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 70
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 70
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Wallace Jackson's Company. - The first company formed in this county for the Southern service was that of Capt. Wallace Jackson, made up principally of volunteers residing in the vicinity of Camden Point. Indeed, it was enlisted as early as October or November, in 1860, being organized under the general militia laws of the State - and not without a dream of the service it might be called upon to
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
perform. Its members drew no arms or supplies, however, until after they were sworn into the State service in the spring of 1861, subse- quent to the outbreak of the war.
The principal officers of Capt. Jackson's company were: Wallace Jackson, captain; Wm. Kuykendall, first lieutenant ; James Spanul, second lieutenant ; Joseph St. John, third lieutenant, and E. McD. Coffey, company surgeon. It was a cavalry company and regular drills were had from time to time through winter and summer until it was ordered to rendezvous at St. Joseph, in the spring of 1861.
About the middle of May, or immediately following the capture of Camp Jackson at St. Louis, Capt. Jackson was directed to report at once to St. Joseph with his men, where a body of Southern volunteers was being collected under Cols. M. Jeff Thompson and C. C. Thorn- ton. Capt. Jackson's company was sworn into the State service at that place by Col. Thompson on the 16th of May, 1861, by authority of Gov. Jackson, under his call for 50,000 volunteers, to be known as the Missouri State Guard.
About this time, or soon afterwards, Lexington was named by the Governor as the place of rendezvous for volunteers in this part of the State, and accordingly Capt. Jackson's company was directed to re- port for duty at that point. On their way to Lexington the members of the company were permitted to stop for a time at their homes in Platte county, but in due time they reached Lexington and reported to Gen. Rains as directed. They were placed in the First cavalry of the Fifth division Missouri State Guard, the organization of the divis- ion being completed on the 21st of June. Capt. Wallace's company was lettered B.
-
The regiment was commanded by Col. Theodore Duncan, of the vicinity of Smithville, just across in Clay County. The other prin- cipal officers of the regiment were lieutenant-colonel, Chas. P. Hyde ; major, M. P. Savery ; surgeon, E. McD. Coffey, of Platte county, and assistant surgeon, Sidney Cunningham.
Col. Duncan had organized a company near Smithville, of which he was made captain, and about one-third of his company was composed . of volunteers from across in Platte county, near that place. His com- pany obtained arms from the arsenal at Liberty, and were well armed and equipped.
After going to Lexington he was elected colonel of the First cavalry, as stated above, but died soon afterwards from a wound re- ceived by accident in the vicinity of Independence.
Lieut .- Col. Hyde succeeded to the command of the regiment.
37
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
Campaigns and Battles - Jackson's Men. - The First cavalry under Col. Hyde, including Capt. Jackson's company and the other volunteers from Platte county, or those from the vicinity of Smith- ville in Col. Duncan's old company, bore a gallant part in the battles of Carthage, Springfield, Drywood and Lexington.
After the battle of Lexington there was a thorough reorganization . of the State forces, and Cornell became colonel of the First cavalry, with Elijah Gates as lieutenant-colonel ; Bostwick, major; R. R. Lowther, adjutant ; E. McD. Coffey, surgeon, and W. F. Stark, assistant surgeon.
This organization was afterwards succeeded by Gates' regiment, of the regular Confederate service, which trained in the three-barred banner of the brilliant but unfortunate Confederacy of the South, until all save honor and the record of glorious deeds was lost. Throughout the war the regimental flag of Gates' men floated in the fore-front of battle, wherever duty called or brave men dared to do and die.
Judge Brasfield's Company. - In the meantime other companies were forming, or had been formed, in Platte county. The next one in order of time, after that of Capt. Jackson's, was the company of Judge John Brasfield, of Bear Rough, in the vicinity of Platte City. Judge Brasfield had been a strong Union man, and had voted for Bell and Everett, and at the February election in 1861 for the Union ticket. But as soon as he saw what he believed to be the real object of the war, he warmly espoused the cause of the South and formed a company, or rather became a member of a company, early in the spring of 1861, which was organized principally for home protection.1 It was believed that as soon as hostilities were fairly opened a general system of robbery and plunder would be inaugurated in this county by Jayhawkers from Kansas, and this company was organized to protect the people against depredations of that kind. It numbered about 100 men.
