Manley Ebenezer Rice (1833-1922), a school teacher from Monticello, Iowa, joined, (apparently having been drafted), the 20th Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers, Co. I, in Februray of 1864. His brother-in-law, George W. Day, was serving in the same company, having enlisted in September of 1862 and fought in the Vicksburg Campaign. Rice joined the regiment at Fort Brown, Tex. where it was posted on garrison duty in November 1863. In August 1864, the regiment was moved to Fort Morgan, Ala., and in the spring of 1865 took part in the campaign against Mobile. In June of 1865, the men were ordered to Galveston where they remained until mustered out on July 14, 1865. In November of 1864, Rice was admitted to the General Hospital at Fort Gaines (Dauphine Island, Mobile Bay, Ala.) and remained there, as a convalescent nurse, for the remainder of his service. After the war, Rice and his family moved to Sioux City, Iowa where he worked as a contractor. He died in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1922. Manley's brother Frank (1837-1916) moved to California in the late 1850s to mine for gold, and eventually settled down in Placerville. His other brother, James, remained at Monticello, tending to the family farm.
From the description of Manley Ebenezer Rice papers, 1862-1882, (bulk 1863-1865). (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 228769856
