Pvt. John H. Toliver reporting

What must the “Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey” have been thinking 165 years ago when they risked (and some gave) their lives serving in the Civil War. Was it worth it?

JEFFERSON, Iowa — It might have looked like the columnist Chuck Offenburger was marching with the “Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey” in the Bell Tower Festival parade Saturday morning in this west central Iowa town. I guess I might look like him.

But allow me to introduce myself. I am Pvt. John H. Toliver. I’m one of the “Schoolboy Soldiers,” as Offenburger has nicknamed us, who left our home area around the pioneer town of Rippey, Iowa, 165 years ago to fight for the Union Army in the Civil War.

Pvt. John H. Toliver, as portrayed on Saturday in the Bell Tower Festival parade in Jefferson, Iowa. (Photo by Oliver Harris)

There were 32 of us from one of the first schools built in the new Greene County, Iowa, who enlisted together. Some of us were still students in the school, which had students ranging in age from 10 to 25; others had completed their studies. Two of our teachers went with us.

Eleven of us died in service, some from combat, some from diseases which swept through the armies’ outdoor encampments. I died from a terrible case of measles on Nov. 26, 1862, in Davenport, Iowa, after serving just over three months. I’d fought in one major battle, in early October, 1862 in Corinth, Mississippi, before I took ill and was shipped back to Davenport.

Odd how prominent Davenport had become in my life back then. A whole bunch of us, after mustering into service in early September, 1862, had marched all the way from Greene County to Davenport for our formal training.

I thought about that Saturday morning here in Jefferson when the Bell Tower Festival parade was held in a cold rain.

The original Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey went through a lot worse than the rain that fell on us Saturday morning in Jefferson. (Photo by Dianne Piepel)

Some people on floats in the parade were growling about having to ride a mile in that rain on the route. Hah! That was nothing compared to what we endured in our 213-mile march from Rippey to Davenport back in 1862! And from there, most of our original Schoolboy Soldiers spent the next 3+ years fighting in bloody battles in all kinds of weather in six different Confederate states.

They gave up a lot to do that.

I gave up a lot, too, for my brief time in the army. I was only 24 years old when I joined, and I was one of the few soldiers who’d already married at home. In fact, my wife, the former Nancy J. King, and I already had a son and had a second baby on the way when I left.

But, as I said, many others made great sacrifices to serve. Whole families did. There were four of us Toliver brothers who all went to the war, three Davis brothers, three Myers brothers, and three from the John family. Imagine all the worry and strain there must have been in our little pioneer community of a couple dozen families.

Bringing up the rear. (Photo by Dianne Piepel)

Was it worth it?

Well, I guess we kept the nation from being divided into two countries. That’s been a good thing, right?

And we gave a lot of Black people freedom that they’d been denied. That was a big thing among most of us. We were said to be “abolitionists” — committed opponents of slavery — and we were taught constantly about that in our pioneer schools and churches in Iowa.

As we marched in Jefferson on Saturday, I looked around and I saw lots of happy people who seem to be doing well and loving life. They surely must be thankful for all they have.

I heard a wonderful story about something that’s happening here. I noticed that most of the soldiers I was marching with on Saturday seemed so young. I started asking about that, and they told me they are Greene County Community Schools students, from the 8th grade up through one who’s had a year away at college. They were suited up in uniforms that looked like what we wore back in the late 1860s. Most carried wood rifles, though, not the real muskets we used.

Chloe Powers (left) portrayed Schoolboy Soldier Thomas Turpin, who died in Civil War service. Handing out pamphlets Saturday about the “Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey” memorial project were Ada Weaver and her dad David Weaver, who are descendants of Thomas Turpin.

At roll call Saturday, I learned those present were Oliver Harris, Lila Osterson, Ava Hinote, Ethan Thompson, Koen Thompson, Chloe Powers, Rylan Hostetler, and Destiny Hofbauer. Leading them are their history teacher Dena Boyd and a Civil War historian David Burkett. Another older guy, Darren Jackson, said he’s a drama teacher who’ll be directing the high school’s play come November, and it’s going to be called “Schoolboy Soldiers of Rippey”!

As I was hearing it from them, they said that Offenburger fellow told them our story about a year ago when they were studying local history. None of them knew anything about it. They asked their parents and other people around Greene County about it, and almost no one was aware of us. The kids asked why there wasn’t a monument telling our story. Then they asked if they could help create one. They asked Offenburger if he’d help them get it done.

He put together a committee of a half-dozen students and a half-dozen older folks from the Greene County Historical Society. They all have now worked more than a year researching us, collecting more than $100,000 in grants and donations, and damned if they aren’t telling our story!

They said Saturday there are parts of the story already out there where you can see it and hear it, right now. It’s on something called “Iowa PBS,” and they said you can get it on something called the “Internet” by clicking on this “link,” whatever that means.

Relaxing after the parade in the rain on Saturday, left to right, history teacher Dena Boyd, committee member Mary Weaver, and Schoolboy Soldiers of today Ethan Thompson, Koen Thompson and Oliver Harris.

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