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 71

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1156

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 71
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 71

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).

673

HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

OTHER COMPANIES.

During the summer and latter part of 1861 some ten or twelve com- panies were organized in this county for the Southern service, not in- cluding those of Winston's battalion nor the ones previously formed. The principal companies that left during this time were those of Field- ing Burnes, Dr. Robertson, William Downing, Joseph McGee, Davis Lantern, Silas M. Gordon, Joseph Carr and the last four companies of Winston's State Guard regiment, namely : Capts. Lanter's, Mar- tins, Willis' and Miller's.

Col. Burnes' Company. - Early in 1861 Col. Fielding Burnes, now of Platte City, but then of the vicinity of Hampton, enlisted a company of volunteers for the Southern service, about seventy men. T. W. Davis was his first lieutenant. They started to the Southern army about the time that the fight at Blue Mills occurred, and went by way of Liberty. But Col. Burnes returned home before reaching that place, and afterwards took no further part in the war. His company, however, went on, under the command of Lieut. Davis, who became captain of the company.

In explanation of his return, Col. Burnes says that he was met on the way South by his brother, Col. James N. Burnes, with whom and Col. John Doniphan he had had an, understanding that the latter two were to raise a regiment for the Southern service, of which Col. James N. Burnes was to be colonel, and Col. John Doniphan lieutenant-colonel, whilst he, Col. Fielding Burnes, was to command a company in the regiment ; but that when he met his brother, Col. James N. Burnes, the latter told him that he had looked the field over carefully and had come to the conclusion that the South was bound to fail, and that the best thing he, Col. Fielding Burnes, could do would be to return home , and become loyal and continue so until the close of the war. Col. Fielding Burnes did as he was advised to do. According to Col. Price, of Weston, Col. James N. Burnes afterwards made a speech to a Kansas Union League club at Fort Leavenworth, which Col. Jenni- son, who was present, disapproved in strong terms because of its bit- terness against the South and the extreme views it gave expression to on the negro question. Col. Burnes afterwards publicly embraced Col. Jennison at Platte City, in the presence of Mr. Larkin Fleshman and a great many others, and declared that he " loved him better than all the world besides."

Capt. Downing's Company. - The company of Capt. Downing was formed in the neighborhood of New Market, where he resided. He

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

was a farmer by occupation and a man of character and information - one of the influential citizens of that part of the county. In common with the great mass of the people of the county he sympathized with the South at the beginning of the war, and being a man of public spirit and courage he very naturally entered upon the work of enlist- ing volunteers for the Southern service. His company was formed early in August and was mustered into the Southern service as a part of Cornell's regiment, of which Col. Gates was lieutenant-colonel. Some of his men afterwards entered in the regular Confederate ser- vice and continued in the army throughout the war.

Capt. Robertson's Company. - Capt. Robertson's company was formed in the vicinity of Iatan and below there, near Weston. He himself was a physician by profession and was successfully engaged in the practice of medicine when the war broke out. He was also in- terested in farming. But being a Southern man, and with the courage to defend his principles, he put every private interest aside in order to serve the State. His company was enlisted in the summer of 1861 and accompanied Col. Sanders (with whom Capt. Crisman went) to Lexington. Capt. Robertson was with Sanderson at the time of the Blue Mills fight. Many of his men also became tried and true veter- ans in the Southern cause, and not a few made the highest and noblest sacrifice brave men can make for their country - the sacrifice of their lives.

COL. CHILDS' CONVOY OF VOLUNTEERS.

The last considerable body of volunteers to leave the county, and, in fact, the largest one, were the six companies led out by Col. Childs in December, 1861. Most of these remained out throughout the war and distinguished themselves in the Southern service by their valor, fortitude and devotion, amongst a soldiery whose heroism and endurance are without a parallel in all history.

