USA > Missouri > Scotland County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 9
USA > Missouri > Lewis County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 9
USA > Missouri > Clark County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 9
USA > Missouri > Knox County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 9
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For some time the citizens of Canton had been apprehensive of a visit from the Confederates known to be in the western part of the county, and as there were no troops in town there had been some uneasiness among the Unionists, and a few of them had left. In the warehouse of Mr. Carnegy there were some muskets, to be sure, but not many thought of using them. Alarming reports
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
came in from time to time, but as they were not followed by the Confederates, a feeling of security took possession of a majority, and only a few were on the qui vive. When Franklin's troops entered the town there were seated near the warehouse Mr. Carnegy himself, Samuel Turner, J. W. Bass and John Oeth, all citizens of Canton. Mr. Carnegy had spent the greater part of the night in packing up certain goods in his possession, intending to ship them by the Northern Line boats to a point of safety. Mr. Oeth was in charge of the effects of a lady, who intended leaving town that night, and meant to see that her goods were put on board when the boat arrived. Carnegy deemed it probable that some wagons from Edina might arrive to haul off some mer- chandise in his charge. All four were sitting near the door of the warehouse when the clatter of horses was heard on Clark Street. "I believe there come my wagons," said Mr. Carnegy. In a moment or two he said to Mr. Oeth, "Let us go and see who it is." The two arose, walked across the street, and started north along Water Street in the direction of the noise. They had proceeded but a short distance when they encountered the head of a mounted column. It was dark, and only the forms of the men and horses could be distinctly made out. Surprised, both halted, and Mr. Oeth called out, "Who comes there?" The instant response was from the shot-gun of the leader, Lieut. Garnett, thirty feet away. With the explosion of the gun Mr. Carnegy fell. A heavy charge of buckshot lodged in his bowels, giving him a mortal wound. Oeth turned and fled; stumbling, he fell, cutting his knees on the stones of the wharf, but rising instantly he escaped to a tobacco house, where he spent the night.
As soon as Carnegy fell Lieut. Garnett handed his bridle rein to a comrade, went to the prostrate man, and bending over, him said, with apparent deep feeling, "I am sorry for this, but, my friend, you ought not to have halted me." Mr Turner and Mr. Bass, who came forward when the shooting took place, were made prisoners, but almost instantly released, and directed to care for Mr. Carnegy. The agony of the latter seemed to greatly affect Lieut. Garnett. He even shed tears, and said to Mr. Tur- ner. "I supposed when he halted me that it was the militia guarding the warehouse." It was not generally known then that
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
it was Mr. Oeth who had challenged the Confederates, and not Mr. Carnegy. The wounded man was taken to a room near by, where he died the following Sunday morning, after intense suffer- ing .*
Following his advance Franklin pushed his main column down Lewis Street, and the town was soon under complete Con- federate occupation. Pickets were thrown out on all the roads, and the levee guarded. The raiders remained in town until about noon the next day, Saturday. During their stay they searched several houses and buildings, securing the seventy-five Austrian muskets in Carnegy's warehouse, about fifty other guns of different patterns, and a considerable quantity of ammunition. The' stores were not robbed; a few purchases of merchandise were made and paid for, but of course powder, lead and caps were not considered merchandise. From Judge William Ellis they took some papers belonging to Sheriff Biggs and the county court, and from J. A. Ellis, some money. J. G. Guthrie and a number of Unionists were made prisoners but released on the abandonment of the town. The regular Keokuk and St. Louis packet, "City of Warsaw," Capt. Malin, ran the blockade very easily, although an attempt was made to capture her.
Upon leaving town the Confederates went westward, passing through Monticello at 3 P. M .; that night they encamped on the Fabius, at the Sugar Camp ford. They bore away with them from Canton, as a prisoner, ex-Senator James S. Green, who had arrived in town the same evening from Washington City. Mr. Green, it will be remembered, had taken the oath of alle- giance to the Federal Government, and he refused to openly violate it, even in the presence of his Confederate friends, many of whom were his old neighbors and associates. His sentiments were well understood, but his conduct perplexed not a few. He persisted in his declaration that he was a " loyal man," had taken his oath and meant to keep it. "You had better lay down your arms," he said to some of the raiders, half jocularly, half in earnest. Invited to accompany them away from town, he said. "I won't go
*John William Carnegy, the son of the old pioneer, S. W. B. Carnegy, was a prominent citizen of Canton, and very generally esteemed. He was a stanch Unionist, but respected by all parties. His wounding, as the circumstances have been related to the compiler by eye-witnesses, seems to have been one of the melancholy accidents of the war. He left a wife and children.