The principal officers of the company at the beginning were J. L. DeBerry, captain ; John Brasfield, first lieutenant and James Mitchell, second lieutenant. Soon afterwards Capt. DeBerry resigned, and Judge Brasfield succeeded him, and continued in command of the company until it was disbanded during the following summer.
After the war opened in earnest in Missouri it was the intention of
1 Judge Brasfield says that after the capture of Camp Jackson nineteen-twentieths of the people of the county favored the Southern cause.
.
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
Judge Brasfield to join Gen. Price with his company, but on account of a long and critical illness he was prevented from doing so. The members of this company therefore enlisted in other companies and left for the Southern army.
" THE EXTRA BATTALION."
What became known as the Extra Battalion (infantry ) attached to John T. Hughes' regiment was organized prior to the Carthage fight and was composed of the following companies, enlisted in the spring of 1861: Capt. Daniel Stewart's Company, of this county ; Capt. Thos. McCarty's of Clay, and Capt. Gideon M. Thompson's, of Clay and Platte.
Capt. Stewart's Company, made up altogether of Platte county volunteers, had John Moore for first lieutenant and Stephen Cooper for second lieutenant.
Capt. Thompson's Company, formed about equally of Platte and Clay county volunteers, had for first lieutenant, Thos. Gash, who, after Capt. Thompson's promotion, became captain of the company. Thompson's company was formed in the vicinity of Barry, where he still resides. Capt. McCarty, being senior captain of the three, in the Extra Ballation, commanded as major. He was wounded at Wilson's Creek, and Capt. Thompson succeeded him as major of the battalion. Maj. Thompson subsequently rose to the command of a regiment and proved one of the most gallant officers from Mis- souri in the Southern service. He served under that knightly and irresistible cavalry leader, Gen. Jo. Shelby. Col. Thompson still re- sides in this county, and is noted not less for his success as a leading planter and fine stock raiser than for the brilliancy of his military record, and his cultured, dignified bearing and fine, prepossessing presence. He is regarded as one of the handsomest and most dignified, most popular and broad and liberal-minded men of the county. In his presence one is reminded of the old knightly, courtly, cavalier days of the Virginia gentry. In Hughes' regiment there was another com- pany in which there were a number of volunteers from this county - that of Capt. Clay Kerr, of Plattsburg. His company was formed of volunteers from the three counties of Clay, Platte and Clinton.
Extra Battalion also took part in the battles of Carthage, Spring- field, Drywood and Lexington, and in the battle of Pea Ridge. At Springfield it was in the thickest of the fight, occupying what is known in history as Bloody Hill. Of Stewart's company alone no less than fourteen were killed or wounded. Maj. McCarty, the
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
senior captain of the brigade, and therefore the major. commanding, was one of the wounded. Jas. Synnamon, afterwards captain of a company, and whose military career is one of the most remarkable and honorable in the history of civilized warfare, was also wounded, being shot in the head.
After the expiration of the term of the Extra Battalion, or what was left of it, it was consolidated with Winston's regiment, from this county.
COL. WINSTON'S REGIMENT.
During the summer and latter part of 1861 the companies were organized in this county which subsequently formed Col. Winston's regiment. This was composed of ten companies as follows: Co. A, commanded by Capt. W. P. Childs; Co. B, by Capt. William S. Rogers ; Co. C, by Capt. Benjamin F. Mitchell; Co. D, by Capt. William Kuykendall ; Co. E, by Capt. William C. McKinnis ; Co. F, by Capt. C. F. Crisman ; Co. G, by Capt. Willis ; Co. H, by Capt. Sinclair Powell ; Co. I, by Capt. J. W. Miller, and Co. K, by Capt. Henry Morton.
