History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/Charles C. Horton
CHARLES C. HORTON was born January 13, 1839, at Goshen, Orange County, New York. He came with his father to Iowa in 1848, locating at Muscatine where he attended the public and private schools. In 1857 he returned to New York and entered Delaware Collegiate Institute at Franklin, graduating in the literary and scientific course in 1859. In 1861, Mr. Horton enlisted as a private in Company A, Second Iowa Cavalry, where he won rapid promotion to first lieutenant. In June, 1862, he was promoted to captain and was in command of a battalion most of the time until he was commissioned major in 1863. He was in command of the regiment at times and in 1864 was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. From this time he was in command of the regiment or a brigade until mustered out in 1865. He participated in the following engagements: New Madrid, Island Number Ten, Booneville, Farmington, Corinth, Iuka, Tupelo, Jackson and Nashville, where the Second Brigade charged upon and captured the first two forts taken in that battle and its flag was the first planted upon the works. Colonel Horton was wounded in the engagement at Coldwater. In 1880 Colonel Horton was appointed special agent of the United States Land Office, resigning to become special examiner of the Pension Bureau, in which position he served fifteen years. In 1873 he was elected on the Republican ticket Representative in the Fifteenth General Assembly, serving by reëlection two terms. He was the author of bills creating a School for Feeble Minded Children at Glenwood, and one to consolidate the Soldiers' and Orphans' Homes at Davenport. In 1897 Colonel Horton was appointed commandant of the Soldiers' Home at Marshalltown.