Leigh Michaels

Welcome to Ottumwa 1896 Leigh Michaels

In 1896, Company G of the Second Regiment of the Iowa National Guard hosted the regiment's annual encampment in its home town. The Ottumwa Daily Democrat newspaper produced a souvenir book for visiting guardsmen -- including information about the regiment and the town. Much of this information appears nowhere else. Only a few copies survived. This edition has been produced by restoring a badly-damaged original. Company G went on to serve in the Spanish-American War and in World War I where it was a part of the famed Rainbow Division.