USA > Missouri > Carroll County > History of Carroll County, Missouri : carefully written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, cities, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri ; the Constitution of the United States, and State of Missouri ; a military record of its volunteers in either army of the Great Civil War ; general and local statistics ; miscellany ; reminiscences, grave, tragic and humorous ; biographical sketches of prominent men and citizens identified with the interests of the country > Part 6
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In May, 1854, congress passed a bill organizing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, in which it was declared that the Missouri Com- promise of 1820 did not apply to them. This was an indirect way of repealing or rendering nugatory the bargain made between the northern and the southern states in that compromise; and the floodgates of angry debate, contention and strife were at once opened. This became the issue upon which all elections turned. Instead of slavery being prohibited, as the compromise of 1820 had declared it should be, it was thrown open for the territorial legislature to decide whether it should be free or slave territory. In view of this, there was a rush and race of settlers from the free states and the slave states into Kansas, to see which party should get control of the first territorial legislature; and in this movement Missouri, as a slave state, took a prominent part. It was a border country conflict, and there was illegality and violence on both sides, making a chapter in our state history the details of which might profitably be dropped out and forgotten. Suffice to say, the free state party carried the election; and this conflict was a precursor of the great civil war.
51
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
In 1860 C. F. Jackson was elected governor of Missouri. Abraham Lincoln had been elected President of the United States at the same time. Governor Jackson took his seat January 4, 1861; the question of secession was then already in warm discussion in some of the southern states, and Governor Jackson in his inaugural address maintained that " Missouri must stand by the other slave-holding states, whatever course they may pursue." The general assembly ordered an election to be held February 18th, for members of a state convention; the proposed object of this con- vention was "to consider the then existing relations between the United States, the people and government of the different states, and the govern- ment and people of the state of Missouri; and to adopt such measures for vindicating the sovereignty of the state and the protection of its institutions as shall appear to them to be demanded." This convention met, first at Jefferson City, and afterward at St. Louis, and had a decided majority of Unionists-that is, of men opposed to secession; some because they believed in the doctrine of "Federal Nationality," as against the doctrine called "State Rights;" others because, like A. H. Stevens, of Georgia, they saw with a clear eye that secession must inevitably result in the overthrow of slavery. And thus the Union men themselves were strongly divided into northern and southern sympathizers. The convention sat at St. Louis, without any important results, from March 9th to 22d, when it adjourned, subject to the call of its committee on federal relations.
National events rushed on rapidly to a crisis which would admit of no temporizing. In April, Fort Sumter was fired upon; President Lincoln called for 75,000 troops; and men must now take sides for or against the national sovereignty of the lawfully constituted Federal authorities. Our legislature was in session; its measures and discussions were almost entirely of the "State Rights" type; and in a message to the legislature on May 3, 1861, Governor Jackson said the President's call for troops " is unconstitutional and illegal, tending toward a consolidated despotisın. * Our interest and sympathies are identical with those of the slave-holding states, and necessarily unite our destiny with theirs." While these influences were working in the central and western parts of the state, and organizations of " state guards " were being rapidly formed to resist the federal authority, Gen. Nathaniel Lyon and Col. F. P. Blair were actively enlisting men and organizing regiments in St. Louis and vicinity, to main- tain the federal authority. The most intense alarm' and consternation prevailed throughout the state. Several minor conflicts occurred between state militia or "guards " and Union troops, all hinging upon the question of, which power had the right of paramount sovereignty. The state troops were mostly under command of General Sterling Price, subordinate only to the governor of the state; while the federal troops were under
52
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
command of General Lyon, by authority of the President of the United States .*
Governor Jackson finally tried to make terms with Gen. Lyon, that no federal troops should be stationed in or allowed to pass through the state. This was refused; and the governor then immediately issued a formal call, June 12, for 50,000 state militia. About April 20th, nearly two months before this, the " state guards " had seized the United States arsenal at Liberty, in Clay county, and taken its stores and arms for their own use. This was several weeks before the celebrated "Camp Jackson" affair. The wager of battle was now fairly joined in Missouri between different parties of her own citizens, although volunteers from other states soon began to pour in. The following is a chronological list of the more important actions and events:
April 12, 1861 .- Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter, which was yielded up and evacuated on the 14th.
April 15 .- President Lincoln's proclamation, calling for 75,000 volun. teers to sustain the government, and calling a special session of congress.
SUCCEEDING EVENTS IN MISSOURI.t
April 19 .- Gov. Jackson wrote to David Walker, President of the Arkansas Convention, thus: "I have been from the beginning in favor of decided and prompt action on the part of the southern states, but the majority of the people of Missouri, up to the present time, have differed with me."