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
voluntarily," then he added significantly, " but if you take me prisoner, I suppose I will be compelled to go."
The hint was understood. He was made a "prisoner " and " forced" to go the Sugar Camp ford. Some of the Confederates were for conscripting him and forcing him to fight for the cause. he had espoused so ardently a year before! "D-n him," said they, " he got us into this scrape, and he ought to be made to help us out." At the Sugar Camp the senator was released upon taking the oath, pro forma, " not to take up arms against the Con- federate States during the war." Repairing to Washington City not long afterward he had an interview with President Lincoln to whom he gave a humorous account of his " capture." " They asked me what I thought of the situation," said he, "and I replied that I was like Pat, who, when asked what he was thinking about, said, 'Bedad, I am thinkin' the same as Mr. Maloney, who kapes the whisky shop; I owe him a dollar for whisky, and he thinks I'll niver pay him, and I think so too.' I said, 'you fellows think you are going to get a licking before long, and I am of the same opinion.' And sure enough, a few days later the command these men belonged to was badly defeated at Kirksville." Franklin's command soon united with Porter, and a few days later participated in the disastrous defeat at Kirksville.
On Tuesday following the raid about 250 Federals, under Maj. Covalt, of Quincy, and Capts. Hathaway, Grigsby, and Ellis, of the militia visited Canton. A number of houses were searched, three guns and five horses seized, and a few men taken prisoners ; the latter were soon released, however.
THE SKIRMISH ON GRASSY CREEK.
On Friday evening, August 22, a skirmish occurred on Grassy Creek, in the southern part of the county, near the site of Maywood. A detachment of twenty-eight men from the La Grange militia was out scouting the country. On Finley's Prairie they divided into two squads. One of ten men took the Monticello and Emerson road. In the creek bottom they came upon a company of Porter's men in ambush. The Confederates opened fire at short range. Three Federals were riding in front,
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Leroy Diver, John Rickard and Green. Of these Diver, who was a young man, about eighteen years of age, was killed, Rickard badly wounded and Green captured; another prisoner named Sheppy was also captured. One Federal horse was killed.
The surviving Federals saved themselves by flight. Passing the house of old Bob Beckett, they fired at him as he stood in the 'door, burying a bullet in the doorpost. Young Diver's body was taken to Beckett's the same afternoon, as was the wounded man, Rickard-the latter is still a resident of the county. The Confederates soon moved, and later in the day released on parole both Green and Sheppy. The latter belonged to Glover's reg- iment, was at home on furlough, and accompanied the militia " just for fun."
The next day a strong force of Federals, 200 of whom were from Quincy, left La Grange, and visited the scene of the skir- mish, scouting the country thoroughly. The Confederates were at a safe distance and were not encountered.
THE MURDER OF EZEKIEL PRATT.
In August of this year occurred the murder of Ezekiel Pratt, a Union man living in the northern part of the county, in the vicinity of Williamstown and Bunker Hill. The killing was attributed to John Baker and some men under him, and to his father, Willis Baker, who was a neighbor of Pratt. John Baker had been in the rebel service for some time as a bushwhacker, and had been for a short time under Joe Porter. He seems to have left Porter immediately after the Kirksville fight, and sped away to his father's house, at the head of a small band, although it is claimed that he was not at Kirksville at all, but had been in the brush, on the Fabius, all summer. The circumstances of the killing are thus related by the widow of Mr. Pratt (now Mrs. H. L. Sweet), yet living in the neighborhood of the tragedy:
On the 8th of August, 1862, John Baker came to our house with a band of men, armed with shot-guns, and surrounded the house. He asked for Mr. Pratt; said he wanted him, and had come to kill kim; he also wanted all the guns we had, and particularly a certain United States musket. Mr. Pratt was not at home. I refused them admittance, but John Baker ordered me to open the door or he would shoot me through the window. He ordered the men
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
to set fire to the house and kill me. or get in somehow. My little girl, fearing they would execute their threats, opened the door and they rushed in yelling like Indians. I had concealed the musket and they could not find it. They rummaged the house, and found the box of cartridges belonging to it, and after cursing and swearing around awhile rode away.
