USA > Missouri > Jasper County > Jasper County, Missouri, in the Civil War > Part 1
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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
2
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01083 5079
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012
http://archive.org/details/jaspercountymiss00schr
en
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Æ MEDOC
North
Fork
APRESTON
Dry
Fork
Buck
Branch
Spring
AVILLA Ø
100
MINERSVILLEA
white
CARTHAGE
Spring River
BOWER MILLS
# SHERWOOD
-
Cave Springs
-
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Grove Cr
Center
Creek
Jenkir
SARCOXIE Creek
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-
Jones cree
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FIDELITY @
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Scale of Miles
JASPER COUNTY, MO., 1864.
River
Center Creek
Turkey
Jasper County, Missouri.
in the Civil War
COMPILED BY WARD L. SCHRANTZ ----
IDAYNE & ALLEN ER, ING
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
THE CARTHAGE PRESS CARTHAGE, MISSOURI
Copyright, 1923
OULAME } ITTEN GO" IAL
1620815
To the soldiers of Jasper County, Missouri, who during the great civil war fought for the cause that they believed to be right; to the men and the women who called Jasper County their home during that try- ing period, and to all soldiers, union or confederate, who honorably served on Jasper County soil, this vol- ume is respectfully dedicated.
PREFACE
It is in an attempt to perpetuate the memory of the events of the civil war in Jasper county and to gather and preserve in something of a permanent and easily accesible form the records of the deeds, heroism and hardships of the soldiers and civilians in this county during those four trying years that this history has been compiled. Various county histories have touched briefly on the civil war in this locality but to the best of my knowledge this is the first attempt to give a detailed and, as far as possible, a complete his- tory of it.
As will be seen from a perusal of its pages the work is based mainly on an exhaustive study of all of the official records of the operations of the union and confederate armies in this section of the country. The compilation has been done with great care and it is believed that every pertinent point mentioned in the records has been covered herein. In addition to the published war department records all books available on the subject have been consulted and material gath- ered from all of them. Prominent among those re- ferred to are the F. A. North "History of Jasper Coun- ty," published in 1883, Judge M. G. McGregor's "Bio- graphical History of Jasper County," published in 1901, Joel T. Livingston's "History of Jasper County" pub- lished in 1912, "Shelby and His Men" by John N. Ed- wards, "The Fight for Missouri" by Thomas L. Snead, "Quantrill and the Border Wars," by William E. Con- nelly, "Organization and Status of Missouri Troops (Union and Confederate) in Service During the Civil
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War" by the pension and records office of the War De- partent, "The Civil War on the Border" by Wiley Brit- ton, and a number of state histories, encyclopedias and other books.
Special acknowledgment should be made to all of the persons interviews with whom appear herein and to the Carthage Press in whose columns many of the in- terviews have been published during the past ten years. One or two of these were originally written by W. J. Sewall, several by George H. Sewall and some by the compiler of this book. Other of these interviews are here presented for the first time. Acknowledgment should also be made to Major Fred W. Manchester, of the office of the adjutant general of Missouri, who made available considerable information regarding or- ganization of state troops, and to the Carthage library through which certain books, otherwise inaccessible, were secured.
Partisan bands serving the south are spoken of in this volume as guerrillas. It should be understood that the word "guerrilla" does not carry any sense of appro- brium in itself. It merely means one who is not a mem- ber of a regular military organization and who carries on guerrilla warfare. Confederate officers frequently speak of the Missouri partisans as guerrillas and in some sections of the country there were federal guerrillas. For instance the Kentuckians that mortally wounded and captured Quantrill were known as "Terrill's Federal Guerrillas." The word "bushwhacker" may or may not be used in a degratory sense. It seems to carry the sense of one who fights from ambush or concealment. Letters written by confederate officers and appearing VI
in the official records occasionally refer to the Missouri guerrillas as "our brave bushwhackers." The word was sometimes applied to federals by the confederates. Thus we find a guerrilla captain during a skirmish north of Avilla denouncing Captain T. J. Stemmons as a "bushwhacker" because he had fired upon the guer- rilla band from ambush, and confederate officers of Price's army report that "one Captain Christian, a no- torious federal bushwhacker" was killed at Newtonia October 28, 1864. One union general uses the word as a term of praise, referring to Major Milton J. Burch, Eighth Missouri State Militia Cavalry, as "that gallant soldier and able bushwhacker." To prevent confusion the word has been used in this history as little as pos- sible. When it appears in an unquoted portion of the text it refers to a member of one of the less organized bands of guerrillas. When used in the quoted portion it is sometimes used in this sense and sometimes is used in referring to any guerrilla.