Capts. Mitchell's and Rogers' Companies. - The first companies of Winston's regiment organized in this county were those of Capts. Mitchell and Rogers. The former's was an infantry company and the latter's mounted infantry.
Capt. Mitchell's first and second lieutenants, respectively, were Oliver Swinney and Thomas Hardesty. The orderly sergeant was Luther Hody. The names of only the following privates are recalled : Robert Kelly, Salem Ford, James Beading, Henry. Woodsmall, James Jennett 1 and Joseph Boyd.1
Capt. Rogers was a son of Gen. Rogers, an early settler of this county and a veteran officer of the War of 1812. Capt. Rogers' under officers, as far as their names have been obtained, were Jeff. Moore, first lieutenant; E. J. Link, second lieutenant ; Toney Tins- ley, third lieutenant, and Amos Spicer, orderly sergeant. The names of the privates now remembered are Henry Cade, Mort. Spicer, Wallace . Rule, Wiley Johnson, Henry Johnson, Thomas Grimes, James Berry, Benjamin Tinsley, John Schwartz and - Peddrich.
Capt. Kuykendall's Company. - Soon after Capts. Mitchell and Rogers began the formation of their companies, Capt. Kuykendall 2
1 Under Gen. Price before the formation of Winston's regiment, and wounded at the battle of Wilson's Creek.
2 Capt. Kuykendall was a son of Judge Kuykendall, one of the early settlers and prominent citizens of the county.
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
also commenced enlisting volunteers for the Southern service. He himself had volunteered in the State service early in the spring, and, after taking part in the battles of Carthage and Springfield (or Wil- son's Creek), had obtained a commission to organize a company. At once returning home for that purpose, he soon had a sufficient number of men to form a complete company. C. C. Capen 1 was elected first lieutenant ; J. C. Todd, second lieutenant, and Richard Stan- ton, third lieutenant. Edward Turner became orderly sergeant, Mark Todd, second sergeant, and R. Morgan, corporal. The names of but few of the privates have been obtained, viz. : -
O. Morgan, Joseph Tiernan, William Todd, Pat. Dorsan, William F. McCullugh, Chas. D. Pugh, Solon Coots, Bud Link, George Webb, Edward Brennan, Gilbert McCafferty, Marion Daniels, William Sharp, James Sharp, William Miller, James Jack, Samuel Lecompt, Wm. Coram, Wm. Allen.
During the month of August and the early part of September the three companies named rendezvoused at Second Creek Church engaged in drilling, recruiting, and so forth, and from there they removed to the grade of the Parkville and Grand River Railway, near the homestead of Thomas Park. Subsequently they removed to the place then belonging to Kemp Woods, in Clay county, and a little later to what has since been known as Camp Cain, in Platte county.
Capt. Childs' and McKinnis' Companies .- In the meantime, Judge Childs had been organizing a company at Platte City, and about the latter part of August or the first of September he estab- lished a camp near the Cain farm, about six miles east of Platte City. Of this company, M. C. Park was first lieutenant ; W. C. Hatton, second lieutenant ; Thos. W. Park, third lieutenant, and Thos. Turner, orderly sergeant. The names of the following parties have been obtained : J. M. Littlejohn (afterwards regimental wagon-master), Jas. Frost, . " Stump " (E. C.) Cockrill, Chas. Crockett Potter, Sam Park, Weed Chely, Frank Todd, Rufus Todd, Chas. Wilson, Dr. John Wilson, Geo. Ely, Thos. Park (No. 2), -- Ross and Jas. Frost. Cotemporaneous with the formation of Capt. Childs' company,
1 C. C. Capen and James Murphy were both officers in the United States service at Ft. Leavenworth, the first an orderly sergeant and the other a first lieutenant. Both were Southern men, and when the war broke out they resigned their positions and came across into Platte county and volunteered in the Southern service. Lieut. Murphy became major of Col. Winston's regiment. He was a man of great bravery, and a fine drill officer. Both went into the Confederate service east of the Missis- sippi after their time in the State Guard expired.