When Mr. Pratt returned, and I informed him of what had happened, he mounted his horse, and with two young men, named Tuttle and (I think) Ban- druff, started in pursuit of the bushwhackers, sending word to the Union men of the neighborhood to follow him and assist in breaking up their camp and rout- ing them. Mr. Pratt was exempt from military service, but he and the neigh- bors had agreed among themselves to put down bushwhackers and robbers if they came in, and if the men had rallied to his support they would have de- stroyed or captured this band.
Mr. Pratt and the two boys were riding along the road past the thicket, near the house of Willis Baker, the father of John. Some one fired on them from the bushes, and wounded Mr. Pratt in the ankle; the saddle skirts were covered with blood. Not minding the wound he jumped from his horse, and rushed into the thicket from which the shot came. In a few seconds the two young men heard the voice of John Baker cry out, "Father, come and help me!" Willis Baker then came out of his door, and it is believed shot Mr. Pratt. The body had one wound in the back of the head, supposed to have been made by Willis Baker, one (a fatal shot) in the abdomen, one in the ankle, and one cut or stab in the body from his own bayonet. One person, who claimed to know, told me he lived several hours and requested to be brought home to die. All kinds of stories were told me to excuse his murder until I refused to listen to them.
When the fighting was going on in the thicket, the two young men became alarmed and fled, spreading the news that Mr. Pratt was killed, etc. I knew nothing of it until all was over, and then I had great difficulty in getting any one to go and get the body; all were afraid. * * I have given what I believe to be the truth.
Mr. Pratt was a native of Cohasset, Mass., and at the time of his death was forty-six years of age. He had been twice married; his second wife was a daughter of Judge Charles Hequembourg, of St. Louis, where Mr. Pratt was last married in 1847, and where he pursued the occupation of architect and builder for some years. He came to Lewis County in 1854, and purchased the farm where- on his widow and sons now reside.
Willis Baker was arrested some time after the tragedy, charged with assisting in the killing of Mr. Pratt. He was taken to Palmyra, and was one of the ten Confederate prisoners executed by order of Gen. McNeil, on the 18th of October following, in re- taliation for the murder of Andrew Allsman, by some of Porter's men. It must be borne in mind that his friends always denied that he participated in the murder, which was attributed to his son, John
-
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Baker. He was an old settler of this county, and was aboat sixty years of age at the date of his death. He died very bravely, implacable in his hatred of his executioners.
EMANCIPATION.
The question of the abolition of slavery came to be seriously considered in these days. A year before it was no question at all. Hardly anybody favored it, even secretly, and no one dared openly advocate it. But times had changed. Now it did not require a prophet with much ability in his profession to predict that if the Union cause should finally triumph slavery would per- ish, and events to the well informed and unprejudiced indicated precisely this result. The Confederacy had to succeed in a year or fail forever, and the year had passed. A strong party grew up in Missouri favoring emancipation, with compensation at the rate of $300 per head for all slaves emancipated by loyal owners; rebels, of course, were to get nothing. In this party were num- bers of slave owners. The Union men were divided in opinion; perhaps the majority favored the proposition. Those who were out-and-out abolitionists, without compensation to anybody, were few in number at that time.
October 13 an emancipation meeting was held at Monticello. There was a considerable attendance. Milton Million was presi- dent and Z. T. Knight, vice-president. A committee on resolutions was composed of Jacob Morton, W. G. Watson, T. S. Dunbar, Rice Cheatham and J. G. Guthrie. As published in the county papers the resolutions reported by this committee were vigorously denunciatory of "rebels " and "the wicked rebellion," and declared among things that, "the prosperity of Missouri, the development of her resources, and the enabling her to take her proper position among her sister States demand that she adopt a system of gradual emancipation, not to work injury to the pecuniary interests of any loyal citizen, and not to disturb the social relations of our community."