This volume does not mean to espouse or criticize either party during the struggle dealt with. It sin- cerely endeavors to narrate the simple facts from an absolutely disinterested viewpoint. Viewpoints of par- ticipants in the events mentioned are of course different and it is so that the reader may get a proper perspec- tive that so many direct quotations from the official records are used. A union officer cannot be expected to see events and their meaning in exactly the same light as an officer of the southern army and even though the official reports may be assumed to be writ- ten with a careful regard to accuracy this difference of viewpoints should be taken into account.
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That occasional mistakes appear may be expected although an earnest effort has been made to avoid them. Most errors will probably be found to be errors of omission, for the records are of course far from com- plete, many of the reports and part of the official cor- respondence having been lost before it was gathered up by the government and published. I will appreciate hearing from anyone who discovers errors in this vol- ume or who can supply additional material. If the sale of the book warrants a second edition the corrections will be made and the additional matter published in it, or it might be published as a separate pamphlet which would be a supplement to the book proper. If neither of these is possible it will be written up and deposited with some library where it may be available for the use of any person who, in the future, desires to investigate the civil war in Jasper county.
WARD L. SCHRANTZ.
VIII
FOREWORD
Back before the dawn of known American history -back before the white man came the region which now includes Jasper County, Missouri, was the home of the Osages or Wa-Saw-See, the tallest race on the American continent, few of them less than six feet in heighth, many of them six and a half while others measured seven. A strong and warlike tribe they ranged from the Missouri river on the north to the Arkansas on the south, and from a short distance west of the Mississippi on the east to what is now about the center of Oklahoma where commenced the territories of the fierce Comanches with whom they were con- stantly fighting.
The country in the vicinity of North Fork, Spring river, Center creek, Shoal creek, Indian creek and the Cowskin was known to the Indians as "the country of the six bulls," and through these regions, teeming with game of all kinds including deer, wild turkey, prairie chicken and even buffalo, they roamed, their bark and reed wigwams having set at one time or another in almost every sheltered nook along the various water courses. Even today a casual walk through such spots will reveal numerous fragments of arrow heads, broken in the making-a reasonably sure sign that at one time an Indian village set here.
The head of each Osage warrior was shaved with the exception of a tuft of hair about the size of the palm of a man's hand. This was worn about two inches long with the exception of a lock in the center which was cultivated to the greatest possible length, braided
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and carefully secured. This was the scalp lock, the prize of any enemy who could take it in battle. In the shorter hair was fastened a crest of deer's tail or of horse hair dyed red, and this was frequently surmount- ed by a feather of the war eagle. The heads of the warriors were flat in the back and abnormally high on top, a pecularity caused when they were babies by hav- ing their heads bound to the board on which they were carried strapped to their mother's backs, this being done deliberately to "push the head out in front and make a bold and manly appearance." The ears were pierced and hung with wampun and ornament; wam- pum and crimson beads were around the neck; the arms and wrists were encircled with silver bands. The men went naked to the waist except in cold weather, at which time buffalo robes were worn. Breech cloths, leggins and moccasins completed the costume, the leg- gins fringed where possible with the scalps of slain enemies, while below the knee were garters heavily decorated with wampum and beads. The women wore more flowing garments of dressed skins, some of them beautifuly ornamented. The weapons of the Osage warrior consisted of bow and arrow, lance and shield, war club, tomahawk and scalping knife.
The Osages did not live entirely on the products of the chase although meat was naturally their main article of diet. Each year they raised small crops of corn, beans and pumpkins which they cultivated in the simplest possible manner with the hoe. These crops were planted in April and given one dressing before the Indians left for their summer hunt in May. About the first week in August they returned to their villages X
to gather the crops which had been left unfenced and entirely untended all this time. In September they set out on the fall hunt which lasted until about Christ- mas after which they went back to their villages and stayed close to them all of the period of severe weather. In February or March they went on the spring hunt, first for bear and then for beaver. In April the crops were again planted, either near the old village or at some new site chosen. In addition to meat and the crops mentioned, the Osages derived a portion of their sub- sistence from the wild fruits of the country-persim- mons, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, grapes, plums, paw paws, hog potatoes and even acorns, the latter ground and mixed with buffalo grease.