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
Capt. Wm. C. McKinnis, previously President of the Camden Point College, formed a company in the vicinity of that place. He also rendezvoused at Camp Cain. His under officers were John B. Clark, first lieutenant, R. H. Bywaters, second lieutenant ; Benj. Minor, third lieutenant ; and Frank Forbius, orderly sergeant.
Capts. Mitchell, Rogers and Kuykendall, joined Capt. Childs and McKinnis at Camp Cain, and of the five companies a battalion was formed. They were sworn into the State Guard service of Maj. Thos. Shields, a son of Gen. James Shields. Maj. Shields was a can- didate for major of the battalion, but was defeated for that position by John H. Winston, a prominent citizen of the county and after- wards a colonel in the Southern service. Col. Winston is now living in retirement on his farm in this county.
Capt. Spratt's Company. - Judge James Spratt had also collected a number of volunteers for the cavalry service, in all nearly or quite equal to the number of an average company. He joined Maj. Win- ston at Camp Cain, and was attached to the battalion.
On the 11th of September Maj. Winston was ordered to join Gen. Price at Lexington with his battalion. He started the following morning for that place reaching there in time to take part in the siege and battle at Lexington, which resulted in the surrender of Col. Mulligan, the Federal commandant of the post, on the 20th of the month.
Capt. Crisman's Company. - About the time Major Winston was on his way to Lexington, Capt. Crisman, of Ridgely, who had formed a company in the vicinity of that place, was also proceeding to Lexington to join Gen. Price. He had temporarily attached himself to the command of Col. Sanders who went South by way of Blue Mills Landing, in Clay county. Whilst there they had a skirmish with a body of Federals who attemptd to cut them off from Lexing- ton, an account of which appears in the Clay county divison of this work. Capt. Crisman's officers were Geo. Mock, first lieutenant ; Wm. Thatcher, second lieutenant ; A. M. I. Hanley, third lieutenant, and John Byrd, orderly sergeant. He reached Lexington just after the surrender of Mulligan. The following were some of his privates: Richard Pack, Eleven Godsey, Peyton Newman, Sam Moore, Nich- olas Ford, - Rollins, Dick Larimore, Wm. Carum, George Duncan, Matt. Duncan, Henry Thorp, Theodore Dodd, Joe St. John, Robert Douglas, Jeff. Mayo, Sam Harris, John Harris, Matt. Woodard, Wm. Eads, E. S. Goddard, John Byrd, William Newman, Louis Throckmorton, William Throckmorton, James Duncan, Geo. Mack,
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
Wm. Thatcher, Eleven Thatcher, Henry Metcalf, A. M. I. Hanley, Sam. Moore, John Trimble, Ben. Guin, Geo. Roberts, Crane Roberts, Henry Wagle, George Craig, Nick Ford, Sam Rollins, Will- iam Deberry, Thomas Deberry, Peyton Newman and R. W. Pack.
Capts. Miller's and Morton's Companies. - The companies of Capts. J. W. Miller and Henry Morton were organized in the fall of '61 and on reaching Gen. Price, south of the Missouri, were attached to Maj. Winston's command, or, rather, became part of his regiment, it having been formed in the meantime. Capt. Miller's first lieutenant was Stephen Cooper ; second lieutenant, John Barnes ; third lieuten- ant, James Baker ; orderly sergeant, Judson Miller. The names of only the following privates are now before us: John Gregg, Prior Pemberton, Scott Yates.
Company I. - W. J. Miller, captain ; Stephen Cooper, first lieu- tenant ; John Barnes, second lieutenant; James Baker, third lieuten- ant ; Judson Miller, orderly sergeant ; John Stone, Faulkner Kenady, Salem Ford, Prim Rollings, Robert Hilly, W. A. Fox, James Esk- ridge, Turn Moore, Thomas Moore, Dan Boyd, Otho Offutt, John Shepard, Clay Owens, George Ely, Wm. Oliver, David Clarke, H. S. Yates, John Eskridge, Stephen Pemberton, Prior Pemberton, John Dikes, Joseph Settle, Luther Hay, James Beeding, Joseph Coons, Wm. Coons, Irvin Timberland, Dempsy Cummings, Jos. P. Massy, Sam Winston, Johnson Hughes, Stephen Baker, Barton Lewis, Wm. Osburn, Mat. Moore, Gus. Parker, Alfred Offut, and others.
