The American Civil War
WILLIAM RENSBURG

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William Rensburg was twenty seven years old when he enlisted on 5 October 1864 in the B Co 13th Infantery Regiment Iowa. The space to enter his place of enlistment is left blank. He fought on the side of the Union Army as a private. According to this information he must have been born c 1837. It is stated that he "claimed residence in 3rd Congressional District. He was mustered out at Louisville, KY on 21 Jul 1865.

He served 5 Oct 1864 - 21 Jul 1865, he must have thus been part of the following:
Pursuit of Hood into Alabama October 1-21. Snake Creek Gap October 15-16. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Pocotaligo, S.C., January 14-16. Salkehatchie Swamps February 3-5. River's Bridge February 3. South Edisto River February 9. Orangeburg February 11-12. Columbia February 15-17. Cheraw March 3. Fayetteville, N. C, March 11. Battle of Bentonville March 20-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 9-13. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D. C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June. Mustered out July 21, 1865.

It is doubtful that there is any connection to our van Rensburg family, however it is interesting to find a person in the American Civil War with a similar name as ours.

Internet Source: The American Civil War Data Base, Soldiers
http://www.iowa-counties.com/civilwar/13th_inf/13th_infantry_B.htm

http://lserver.aea14.k12.ia.us/iacivilwar/Resources/13th_inf_ia_&_reb.htm ****

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ia/county/jasper1/civil_war/1878/13th-inf.htm
13th Iowa Infantry
Jasper County, Iowa Civil War Enlistment
Transcribed by Joan Achille joanach@wayfarer1.com
from the 1878 History of Jasper County, Iowa, pg. 418 & 419

Was recruited under the President's proclamation of 22 Jul 1861, and rendezvoused at Camp McClellan, near Davenport. There were 989 men on the rolls. Maj. M. M. Crocker, of the 2nd Regt. was commissioned Colonel. From 20 Nov to 11 Dec., the regiment remained at Benton Barracks, and was assigned to garrison duty at Jefferson City during the Winter. In March Col. Crocker received orders to report to Gen. Grant; and on the 8th of that month, 1862, the regiment left, by railroad, for St. Louis where it embarked for Pittsburg Landing, arriving on the 23rd. Col. Crocker reported to Gen McClernanl, commanding 1st Division, and with the Eleventh Iowa and Eighth and Eighteenth Illinois, constituted the First Brigade, under Col. Richard Oglesby. At Shiloh, on the first day it was under fire for ten consecutive hours, and gallantly sustained the reputation of Iowa troops. On that day, Lt. Col. Price and Major Shane were wounded, and the regiment lost 24 killed, 139 wounded, and 9 missing. A few days after the battle of Shiloh the army was re-organized, and the Thirteenth was placed in the Sixth Division, attached to the Third Brigade, composed of the eleventh, Thirteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Iowa Regiments, Col. Crocker commanding, soon becoming known as the "Iowa Brigade." About this time, Lt. Col. Price resigned, Maj. Shane was promoted to be Lt. Col., and Capt. G. M. became Major. The command participated in the siege of Corinth, and became a part of the garrison at that place when evacuated by the rebel force.
After remaining at Corinth two months, the regiment marched to Bolivar, TN, to look after the enemy, but returned to Corinth 12 Sept.

Its next movement was under Gen. Ord, in a march on Iuka, and returned to Corinth about the 1st of Oct., where it was engaged on the 3rd and 4th; but although under heavy artillery fire for some time, its losses were light. On Sunday morning, 5 Oct, the command joined in pursuit of the rebels, which was continued to Ripley. On its return, the regiment reach Corinth 11 Oct., where it remained three weeks, when it joined in a campaign under Gen. Grant against Vicksburg, via Holly Springs, and Granada. It reached Yocana Creek, when, Holly Springs being lost, the army counter marched to the frontier of Tennessee, and arrived at Memphis 13 Jan 1863. On the 20th, it embarked on steamers, moving down the river to Duckport, LA; but, without disembarking, returned to Milliken's Bend where it remained a fortnight. It then moved to Providence and went into camp for two months working much of the time on the Lake Providence Canal. While here the army was re-organized and the Thirteenth became a part of the First Division, Seventeenth Corps, observation, Gen. McPherson commanding. Shortly after, Col. Crocker was promoted to be a Brigadier General, when Lt. Col. Shane was commissioned Colonel of the regiment.

In August, it was engaged with a portion of the navy in wrecking and dismantling gunboats that had been sunk by rebel torpedoes at Yazoo River. It also participated in a campaign against Monroe, LA, under Gen. Stevenson. 3 Sept. it went into quarters at Vicksburg, where it remained for four months. From 4 Feb. to 4 Mar., 1864, it was with the forces under Gen. Sherman in the famous raid on Meredian. On its return from this raid, most of the men having re-enlisted, it was declared a veteran organization, and officers and men were given "thirty days in their own state", and were homeward bound on the 7th of March.

