USA > Missouri > Livingston County > History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri, written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Caldwell and Livingston counties--their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens; general and local statistics of great value; incidents and reminiscences > Part 77
USA > Missouri > Caldwell County > History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri, written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Caldwell and Livingston counties--their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens; general and local statistics of great value; incidents and reminiscences > Part 77
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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720
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Jameson in his stead. News traveled slowly in those days in the absence of telegraphs and fast mails, and the tidings of Mr. Parsons' death did not reach all parts of the State until after the election. The result was that the " Hard " vote was divided between Parsons and Jameson, and that a plurality over them was obtained by Mr. Sims, who received the votes of both " Softs " and Whigs, and was one of the five Congressmen elected. Both Phelps and Sims were from the same county - Greene.
LIVINGSTON COUNTY IN THE MEXICAN WAR.
The annexation of Texas was the alleged cause of the declaration of war by Mexico against the United States in April, 1846, but the more immediate cause was the occupation by the American army of the dis- puted territory lying between the rivers Nueces and Rio Grande. May 13, 1846, a counter-declaration by the American Congress was made, that "a state of war exists between the United States and Mexico."
President Polk called on Gov. Edwards of this State for a regi- ment of volunteers to join Gen. Kearney's " Army of the West," and by the 18th of June the full complement of companies designated had rendezvoused at Fort Leavenworth, and chosen Alex. W. Doni- phan, then of Clay county, the colonel. This regiment numbered about eight companies, and was denominated the 1st Missouri Mounted volunteers. It soon set out with other troops, amounting to a con- siderable force, for Santa Fe, New Mexico, then a part of Old Mexico, and the scene of the hostilities.
Early in the summer of 1846, Hon. Sterling Price, then a member of Congress from Missouri, resigned his seat and was appointed by President Polk to command another regiment of Missouri volunteers to re-enforce the Army of the West. This regiment consisted of companies from the counties of Boone, Benton, Carroll, Chariton, Linn, Livingston, Monroe, Randolph, Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis.
In the latter part of July or the 1st of August the Livingston county company was organized at Chillicothe. Wm. Y. Slack, then a young lawyer of the town, 30 years of age, was chosen captain ; John W. Tucker, first lieutentant ; Zadoc Holcomb, second lieutenant, and John Mansfield, third lieutenant. Following is a complete roster of the company, which was known as Company L, 2d Missouri Mounted Riflemen : -
721
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Name.
Rank.
Age.
Remarks.
Wm. Y. Slack
Captain
30
John W. Tucker
1st Lieut.
31
Zadoc Holcomb
2d
66
44
Discharged for disability.
Died February 16, 1846.
Robert Patton
"
39
Promoted from third sergeant.
Discharged for disability, April 1, 1847.
Wm. G. Stone
2d
66
23
Austin Sisk
3d
24
Died in New Mexico Oct. 27, 1846.
Robert Patton
4th
23
Died at Santa Fe, January 16, 1847.
J. H. Bigelow
66
19
Promoted to third sergeant
James Anderson
Ist CorpI. 27
.
David Benson
2d
24
Hugh L. White .
3d
22
John H. Clark
Elias HI. Brown .
66
66
24
Alex. T. Williams
Bugler
28
Geo. M. Starr
Farrier
43
Brannock Curtis Isaac Anderson . James R. Bell
66
32
Private
45
Thos. Boulware
66
44
Joshua Boucher
26
Daniel Bigelow .
26
Wm. L. Brown
27
Gideon Brown
24
Discharged for disability, April, 1847.
Saml. J. Brown
21
Discharged for disability, June 22, 1847.
Wm. F. Brown
23
Elias H. Brown
21
James C. Brown
. .
Oliver Bain
21
Ira Benson
19 19
Promoted to fourth sergeant.
David Benson
24
Promoted to second corporal. Appointed farrier and blacksmith.
Brannock Curtis
32
John H. Clark
23
Promoted to third corporal.
Edward D. Carter
23
Discharged for disability, April 1, 1847.
David Carter
21
Discharged for disability, April 1, 1847. Promoted to fourth sergeant.
Thos. Cooper
21
Isaac D. Campbell
23
Archibald Campbell
28 30
Wm. B. Graves .
25
Nathan H. Gregory Spencer H. Gregory Wm. E. Gibbons
19
Thos. Gray
44
Renna J. Howard
22
John Hood
36
Jonathan Harvey
6
24
Jonathan Hubbell Bennett Heskett
36
John Hollingsworth
28
George Jesse
.€
26
Wm. Y. Just .