Capt. Miller's company was enlisted principally in the vicinity of Hampton, where he then resided. He now resides at Platte City.
Capt. Morton had a company of about 73 men, whom he had col- lected from different parts of the county, but principally in the south- east part, near where he himself resided. . Many of them were young men. A considerable percentage of his company continued in the Southern service until the close of the war. His under officers were Elias Markwell, first lieutenant ; David Richardson, second lieutenant ; Allan Johnson, third lieutenant, and John Mothersett, orderly ser- geant.
Willis' and Powell's Companies .- Capt. Willis' subordinate officers were : first lieutenant, " Shang" Masterson ; second lieutenant, P. E. Chesnut; third lieutenant, Bluford Thompson. The company rendez- voused at Second Creek Church in the fall of 1861, until they were ready to start South the latter part of December.
Capt. Powell joined the regiment with his company after the battle of Lexington. He was an acquaintance and personal friend of Col.
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
Winston, and very naturally preferred to be under the latter in the service. His company was formed in the vicinity of Toas in the northwestern portion of the county.1
Formation of Winston's Regiment .- At the general reorganization after the battle of Lexington, in September, 1861, Winston's regi- ment was formed, consisting of ten companies and 840 men.2
Judge Spratt's company was consolidated with that of Capt. Rogers, under the command of the latter, and Judge Spratt was made adju- tant of the division, but he continued in the position only a few days. On account of serious illness in his family he was compelled to return home and, subsequently, circumstances prevented him from rejoining his command.3
The following were the officers of the regiment and its position in the organization of the army : John H. Winston, colonel ; W. P. Childs, lieutenant-colonel ; James Murphy, major; John W. Ross, adjutant; Thomas E. Park, drum-major; George Adams, quarter- master, and James Littlejohn, baggage-master. Maj. Flowers suc- ceeded Maj. Ross as adjutant later along in the service ; and M. C. Park, Capt. Childs' first lieutenant, became captain, of the former's company, after Capt. Childs was elected lieutenant-colonel of the reg- iment. The regiment became the Second infantry, Fifth division Missouri State Guard, under Gen. Early Steen.
CAMPAIGNS AND BATTLES.
After the organization the State troops, including Col. Winston's regiment, fell back to the southwestern part of the State, but in a short time moved up again northwest to Sac river, near its confluence with the Osage. In December they again fell back stopping for a time at Springfield, where the battle of the 10th of August had been fought. In February they removed to Cane creek, Arkansas, to form a junc- tion with Gen. McCollough, so as to be able to make a stand against Gen. Curtis, who had been pushing them warmly with a greatly sup- perior force. On the way down there was almost constant fighting.
1 By several officers he is not remembered at all, but Col. Winston is positive he had a company in the regiment. Some of them say that Capt. Carr should be included in place of Capt. Powell, but Capt. C.'s second lieutenant, and afterwards captain of the company, James Synnamon, says that Carr was not in Winston's regiment at all, and Lieut .- Col. Childs says the same thing.
2 Capts. Miller's, Morton's, Powell's and Willis' companies were not incorporated into the regiment until after the Lexington fight.
3 His wife died soon after he returned home, leaving him with a family of small children.
1
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
At Sugar creek, a considerable engagement occurred and in a few days afterwards another one of less importance at Cane creek. In each of these the Platte county volunteers bore an honorable part.
Early in March the forces of Price and McCollough under Van Dorn moved up and met Curtis at Pea Ridge where the battle known by that name was fought.
Gen. Steen was not present with his command at the battle of Pea Ridge and the command of the division fell upon one of his senior col- onels. The division was on Gen. Clark's left, who was receiving a heavy and destructive fire from the enemy. Col. Winston seeing this suggested to the senior colonel that they advance and flank the enemy so as to relieve Gen. Clark. But the latter refused to order an ad- vance.