April 20 .- The U. S. arsenal, at Liberty, in Clay county, was seized and garrisoned by about a hundred "state guards," and the arms and cannon were distributed to their friends throughout the county, with the concurrence of the governor .;
April 22 .- Governor Jackson officially resented the president's call for troops, and called an extra session of the legislature, to arm and equip state troops. State militia ordered to go into encampment on May 3, for one week.
* It is not the purpose of this history to give a detailed narrative of events of the war time; neither to discuss the right or the wrong of the views of either party in the conflict. We only give a brief mention of some of the most important incidents and leading actors, to show how and wherein the people of Missouri were themselves divided in opinion, what motives moved them, and what events stand out as of chief historic celebrity. Indeed, we would gladly skip this period of our state history entirely, if it were permissible in such a work.
+The events here given, in their chronological order, have been collated from more than thirty different volumes containing different items or parts of Missouri's war history. The narratives, dates and statistics were found often conflicting; and we have endeavored to use those only which seemed to be the best authenticated, or the most probable under the circumstances-and to localize events as closely as possible by naming the towns, streams, counties, etc., where they occurred.
#The governor had already. (April 20th) seized the United States arsenal at Liberty, and had distributed among his friends the arms it contained. "-Draper's History of the Civil War, Vol. II, p. 228.
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
April 25, Night .- Capt. Lyon secretly removed the war stores in U. S. arsenal at St. Louis, by steamboat, over to Alton, Illinois.
April 28 .- Gov. Jackson wrote secretly to J. W. Tucker, Esq., of St. Louis: " I want a little time to arm the state, and I am assuming every responsibility to do it with all possible dispatch. * * We should keep our own counsels .* * * * Nothing should be said about the time or the manner in which Missouri should go out. That she ought to go, and will go at the proper time, I have no doubt. She ought to have gone last winter, when she could have seized the public arms and public property and defended herself. "*
May 3 .- Legislature met. Governor Jackson denounced the presi- dent's call for troops as " unconstitutional and illegal." Meanwhile Col. F. P. Blair, Jr., member of congress from the 1st district, of St. Louis, had enlisted one full regiment, and had four others in course of organiza- tion, within ten days from the issue of the president's call.
May 10 .- A body of " state guards," under command of Gen. D. M. Frost, acting under Governor Jackson's authority, had established a camp near St. Louis, called "Camp Jackson." Capt. Lyon, who had been since February in charge of the U. S. arsenal at St. Louis, with a few soldiers of the regular army (less than 500), discovered that the Camp Jackson men were receiving arms and ammunition by steamboats from the south, in boxes marked " marble." Accordingly, on the morning of May 10th, he with his regulars, and Col. Blair with his Missouri volun- teers, surrounded, surprised and captured the camp, taking as prisoners of war 639 privates. and 50 officers. The arms captured consisted of 20 cannon, 1200 new rifles, several chests of muskets, and large quantities of shot, shell, cartridges, etc.
May 12 .- Gen. Wm. S. Harney took command of the Union forces in Missouri. Meanwhile the legislature had passed an act making every able-bodied man subject to military duty. All public revenues for 1860-61 (about $3,000,000) were authorized to be used by the governor for military purposes.
May 21 .- Gen. Harney made a truce or compromise of peace with Gen. Price, commander of the state troops.
June I .- The president repudiated Gen. Harney's truce with Price; also removed him from his command and gave it to Gen. Lyon, who had on May 17th been appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers.
June 4 .- Governor Jackson issued a circular claiming the Harney- Price compact to be still in force.
June 11 .- Gen. Price and Gov. Jackson sought a "peace conference". with Gen. Lyon and Col. Blair. The governor stipulated as a vital con-
*See official address of the state convention, issued to the people July 31, 1861.
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
dition of peace, that no Federal troops should be stationed in or pass through Missouri. The proposition was rejected.
June 12 .- Gasconade railroad bridge burnt; also, Osage river bridge; and telegraph lines cut that connected with St. Louis.
June 13 .- Governor Jackson issued a call for 50,000 state militia, to repel federalinvasion; referred to the president as " the military despotism which has introduced itself at Washington;" and said to the people, " your first allegiance is due to your own state." He appointed ex-Governor Ster- ling Price as major general; and M. L. Clark, John B. Clark, Parsons, Slack, Harris, Rains, McBride, Stein and Jeff. Thomson, as brigadier- generals. The state militia were called to rendezvous at Boonville and Lexington. The governor and other officers left Jefferson City for Boon- ville this day,* while at the same time General Lyon was embarking with 1,500 men at St. Louis, to take and hold the state capital.
