Thrilling Adventures of William Callender, a Union Spy from Des Moines

This 1881 autobiographical account by William Callender, a member of Company D, Second Iowa Infantry, chronicles his service as a scout during the Civil War. Callender details his early life in Ohio and relocation to Des Moines before enlisting. The narrative emphasizes repeated dangerous scouting missions around Mississippi and Tennessee, featuring encounters with Confederate cavalry, guerrillas, and civilians. Episodes include capturing rebels, evading ambuscades, swimming for life while pursued by bloodhounds, and defending Union sympathizers. Other chapters recount Hood's raid, Callender's bout with typhoid fever nursed by "Minerva Perkins," and his eventual marriage. The book frames itself as factual testimony from direct experience, endorsed by editor J.M. Dixon as truthful rather than sensationalized, despite the lurid chapter titles.