Charles Kepler grew up on a farm in Linn County, Iowa. In September 1861 he enlisted in the 13th Iowa Infantry, and rose to the rank of captain. The 13th Iowa became part of Crocker's Iowa Brigade and took part in battles at Shiloh, Vicksburg, Corinth, Atlanta, and Sherman's March to the Sea. Kepler served on General W.W. Belknap's staff and mustered out as a brevett major in March 1865. Kepler was a prominent lawyer and Republican political activist in Mount Vernon. He was active with the Grand Army of the Republic and as a leader in the Crocker's Iowa Brigade veterans' association. He served as a trustee of Cornell College and mayor of Mount Vernon. He died in 1923. His estate donated much of the land contained in Palisades-Kepler State Park.
From the description of Kepler, Charles W. papers, 1875-1926. (Iowa Sate Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 50158969