.25
Thos. J. Kirk
25
66
23
Promoted from corporal.
Joseph H. Bigelow
19
39
Promoted to second lieutenant.
James Boucher
Thos. Cooper
21
(Died November 4, 1846. Promoted to first sergeant.
Discharged for disability, March 31, 1847.
Died October 21, 1846. Discharged at Ft. Leavenworth.
Discharged for disability, April 9, 1847. Promoted to third corporal.
Died at Abique, December 16, 1846.
Died at Santa Fe, May 22, 1847. Died at Abique, December 14, 1846. Died at Abique, December 2, 1846.
Died in New Mexico, January 10, 1847.
John Mansfield .
43
J. H. B. Manning
1st Sergt.
29
John H. Clark
23
21
Porter Mansur
4th
30
Saml. Thompson
24
Joseph H. Bigelow
Elisha J. Edwards
24
24
25
722
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
Name.
Rank.
A e.
Remarks.
James D. Kirk
Private
23
Danl. H. Kirk
66
25
Thos. D. Kirk
23
Wm. H. Keister
6
18
Died at Santa Fe, May 20, 1847.
Thos. J. Latham
66
24
Hardin R. Manning
66
26
Claiborne Maupin
6.
24
Died at Abique.
James L. Marlow
21
John J. Mansfield
66
18
Martin Noland
66
27
Francis P. Peniston
66
27
John Patton .
66
24
Ganom Patton
66
23
Robert Patton
66
39
John W. Rosebrough
66
30
Win. Ratliff
28
Henry Richards
6
32
John W. Sheets
66
25
Thos. Sparks
24
John N. Stone
66
18
Ganom Smith
66
22
A. J. Stark
66
32
Wm. T. Todd
25
Wm. B. Thompson
66
28
Chas. C. Thompson
24
Danl. D. Vancliff .
19
Wm. W. Welch
66
32
John Woodward
66
25
The company was mustered in at Fort Leavenworth by Lieut. A. B. Lincoln, August 10 and 11, 1846. Sterling Price was elected colonel and D. D. Mitchell lieutenant-colonel, and B. G. Edmonson, major of the regiment. Col. Price had already been commissioned by President Polk, but many of the volunteers thought if he commanded the regiment at all he ought to be chosen by their suffrages. Accord- ingly he deferred to their wishes and was elected, practically without opposition.
About the 15th of August, Price's regiment took up the line of march from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe, following the same road taken by Kearney and Doniphan. The men stood the march well, and met with many adventures of interest. The trip will never be forgotten by those who made it. The country through which they passed was wild, the life was new, and the experience novel. They encountered more or less privations and discomforts, but invariably made merry over mishaps. When the fierce storms that swept over the wild western prairies blew down the tents of their camp, which frequently happened, the boys crawled out of their beds and laughed
23
Jacob Moore
23
Noland Lackey .
723
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
at the circumstance. They were heroes and Mark Tapleys as well.
No Indians or other hostiles were met with on the route, although a sharp look out was kept for them, and there were no alarms of any consequence. The men were well mounted, but for the most part were very indifferently armed, their weapons being old-fashioned, flint-look, smooth-bore " Harper's Ferry " muskets, with bayonets. They had no sabers, no pistols. In fact, they were mounted infantry men.
At last, on the 28th of September, the 2d Missouri arrived and was quartered at the quaint old adobe-built city of Santa Fe, then a place of 5,000 or 6,000 inhabitants, comprising a population cosmopolitan in character, although mostly Mexicans, Spaniards and half-breed Indians. A few days before, Gen. Stephen Kearney had left the city for California, and Col. Doniphan, with the 1st Missouri, had departed for Mexico. A detail of 100 men from Price's regiment, consisting of ten men from each company, was immediately dispatched to join Doniphan. This detail was commanded by Lieut .- Col. Mitchell, of the 2d Missouri. Following were from company L : Wm. B. Graves, Alex. T. Williams, Ira Benson, Bennett Heskett, James R. Bell, Oliver Bain.
The 2d Missouri went into quarters in various public buildings in Santa Fe, and the men enjoyed the situation immensely. Life in the city in that day was gay and frolicsome, after the most approved Mexican and Spanish fashion, and the soldiers soon adapted themselves to it, and partook bountifully of it. Monte banks were everywhere in full blast, dance houses abounded, and kindred establishments of every sort were to be found on every hand. All of these houses were well patronized, and by all classes. It was no uncommon sight to behold, among the patrons of a monte bank, a merchant, a hidalgo or large landed proprietor, an official of the city government, a padre or priest, in his robe and with his crucifix, an American soldier, a mule- teer, or mule driver, a Magdalen and a Peon, or Indian serf.
