USA > Missouri > Lafayette County > History of Lafayette county, Mo. , carefully written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, cities, towns, and villages > Part 37
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June 12, Gov. Jackson issued his proclamation, calling into active service 50,000 state militia, " for the purpose of repelling invasion, and for the pro- tection of the lives, liberty, and property of the citizens of this state." Lex- ington was designated as one of the places of rendezvous, and hither repaired those desiring to obey the proclamation. Gen. James S. Rains, of Jasper county, was appointed brigadier-general for this district, and he visited the troops at the camps at Lexington, attended to their organiza- tion, and addressed them in an excellent speech. He had previously vis- ited Camp Holloway, and directed the men to rendezvous at Lexington. The Masonic College and adjacent grounds were chosen for headquarters. Here were gathered 1000 men, mostly from this county. A regiment of Lafayette men was organized, of which John T. Graves was chosen colonel, Cave Kirtley, lieutenant-colonel, and - Brazier, major. Capts. Withers, Whiting, Percival, Webb, Ferguson, commanded companies. Bledsoe's battery was here fully organized, with Hiram M. Bledsoe as captain; Curtis O. Wallace, 1st lieutenant; Chas. Higgins, 2d lieutenant; Frank S. Trigg, 3d lieutenant.
*This gun, afterward, formed a part of Pirner's battery, under Col. Mulligan, at the bat- tle of Lexington. (See article, "Battle Items").
+Dec. 20, 1861, Gen. Halleck reported that his troops at Glasgow " had taken about two tons of powder in kegs, buried on Jackson's farm."
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HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
On the 17th of June the first battle at Boonville was fought between about 800 state troops under Col. John S. Marmaduke, of Saline county, and about the same number of federal troops under Gen. Lyon. The state troops numbered in all about 1500 and the federals about 2000, but only the numbers named took part in the fight. The state troops were repulsed by the well armed and organized federals, and retreated with such precipitancy and in such disorder that the affair came to be known in Missouri as the " Boonville races." Each side lost but two killed and a few wounded. In a few days after the Boonville affair the state troops came to the rendezvous at Lexington, uniting with the forces already on the ground. Maj. Gen. Sterling Price having some time previously been commissioned by Gov. Jackson as general-in-chief of the state troops, or Missouri State Guard, assumed command of the state army at Lexing- ton. Learning that Lyon was still moving up the river, and being unpre- pared to receive him, Gen. Price resolved to retreat to the southwestern part of the state.
C. M. Pirner, of Lexington, says the way this happened was: A young fellow named Brown, who was a printer in the Lexington Expositor print- ing office, suggested a plan to have some fun, but the affair was never known only to Pirner, Brown, James Curry, and a young telegraph ope- rator whose name he cannot now remember. The joke as carried out was as follows: The telegraph operator had a pocket instrument of his own. The telegraph at that time went easward by way of Waverly. He, Pirner, and the operator went out a little way east of Old Town, after it was all dark and quiet for the night, and managed to reach the telegraph wire and hitch on the pocket instrument. The Lexington office was called until it made answer, and then it was informed: "The federals have left Marshall for Lexington, may arrive any minute." The young wags then went back into the city to see the effect; and sure enough, by the time they got up main street to the vicinity of Laurel street, there were horsemen. riding rapidly to and fro between the college grounds and different parts of the city. The jokers didn't dare to ask any questions for fear of some suspicion arising, which would have been sure death. But in the morn- ing the state troops were gone. Several histories speak of this sudden and rapid retreat from Lexington, but no one has before given the secret of its mysterious suddenness. Mr. Pirner claims that it was the first " grapevine dispatch " sent during the war, and he wants Lexington to have the historic credit of it.
About the 25th of June the troops left Lexington for the south, the most of the Lafayette county men being in Graves' regiment or Bledsoe's bat- talion. Gov. Jackson, Gen. Rains, and Gen. Parsons commanded. The ladies and citizens generally turned out to bid them adieu, to wave them fond farewells, and to pray for their success and safe return. The force
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was hardly an army, since it lacked organization, discipline, and experi- ence, but there was material in it for an Old Guard or a Light Brigade as was afterwards demonstrated.