June 15 .- General Lyon arrived at Jefferson City.
June 16 .- Re-embarked his troops for Boonville.
June 17 .- Battle of Boonville. Colonel Marmaduke defeated. State troops retreated to Warsaw, with loss of fifty killed. Federal loss, two killed.
June 18-19 .- Colonel O'Kane, with 350 state militia, surprised in the night, a half-formed Union regiment at Cole Camp, in Benton county, under Capt. Cook. Pollard's "Southern History" says, in this affair the Union- ists lost 206 killed, a large number wounded, and over 100 taken prison- ers, beside 362 muskets captured; O'Kane lost 15 killed and 20 wounded.
July 3 .- Governor Jackson and General Price .we're at Montevallo, in Vernon county, with (Pollard says) 3,600 state troops.
Fuly 5-6 .- Battle of Carthage (or Dry Fork), in Jasper county; union loss, 13 killed and 31 wounded; state troops, under Price and Jackson, lost about 300 killed and wounded. Gen. Seigel, the union commander, fell back sixty miles, to Springfield and joined Gen. Lyon.
fuly 8 .- A small fight occurred at Bird's Point, in Mississippi county. Confederates lost 3 killed and 8 wounded. Federal loss, if any, not reported.
July 22 .- The state convention, which had adjourned subject to the call of its committee on federal relations, re-convened at Jefferson City.
July 25 .- Maj. Gen. Fremont arrived at St. Louis, as commander of the western department, which comprised Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, and the territories westward.
July 30 .- State convention, by a vote of 56 to 25, declared the state offices and seats in legislature vacant, by reason of their occupants being engaged in treasonable and armed hostilities against the lawfully consti-
" *The capture of Camp Jackson and the flight of the chief executive from the capital, was the occasion of a partial destruction of the Osage and Gasconade bridges [railroad], as well as those over Gray's creek, west of Jefferson City."-Annual report of state commis. sioner of statistics, 1866, p. 255.
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
tuted federal authorities, and that all legislative and executive acts in pur suance of such treason or armed hostility, pretended to be done in the name and by authority of the state of Missouri, were null and void. They elected to fill the state office vacancies; H. R. Gamble, governor; W: P. Hall, lieutenant governor; Mordecai Oliver. secretary of state; and appointed the first Monday of November as a day of general election.
July 31 .- Lieut. Governor Reynolds, whose office had been declared vacant by the state convention, issued a proclamation, dated at New Mad- rid, July 31, in which he said: "I return to the state, to accompany in my official capacity, one of the armies which the warrior statesman [ Jef- ferson Davis], whose genius now presides over the affairs of our half of the Union; has prepared to advance against the common foe. * * * You behold the most warlike population on the globe, the people of the lower Mississippi valley, about to rush with their gleaming bowie-knives and unerring rifles, to aid us in driving out the abolitionists and their Hes- sion allies. * The road to peace and internal security is only
through union with the south. * * Rally to the stars and bars, in union with the glorious ensign of the grizzly bear."*
August 2 .- Battle\of Dug Springs, in Lawrence county. General McCulloch, of Arkansas, in command of Confederates, marching to attack Springfield, was checked, and fell back to Sarcoxie; loss, 40 killed, 44 wounded. General Lyon fell back to Springfield; loss, 8 killed, 30 wounded.
August 5 .- Confederate troops under Col. Martin E. Green, attacked Missouri state militia, under Col. Moore, at Athens, in Clark county, and were defeated with a loss of 43 killed.
August 6 .- Governor Jackson, being now at Carthage, and just hear- ing of the action of the state convention, also issued a proclamation, de- claring the union between Missouri and the other states totally dissolved, and proclaiming the state of Missouri to be " a sovereign, free and inde- pendent republic."
August 10 .- Battle of Wilson's Creek. Gen. Lyon, Federal, had 5,500 infantry, 400 cavalry, and 18 cannon. Gen. McCulloch, Confeder- ate, says that his "effective force was 5,300 infantry, 15 pieces of artillery, and 6,000 horsemen.". (The Union officers imagined and reported more than double this number against them; one said 23,000, and another 24,000.) The Confederates lost 421 killed, 1,317 wounded and 30 mis- sing. The Federals reported 223 killed, 721 wounded and 292 inissing, and 5 cannon lost. Gen. Lyon was killed in this engagement.
August 14 .- Federals evacuated Springfield and retreated to Rolla, but
*Early in March the confederate congress had adopted the " stars and bars" as the flag of their confederacy. The state seal of Missouri has two grizzly bears among its emblems.