By the fall of 1861 the State was so generally in the hands of the Union forces that it was difficult for volunteers in bodies of any impor- tance to make their way South to join the army. A strong escort, was generally necessary, to prevent them from being intercepted and captured. It was to prepare the companies which had been forming in Platte county for a month or more, to start South under escort, that Col. Childs was sent up from the army by Gen. Price in December. He was to organize them and see to it that they were armed and equipped as thoroughly and efficiently as circumstances would allow, and then to notify Gen. Price where to send the escort.

The six companies were those of Capts. Davis Lanter, H. Clay

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

McGee, Silas M. Gordon, Joseph Carr, and the companies of Capts. Willis and W. J. Miller already mentioned. Col. Childs swore them into the State service, and had them ready to start South in the early part of December. They were met south of the Missouri by an escort under Col. Clarkson of 600 men from Gen. Price, and the whole force reached the army of the latter whilst it was encamped on Sac river.

The names of the officers of Capts. Morton's and Miller's com- panies have already been given.

Capts. Lanter's and McGee's Companies .- Capt. Lanter's com- pany was composed of volunteers, principally from' Lee, Pettis, and Carroll townships. He also had some from Holt county and several from other neighboring counties. His company was formed in November and had for its five principal officers, Davis Lanter, cap- tain ; Garrett Gregg, first lieutenant ;- Guynn, second lieutenant; Acton, third lieutenant and Andrew Justice, orderly sergeant. Capt. Lanter is still living, and resides on his farm near Farley.

The company of Capt. McGee was formed in the vicinity of Cam- den Point. The lieutenants of the company were - McPike,

Holland and Capt. McGee is said to have per- mitted himself to be captured early in the war. Lieut. McPike then succeeded to the command of the company. He was killed at Corinth, and after that Lieut. Holland had command until the close of the war.

Capt. Gordon's Company .- Before organizing his company for the Confederate service Capt. Gordon operated in this and several other counties for about six months at the head of a squad of men as an independent scout. But few of the men afterwards comprising his company in the regular service were under or connected with him whilst he was operating as a scout.

The following is a copy of the roll of his company in the Confed- erate service as it was found when they were captured at the fall of Vicksburg :-

Muster roll of Capt. Silas M. Gordon, ninth company in the cav- alry regiment (first brigade) of Missouri volunteers, commanded by Col. Elijah Gates, called into the service of the Confederate States, of the provisional army, under the provisions of the Act of Congress, passed February 28, 1861, by Gov. C. F. Jackson, from the 16th day of January, 1862 (date of this muster), for the term of 12 months, unless sooner discharged.

S. M. Gordon, Jas. W. Barclay, J. N. Archer, Jarrett Todd, Men- ard W. Bell, Albert H. Todd, Jas. B. Redman, Henry Sutton, Benj.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

S. Powell, Rubin Cassil, Peyton Long, Thos. B. Todd, Robt. A. Locke, John Anderson, Isaac Archer, Stephen Baker, Thos. Barnes, Wm. Barbee, Jno. Blanton, F. Kluned, Sidney Lanter, R. W. Mit- chell, Moses B. Munier, T. L. Moore, Alex. Morgan, Jno. W. Olivis, Elias Barbee, Wm. Palmer, Geo. Reed, Harvey Rector, Edward Red- man, Jno. Rowley, Chas. H. Steele, Augustus Spratt, Benj. Talbott, Jno. W. Taylor, Jno. W. Todd, Jas. B. Todd, Wm. H. Todd, Edward Bowman, Jno. N. Jas, Thos. Jenkins, John P. Tribble, W. P. Taylor, Elijah Whitton, H. B. Williams, John Yates, E. McD. Coffey, W. D. Taylor, F. Kennedy, Stephen Baker, Thos. Barnes, W. L. Todd, Daniel R. Shoemaker, Calvin Blankenship, Jno. Bradley, Thos. E. Burton, Wm. Callahan, Frank Carsley, Alex. Carson, Martin B. Car- ter, Thos. E. Coale, Joshua Copeland, Benj. S. Cooper, Silas Elliston, Thaddeus Farley, B. L. G. Frazier, Jos. G. Gardner, Willard Had- ley, Jos. Halpaine, Met. Hartman, Del. Harris, Mathias Hudson, W. F. Stark, R. W. Mitchell, T. L. Moore, H. L. Todd, Frank Cleed, W. F. Stark.