No one knows just when the Osages came in con- tact with the white men for the first time but there is a tradition that Ferdinand De Soto in his wanderings came through this country. This story finds some confirmation in the fact that the earliest white men of whom there is a record, found the ground disturbed in places as if there had been an attempt made at mining and this naturally suggests that the Spanish in their search for precious metals might have done it. On the other hand it may have been the work of the Indians.
One legend about the country is that in the admin- istration of Charles Dehault Delassus, the last of the Spanish governors of the territory west of the Missis- sippi, a party of Spanish adventurers and fortune hunt- ers set out from St. Louis for Mexico on a trading ex- pedition, passing en route through the country of the six bulls. The expedition seems to have been a success-
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ful one and on the return the party again traversed this region, camping awhile to recuperate at a spring near the present site of Sarcoxie. Here a war party of Osages assailed them so fiercely that most of the Spaniards were slain, only a few cutting their way out of the swarm of savages and making their way to St. Louis with their tale of disaster. For years there were rumors that the treasure that the Spanish brought from Mexico were buried near the spring where they stopped to rest-the last resting place for so many of them-but searches have failed to reveal any trace of it.
In 1803 the country, which had originally been French, then Spanish, then French again, was trans- ferred to the United States as a part of the Louisiana purchase and soon afterwards the Indians began to feel the pressure of the westward-pushing civilization of the white man. As yet there were none of the strangers in the land of the six bulls but the American government, seeing that the time was soon coming when this land would be needed, negotiated a treaty with the Indians in 1807 by which they were to move west of a line which roughly bisected what is now the western tier of counties in Missouri. Although agree- ing to the treaty the Osages seem to have paid scant attention to the line, hunting and living east of it part of the time.
Along about this time there came to the savages a white man by the name of Edmund Jennings. He made friends with the Indians and lived with them about fifteen years, then returned to his home in Ten- nessee, clad in skins, and told of the beautiful country of the six bulls where he had dwelled so long with the XII
Osages. His glowing stories aroused the pioneer spirit of the Tennesseans and after several years a consider- able number emigrated from Jenning's neighborhood and came to what later became Jasper county, Missouri.
By 1820, the year of Missouri statehood, the Osages who had been much reduced in numbers by the small- pox and by their endless wars with the Commanches and the Sioux, had split into four tribes, all of which seemed to get along peaceably together and all of which traversed to a greater or lesser extent the valleys of Spring river, North Fork, Center Creek and Turkey creek. The great Osages of the Osage river who num- bered 1,200 souls, including 350 warriors, hunted through here occasionally although their usual haunts were along the Osage river; the Osages of the Neosho were more at home in this region and their villages were frequently along the streams of what is now Jas- per county. There were about 400 of them, including 100 fighting men. The tribe of the Little Osages con- sisted of about 1,000 people, including 300 warriors, and they generally lived along the Neosho river al- though they frequently made hunting trips along Spring river and Center creek. Far to the southward along the Arkansas river resided the Chaneers or Ar- kansas Osages and they too now and then sent hunting parties as far north as this.
In 1824 a new treaty was made with the Osages and by its terms they relinquished all claims to Mis- souri and withdrew west of the state line. Other tribes had been moved from the eastward by the government and taken to the Indian Territory so that now not only the Osage hunting parties passed through this country
XIII
from time to time but also those of the Quapaws, Cher- okees and Shawnees. No white man yet resided in this region although groups of hunters sometimes traversed it.
In 1831 began the influx of the rifle armed pioneers who meant to make this country their home, and did. First came Thacker Vivion and settled near what is now Sarcoxie. Others followed, mostly from Tennessee, Kentucky and other southern states but some from Indiana or her sister states of the north. The wooded valleys resounded with the ring of the axe; log cabins arose in the clearings ; stake and rider fences meander- ed around freshly cultivated fields; teams of oxen hauled grain to newly erected grist mills. The white man had come to stay. Most of the settlements were in the eastern part of the county, for the Indians were still prone to intrude in the west. Sarcoxie was found- ed-named after the Osage chief "Rising Sun."
