Baltis Keen Wintermute was the son of Charles Wintermute and Margaret Keen. His mother was a sister of Baltis Keen (the late husband of Lidia's sister Sarah Martin Keen Raub). Baltis Wintermute was born 23 May 1832 in Warren County, New Jersey and died 4 April 1907 in Muscatine County, Iowa (Muscatine County, Iowa GenWeb). He and Lidia stayed in Hardwick Township for awhile after they were married. Baltis even worked in the area as a laborer. However, the couple probably returned to Iowa in 1860. According to the 1860 census, he owned real propery valued at $1,300, but this property was probably in Iowa and not in Hardwick township. He and Lidia also owned a personal estate valued at $200 (1860 United States Federal Census, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 555). They were in Iowa only a short while before the Civil War began. Baltis enlisted in the 11th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Co. H. on 10 October 1861. The regiment was organized at Camp McClellan, near Davenport, Iowa between 28 September and 18 October 1861.

After the Battle of Shiloh, the 11th was sent to the seige of Corinth, Mississippi from 29 April to 30 May. It was occupied with the the occupation of Corinth and with guarding trains at Bolivar, Tennessee until till November. The regiment was ordered back to Mississippi for the Battle of Corinth on 3 and 4 October, 1862. Crocker's Brigade spent the week following the battle in pursuit of the Confederate army. They returned to camp in Corinth on 12 November. Crocker's Brigade did not go into winter quarters at Corinth. They were assigned to Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign which extended from November 1862 to January 1863. This campaign failed to accomplish its goal (as its supplies were captured by the Confederate Army. The Brigade returned to Tennesse, on 12 January 1863 shipped out to Louisianna.

In February 1863, the Brigade went into camp at Lake Providence, where it stayed until April. In April, the Brigade began a series of movements associated with the siege and fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi. These included Grand Gulf, 25 to 30 April; Battle of Port Gibson (where they were the Reserve troops) May 1; the Battles of Raymond (12 May), Jackson (May 14) and Champion's Hill (May 16); and the Black River Crossing on 17 May. They were at the Siege of Vicksburg from 18 May to 4 July and joined in assults on Vicksburg on 19 and 22 May. They were also sent on an expedition to Mechanicsburg between 26 May 26 and 4 June, although they were back at Vicksburg for the surrender on the 4th of July. After Vicksburg, the Brigade began the advance on Jackson (5 to 10 July). They spent the rest of 1863 guarding trains and ammunition and subsistance trains at Vicksburg.

The Brigade remained at Vicksburg until February 1864. The 11th did leave Vicksburg between 20 August and 2 September 1863 for an expedition to Monroe, Louisiana, and again between 14 and 20 October for an expedition to Canton, Mississippi. On 3 February 1864, the Brigade moved out from Vicksburg for the Meridian Campaign, which lasted until 6 March. According to the regimental history:

Between January and April 1865, the Union Army began itss march north through the Carolinas toward Grant's army in Virginia. on 20 and 21 March the Union army engaged Confederate forces at the Battle of Bentonville. By 24 March the army had occupied Goldsboro and was moving toward Raleigh, North Caroline, which it occupied on 14 April. General Johnston surrendered his army in Raleigh. The Iowa BRigades began the long trip home on 29 April 1865, marching to Washington, D. C., via Richmond, Virginia. They arrived in Washington on 20 May and were present for the Grand Review orf the army on the 24th. After the grand review the 11th started for Iowa via train and steamboat. They first moved to Louisville, Kentucky where they were mustered out of service on 15 July 1865. They returned to Davenport, Iowa from where they had started and the city offered up an enthusiastic welcome to the 11th Iowa. In response to the welcome, their commanding officer, Colonel William Hall, who was very ill and and scarcely able to stand, said:

During the war, the 11th Iowa lost 259 men: 5 Officers and 86 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 166 enlisted men by disease. The loss of friends and neighbors during the war was heartbreaking enough. But Baltis was returning to his wife who had lost two brothers during the war. David R. Martin had died on 13 November 1861, three days before Baltis shipped out at the beginning of the war. John Ogden Martin died on 12 May 1864, about a month after Baltis returned to the army from his 30 day furlough. It was a bitter sweet homecoming.

After the war, Baltis applied for a veteran's pension. He and Lidia stayed in Iowa after the war. By 1870, Lidia was 34 and Baltis was 37. They built a home and life in Iowa, but they never had any children. The 1870 census (Table 2) lists Baltis as a farmer with a farm valued at $5,000. He had a young hired hand named Martin Joice, who was a native of Massachusetts. Baltis and Lidia had a personal estate which was valued at $1860. Lidia's recently widowed mother, Lydia Read Martin, had left Warren County and had moved in with the couple. She is listed as a resident of the household on the 1870 census (1870 United States Federal Census, Cedar Township, Muscantine County, Iowa, page 108, 21 July 1870).

Table 2: Household of Baltis and Lydia (Martin) Wintermute in 1870
1870 United States Federal Census
Cedar Township, Muscantine County, Iowa, page 108

An 1879 biographical history of Muscatine County describes Baltis K. Wintermute as follows:

Table 3: Household of Baltis and Lydia (Martin) Wintermute in 1880
1880 United States Federal Census
Enumeration District 248, Ward 3, Muscatine City, Muscantine County, Iowa, page 201A

Some time between 1880 and about 1890, Baltis gave up farming and became a grocer (Kern 1898). The city directory for Muscatine for the years 1891 through 1893 lists B.K. Wintermute as a merchant residing at 412 corner Park Avenue (Barker 1891). Lidia and Baltis belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church in Muscatine (Anon 1879). Lidia died 11September 1898 (Brossart n.d.) and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, in the city of Muscatine, Bloomington Township, Muscatine County, Iowa (Muscatine County GenWeb). In 1900, Baltis shared his home with his nephew Levi Newman and Levi's wife Lulu Table 4). Levi Newman was the son of Baltis's sister Sarah Margaret Wintermute and her husband John Nelson Newman. He was 30 years old in 1900 and was employed as a carpenter. He and Lulu had been married for less than a year. Lulu was 27 year old in 1900. She kept house for Levi and Baltis. Baltis Wintermute was, according to the census, a retired capitalist. The household was located at 402 Park Avenue in the city of Muscatine (1900 United States Federal Census, Enumeration District 106, Muscatine City, Muscatine County, Iowa, sheet 2B, 1 June 1900).

Table 4: Household of Levi and Lulu Wintermute in 1900
1900 United States Federal Census
Enumeration District 106, Muscatine City, Muscatine County, Iowa, sheet 2B

Baltis lived for almost another seven years after the 1900 census was enumerated. He died 4 April 1907 and was buried with Lidia in Greenwood Cemetery (Muscatine County GenWeb).

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