USA > Missouri > Platte County > History of Clay and Platte 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 Clay and Platte Counties --their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens. > Part 24
USA > Missouri > Clay County > History of Clay and Platte 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 Clay and Platte Counties --their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens. > Part 24
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118
Perhaps 200 Clay county men took part in these engagements. Capt. Grooms, Col. Gideon Thompson and Col. Boaz Roberts were there at the head of considerable commands. At Independence Col. John T. Hughes, who had formerly been a prominent citizen of Clay, the author of " Doniphan's Expedition to Mexico," and who has been frequently referred to in preceding pages of this volume, was killed. Among the Confederate killed at Lone Jack was Wash Thompson. Other Clay men were killed and a number wounded.
At this time Confederate raiders were on both sides of the river. Down in Carroll county Maj. John L. Mirick had 500 men, too strong for a force of Penick's men under Maj. Biggers, sent against them, and the first week in August Penick himself went down with the re- mainder of his regiment, leaving Capt. Harsel with some newly enrolled militia in command. There was considerable uneasiness lest Liberty should be taken, but the strong Confederate bands in Jack- son county could not cross the river, and the danger passed.
After the Lone Jack fight Lexington was seriously menaced by the Confederates. From Liberty Penick and his command and the en- rolled militia companies under Capts. Moss, Harsell and Garth went down to reinforce the Federal garrison. Capt. O. P. Moss was the only officer in command at Liberty, or even in Clay county, for a few days. When Penick returned he remained but a day or two, and then, with his entire regiment, he left for Jackson county, leaving the enrolled militia to take care of Clay.
Thursday, August 14, Col. Penick, with 50 men, went from Liberty into Platte, to break up a band of alleged bushwhackers, though per- haps they were really Confederate recruits that had formed in the southeastern part of that county, three miles southwest of Barry. Nearing the camp Penick made inquiries concerning it of two citizens
10
1
232
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
there living, but they declared that it was not within three miles. A few hundred yards further, the bushwhackers were encountered, in ambush, ready and waiting. At the first fire two Federals were killed outright, one mortally wounded and two others seriously hurt. The Federals were thrown into confusion, but rallied, and then both par- ties retreated. Penick took out the two citizens, who he claimed had betrayed him, shot them and burned the house and barn.
August 23, a band of Kansas jayhawkers and red-legs made a raid on the southwest portion of Clay. Word was brought to Liberty and Capt. H. B. Johnson, of Penick's regiment, in command, sent 30 enrolled militia, under Lieuts. Flemming and Thomason, after them. The raiders were found in the bottom between Liberty and Kansas City. The militia fired on them, attacking them as savagely as if they had been Confederate bushwhackers, wounded a number, took four prisoners and recovered 25 negroes and 30 horses, which the ras- cals had stolen from our citizens and were carrying off to Kansas. During the day a company of militia from Kansas City came over and co-operated with Flemming and Thomason in breaking up and driv- ing out the marauders. It was now demonstrated that the enrolled militia of Clay, so long as commanded by Col. Moss and led by Lieuts. Thomason and Flemming, might be depended on to fight thieves and robbers, whether they were clad in Federal blue or wore " hodden gray " and butternut.
September 24 two Confederate officers, Col. Boaz Roberts and a partisan leader named Scott, while in Barry, captured Deputy Sheriff Wm. E. Rhea, who was out in the country collecting taxes. They took from him the tax-books, about 25 writs of execution, robbed him of his horse, pistol, $40 in money and then released him.
NOVEMBER ELECTION 1862.
Notwithstanding the presence of hundreds of soldiers in this county in the year 1862, and the thousand and one shocks to the law and or- der incident to " war's alarms," courts were held and other proceed- ings gone through with according to the forms of law, and the vote at the election of this year, while not very large and full, was fair and free, and the election itself was conducted without intimidation or any overawing on the part of the soldiery. So far as this county was concerned, the bayonet protected, and did not attempt to control the ballot box.
The only political issue involved was the question of emancipation, and there were few emancipationists in this county. No one could
233
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
vote unless he had first taken the Gamble oath, and so all the voters were - or at least presumed to be - " loyal." The following was the vote in this county : -
Congress - J. H. Birch, 582 ; Austin A. King, 159 ; E. M. Samuel, 179. (Birch and King were anti-Emancipationists ; Samuel was not committed. )
State Senator - John Doniphan, of Platte, 844; no opposition.
Representative -L. W. Burris, 828 ; no opposition.
Sheriff - Wm. W. Smith, 469 ; F. R. Long, 430.