16th April, there were off to the wars again, arriving at Huntsville, AL, 20 May, thence to Acksorth, GA, joining Sherman's army on the 8th of June. Its first battle in the Atlanta campaign was at Kenesaw Mountain, and was almost continuously under fire until 20th July, when it took position, before Atlanta, three miles away. On the 21st, the Iowa Brigade, under Col. Shane lost 226 men in twenty-seven minutes, in a splendid assault on a rebel fort. Again engaged on the 22nd and suffered severely. On the 28th, gallantly fought, having been ordered to reinforce a portion of the line hard pressed by the enemy.

It participated in Sherman's famous march to the sea, and a portion of the regiment, under Lt. Col. Kennedy, entered Columbia and hoisted the Stars and Stripes on the rebel capitol.

The Thirteenth, after a long and honorable career was mustered out, paid off and disbanded at Davenport, IA, 28 and 29 Jul 1865.

http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/uniainf2.htm
13th Regiment Infantry IOWA

Organized at Davenport October 18 to November 2, 1861. Ordered to St. Louis, Mo., November 20, 1861. Attached to Dept. of Missouri to February, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Army of Tennessee, to April, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 6th Division, Army of Tennessee, to July, 1862, and District of Corinth, Dept. of Tennessee, to November, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 6th Division, Left Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of Tennessee, to December, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 6th Division, 16th Army Corps, Army of Tennessee, to January, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 6th Division, 17th Army Corps, to September, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 17th Army Corps, to April, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 4th Division, 17th Army Corps, to July, 1865.

SERVICE.--Moved to Jefferson City, Mo., December 13, 1861, and duty there until March, 1862. Moved to St. Louis, Mo.; thence to Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., March 8-23. Battle of Shiloh, Tenn., April 6-7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Duty at Corinth and Bolivar until November. Battle of Corinth October 3-4. Pursuit to Ripley October 5-12. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November, 1862, to January, 1863. Moved to Memphis, Tenn., January 12; thence to Lake Providence, La., January 18, and duty there until April. Expedition to Richmond, La., January 29-31. Richmond January 30. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30. Battle of Port Gibson May 1 (Reserve). Battles of Raymond May 12. Jackson May 14. Champion's Hill May 16. Big Black River May 17. Siege of Vicksburg May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Expedition to Mechanicsburg May 26-June 4. Messenger's Ferry June 29-30 (Cos. "A," "D," "F" and "H"). Surrender of Vicksburg July 4. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 5-10. Guard Ammunition and Subsistence trains. Duty at Vicksburg until February, 1864. Stevenson's Expedition to Monroe, La., August 20-September 12, 1863. Expedition to Canton October 14-20. Meridian Campaign February 3-March 6, 1864. Veterans on furlough March and April. Non-Veterans' garrison at Mound City, Ill. Moved to Clifton, Tenn.; thence to Ackworth, Ga., via Huntsville and Decatur, Ala., and Rome, Ga., April 21-June 8. Atlanta Campaign June 8 to September 8. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Bushy Mountain June 15-17. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Chattahoochie River July 6-17. Leggett's or Bald Hill July 20-21. Battle of Atlanta July 22. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Pursuit of Hood into Alabama October 1-21. Snake Creek Gap October 15-16. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Pocotaligo, S.C., January 14-16. Salkehatchie Swamps February 3-5. River's Bridge February 3. South Edisto River February 9. Orangeburg February 11-12. Columbia February 15-17. Cheraw March 3. Fayetteville, N. C, March 11. Battle of Bentonville March 20-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 9-13. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D. C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June. Mustered out July 21, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 114 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 4 Officers and 205 Enlisted men by disease. Total 328.

http://www.civilwar.si.edu/appomattox_johnston_surrender.html#
The Surrender of Genl. Joe Johnston near Greensboro, N.C. April 26th, 1865
After Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston considered the war to be over and sought terms of peace from his Union counterpoint, General William T. Sherman. This print celebrates the formal surrender of Johnston’s army to Sherman on April 26, 1865, near Greensboro, North Carolina.

Some other Rensburg families in America

Carlton Rensburg born 1845 MD
Sarah Rensburg born 1848, MD
Joie Rensburg born 1871
Blanch Rensburg born 1877
Clarra Rensburg born 1876

The following information is on Death Certificate #1556 in Montgomery County, Illinois Death Record Book 1 located in the old courthouse in Hillsboro, Illinois.

John Rensburg, male, white, age 67, mechanic, died May 11, 1884 11 p. m., widower, born Maryland, resident of Illinois for 39 yr., died at Co. Poor Farm - 3rd Paralytic stroke Complication: convulsions - 4 hours, duration of disease six weeks, buried East Fork twp. Poor Farm - May 12, 1884.

Undertaker M. M. Walsh, Hillsboro
Physician Thos. D. Washburn

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