Jas. W. Barclay was first lieutenant of the company and J. N. Archer was second lieutenant and Mark Todd, third lieutenant. Capt. Gordon was commissioned a recruiting officer by the Confederate authorities and was afterwards engaged in that service until the close of the war. Lieut. Barclay became captain of the company, a man of great bravery and an officer of coolness in action, discretion and judg- ment. He was killed at Vicksburg and after the exchange of the company Lieut. Archer became captain, which position he held until the close of the war. He was in every way worthy to head the gal- lant Co. I, of Gates' regiment.

Capt. Carr's Company .- This company was organized in the fall of 1861, and was a party to the first fight worthy a name in this county. It was this company that the gallant Capt. Synnamon, mentioned in a former page, commanded during a considerable part of the war. Capt. Carr was promoted to the rank of major and Lieut. Clark was killed at the battle of Baker's Creek, Miss. After that Capt. Synnamon had command of the company until it was annihi- lated by the ravages of the twenty-odd principal engagements in which it took part. This company was the color company of the reg- iment for three years. But one man of the entire company escaped unscathed and but seven survived the battles of the war, the hospitals, and the wounds received and diseases contracted in the service. These seven bear no less than nineteen scars from wounds received in honorable warfare.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

When the company went into the battle of Franklin, Tenn., but nineteen of its members were living. Ten of the nineteen were killed outright in that battle, and five of the remaining seven were wounded.

Capt. Synnamon was wounded eight times during his four years' service. Once he was carried off and thrown in a pit to be covered up as dead; and at Franklin, Tenn., he was shot through the body, the ball entering within an inch of his navel and passing out within an inch of his spine. Again he was left as dead and lay in that condition for thirty-six hours. He is now the assessor of Platte county, and one of the most energetic and highly esteemed citizens of the county.

At Franklin, Tenn., his company had been so reduced by previous losses in battle that it had been consolidated with other companies, throwing the command to a senior captain. Gen. Cockerill, knowing that Capt. Synnamon was already covered with scars, and probably designing to shield him, detailed him to take charge of the baggage wagons. But Capt. Synnamon, for the first time in his life, protested against an order, and urged that he might be permitted to go into the battle, with a musket on his shoulder, and side by side with his men, saying that if they were to be swept away, as all believed they would be, he wanted to be with them. He and all knew it was to be the last and most desperate battle of the war and none entertained a hope for victory.

During the war different members of the company were breveted from time to time for conspicuous gallantry, among them Matthew J. Moore, Frank Owens and Frank Murdock.

The following are the seven survivors : Capt. Jas. Synnamon (grimly nicknamed in the army the " Ball Catcher Captain " ), wounded eight times ; B. F. Murdock, wounded four times ; J. B. Sloan wounded three times ; D. H. Calvert, wounded once; T. B. Cooper, wounded twice ; J. Alvin Herndon, wounded twice, and G. W. Offutt, one of the bravest of the brave, wounded not at all.

GATES' REGIMENT AND HUGHES' BATTALION - SERVICES.

After the six companies convoyed out by Col. Childs had reached Springfield, Mo., under Gen. Price, a reorganization was effected and Capts. Lanter's, McGee's and Gordon's companies entered the regular Southern service under Col. Gates. His regiment was known as the First cavalry and was in the Second Missouri brigade, Confed-

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

erate States army. The officers of Col. Gates' regiment 1 were : Elijah Gates, colonel; Richard Childs, lieutenant-colonel ; R. R. Law- ther, major; Chas. W. Pullins, adjutant, and E. McD. Coffey, sur- geon.

The companies from this county were lettered : Lanter's company C, McGee's company E and Gordon's (Holland's) company I.