Finally, Gen. Clark's situation became so critical and his ranks were being thinned so rapidly that Col. Winston took the responsi- bility to order an advance himself, which was responded to with a shout in a double-quick-forward by his men. The enemy was driven from his position and Gen. Clark's forces were thus extricated. Then Winston's regiment captured a battery, and Wagonmaster Littlejohn took it off of the field in triumph.
On more than one occasion Col. Winston proved himself a gallant and sagacious officer. In one of the engagements during the siege of Corinth he was personally and publicly complimented by Gen. Price for the bravery and good judgment he displayed at an important and critical juncture.1
Second Reorganization. - After the battle of Pea Ridge another reorganization was made necessary by the fact that the six months' terms of most of the volunteers in the State Guard had by this time expired. Most of them enlisted in the Confederate service. Col. Winston's men re-enlisted in sufficient numbers to form five compa- nies. Re-enlistments from the Extra Battalion and from other sources completed the regiment.
The new regiment formed became the First Missouri Rifles, in- fantry, C. S. A. Col. Winston was continued as colonel, and Maj. Calhoun C. Thornton became lieutenant-colonel. Maj. Thornton, in former engagements, had shown himself to be an officer of unflinch- ing bravery.
From Pea Ridge the Southern forces fell back to Little Rock, and thence to Memphis, Tenn. There Gen. Parsons had command of the
1 This information was not obtained from Col. Winston himself. He is too brave and modest a man to speak of his own merits.
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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.
Second Missouri Brigade, of which the First Missouri Rifles was a part. The regiment continued under him until the close of the war, and took part in many of the hardest battles of that long and unequal struggle.
For a time during Halleck's siege of Corinth Col. Winston had charge of the division, Gen. Parsons being engaged at Memphis in making arrangements for the pay of his troops, which was long past due. It was while in charge of the division during an engagement at that time that Col. Winston was so generously and justly compli- mented by Gen. Price.
Early in 1863 Col. Winston, at Gen. Price's special request, came up into Missouri on a recruiting tour. But while stopping at home, in this county, he was surprised by a party of Federals and captured. He was kept in prison until several months after the close of the war.1
In the meantime his regiment was commanded, until the war closed,. first by Gen. Steen, who was killed at Prairie Grove after taking com- mand, and then by Col. Moore, and others. Only the merest frag- ment of its original force, however, survived the war. On every bat- tle field where its flag floated, many of the brave volunteers from Platte county yielded up their lives in defense of their Southern homes and kindred, and to the imperishable honor and glory of Southern patriotism and the Southern arms.
1 The purpose and circumstances of his mission were these: Lieut .- Col. C. C. Thornton and several other Confederate officers of influence and prominence in, Mis- souri, had been sent up here to sound what was known as the Pawpaw militia as to their disposition toward the Southern cause. These gentlemen reported to Gen. Price that they had held numerous conferences with officers and men in the militia and that arrangements had been completed by which 2,700 of the Pawpaws were to come over, with arms and equipments, to the Southern cause at the first favorable opportunity ; and that if no opportunity more favorable occurred sooner, they would revolt anyhow when the effort should be made to disarm them, it then being generally understood that such an effort would be made - which the militia were to use as a pre- text for their revolt. These reports were shown to Col. Winston by Gen. Price, and the former was instructed to come up into Missouri and take charge of and direct the movement. It was believed that that force of men, well armed and properly officered, could make its way safely to the Southern army if properly relieved on the way. Col. Winston came up safely from the South and found that the reports of Lieut .- Col. Thornton and others were substantially correct. He held numerous conferences with both the officers and men of different militia organizations, and became satisfied that the Pawpaw force was only a little less than unanimous for the Southern cause. He was in the midst of his negotiations and plans with them when he was captured. This and other untoward circumstances prevented the carrying out the plans agreed upon. The above facts were given to the writer by Col. Winston, in the presence of another gentleman, and with the assurance that he had never before revealed them to any living man.
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