Charles B. Rukgaber was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, on May 14, 1834. In 1857, Rukgaber emigrated with his mother and sister to Washington, DC. One year later Charles relocated to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and went to work in the boot and shoe business. On August 18, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company C, 4th Iowa Cavalry. Rukgaber reenlisted as a Veteran Volunteer in December 1863 and was promoted to sergeant in January 1864. During Price's 1864 invasion of Missouri, Rukgaber fought in Independence, at the Big Blue River (Byram's Ford), Mine Creek, Little Osage River, and at Charlot's Farm. He mustered out in August, 1865, after four years of hard campaigning, in which he won the reputation of a brave and gallant soldier.
After the war, Rukgaber returned to Mt. Pleasant and worked as a clerk for J. B. Shaw, a hardware merchant. Six years later, Rukgaber bought into the firm which was renamed, Shaw & Rukgaber. In the fall of 1886, Rukgaber was elected Clerk of the District Court of Henry County.
“Charles B. Rukgaber.” In Portrait and Biographical Album of Henry County, Iowa, 242–43. Chicago: Acme Publishing Company, 1888.
Scott, William F. The Story of a Cavalry Regiment. The Career of the Fourth Iowa Veteran Volunteers from Kansas to Georgia, 1861-1865. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1893.
Scott, William F. Roster of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry Veteran Volunteers, 1861-1865 : An Appendix to “The Story of a Cavalry Regiment.” New York: J.J. Little, 1902.
Iowa Adjutant General. Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, Vol. IV. Des Moines, IA: Emory H. English, State Printer, 1910.