Capt. Carr's (or Clark's and Synnamon's ) company became one of three companies (Clay's, Kerr's and E. Price's being the others) forming Hughes' battalion. Later along these was consolidated into the Sixth infantry under Col. Eugene Irwin, of the First Missouri brigade, Confederate States army, Gen. Martin Green, commanding.

At Vicksburg, both Gen. Green and Col. Irwin were killed and after that the First and Second brigade consolidated under Gen. Cockerill, thus throwing the four companies last mentioned, Lanter's, Holland's (McGee's), Barclay's or Archers' (Gordon's), and Synnamon's (Carr's or Clark's) in one command. From this time on their history is the same as the history of Cockerill's brigade, with which every citi- zen of Missouri who feels any pride in the valor of her soldiers and the fair fame of the State is, or ought to be, familiar. Its record may be epitomized into a few words : With an original force of 7,000, by the time it reached Franklin, Tenn., it numbered but 600 men, and in that battle 419 of these were killed or wounded.2

CASUALTIES.

The record of one of the Platte county companies we have men- tioned last gives a fair idea of the records of all four of them, and that the young men of the future in this county may be able to see what war really means and what material their fathers were made of, we give below the record of Capt. Synnamon's company. It should be stated, however, that this was prepared simply from memory and it does not assume to give the number of times each one was wounded nor all the casualties suffered, by any means. The compiler of this was often wounded and for weeks was not aware of what was going on in the company : -

Co. G, Sixth Missouri infantry, First Missouri brigade, organized Oc- ber, 1861, at Platte City, Platte county Mo : Capt. Joseph Carr, wounded, Bee Creek, Mo., promoted major; Capt. Biddle Clark, wounded and died at Baker's Creek, Miss. ; Capt. James Synnamon, wounded Oak Hill, Corinth, Port Gibson, Vicksburg, Franklin ;

1 Col. Gates had previously been lieutenant-colonel of Col. Cornell's regiment.

2 Figures furnished by Mr. B. F. Murdock.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

Lieut. John Slone, wounded Corinth, Miss. ; Lieut. William Hols- claw, killed at Corinth, Miss. ; Lieut. William Clay, wounded Port Gibson, killed at Vicksburg, Miss. ; Sergt. B. Frank Murdock, wounded, Franklin, Tenn. ; Sergt Frank Owen, wounded, Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., killed, Franklin, Tenn; Sergt. Ed. Scott, wounded, New Market, Va., died since war; Sergt. James Francis, wounded, Corinth, lost foot at Vicksburg, Miss. ; Sergt. Barnett Herndon, wounded, Corinth, killed, New Hope Church ; Corp. Lon. Craddock, killed, Heights of Altoona, Ga. ; Corp. Dave Stanton, wounded Port Gibson, Miss. ; Corp. William Harrington, killed, Port Gibson, Miss. ; Corp. Marion Bonnell, wounded, Baker's Creek, Miss. ; Privates-Will- iam Buford, discharged on surgeon's certificate ; William Bivens, died at hospital ; John Crowbarger, wounded, Port Gibson, Miss .; Oscar Cooper, killed, Vicksburg, Miss. ; Lin. Cunning,. ; Tom