At the dance houses, fandagoes were nightly held, participated in by motley groups of soldiers, citizens, officers, and the abandoned of both sexes. The wildest revels were indulged in at times, and often the orgies closed up with a tragedy when Santa Fe was under Mexican rule ; but these endings were rare during the American occupation. The music was not of the best, indeed, it was the rudest, but it put life and mettle in the heels of the dancers, and was wild and as wierd, was the assemblage. Quite often, however, the scene was graced( ?) and the anties hallowed ( ?) by the presence of the jolly padre, whose
724
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
eyes twinkled merrily as they gazed upon the revelry, and rolled solemnly as he invoked a " benedicite " on revel and reveler.
About two weeks after their arrival at Santa Fe, Capt. Slack's com- pany and the company from Carroll county, commanded by Capt. Williams, were sent up to the little village of Abique (pronounced Ab-i-ku), on the Rio Chaima, a tributary of the Rio Grande. Abique was a small place, whose population was composed of Mexicans and Pueblo Indians. The town was exposed to the raids of the fierce and merciless Navajo Indians, and, as the American authority had been established in New Mexico, Col. Price sent up these two companies to protect the town and its people. Capt. Williams took command of the post.
The inhabitants of Abique were very friendly and peaceably dis- posed toward the soldiers, and the most amicable relations were estab- lished between the people and the garrison. Here the Livingston county men remained until about the 20th of December. During their stay, many of the soldiers were attacked with the measles, and when the companies were ordered away were left behind. Some of them died of disease.
When Gen. Kearney captured Santa Fe, he proclaimed the suprem- acy of the American authority, and set up a provisional government for New Mexico. Chas. Bent was appointed Provisional Governor. The Mexicans did not greatly relish the new order of things, and stimulated by the priests, who imagined that American rule in New Mexico meant the extinction of the Catholic religion, and encouraged by certain of their former officials, who knew that their days of extortion, profligacy, and corruption would forever pass if the " Yankees " maintained their authority, so stimulated and so encour- aged, the people rose in revolt and insurrection against those whom they deemed their oppressors and " infidel usurpers." The situation of Col. Price and his men was extremely critical. They were hundreds of miles from support, in an enemy's country, in the midst of winter, and almost without means of communication with their friends. Yet Col. Price was equal to the emergency, as was clearly and thoroughly demonstrated.
The rebellion was led by Gen. Tofoya, Chavez and Montaya. Their forces were chiefly organized in the district northwest of Santa Fe, the town of Taos (pronounced Tow-us or Touce ) being the headquarters of the insurgents. One of the first outbreaks occurred at Gov. Bent's mill near Taos. The Governor and some others were killed. Wm. J. Hatfield, a member of the Carroll county company, was also killed,
725
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
either at Bent's mill or at another near by. The insurrection rapidly spread and assumed alarming proportions. It seemed as if the Ameri- cans would be overthrown, and either exterminated or driven from the country. Tofoya, at the head of a strong force, was marching directly on Santa Fe, and all of the outposts were threatened. The Ameri- cans who had settled in isolated locations were daily being surprised and massacred.
About the 24th of January Col. Price called in all his companies. The companies at Abique made a hurried march to Santa Fe, where they were joined by their comrades from the other outposts. As before stated, the sick were left behind. In a short time, the regi- ment, with Fischer's St. Louis battery and a company of dragoons, marched to meet the Mexicans who were threatening Santa Fe. Fischer's battery consisted of four howitzers, and was manned almost exclusively by Germans.
The first evening out the Mexicans were encountered, 2,000 strong, at a little hamlet called Canada (pronounced Can-ya-tha). Price's forces, all told, numbered not more than 500 or 600 men. The Mexi- cans, under Tofoya, Chavez and Montaya, were posted on a high ridge, commanding well the country in front and running directly across the American line of march. They were well armed with muskets and other infantry and cavalry arms, but were without artillery.
Col. Price marched his command up within striking distance, along the road, which, as has been indicated, struck the ridge at right angles, and then deployed his forces in front of the enemy, forming his line in an arroyo, or dry bed of a stream, running parallel with and at the base of the mountain range, on the crest of which the enemy were posted.
Fischer's battery unlimbered and opened on the Mexicans with shell. The effect was insignificant, and Col. Price ordered the Missourians to " charge ! " Away they went up the steep hillside, receiving the fire of the Mexicans at short range without halting or quailing, and pressed gallantly on to the crest of the hill, and to victory. The Mexicans not relishing a bayonet encounter, nor a hand-to-hand fight, retreated with great precipitation, and in con- fusion. Two thousand men had been put to fight by five hundred.