Assessor - Greenup Byrd, Jr., 449 ; James Burns, 399.
County Judge - Alvah Maret ; no opposition.
County Treasurer - B. F. Tillery ; no opposition.
CHAPTER IX. DURING THE YEAR 1863.
Miscellaneous War Items of the Early Spring -The Raid on Missouri City and Killing of Capt. Sessions- Other War Incidents - After the Lawrence Raid - Threatened Invasion from Kansas Prevented - The " Paw Paw Militia," and Certain Military Incidents in This County During 1862 and 1863 -Interesting Testimony of Col. J. H. Moss - November Election- Sons of Malta - Military Murders.
Early in the spring of this year, before the leaves of the trees put out, or even the buds began to swell, the Confederate guerrilla bands in this part of Missouri were on the move. The first band in Clay county was led by Joe Hart, of Buchanan county, who had deserted the Confederate army to come back to Missouri and " bushwhack." About March 1, Capts. Garth and Tracy, of the enrolled militia, cap- tured one of Hart's men and five jayhawkers near Missouri City. The bushwhacker was sent to St. Joe; the jayhawkers to Kansas City. Hart and half a dozen of his band ranged through the country in the neighborhood of Centerville (Kearney ) claiming to be in search of a militiaman named Harris, whom they wanted to kill, but at the same time they were robbing citizens. From one man they took $60 in money and two horses ; from everybody, arms.
April 29, Capt. Tracy and half a dozen militia were fired on, after dark, at a point 12 miles east of north of Liberty, by Hart's band .. The bushwhackers retreated after the first fire, and Tracy captured two of their mules.
In adjoining counties, before spring had fairly arrived, the guerrillas and bushwhackers were at work. Coleman Younger, Dave Poole, Fernando Scott, and some others of Quantrell's band captured the steamer New Sam Gaty, at Sibley's landing, March 27, killing three of Penick's men after they had surrendered, robbing all the passen- gers, carrying off 20 negroes, and throwing into the river 100 sacks of flour and a dozen wagons.
THE RAID ON MISSOURI CITY.
On the 19th of May occurred a guerrilla raid on Missouri City made by a band of 12 guerrillas, led by Fernando Scott, who crossed the river at Sibley, and rendezvoused for the raid at the house of Moses
(234)
235
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
McCoy, in Fishing River township. It is said that Frank James, Fletch. Taylor and Joe Hart were members of Scott's band. The following account of the raid was given in the current number of the Liberty Tribune, and is pronounced fairly accurate : -
One of the residents of Missouri City came in and reported either to Capt. Darius Sessions of the enrolled militia, or Lieut. Graven- stein, of the Twenty-fifty. Missouri Volunteers, that he noticed two or three suspicious characters lurking about a short distance below that place. The captain and lieutenant with not more than three or four men - all we suppose they could muster at the time for duty - went out on a scout, and had not proceeded far before they were fired upon from the brush by a body of men at least three or four times their number. Finding their little force inadequate, they were com- pelled to beat a hasty retreat in a somewhat northerly direction. They were, however, hotly pursued by the bushwhackers. Capt. Sessions was shot dead, several bullets, it is said, entering his body. Lieut. Gravenstein, finding his pursuers fast gaining on him, and escape about hopeless, turned and offered to surrender but was killed on the spot without mercy. A private of the Twenty-fifth Missouri who was wounded in the arm, found by a citizen, and brought into Missouri City, was cruelly fired upon by several of these outlaws as they came rushing into town - neither his helpless condition nor the humane attentions of those around him dressing his wound, could save him. He was still alive when last heard from but his recovery is deemed hopeless. The ruffians broke into James Reed's store, forced open his safe, took therefrom some $170 or $180 in gold, destroyed all his valuable papers and other property. They also plundered and did considerable damage to Mr. B. W. Nowlin's store, and after charging about for some time in a threatening manner, departed to the woods below the city.
These men, those of them who came into the city, were under the leadership of Scott, a saddler who lived in Liberty some years ago, but for the past four or five years has resided in Jackson county. He is a native of Ohio. George Todd it is also said was at hand with another squad. Their pickets were seen early Wednesday morning on the bluff above the lower part of Missouri City. The number of guerrillas altogether was sixteen, although at first they were supposed to number a much larger force.
Capt. Garth, with what forces he could hastily gather up, immedi- ately went in pursuit, but did not succeed in capturing any of them. In the absence of the militia the citizens of Liberty turned out en masse to defend the town, and it was done with a willingness and a " vim" that plainly indicated that the bushwhackers had but few if any sympathizers in Liberty.