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
were not pursued. Earthwork fortifications were this day commenced around St. Louis.
August 31 .-- Gen. Fremont issued a general order proclaiming martial law in Missouri; the property of all persons who had taken up arms against the United States was declared to be confiscated, and "their slaves to be free men." (President Lincoln at once annulled this last clause.)
September 13 .- Siege of Lexington commenced by Gen. Price. His force has been variously estimated from 22,000 to 28,000, with 13 cannon. Col. Mulligan, Federal, had 2,780 troops, with six brass cannon, two howitzers, and forty rounds of ammunition. The same day, at Boonville, the Confederates, led by Col. Brown, attacked the Federal gar- rison in command of Col. Eppstein, and were repulsed with a loss of 12 killed and 30 wounded; Federal loss, 1 killed and 4 wounded.
September 17 .- Battle of Blue Mills Landing, or Missouri Bottom, in Clay county. A body of Confederates, variously estimated at 600 to 1,000 men, were on their way to join Gen. Price, at Lexington; and being pur- sued by a body of 700 Iowa and Missouri Unionist volunteers, they laid in ambush, and were attacked. The Federals lost 16 killed and 80 wounded; the Confederates lost 10 killed and 60 wounded, repulsed their assailants, and then crossed over to Blue Mills, in Jackson county, on the south side of the Missouri, and marched on to Lexington.
September 18-19 .- Main battle of Lexington.
September 20 .- Col. Mulligan surrendered. Gen. Price honorably rec- ognized the pluck and splendid heroism of his opponents, who were out of both provisions and ammunition, and for two days had had no water except the night dews which settled in their blankets and was wrung out into camp dishes in the morning. He released the privates on parole, but retained the officers as prisoners. Of the Federals there were 42 killed and 108 wounded. Gen. Price reported 25 killed and 72 wounded, from his regular muster rolls. But nearly half the men there with him were not formally enrolled as soldiers, and the losses among them could never be ascertained with any certainty, though known to be pretty large.
September 21 .- A fight occurred at Papinsville, in Bates county, in which, as reported; 17 Unionists were killed, and 40 Confederates killed and 100 captured.
September 27 .- Gen. Fremont left St. Louis for Jefferson City, in pur- suit of Price, with an army of 15,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 86 pieces of artillery; his chief officers were Generals Hunter, Pope, Siegel, Mckinstry and Asboth. But Price was too good a general to be caught at a disadvantage; he however skillfully managed to lead the Federals on wild goose chases after him all over southern Missouri.
57
HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
October 13 .- Secretary of War Cameron, and Adj't. Gen. Thomas, visited Fremont at Tipton.
On the same day the Federal garrison at Lebanon, in LaClede county, was attacked unsuccessfully by Confederates, who lost 27 killed, 12 wounded, and 36 taken prisoners. Federal loss, 1 killed and several wounded.
October 14 .- On this day Fremont's army reported thus:
1st division, Gen. Hunter, at Tipton. 9,750 men
2d Gen Pope, at Georgetown. 9,220 men
3d
Gen. Siegel, at Sedalia. 7,980 men
4th
Gen. Asboth, at Tipton 6,451 men
5th
Gen. Mckinstry, at Syracuse 5,388 men
Total 38,789 men They were all hunting for Gen. Price, to give him battle; he was not yet ready for a pitched battle, but he worried the Federals a great deal by decoying them into many a long and fruitless march.
About this time several small fights occurred in different parts of the state, but of which few particulars can be obtained. The " American Annual Cyclopedia, " for 1861, gives the following statistics: Oct. 15, Big River bridge, Federal loss, 1 killed, 7 wounded, 52 missing; Confed- erate loss, 20 killed, 4 wounded. October 16, Bolivar. Heights [in Polk county], Federal loss, 7 killed; Confederate loss, 150 killed. Oct. 17, Pilot Knob, Federal loss, 1 killed, 10 wounded; Confederate loss, 36 killed. Oct. 19, Big Harrison Creek, Federal loss, 2 killed, 14 wounded; Confederate loss, 14 killed, 8 missing. Oct. 23, West Liberty [in Putnam county], Federal loss, 2 wounded; Confederate loss, 15 killed, 30 wounded .*
October 16 .- Recapture of Lexington by Major White, releasing Union prisoners, including two colonels of Mulligan's brigade.
October 21 .- Battle of Fredericktown, in Madison county. Confeder- ate Col. Jeff Thompson was defeated with loss of 200 killed, and made a hasty retreat, leaving 60 of his dead behind him. Federal loss, 30 killed.