But the year 1837 had not been a good year for the Osages in Kansas and down in the territory. Their crops had not done well and they thought with longing of their old homes in the country of the six bulls. They had no cause nor any especial desire for war with the whites but they decided to return to the land of their fathers. The Missourians were few and they were many. The dragoons of the great white father were a handful in numbers and far to the north. The Osages became loud and boastful and to the number of some hundreds, armed with guns, crossed the border of Mis- souri.
The Indians were coming. From clearing to clear- ing, from cabin to cabin, the word flashed. The rifle XIV
and the axe-ever the weapons of the American pion- eer-were kept close at hand but partly for lack of any- where to go the heroic settlers stayed by their new homes. The Indians were coming. The word sped to Jefferson City as fast as horseflesh could carry it until it reached the ears of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, the hard fisted veteran of the war of 1812 who guided the destiny of the state. Governor Boggs called out the militia and 500 mounted riflemen were soon riding southward through the western tier of couties.
Meanwhile the threatened war had not developed like most such affairs had in the past. Numerous petty depredations were committed but apparently the Osages had not themselves decided definitely what to do. Several hundred camped on Spring river awaiting events, not believing that a force of any size could be brought against them. All the way to the Missouri river small parties of Indians had crossed the border but they were overawed by the 500 militiamen-a very strong expedition for the time-and either fled back across the border again or were captured and escorted back with threats and warnings. General Samuel D. Lucas, commanding the militia, halted on the Marmi- taw river and sent three companies of his force under General William B. Almond to Spring river against the savages there. This was the largest band of Indians yet encountered but like their kinsmen to the north the Osages here were astonished that the whites of whom they had seen so few could muster so many warriors. Some of the aborigines slipped back across the state line. A full two hundred surrendered without firing a shot and General Almond conducted them to the bor-
XV
der, then released them with many a dire threat of what would be done if they dared to return. After this the militiamen marched back north and were mustered out.
A few weeks later the Indians began to slip back into the country and Governor Boggs called out the militia once more. This time the troops came from Springfield to Sarcoxie, five companies of them under Brigadier General A. F. Nall. The Osages, mindful of Almond's threats, did not wait their coming but fled back across the border forthwith. The state troopers stopped awhile at Sarcoxie, then moved northeast and were mustered out at Bolivar. This ended what is known officially in the state records as the Osage war and which has frequently been referred to in jest as the "Sarcoxie war," that being the furtherest point reached by Nall's expedition. This "war" was a blood- less sort of affair but it was more important than many a more sanguinary Indian conflict in which many lives were lost. The Indians had been taught a lesson and never seriously menaced the settlers again. The devel- opment of the west edge of Missouri dated from the Osage war.
By 1840 the white settlers in the country were be- coming numerous and the following year Jasper county was officially organized, the county seat being estab- lished at Carthage. The next twenty years formed a period of peace and progress-then came a real war.
XVI
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
Days of '61
Jasper County in 1861-The Southwest Times- The political situation-Forming of military companies and preparations for war-The Medoc "Border Guards" divide-Confederate flag flies at Sarcoxie-The mili- tary situation in Missouri-Sigel's federal column at Carthage-The movement of Jackson and the state guard-Strength and composition of the opposing troops-The clash north of Dry Fork-The action on Dry Fork-Skirmish on Buck branch-The stand on Spring river-The fight in Carthage-The end of the engagement-McCullough and Price join Jackson- Comments on battle-Review of confederate army south of Carthage-Guibor prepares artillery ammuni- tion-The Southwest Times joins Price-The saving of the county funds-Eleventh Missouri Cavalry organ- ized-Hard days for union sympathizers-Union home guards organize-Murder of George W. Broome and hanging of John Ireland-Skirmish at Medoc-Confed- erates mine lead-Governor Jackson again in Carthage -Texas cavalry in Jasper county-Price refuses Mc- Cullough's suggestion that country be laid waste - Civilian experiences-The end of the year.