The bushwhackers were all from Jackson and other counties but three- Vandivere, Easton and James - all of whom were of Clav. Vandivere boasted in the streets of Missouri City that he killed
236
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
Capt. Sessions because he reported on him and wouldn't let him stay at home. The rascals, when firing on the wounded man in town, declared that when any of their men were captured they were killed, and that they intended to do the same -- that they neither asked nor gave quarter.
Mr. Benjamin Soper, residing some eight or ten miles north of Liberty, reported to headquarters on Thursday that fourteen of the above squad took possession of his farm, stationing out pickets, and notifying him and family that they were prisoners, and not to leave the place. That they remained all one day, and on leaving took one of his best horses, and warned him it would not be good for any of the family to be caught from home that night.
The body of Capt. Sessions was buried at Liberty with the honors of war. The remains of Lieut. Gravenstein were sent to his family at St. Joseph. This was the same Darius Sessions who, during the troubles in Kansas, was accused of Abolitionism, and came near being lynched in the streets of Liberty. He was saved by the in- tervention of prominent Pro-Slavery men, who vouched for his soundness, and a public meeting denounced the lawless proceedings against him. (See preceding pages of this volume. )
OTHER WAR INCIDENTS.
Along in the summer, after the raid on Missouri City -- or Rich- field, as that part of the town was then called -the county was badly infested with bushwhackers, who roamed about in every town- ship, stealing, robbing, and sometimes murdering. Of an exploit of three of these partisans the Tribune, in August, contained the following : -
Three Southern Gentlemen in Search of Their " Rights." - On the morning of the 6th of August, Franklin James, with two others of the same stripe, stopped David Mitchell on his road to Lexing- ton, about six miles west of Liberty, and took from him $1.25, his pocket knife, and a pass he had from the Provost Marshal to cross the plains. This was one of the " rights " these men are fighting for. James sent his compliments to Maj. Green, and said he would like to see him.
Owing to the disturbed condition of affairs it was impossible to collect the public revenue in the usual way, and in July the county court made the following order : -
CLAY COUNTY COURT, July 8, 1863.
WHEREAS, it is painfully apparent, and for many months past has existed in our county, which renders it unsafe and almost impossible
237
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
for the collector and his deputies to collect in the usual manner and within the time prescribed by law, the State and county revenue, and the taxes assessed for military purposes, without calling on the militia to escort and protect them from the roving bands of thieves and marauders which infect our county; and that were said officers to essay, alone and unprotected, to visit tax-payers at their place of residence in the county, a standing temptation too powerful for these bad men to resist, would be given to waylay and rob said officers ; and whereas, said collector is under heavy bonds to the State and county for the prompt collection and payment of said taxes - by far the greater part of which remains uncollected ; and, whereas, the court desires to see the civil law and authority upheld and respected without the aid and assistance of the military forces in our midst, and to witness the speedy restoration of tranquility, good order, and all the safeguards of society : -
It is therefore ordered by the court that the tax-payers of Clay county who have not yet paid their taxes be notified and enjoined to repair as soon as practicable to the office of Col. F. R. Long, at the court-house, in the city of Liberty, and pay their taxes to said collec- tor or his deputies ; and, unless they promptly respond to this order, the court will be compelled, as an act of justice to the State, the county, the brave militia faithfully serving the cause of law and loyalty, and said collector, either to call into requisition the services of said militia to enable said officers to collect said taxes, or to order said defaulting tax-payers to be returned as delinquents.
And be it further ordered that this order be published in the Liberty Tribune, as many weeks as may be necessary to give full publicity thereto, and also by printed hand-bills posted in the most prominent places for observation in the county.
(A true copy. Attest ).
EPHRAIM D. MURRAY, Clerk. By THOMAS D. MURRAY, D. C.
On August 27, Capt. W. W. Garth, with a small squad of militia, came upon R. S. Osborn's bushwhackers near Chrisman's school- house and exchanged shots with them. The bushwhackers retreated without loss. A night or so afterward they robbed A. J. Calhoun of $30 in cash and a valuable horse, James Johnson of a horse, J. T. Field, J. Lewis, Richard Morton, Samuel Jones and others of horses, money, clothing, etc., and from Mrs. Richard Price they carried off an old negro man, whom they inhumanly murdered in a corn field near by.