When the fight was over several Mexicans lay dead on the field. The Americans lost a number wounded, but none killed outright. Col. Price himself was slightly wounded. Some guns and other munitions of war were taken by the victors. The fight closed at night-
726
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
fall. The Americans remained on the field that night, apprehensive of an attack, but by the next morning not a Mexican was in sight.
The march was resumed and the enemy was again reached on the 29th, posted in the little hamlet of El Embudo. Fischer's battery was brought up and shelled the town. A charge followed, partici- pated in by the mounted men and the infantry. The Mexicans were routed with several killed and wounded, while the Americans lost but two men. The superiority of American over Mexican courage was made manifest in the Embudo fight, and the Missouri boys won a deserved good name for pluck and efficiency. The Mexicans fled over a range of hills and mountains, and Col. Price led his men in pursuit with much alacrity. On the mountains there was much snow, and the soldiers suffered considerably. Beds were made of fine boughs, and on them and under their army blankets, the volunteers lay con- tentedly down to sleep with piekets well out, while-
" The sentinel stars kept their watch in the sky."
There was little murmuring or complaint. A soldier's life, well fol- lowed, is one of privation, peril, inconvenience, and discomfort gener- ally, and the men knew this and were content.
About the first of February Col. Price's little army descended the mountains and entered the valley of Taos. The command camped in the village of San Fernandez, a suburb of Taos. The only inhabitants of the place, when the Missourians entered it, were women and chil- dren and a few old men. All of the able-bodied male population were in the city of Taos, in Tofoya's army, which had there deter- mined to make a final stand. There was, of course, great alarm and trepidation in San Fernandez, when the dreaded " Americos " took possession of the place, but without good cause or adequate reason. Nobody was hurt, and the time was chiefly spent in preparing for the work of the following day.
At sunrise on the morning of February 3, 1847, Col. Price drew up his force in front of the Mexican position at Taos. The Mexicans were well protected and in admirable position to withstand and repel an assault from the enemy ten times the number which then confronted them. Taos is situated on a plain, and the town was surrounded by a high and strong wall built of adobe, or sun dried bricks. On the side where Col. Price made his attack stood a large Catholic Church, the outer wall of which formed a part of the fortification which enclosed the town. This church was well filled with soldiers, the walls being pierced with loop-holes for musketry. Fischer's battery opened the fight by
727
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
a well-directed fire against the walls, which it was desirous to shatter and dismantle, in order that an entrance into the town might be effected. The cannonade was kept up until about noon, the balls at every discharge striking the wall fairly and truly in what seemed its most vulnerable parts, but without the desired effect. The walls would not fall.
Col. Price at last became weary of this ineffective mode of attack, and determined, by the advice of his officers, and the consent of his own mind, on an assault. Early in the afternoon a storming party was formed, a part of the men being provided with axes, and at the word, the Missourians dashed gallantly forward, receiving the Mexi- can fire for hundreds of yards. The axes were plied vigorously, and holes were soon made in the church sufficiently large to admit of hand grenades being thrown through them upon the Mexicans. A brisk musketry fire was kept up on the top of the walls, and seldom did a Mexican show his head that it was not hit. At last, breaches were made that admitted the brave Missourians, and through them they went cheering and shouting, and firing and bayoneting.
As the Americans entered Taos on one side, the Mexicans began leaving on the other. A body of horsemen were sent around the walls and fell upon the fugitives, cutting down many of them, and making prisoners of many more. Firing was kept up in the streets of the town and behind buildings for some time, but at last the Mex- icans were vanquished, their tricolored flag went down, and the stars and stripes floated in its stead.
In this engagement the Livingston company had but few men wounded, none killed. Lieut. Mansfield was struck by a musket ball ; Jacob Moore was wounded in the shoulder by an arrow, and W. E. Gibbons was shot through the thumb by an arrow from the bow of a Pueblo Indian, whom a comrade of Gibbons instantly dispatched.
Hundreds of prisoners were taken, and among them were Tofoya and several of his officers. A large amount of military stores were also captured. The victory was a glorious one, and complete, for it ended the war, substantially, so far as New Mexico was concerned.