Cooper, wounded, Vicksburg, Miss. ; Dallas Calvert, killed, Milliken's Bend ; Holt. Calvert, wounded, Baker's Creek, Miss .; Will- iam Gladden, died of dropsy; Turner Geter, killed Vicks- burg, Miss .; William Embree, died at hospital; William Harris, wounded, Vicksburg, Miss. ; James Houlsclaw, wounded, Elkhorn, Ark., promoted colonel ; Ben Houlsclaw, killed, Vicksburg, Miss. ; John Holsclaw, killed, Vicksburg, Miss. ; Henry Herndon, died of consumption ; James S. Herndon, wounded, Corinth, Miss, ; J. A. Herndon, wounded at Franklin ; Sam Jones, died of consump- tion ; John Kenedy, wounded at Kenesaw Mountain, died in Federal prison ; Tom Maloy, died from wounds in Georgia ; Matt. J. Moore, wounded at Port Gibson and Heights of Altoona, Ga. ; Newton Mas- sey, killed at Corinth, Miss. ; James Marsh, died in Federal prison ; Lee McClane, wounded at Port Gibson, killed at Vicksburg, Miss. ; Tom McGilton, killed at Franklin, Tenn. ; Polk McCreary, wounded at Elkhorn and Corinth; Wm. Mccutcheon, wounded at Port Gibson ; John McDaniels, died in hospital ; Willis Mckinney, wounded at Baker's Creek, Miss. ; John McKinney, wounded at Vicksburg, Miss. ; Sam Nowers, wounded at Port Gibson, Miss., died since the war ; George Offutt, Port Gibson ; Fred. Otto, wounded at Port Gibson and Vicksburg, Miss. ; John Oldham, Corinth ; Lee Oldham, died at hospital ; Dock Philips, died at Jackson, Miss .; Thomas Parks, wounded at Elkhorn, Mo. ; Ham. Prichard, killed at Franklin, Tenn. ; Dee Proctor, Port Gibson, killed at Franklin, Tenn. ; Wm. Roberts, discharged on surgeon's certificate ; George Riley, Steve Ring, wounded in Arkansas ; Tom Robuck, wounded at Baker's Creek, killed at Franklin, Tenn. ; Queene -, Ike Shiply, killed at Lookout Mountain, Tenn. ; George Spears ; Bluford Stanton, died at Demopolis, Ala. ; Wm. Silvey, wounded at Elkhorn ; Ed. Tunnell, wounded at Vicks- burg; Wm. Wing, died in Springfield, Mo. ; Henry Whitman, killed at Corinth ; Wm. Welch, wounded at Grand Gulf, Miss.

The following are the battles in which the members of Company I (Synnamon's), of Gates' regiment, took part :

Camp Hane, Carthage, Oak Hills, Drywood, Lexington, Bee 38.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

Creek - all the foregoing in 1861 ; and Elkhorn, Ark. ; Cross Hollow, Ark. ; siege of Corinth, Miss .; Farmington, Miss. ; Iuka, Miss. ; Corinth, Miss. ; these five preceding were in 1862 ; Grand Gulf, Miss. ; Port Gibson, Miss. ; Baker's Creek, Miss. ; Black River Bridge, Miss. ; siege of Vicksburg, Miss. ; Lookout Mountain, Tenn. ; New Hope Church, Ga .; the seven foregoing were in 1863; Atlanta, Ga. ; Heights of Altoona, Ga. ; Franklin, Tenn. ; Kenesaw Mountain, Ga. ; Blakely, Ala.

LAST OF THE SOUTHERN COMPANIES.

Up to the beginning of 1862 more than twenty companies had left the county for the Southern service, probably aggregating according to the lowest reasonable estimate not less than 1,500 men. Besides these there had been a large number of enlistments by individuals in companies formed in adjoining counties, and not a few who went directly to the Southern army without enlisting until they reached it. Merritt Young led out quite a squad from the vicinity of Weston in the fall of 1861, and other squads went out from time to time, which ' were afterwards consolidated into various companies.

By the opening of spring in 1862, the country was so generally in the hands of the Union forces that it was hardly less than impossible for Southern volunteers to organize All enlistments after that, with but rare exceptions, were by individuals or in very small squads, and even then it was a question of life or death, with the chances in favor of the latter, whether one could get out at all to join the Southern army. If recruits for the. South were found slipping through the country on their way to enlist, they were denounced as " bushwhack- ers," and in many instances were shot, although guilty of nothing more than other volunteers who left their homes to enlist for mili- tary service.

The only companies to leave after the beginning of 1862, or the only bodies of volunteers after that worthy of mention as companies or squads, were those of Capt. Henry Woodsmall and those under Col. C. C. Thornton. All of these had to fight and dodge and run their way out, and not without losses by death, capture, and intercep- tion.