CHAPTER II 1862-In the Pathway of the Armies
The confederacy authorizes partisan bands and home defense organizations-Thomas R. Livingston XVII
commissioned to raise guerrillas-Confederate leaders differ on guerrilla warfare-Murder and terror on Jones creek-Colonel Clayton at Carthage-Attempt at organization of union militia-Exodus of union men -More Kansas troops to Jasper county-Fierce flame- up of guerrilla warfare in Missouri-Enrolled militia organized-Cockrell and Shelby move north-General Blunt chases newly raised confederates as far as Car- thage-Archibald McCoy murdered-Shelby fights Cloud on Coon creek-Ritchie's Indians-Indians at the Onstott home-Shelby's men annihilate band of abo- rigines-Events on the Langley farm-Livingston and Hawpe attack Ritchie at Shirley ford-Cloud to the rescue-Kansas troops camp near Carthage-Federals gather at Sarcoxie-The battle of Newtonia-Great army assembles at Sarcoxie then occupies Newtonia- Death of Dr.J. M. Stemmons-Federals capture and kill Berry Bedford-A skirmish at Bower Mills-Guerrillas capture forage wagons near Avilla-Enrolled militia capture Wash Petty-Jasper county a danger zone for federal wagon trains-Quantrill attacks Lamar-Kan- sans fight guerrillas near Sherwood and capture Cap- tain Baker. Conkey and Livingston swap prisoners A description of Tom Livingston-Parkinson captures John Whitehead and John Seela-Jesse Whitehead hanged-State militia defeats Jackman in hot fight near Carthage-Jasper county swarms with guerrillas -Major Eno campaigns against southern bands.
CHAPTER III
1863-Guerrilla Warfare and Shelby's Raid Militia Cavalry and enrolled militia hold county- War becomes increasingly bitter-Eno hunts Living XVIII
ston-Livingston raids Granby-Sixth Kansas fights guerrillas near Sherwood-Negro troops in Jasper county-Another fight near Sherwood-Eno fights Livingston near Center creek mines-Federals comb brush for guerrillas-Gallant death of Private Palmer -Livingston reports to Sterling Price-Negroes de- feated at Sherwood-Sherwood burned by colored troops-Livingston appeals to Price for aid-Colonel Cloud scouts through Jasper county-Jim Petty heads confederate company formed at Carthage Jim Petty slain in lively skirmish-Captain Fisher killed-Cap- tain Stotts fights Texans-William's negroes again in county-Livingston dies in battle-Coffee takes Liv- ingston's men to McDonald county-State militia cav- alry garrisons Carthage-Another skirmish near Sher- wood-Guerrillas attack wagon train-Joel P. Hood, federal scout-Levi and George Sly killed-Miles Over- ton-D. L. Wheeler tells of life on Turkey creek-Shel- by's raiders pass through Sarcoxie and burn Bower Mills-Operations of Captain Burch-W. C. Quantrill passes through Jasper county-A few words about Quantrill and his band-Destruction of Jasper county court house-Shelby camps at Carthage-A fight at dawn-McNeil at Sarcoxie-Burch and Kelso hunt guerrillas-Military situation at end of 1863.
CHAPTER IV
1864-Guerrilla Warfare Continued-Prices' Raid
The provisional enrolled militia-General Curtis visits Carthage Spring sees renewal of guerrilla war- fare-Captain Stemmons chases Kinch West's band and kills West's brother-Stemmons fights guerrillas XIX
on Dry Fork-Gabe McDaniel slain-Ferd Ozment eludes capture-Garrison at Carthage calls for aid- Col. Allen scouts through county-Lamar destroyed- Shelby's orders to partisan leaders-Captain Kelso pur- sues guerrillas through county-Wisconsin cavalry loses cattle in skirmish near Preston-The ambushing of Sergeant Hottel's patrol-Stott's men fight Ab Hum- bard-Bud Shirley killed at Sarcoxie-Goode's guerril- las cause trouble-Southerners surprise enrolled militia -Killing of J. R. Goode-Death of William Rader- Captain Sutherland at county seat-Mrs. Hazelwood's story-Skirmish in eastern part of county-Burch and Sutherland disagree Carthage in 1864-Destruc- tion of Carthage-Women and children ordered removed-Another clash in eastern Jasper county- Guerrillas on Spring river near Carthage-Price's army, with federals in pursuit, passes through county -George Walker has narrow escape-Another battle at Newtonia-Confederate straggler hanged-Quiet again in Jasper county-Jennison's men burn and plun- der-Captain Stott's protest-Jennison quits army.
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