A short time after the Taos fight, Tofoya and about a dozen other of the leaders of the insurrection were tried by drum-head court-mar- tial and hung at San Fernandez. All of them had taken the oath of allegiance to the American government, and had violated it in the basest and most treacherous manner, thereby forfeiting their lives. They met their deaths very heroically, and elicited from the Americans not only admiration for their bravery, but pity for their fate. It
41
728
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
seemed indeed a grievous thing to take their lives after they had sur- rendered, and so it was ; but it was actually necessary to resort to the extremest measures to repress the insurrection and visit the severest punishment upon its leaders in order to prevent repetition. The ignor- ant, depraved Mexicans, treacherous by nature and murderous almost by instinct, could not be made to live under American authority by any other motive than fear. It was necessary to " strike terror into their hearts " by meting out to them the most rigorous punishment for their perfidy.
The loss of the Mexicans in the three engagements of Canada, El Embudo and Taos, in killed was 250; the wounded and prisoners were never counted. Col. Price's loss was 15 killed and 47 wounded. The only officer killed on the American side, of any dis- tinction, was Maj. Burgwine, a North Carolinian, an officer of dra- goons, but who served with Fischer's artillery on the expedition at Taos, and was killed at the battle of that place. His remains were afterwards exhumed, taken to Fort Leavenworth and reburied in the following September.
MILITIA MUSTERS.
In early days in Missouri all able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five were required to organize into companies, choose officers, and meet at stated times and places for drill and exer- cise in military evolutions. The company commissioned officers were a captain and lieutenants. Companies were organized into battalions ; battalions into regiments, with colonels, lieutenant-colonels, majors and other field officers ; regiments into brigades, with a brigadier- . general in command; brigades into divisions, with a major-general in command, and the whole under the charge of the Governor, ex officio commander-in-chief of the military forces of the State.
In this county company musters were held in every township - at a town, if there was one, and if there was no town, then at some other con- venient place. Battalion musters were held at Spring Hill, Utica, and Chillicothe. Regimental musters were uniformly held at Chillicothe, the drill ground being in the northern part of town, about two blocks north of the square. Col. Joseph Cox was the commanding officer at first of the regiment, and some of the old settlers yet recall his impos- ing appearance, and that of some of the other field officers, clad in full regimentals, and mounted on spirited war horses, whose necks were " clothed with thunder," and who said among the trumpets, " Ha! Ha!"
729
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
The militia of the county were all required to attend these musters, or present a satisfactory reason for a failure, or else suffer a fine. They were also required to bring their arms with them, if they had any, and in early days, these arms must be " in good order." As not every man had a gun, numbers went through the manual of arms with sticks, cornstalks and other implements. As not every officer had a sword, " daggers of lath," and sabers and rapiers of pine were waved and flourished in directing the movements of the troops.
All the drilling that was done, however, was not of a very effective sort. The drill masters were not very efficient to begin with, and their tactics differed very widely from the more modern ones of Hardee and Upton. Then the " troops " were undisciplined, and resented all attempts to force them to become the " machines," which the Duke of Wellington said all men should become in order to be good soldiers. Indeed, general musters were only kept up and submitted to by the people, for a long time, on account of the " fun " that always attended them. The theory was a very good one - that in time of peace people should prepare for war, and that a well regulated militia was necessary to the peace and security of a country; but in practice musters became troublesome, inconvenient and unhandy, and produc- tive of no good, and the Legislature abolished the militia law about the time of the breaking out of the Mexican War.
The provisions of the militia law were changed from time to time, but as a general rule company musters were held once a month, bat- talion musters twice a year, and general musters yearly. As a rule the men were not uniformed. The officers were compelled to uniform themselves, at their own expense. The State furnished a great many arms and equipments, chiefly holster and dragoon pistols, belts, sabers and the like.
One thing surely the musters produced - a bountiful supply of military titles. The county was abundantly furnished with captains and majors and colonels, many of whom, though they never set a squadron in the field, or knew the evolution of a legion, yet were glorious to behold when they were clad in their showy uniforms, and mounted upon their prancing steeds, leading their commands to the drill ground. But though at times the parades were conducted with all the pomp and circumstance of glorious war, they came to be con- sidered, as they were, nuisances, and the performance ridiculous and farcical.
There were not drillings and meetings enough to render the militia- men trained soldiers, and there were too many for comfort. Courts-
730
HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY.
martial convened at the court house quite frequently for the trial of offenders against the militia law, and many a luckless delinquent was fined for his non-attendance at drills or musters, or for other offenses.
There was always fun at the musters, more or less in quantity or better or worse in quality. Great crowds attended the general mus- ters. Old darkies were there with spruce beer and ginger cakes; refreshment stands abounded ; horse races were made and run ; foot races, wrestling matches, and other athletic sports were indulged in, and many a fisticuff was fought on muster day. At all these things, and at the drilling and evolutions of the militiamen, the crowd stared and admired.
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