Sunday night, September 6, Maj. John R. Green, of the provisional militia, in command at Liberty, sent a squad of men on a scout out on the Missouri City road. The militia hid themselves, and soon three bushwhackers came along the road and were themselves bush- whacked, the militia firing on them and killing one of their number,
238
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
Park Donovan. He had on his person several articles belonging to citizens of the county, among which was a powder flask he had taken from Elder R. C. Morton.
AFTER THE LAWRENCE RAID.
After the raid on Lawrence, Kas., by Quantrell's men, a large pub- lic meeting was held at Liberty, T. C. Gordon presiding, to take the sense of the meeting on the affair. Resolutions were passed con- demning the raid as " infamous and cruel in the extreme, rivaling the bloodiest deeds of the red men of the forest or the carnivals of Oceanica," and expressing the hope that the " last fiend engaged in this heartrending outrage will be overtaken with swift destruction." The meeting was attended by all parties, including many ex-Confed- erates. When Ewing's " Order No. 11" came out, requesting the citizens of Jackson and other counties to either repair to some desig- nated military post or else leave their respective counties, Maj. Green, in command of Clay county, issued the following order :-
HEADQUARTERS, LIBERTY, MO., Sept. 9th, 1863.
Special Order. ]
All persons who are leaving Gen. Ewing's district in compliance with his order (No. 11) are hereby prohibited from stopping in this county to reside. All those failing to comply with this order will be escorted beyond the lines of this county.
JOHN R. GREEN, Major Commanding Post.
By ROBT. W. FLEMMING, Act. Post Adjt.
There was the greatest alarm .and anxiety felt in this county and Platte for some time after the sacking of Lawrence. A number of Clay county men belonged to Quantrell's force, and the Kansas militia were threatening to invade Missouri and take dreadful retali- ation for what the guerrillas had done. Gen. Thos. J. Ewing has declared that he issued " Order 11" to prevent lawless bodies of Kansas troops from visiting the Missouri border and slaughtering indiscriminately the people and burning up the country, as they were threatening to do. However this may be, it is certain that Gen. Ewing notified Gen. Guitar, then in command of the district of North- west Missouri, and also the Federal officers at Liberty to be on the lookout for Kansas raiders. August 27, he sent the following tele- gram to Gen. Guitar, who was then at Macon City : -
[By Telegraph from Kansas City.] I am advised that an expedition is being fitted at Leavenworth
239
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
or a raid into Missouri; it is uncertain whether they intend to cross the river or attempt the lower border. I have notified com- manding officers at Liberty, and directed my provost marshal at Leavenworth to keep the commanding officers at Weston advised. My troops at Fort Leavenworth can not be certainly relied on in the present state of feeling. I have doubts whether any expedition of ยท consequence will really set out, as I have orders that it will be re- sisted ; but you had as well be ready.
THOMAS J. EWING, Brigadier-General.
Gen. Guitar returned the following answer : -
MACON, Mo., August 27, 1863.
To Brigadier-General Ewing, Kansas City, Mo. - I have this moment received your dispatch of this date, for which I am under obligations. I deeply sympathize with the unfortunate. people of Lawrence, and with yourself, in the responsible aud embarrassing position you occupy. By all means let speedy vengeance be visited upon the guilty ; but, in the name of heaven and humanity, let us protect the innocent and inoffending. I need no assurance that it will be done as far as you are able. I shall be upon the alert, and I admonish the people of Kansas not to cross the Missouri river for the purpose of marauding and destruction ; they will certainly be met if they do. I trust so dire a calamity will be averted. I am ready, if need be, to march every soldier in my command from North Mis- souri to the relief of Kansas, and to the Gulf if necessary. As I denounced and fought against the invasion of Kansas in 1856, as an outrage, so must I resist any invasion of Missouri for any illegal pur- poses. If they come to aid in maintaining the authority and laws of our glorious Government, I shall welcome them with fraternal hands.
O. GUITAR, Brigadier-General Commanding.
The same day Guitar sent the following to Col. Williams at St. Joseph : -
MACON, August 27, 1863.
To Col. John F. Williams, St. Joseph, Mo. - I have this moment received a dispatch from Gen. Ewing, advising me he believed an expedition was being fitted out at Leavenworth, to make a raid across the river into Missouri - such a movement must be promptly met and resisted. You had better, perhaps, send Maj. Garth down opposite Leavenworth with "Co. B," to keep a watch upon their movements. You will notify Capt. Garth at Liberty, to move with his company to Wyandotte. You will also notify your troops above St. Joseph, near the river, to be on the alert, and take such steps as will checkmate any movement in that direction. If men cross into Mis- souri to repeat the outrages which Quantrell and his murderers have
240
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
just consummated in Kansas, no matter under what pretext, I want them met with " bloody hands." Keep me promptly advised of every hostile indication or movement.