On the 5th of July the fight at Carthage come off between this force and Sigel's command. Bledsoe's battery did important service here. Graves' regiment was engaged but not actively. The state army then marched to Cowskin prairie, McDonald county, and spent some time in drilling and preparing for active and vigorous service. On the 10th of August the battle of Wilson's Creek was fought, and here again the Lafayette county men distinguished themselves. Graves' regiment was commanded in this engagement by Benj. Elliott, who was given his posi- tion on the field by Gen. McCulloch. At the time of his promotion Elli- ott was serving as a private in the regiment, but had been a captain at Camp Holloway.
THE FIRST FEDERAL TROOPS.
While the Secessionists of Lafayette county had been active in prepar- ing for war, the Union men were not idle. Some of the latter there were who had determined if war should come, to take a part, and that upon the side of the Union. Early in the season a number had left the county and made their way to Kansas City or the State of Kansas, where they joined the companies of Union militia or other organizations destined for service under the stars and stripes; and the German citizens of Freedom township, under the leadership of Capt. Becker, were organized and waiting for arms and an order and opportunity to strike. The Germans of Lafayette, like all of their fellow-countrymen in the State, were almost unanimously loyal to the Federal government. Other Union citizens of the county were only watching and waiting for the advent of the Federal troops in the county to themselves enlist on the side of Uncle Sam.
FIRST LAFAYETTE PRISONER OF WAR.
After the Boonville fight, Gen. Lyon sent a regiment of Unionists up the river on the steamboat White Cloud, which landed at Lexington July 9th, a few days after Price's troops had left. The arrival of these, the first Federal troops, created no little commotion in Lexington. As they disembarked and marched up from the wharf the angry citizens of seces- sion proclivities called to them and shouted at them in no very complimen- tary terms. As they passed the residence of Wm. G. McCausland they noticed a small secession flag displayed in the yard and demanded that it be taken down. Mrs. McCausland told them if they wanted it taken down they must do it themselves-she wouldn't do it .* Mean- while, Mr. McCausland looking up the street from his store, saw the
* Mrs. McCausland is one of the most refined, intelligent, and liberally educated ladies of Lexington, and would have ministered to a sick or wounded federal as quickly as to a confederate.
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soldiers halted in front of his house; he grasped an old shot-gun and ran to drive the invaders from his premises, but was promptly arrested, being the first prisoner taken in Lafayette county by federal troops. He was held about two weeks and then released on parole. Other citizens who were prominent avowed secessionists were also arrested, James Ball, James Lightner, John McFadden, Alfred Jones, and Isaac McGirk being among the number. This regiment was known as the Fifth regiment United States reserved corps, was only enlisted for three months, and was commanded by Col. Chas. G. Stifel (pronounced steefel). It was composed entirely of Germans from St. Louis.
Col. Stifel marched his regiment almost immediately to the Masonic college, where he went into camp and threw up intrenchments. The prisoners taken were confined and guarded on the White Cloud. One of them, James Lightner, was shot dead by his guard, one Henry Hæfel, of Company A, while trying to effect his escape. The soldier alleged that Mr. Lightner attacked him with a drawn chair. The other prisoners were either released on parole or taken to St. Louis upon the return of the regiment.
While the headquarters of Col. Stifel's regiment were at Lexington, detachments were sent out through the country, one of which went up the river to destroy all boats, so as to prevent the crossing of re-en- forcements to Gen. Price. At Blue Mills landing this detachment was fired upon and one man killed and twelve wounded. About 200 packages of the powder before mentioned were found by another detachment. A company of re-enforcements was brought down from the vicinity of Fort Leavenworth and left at Lexington. Two other Union companies were also organized and armed and placed in the newly constructed fort. One of these was Becker's company, before mentioned, and the other a com- pany raised at Lexington, commanded first by Gustave Pirner and after- · wards by Henry Emde. Each of these companies numbered about fifty men. The first was composed, as before stated, of Germans from Freedom township, with a few members from Pettis county, some of whom haď been at Cole Camp, Benton county. The other company was chiefly composed of members of the German Turner organization of Lexington. About one year previously this organization had been presented with a fine United States flag by the citizens of Lexington. In the presentation speech they were adjured to "always be found faithful in defending their banner from assaults from any quarter." Now, they prepared to obey that injunction. Another company was also organized at Lexington by Captain Fred Neet. It was made up mostly of men from Lafayette county. There was also a company of Union men commanded by Capt. Ridgell, of Ray county. This company numbered about fifty men from Ray, Carroll, and Lafayette counties.