October 24 .- Battle of Springfield. Major Zagonyi, with 300 cavalry, known as "Fremont's Body Guard, " attacked an irregular force estima- ted at 1,200 foot and 400 horsemen, and defeated them, losing 84 of his men killed or wounded; 100 of his troops were Kentuckians. The Con- federate loss was known to be considerable, but could never be fully ascer- tained; their dead were buried the next day, under a flag of truce.
October 27 .- Gen. Siegel reached Springfield with his division. Fre- mont was concentrating his army at Springfield, to fortify and hold it as
*In the greater number of battles in this state the Federals had the advantage of more artillery than the Confederates, and men better skilled in its use; and this is why the losses on the Confederate side so often seem out of proportion.
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
the key to southwestern Missouri and northern Arkansas, where Price and McCulloch. were operating.
November 2 .- Fremont was removed from command and Gen. Hunter placed in his stead.
November 2 .- A sharp fight occurred on Bee Creek, between Weston and Platte City, in Platte county; the Confederate loss is given as 13 killed. and 30 missing; Federal loss not known.
November 7 .- Gen. Hunter evacuated Springfield and fell back to Rolla. This same day the battle of Belmont occurred; Federal loss, 84 killed, 388 wounded, and 285 taken prisoners. Pollard's "Southern History" says the Confederate loss in this battle was 632. But the National Hand- Book reports the Confederate losses as 261 killed, 427 wounded, and 278. missing.
November 18 .- Gen. H. W. Halleck arrived at St. Louis and took com- mand, in place of Gen. Hunter.
November 21 .- Gen.Halleck issued an order that no fugitive slavesshould be permitted to enter the lines of any camp, nor of any forces on the march. (President Lincoln had some time before this annulled Gen. Fremont's. order declaring certain slaves free.)
November 27 .- Gen. J. M. Schofield placed in command of Missouri Federal troops.
November and December .- During these months there occurred several irregular conflicts of no great importance, but still deemed worthy of cas- ual mention in Horace Greely's History of the' War, because they served. to show how the Missouri people were divided among themselves, and thereby suffered the more. The village of Warsaw was burned Nov. 19, and Platte City, Dec. 16, by guerillas; a small fight occurred at Salem Dec. 3, at Rogers' mill Dec. 7, and at or near Glasgow, Potosi, Lexing- ton, Mount Zion, and Sturgeon, on Dec. 28th.
December 3 .- Col. Freeman with a regiment of Confederate cavalry,. made a night attack on Federal troops under Col. Bowen, near Salem, in Dent county, and was defeated, with a loss of 16 killed, 20 wounded and 10 prisoners. Federal loss, 3 killed, 8 wounded, 2 missing. Col. Free- man had suffered a sore defeat near Springer's mill, in the east part of the county, in August; but no further particulars could be obtained.
December 15 .- Gen. Pope captured 300 recruits and 70 wagons loaded with supplies, going from Lexington to join Gen. Price, who was then at Osceola with 8,000 men.
December 18 .- Col. J. C. Davis, of Pope's army, surprised a Confeder- ate camp at Milford, and captured 3 colonels, 17 captains, 1,300 soldiers, 1,000 stand of arms, 1,000 horses, besides all their tents, baggage and supplies. Federal loss, 2 killed, 17 wounded.
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HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
December 20 .- By a concerted night attack, the Hannibal & St. Joe railroad .was broken, and bridges destroyed for about a hundred miles .* -
OPERATIONS IN 1862.
March 3 .- Price and . McCulloch, at Boston Mountain, Arkansas, were joined by Maj. Gen. Van Dorn, Confederate commander of the Trans- Mississippi department, and by Gen. Pike, with a brigade of Indians from the Indian Territory. This army now numbered about 20,000, all under Gen. Van Dorn.
March 7-8 .- Battle of Pea Ridge. Although Pea Ridge is really in Arkansas (just over the line), the battle was fought by the Confederates to regain a foothold in Missouri, and it properly belongs to the history of Missouri military operations. The Federal forces under Gen. Curtis engaged in this battle were 10,500 men and 49 cannon. Gen. Van Dorn's army is variously given by different southern authorities, all the way from 16,000 to 30,000. The Federal loss was 203 killed, 972 wounded, 176 missing. Count Paris' history states that the Confederates "left more than one thousand men in killed and wounded upon that long-contested battle-field." . The Confederate Generals McCulloch and McIntosh were mortally wounded in this battle, and Gen. Buckner was captured. The Confederates lost 1,100 killed, 2,500 wounded, and 1,600 taken prisoners.
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