Born in Illinois in 1831, Cornelius F. Spearman was living in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, when the Civil War started. He volunteered and mustered in as captain of Company D in the 4th Iowa Cavalry. During Price's 1864 invasion of Missouri, Spearman fought in Independence, at the Big Blue River (Byram's Ford), Mine Creek, Little Osage River, and at Charlot's Farm. Promoted to major, Spearman served with the regiment in the field continuously until his term of service expired on November 24, 1864, when returned to farm in Iowa. After the war, Spearman served two terms in the Iowa General Assembly.
“Cornelius F. Spearman,” accessed July 18, 2015, Link.
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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.