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HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
On July 16th, the time of Stifel's regiment having expired, it left for St. Louis, where it was mustered out of the service. On the way down the river it was fired on from the Saline county shore and some of the men killed and wounded. In Cooper county the boat landed, and three of a firing party from the shore were killed by a detachment sent off the boat. Stifel's regiment was the one that fired on the citizens of St. Louis at the time of the capture of Camp Jackson.
Upon the departure of Col. Stifel, the command of the post at Lexing- ton fell upon Capt. F. W. Becker, of the Freedom township company. As he had three companies under him, he assumed the title of major. " Major " Becker had formerly been a stage driver from Georgetown to Warrensburg, and along that route. He had very little education, but affected a great deal of wisdom, and, dressed in a little brief authority, was given to many fantastic tricks. He wore a pair of huge epaulets and a stunning uniform; kept himself secluded from the common herd; was surrounded by a number of guards, and was as difficult of access as a czar. Yet withal he was a fair soldier. He was quite well versed in military tactics, and drilled his men with considerable skill.
Becker remained in command at the college until about the 25th of August, when Lieut. Col. White, formerly of Stifel's regiment, assumed command, the force then consisting of Becker's, Emde's, Ridgell's, Neet's and Graham's companies, with which and other companies the formation of a regiment was then under way, of which White was to be colonel, Graham lieutenant-colonel, and Becker major. White had, in addition to his infantry force, which had been partly armed by Stifel, four pieces of artillery, two six-pound iron guns, and two brass cohorn mortars or how- itzers. Neither of these pieces was very effective. Graham's company was the one that had gone from Leavenworth. It was composed of men who had gone from and near Rock Island, Illinois, a great many of whom were professional men.
In the latter part of August there came two battalions of the First Illi- nois cavalry, abont 500 men, commanded by Col. T. A. Marshall. They were from St. Louis, and came via Sedalia. Although a fine body of men, the members of this command were poorly armed, having nothing but old-fashioned single-barrelled dragoon pistols, and sabers. Col. Mar- shall at once assumed command. About the Sth of September came Col. James A. Mulligan with the 23d Illinois infantry, a regiment composed almost entirely of Irishmen and called the " Irish brigade." This regi- ment had also marched across from Sedalia. Being the senior officer, Col. Mulligan relieved Col. Marshall of the command of the post. He had orders from Gen. Fremont to fortify and hold the place, and information that he would shortly be reinforced. He at once began throwing up addi- tional entrenchments and enlarging those already built.
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HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
In a day or two there came to Col. Mulligan, by steamer from Kansas City, the 13th Missouri infantry, under Col. Everett Peabody, of St. Joseph, and Maj. R. T. Van Horn's battalion of United States reserve corps, of Kansas City. These troops were armed with muskets and bay- onets. Peabody's regiment was composed of northwest Missourians, with a few from southern Iowa and eastern Kansas. With this command there came two six-pound brass cannon, in charge of Capt. Adams. The guns were poorly supplied with ammunition.
LEXINGTON FAIR GROUNDS ENCAMPMENT.
In the latter part of August, Col. Henry L. Routt, with a body of state troops, intended for service against the federal authority rendezvoused at the fair grounds at Lexington. His forces numbered at first about 800 men, but were increased by recruits who came in by squads, companies, and singly, from day to day, until there were about 1,200 probably in all. Col. Routt was from Ray county and had seen service in the Mexican war. His men were from Lafayette, Jackson, Ray, Clay, and other coun- ties north of the river.
The situation at Lexington was now somewhat singular. In the fair grounds were Col. Routt's troops, secessionists, and only a mile or so away were their deadly enemies, the federals, and yet both camps got along without a general engagement for some days. Pickets were con- stantly kept out and there was an occasional interchange of shots, but no serious damage done. Each side was afraid of the other. Routt had more men than Becker and the federals, but the latter were the better armed and in fortifications. One feared to attack, the other dare not. At last Col. Routt thought to gain his point by a ruse de guerre, hardly fair, and only allowable in war times.