Captain Woodsmall's Company. - Capt. Woodsmall started out in the Southern service early in the war, and in the spring of 1862 ob- tained a commission to recruit a company. Most of his volunteers were from the vicinity of Parkville, and he succeeded in collecting enough to form the basis of a company. While encamped near Park- ville engaged in recruiting and drilling, in concealment as he supposed,

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

he was attacked by a detachment of Penick's men, sent over from Liberty, and a spirited skirmish followed. They defended themselves with success and with slight loss, and soon thereafter were on their way South. They became a part of Shelby's force, and most of them continued in the service until the close of the war.

Col. Thornton's Recruits. - Col. C. C. Thornton came in from Price's army early in the spring of 1864 with a commission to recruit for the Southern service. He operated in and through Platte,, Clay, Clinton, Buchanan, and neighboring counties, but principally in Platte county. Col. Thornton collected probably 150 boys and young men, nearly all of them of this county, and after perambulating around over the county settled down at Camden Point, under the very shadow of Ft. Leavenworth " to hold the country." He held it, but no part of it very long at a time after Jennison's Kansas regiment and Ford's Colorado regiment came in sight. He, finally, ran at the first fire, and but for the bravery and soldierly manhood of Maj. Thrailkill and a few other old soldiers, who happened to be present, all of Thorn- ton's volunteers, most of them college boys from 15 to 19 years of age, would have been butchered in cold blood. Thrailkill, Lieut. Hardin, and five or six others, stood their ground a few minutes at the risk of their own lives, thus momentarily checking the Federals so that the young men could escape. An account of this affair will be given further along.

Probably. 100 volunteers from this county reached the Southern army of those encouraged to enlist by Col. Thornton.

These were the last attempts at organized enlistments in the county for the Southern service. Thenceforward the only recruits received from here by the South were those of individuals exclusively, those who, taking their life in their hands, depended upon working their way through the Union lines as best they could. Several hundred are said to have been received into the Southern service from Platte county in this way.

TOTAL NUMBER FROM THIS COUNTY.

According to the estimates of those best qualified to judge - Cols. Winston, Childs, Thompson and Capt. Synnamon, Miller, Lanter and a number of other ex-Confederate officers of this county -there were be- tween 1,800 and 2,000 volunteers furnished to the Southern army from Platte county from the beginning until the close of the war, not count- ing re-enlistments. Many of them, however, served only a short time - probably not more than one-third of them became permanent Confederate soldiers. Some of those who returned, not a few of

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

them in fact, enlisted in what was called the Paw-paw (Union ) militia, gotten up more to protect themselves and their families and property from Kansas Jayhawkers than for any other purpose.

This, in part, explains how it was that the county furnished so many volunteers to both sides during the war.

III.

UNION ENLISTMENTS.

CAPT. PHELPS' COMPANY.

The first enlistments in the county for Union service were in the early part of 1862. Capt. Burton H. Phelps, of the vicinity of Ridgely, recruited a part of a company in the northwest part of the county, receiving also volunters from across in Clay county.

With 50 or 60 men he proceeded to St. Joseph, where his company was completed. It became Co. A, of the Fourth cavalry, Mis- souri State militia, they being organized at St. Joseph. This was in February, 1862.

Of the company, Burton H. Phelps was captain, Jno. T. Carr, first lieutenant ; Benj. P. Holland, second lieutenant ; Sanders McComas, commissary sergeant ; Hiram D. Smith, first duty sergeant ; Wm. Morgan, second duty sergeant ; and Benj. Fitzgerald, third duty ser- geant.

Only the names of the following privates from this county have been obtained : Oliver Clark, Benj. Stitha, Chas. Avery, Geo. McMil- lan, Wm. McMillan and Leve Green.

Capt. Phelps resigned in June, 1862, and was succeeded by R. T. Cunningham. The latter died at Mt. Vernon in October of the same year and A. R. Conklin became captain. He was from Warrensburg, this State, and served until the close of the war.

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Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1156

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1156