Chase or the connection they shared. If it was not the case we at least now have uncovered their previously hidden but linked story and can record it here as a fitting memorial to both men.

Confederate Soldier Patrick Guilfoyle From Moneygall – A Louisiana Plantation Owner – Americasoffalyheroes

For Honnora Flannery the death of her husband only a short time before the end of hostilities must have been a very bitter pill to swallow. She would receive a pension granted to her husband upon his death in 1865 and would divide her time living with her daughters for the rest of her days. Honnora Tracey Flannery died on 18th November of 1889 at 84 years of age. Her obituary published at the time was a fitting tribute to a woman who had endured so much with bravery during her life.

     

On July 21st 1914 the last surviving member of the original 1,000 strong regiment of “Greybeards” passed away in Johnston County Iowa at 96 years of age. John Michael Anson was originally from France and came to the United States in 1840 eventually settling in the state of Iowa and, just like Phillip Flannery, enlisted in the 37th Iowa Infantry in December of 1862.

Those men from different countries who enlisted to prove that age was not a barrier to being a good soldier more than proved their worth to the Union cause during the US Civil War. Phillip Flannery enlisted in a regiment that was then considered to be full of old men and it is ironic and profoundly sad that, in todays terms, he in fact lived a short albeit very eventful life. Hopefully Phillip Flannery from Dunkerrin died a very proud “Greybeard”.

By Kevin Guing

2nd July 2025

For more on this soldier visit his page : Phillip Flannery – Americasoffalyheroes

12-27 U.S. Army General Hospital – Remarkable Ohio

Philip Flannery (1812-1865) – Find a Grave Memorial

Hannora Hannah Tracey Flannery (1805-1889) – Find a Grave Memorial