A number of pronounced and prominent unconditional union men had been made prisoners by the state troops. Among them were Ex-Gov- ernor Austin A King, of Ray county, Missouri's chief magistrate from 1849 to 1853; Hon. John F. Ryland, ol Lafayette county, a citizen of Mis- souri since 1819, judge of this circuit eighteen years, then judge of the state supreme court for eight years; his son, John E. Ryland, is now criminal judge for this district; Wm. Fields, and Mr. Casper. Routt made a demand for the surrender of the troops on the college hill, which was refused. He thereupon prepared a paper in which it was stated that the force of the state troops in the fair grounds was a very large one, well armed, and supplied with artillery; that large re-enforcements, with more artillery were on the way from north of the river; that the college hill was completely invested, and that the best thing Becker could do was to sur- render. This paper was addressed to the commander of the federal forces, and was presented to the union prisoners for their signatures.
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HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
The prisoners, headed by Judge Ryland, positively refused to sign a paper containing so many and such flagrantly false statements, and so Routt's scheme failed.
Meanwhile the Pirner brothers, both of whom had seen military ser- vice in the old country, had provided three shells with fuses and wanted to see whether they would "go" or not. So the next evening they ran one of the old mortars out to the place where Hon. H. C. Wallace now resides, and fired their three homemade shells toward the fair ground, and the first one exploded right over the grounds. This created a perfect panic among the raw troops there, and they clambered over the fences in hot haste, every man for himself, leaving horses, arms, equipments, pris- oners, to take care of themselves. Judge Ryland afterward told that he was as badly scared as the rest of them, for he was in the same danger, but he thought it as safe to stay as to run. When the Pirner's had fired their three shells they withrew, and knew nothing of the effect in the fair ground until a negro told them about it the next dav. Nobody had been hurt, however.
In a day or two scouts reported the advance of a large force of federal cavalry from Sedalia, and as another federal force was known to be in Johnson county, threatening Lexington, the position of Col. Routt and his men was a perilous one, and he retreated, forming a junction with the advancing army of Gen. Price at Index. The union citizen prisoners were taken along.
THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON.
In the early part of the month of September, 1861, the military situa- tion in Missouri was substantially as follows: The federal troops held the Missouri river by a cordon of military posts stretching from St. Louis to St. Joseph. Communication between these posts was easy and generally kept up. The object of this line was to prevent the crossing of the river by the secessionists of North Missouri, who, to the number of 5,000 or 6,000, were armed, organized and desirous of joining the army of Gen. Price in southwest Missouri. A portion of these men were of Gen Thomas A. Harris' 2d division of northeast Missourians, including Mar- tin E. Green's brigade, which had been defeated in an engagement at Athens, on the northeast boundary line of the state on the fifth of August. Harris had probably 3,000 men. Another force, belonging of right to the 4th division, was in northwest Missouri. All crossing of the river by the secessionists had to be done covertly, stealthily and in small squads. Only two or three instances are known where more than one hundred crossed at one time.
To break this blockade and to release the semi-imprisoned north Mis- sourians became the object of Gen. Price, who for some time had been
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HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
resting upon the laurels he had won at Wilson's Creek, in the camps in and about Springfield. From reports he knew which one of the four federal posts, Jefferson City, Boonville, Lexington and Kansas City, was the easiest and most important one to take, and he chose Lexington, knowing the ground and the almost certainty of victory, and the great moral effect upon the Missourians, which a victory at Lexington would have, following upon their important success at Wilson's Creek.
In the last days of August, therefore, Gen. Price, with about 8,000 men and seven pieces of artillery, took up the line of march for Lexington. He, however, continued to receive reinforcements as he advanced. On the 2d of September he was at Nevada, where Col. Bevier reached him with 300 men from north Missouri .* On September 7th the army encoun- tered Lane and Montgomery's Kansas troops at Drywood creek, Vernon county, and after a brief skirmish brushed them out of the way with but insignificant loss. Capt. Bledsoe was here severely wounded by a bullet in the groin, and did not rejoin his battery for some weeks.
At Index, in Cass county, the advancing column was met by Routt's and Vard Cockrell's forces from Lexington. Here the Lafayette county regiment underwent re-organization. Col. Benjamin Elliott was chosen colonel; Counselman, lieutenant-colonel, and Samuel Taylor, major. This organization lasted until the six months' term of service of the regiment had expired. Here also were met other Missourians " in arms and eager for the fray." -
FEDERAL SEIZURE OF THE LEXINGTON BANK.
