Voltaire P. Twombly

Voltaire P. Twombly
File:Voltaire Twombly.png Twombly in 1865
Born	(1842-02-21)February 21, 1842 Farmington, Iowa
Died	February 24, 1918(1918-02-24) Pittsburg, Iowa
Place of burial	Pittsburg Rural Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1861-1865
Rank	Corporal (at the time of Medal of Honor action), Captain (at end of war),
Unit	Second Iowa Infantry, Company K
Battles/wars	Civil War Battle of Fort Donelson
Awards	Medal of Honor
Spouse(s)	Chleo A. Funk (m. 1866)

Voltaire Paine Twombly (February 21, 1842 – February 24, 1918) was a veteran of the American Civil War and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Early Life

Twombly was born to Samuel Twombly and Dorothy Twombly (nee Wilder) on February 21, 1842, near Farmington, Van Buren County in the future state of Iowa. His father died in September of 1842, leaving Twombly's mother responsible for raising him. While growing up, Twombly was educated at several common schools and at the Lane Academy of Keosauqua.

Civil War

Twombly enlisted in the Union Army on April 24, 1861, after President Abraham Lincoln had called for soldiers to counter the secessionist Confederate States. On May 27, 1861, he was mustered into Company F of the 2nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment as a private in Keokuk, Iowa. In October, Twombly was promoted to the rank of corporal and assigned to the color guard.

On February 15, 1862, the 2nd Iowa Infantry attacked Fort Donelson in Tennessee. During the battle, Twombly picked up and carried his company's flag after the color sergeant and two other corporals had been killed or injured by the enemy. Twombly was knocked to the ground by cannon fire, but managed to carry the flag for the duration of the battle. For his actions during the battle, Twombly was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. His citation reads:

Took the colors after 3 of the color guard had fallen, and although most instantly knocked down by a spent ball, immediately arose and bore the colors to the end of the engagement.

Twombly carried his company's flag during the April 1862 Battle of Shiloh and participated in the Siege of Corinth, Mississippi as an acting second lieutenant. In October of 1862, Twombly received a knee injury during the Second Battle of Corinth. He was hospitalized and placed on leave for six weeks to help him recover from the injury. In 1863, Twombly's regiment was formally stationed in Corinth, and engaged in numerous actions against the forces of Confederate Generals Forrest and Rhodey.

In the fall of 1863, Twombly and the Second Iowa Infantry followed the forces of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman into Tennessee. Twombly's company spent the winter of 1863-1864 in Pulaski, Tennessee. In April of 1864, Twombly's company was placed under the command of General Sherman. Twombly went on to participate in the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to the Sea. He was promoted to first lieutenant in July of 1864 and to captain in November of 1864. While stationed in Savannah, Georgia in January 1865, Twombly was made the assistant inspector general of the Third Brigade of the Second Iowa Infantry.

In early 1865, Twombly and the Second Iowa Infantry marched North through the Carolinas and fought Confederate forces in Columbia, South Carolina and Bentonville, North Carolina. Twombly reached Goldsboro, North Carolina by the end of March and was present at the surrender of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston near Raleigh, North Carolina. Following the surrender, Twombly and the Second Iowa Infantry headed North to Washington, D.C., where they participated in a "grand review" of Union armies. Twombly was mustered out of service on July 12 in Louisville, Kentucky and formally discharged on July 20 in Davenport, Iowa.

Later Life

Following the Civil War, he opened a flour mill and later a retail store. He briefly served as mayor of Keosauqua, Iowa. From 1885 to 1891, he served as the treasurer for the state of Iowa. He would later serve as Home Savings Bank of Des Moines until his retirement in 1901. Sometime following his death in 1918, Twombly's Medal of Honor was donated to the Fort Donelson National Battlefield museum. The Twombly Building Museum in Keosauqua, Iowa, is named for Twombly. The building was originally built for Twombly in the 1870s, and presently hosts the Van Buren Historical Society Museum.

Twombly attended the Burlington Business College in Iowa and later married. Twombly became a flour merchant in Ottumwa, and then worked in the flour milling business at Pittsburgh, and later as a merchant in Keosauqua. Twombly entered public service, becoming the treasurer of Van Buren County for four years, serving as Keosauqua's mayor for almost a year, and as the Iowa State Treasurer from 1885 to 1891. Twombly was the president of a bank he founded in Des Moines from 1891 to 1908.