Ben,

This was a fine fighting regiment from Iowa.

Donelson, which is 28 miles from where I live (and I regularly lead tours there for Civil War groups and the US Army), is a wonderful park and the area where Twombly planted his flag is a great spot in the park.

The 2nd Iowa was, at the time, part of Jacob Lauman's Brigade which also featured the 7th Iowa (who lost 50 per cent of their men, and I think their flag, at Belmont in November 1861) and Birge's Western Sharpshooters (then the 14th Missouri Infantry - later the 66th Illinois Infantry) which was the first sharpshooters regiment of the US Army in the Civil War. They were armed with Dimmick hunting rifles made in St. Louis.

Greg Biggs