O. GUITAR, Brigadier-General Commanding.
It was about this time that Gen. Guitar wrote his celebrated " hell- and-the-iron-works" letter to his brother-in-law, Maj. Reeves Leon- ard. This letter was dated at Macon, September 9, and was severe on the Abolition Federal officers, and declared that runaway negroes were not to be received in Federal camps. The letter closed with this par- agraph : -
I write in haste, as I expect to go to St. Louis this evening to look after the Kansas invasion ; so you see, I am placed between hell and the iron-works, but thank God I am a free man, amenable to no power save the laws of my country and my God, and under no constraint, except to do right as I see it. Keep the Rebs. and Rads. straight. If our Kansas friends come over I will endeavor to give them such a re- ception as becomes a brave and hospitable people.
THE " PAW-PAW " MILITIA AND CERTAIN MILITARY INCIDENTS IN 1862-63.
In the fall of 1863 Col. J. H. Moss received orders from Gen. Schofield, at St. Louis, to reorganize the militia of Clay and Platte counties. This he at once proceeded to do by organizing what came to be known as the Eighty-second Regiment of Enrolled Missouri Militia. This regiment and the Eighty-first, Col. John Scott, consti- tuted what was derisively called the " Paw-Paw " militia brigade. Many members of the regiment had been in the rebel or Confederate service, and it was said that some of them had the previous summer laid out in the paw-paw thickets of the Missouri bottoms to keep out of the way of the Federals, and when frost came lived mainly on the paw-paws ! From these alleged circumstances the two regiments were called "Paw-Paws " or the " Paw-Paw Militia."
The Radicals greatly disliked the Paw-Paws and wished to have them mustered out of service. The Legislature in January, 1864, ap- pointed a committee to investigate them, and this committee sum- moned before it several prominent Union men of this county to testify as to the character of the militia and to the general condition of affairs in Clay then and previously. Extracts from the sworn testimony of some of these persons before.the committee might be inserted here, but the testimony of Col. Jas. H. Moss, given below, contains the main
241
HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.
facts in the testimony of all these men, so that is deemed unnecessary to enter into any repetition : -
TESTIMONY OF COL. JAS. H. MOSS.
Ques. by Mr. Davis. What was your reason for organizing the cit- izen militia, commonly styled the " Paw-paws?" Had you a com- mission for it? Ans. I had an order to that effect, being in command of a sub-district, as colonel of the Forty-eighth E. M. M.
Q. What was the situation of the country at that time? A. The border was overrun with outlaws of all sorts ; bushwhackers; South- ern recruiting officers, thieves and robbers, without any regard to politics. In addition to local troubles of that sort, great excitement prevailed in the State of Kansas on account of the raid on Lawrence, and an invasion of the State was threatened by Gen. Lane. Gen. Ewing had telegraphed to Gen. Guitar, commanding district of North Missouri, that armed organizations were formed in Kansas for the pur- pose of invading North Missouri, and expressed a doubt whether he would be able to control them, on account of the excitement prevail- ing in consequence of the Lawrence raid. I found the militia in service in a very demoralized and insubordinate condition. I found one portion of the county of Clay occupied by bushwhackers, Southern recruiting officers and robbers, and the other side by outlaws from the State of Kansas. I found, when I took command, that an order had been given by the district commander for one company to take position on the west side of the county, towards Kansas. The company which had been ordered to do this was in such a demoralized condition, that the officer in command gave it as his excuse for not complying with the order; the men had declared to unite with the outlaws of Kansas, in case of emergency. I found that the citizens, loyal and disloyal, were disarmed, and all the citizens were at the mercy of these outlaws, rebels as well as loyal men. I found it would be impossible to relieve the country from these troubles, without call- ing on all the citizens to participate in the work, and co-operate with the military. The companies of militia then on duty in the county, were, with the exception of one company, strangers to the people and to the localities, wholly inefficient so far as rebel bush- whackers and outlaws were concerned, and were unwilling to make warfare on robbers and outlaws from Kansas. For the purpose of defeating any attempted invasion from Kansas, such as was threatened by Gen. Lane and predicted by Gen. Ewing, and for the purpose of ridding the county of the bushwhackers, thieves and outlaws, I called together the entire male population of the county, and proposed to have companies organized in different parts of the county to hold themselves in readiness to answer any call for the defense of the county which I might make on them.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.