Gov. Jackson had appropriated the school fund of the state to the arm- ing and equipment of the state troops, and it had been proposed to make forced loans from certain banks of the state for the same purpose. To checkmate this action of the governor, as he alleged, Gen. Fremont, the federal commander, in Missouri, ordered the funds of certain banks of the state to be sent to St. Louis not for the use of the federal authorities, as he claimed, but to prevent their being employed to aid the forces of Gov. Jackson and Gen. Price. In obedience to this order of Gen. Fre- mont, therefore, Col. Marshall directed his Lieut. Col. H. M. Day, to wait upon the officers of the branch of the state bank at Lexington, and secure all the funds of that institution, giving a receipt therefor, and bring them to the fortifications at the college. This was done. Col. Day waited upon the bank officers and presented the following order:
HEADQUARTERS AT LEXINGTON, Mo., Sept. 7, 1861.
To COL. DAY :- You will proceed, without delay, with one company, to take possession of the money in the bank at this place and give your receipt for it, as also a copy of this order.
To Lieut-Col. H. M. Day.
T. A. MARSHALL, Col. Commanding at Lexington.
*Bevier's " Missouri Brigades," page 302.
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HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
Mr. Morrison, then one of the directors of the bank, and now of the Morrison-Wentworth bank, states that he had buried the funds of the bank, in anticipation that they would be taken, but the federal officers had been informed of their whereabouts and so informed him. They were therefore soon surrendered. The cashier, Mr. C. R. Morehead, was afterward censured and dismissed from the service of the bank for being the informant, but he declared his innocence.
The funds taken by Col. Marshall amounted to $960,159.60, of which $165,659.60 was in gold. Col. Day gave the following receipt:
RECEIVED at Lexington, Missouri, 7th September, 1861, of the Farm- ers' Bank of Missouri at Lexington, seven boxes of American gold coin, marked and said to contain each $20,000, and numbered from 1 to 7 inclusive. Also, one box of foreign and California coin, marked and said to contain $10,659.60; also, three bags said to contain $5,000 each, amounting in all by the above estimate to $165,659.60; also, seven cases of bank note circulation, being the circulation of the Farmers' Bank of Missouri at Lexington, numbered and said to contain as follows and thus marked: "No. 1, $50,000; No. 2, $50,000; No. 3, $50,000; No. 4, $74,000; No. 5, $100,000; No. 6, $200,000; No. 7, $270,500." Total amount of bank notes circulation being, according to the above estimate' $794,500.
H. M. DAY, Lieut. Col. 1st Cav. Regt. of Ill. Vols., U. S. A.
By appointment of the bank, Messrs. S. G. Wentworth and C. R. Morehead started with the money for St. Louis via Warrensburg, under convoy of Marshall's cavalry. When about 20 miles out from Lexington the expedition confronted the advance of Price's army and hurriedly turned about and returned to the entrenchment at Lexington. The money was then delivered to Col. 'Mulligan and buried under his tent by Lt .- Col. Quirk, Major Moore, and Captains Gleason and Moriarty, the first three named from Chicago, Capt. Moriarty from La Salle, Illinois, and all of Col. Mulligan's 23d Illinois Infantry. (See article headed " The Lexing- ton Bank's War Money.")
Against the seizure of their money the president, cashier, and members of the board of directors present, protested, alleging that they had "full faith that we are fully able to protect and manage the same." The pro- test was disregarded, however, but the officers were assured that they would eventually get their money, since it was only being removed to prevent its falling into the hands of the "rebels" under Jackson and Price. No objection was made to Messrs. Wentworth and Morehead accompanying the treasure, to see that it was safely deposited in St. Louis.
CONFEDERATES MARCH ON LEXINGTON.
On the 10th of September the advance of Gen. Price's army reached Warrensburg, and the next morning the whole army came up and rested
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there that day. The soldiers were tired and hungry and the good people of Warrensburg generously fed them and cared for them to the best of their ability. The Federals in Warrensburg had abandoned the place at midnight before Price reached the town, and retreated to Lexington, burning the bridges behind them. From Warrensburg to Lexington the distance is about 34 miles, and early on the 12th Gen. Price started for the latter place, Col. Elliott's Lafayette county regiment having the advance. The troops marched hard, fast, and far, as may be concluded from the distance accomplished in the given time; but many of the men were in sight of their homes, and this fact annihilated distance and lessened toil and fatigue.
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