Another resolution declared: "That we believe the Consti- tution of the United States and its guarantees are to be main- tained inviolate, and that the Constitution is intended for loyal men, and has no protection to afford to rebels or to rebellious
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
States. That we are in favor of any measure that, in the opin- ion of our Government, is calculated to put down this rebellion, and give our country the blessings ef peace."
The resolutions were adopted without dissent. Speeches were then made by Gen. John McNeil and his provost-marshal, W. R .. Strachan, after which the following delegates were selected to attend the emancipation congressional convention at Macon City : William Ellis, J. G. Guthrie, W. G. Watson, William Oder and John M. Cashman.
The Macon convention nominated Moses P. Green, of Marion, as its candidate, but he was defeated by Hon. W. A. Hall, of Randolph, the Democratic and anti-emancipation candidate. Hon. Milton Million, the emancipation candidate from this county, was elected representative.
EXECUTION OF WILLIAM GALLUP.
On the 10th of October, 1864, a young Confederate named William Gallup was executed by the Federal militia at Monti- cello. On the 5th of September, previously, he had been captured by Capt. Thacker's company, on the Illinois side of the Missis- sippi, eight miles above Canton. He had been a member of Owsley's company of bushwhackers, and was accused of stealing horses in Missouri, and running them into Illinois for sale. He admitted that he had belonged to Owsley's company, but denied the charge of horse-stealing.
The militia had often hunted for him, and finally forced him to take refuge across the river, where he was captured. He was taken to Monticello, and placed in charge of Capt. Lewis' com- pany. He possessed only ordinary intelligence, and it is even asserted that he was half-witted. He offered to enlist in the Federal service, and it is said he had a brother in the Twenty- first Missouri. The prisoner was being held for some reason, not clear, when, soon after the Centralia massacre, and only a day or two following the receipt of some of the bodies of the victims, word came from the military authorities at Hannibal, to take him out and shoot him. This was done. The execution took place in the northern part of the town, on the site of the university building. The firing party was composed of ten men, some of whom yet live
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
in the county. He died bravely enough, or rather indifferently, hardly seeming to realize the situation. His body was buried by " sympathizers " in the public cemetery. He gave his age as twenty-one.
ELECTIONS DURING THE WAR.
1863-Vote for three supreme judges, in November: Radicals, 703; Conservatives, 760. This was the first election in Missouri when the voting was by ballot.
1864-Presidential: Lincoln, 774; Mcclellan, 533.
1865-The vote on the adoption of the Drake Constitution, so called at the election held June 6, 1865, was in detail as follows:
PRECINCTS.
For.
Against.
Monticello
67
90
Williamstown.
45
6
Canton.
167
160
La Grange
107
256
Highland
58
4
Salem
43
2
Deer Ridge
73
12
Totals
560
530
FEDERAL AND CONFEDERATE ENLISTMENTS.
In March, 1864, apprehensive that a draft would be "run " in the county, the county court took steps to encourage enlist- ments in the Federal service, in order that. the county's quota might be filled without a resort to such extreme measures. A bounty of $100 was offered to every man enlisting from the county under the call of the President. In September the offer was repeated, and $15,000 borrowed to meet the expense. A number of veterans from the county, whose term of service had expired, re-enlisted in August, and were paid $100 each. (For the list see County Court Records, Vol. III, p. 275. )
By the close of the year 1864 the county had sent nearly 500 men into the Federal service, all of whom had enlisted for three years, as follows:
In Missouri regiments-Tenth Infantry, 13; Twenty-first Infantry, 215; Thirtieth Infantry, 1; Thirty-third Infantry, 1; Third Cavalry, 154; Seventh Cavalry, 11; Eleventh Cavalry, 6; Engineer Regiment, 1. Miscellaneous-In the Second Regiment Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, 49; in Illinois regiments, 16.
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
Besides these, 54 negroes had enlisted in colored regiments, and about 500 men had served in the enrolled militia, and were still members of that organization. From first to last, therefore, during the civil war, fully 1,000 citizens of the county did military service in aid of the Federal cause, either in the regular volunteer armies or in the Missouri militia. The county exceeded" its quota, and there was no draft.
In the rebel or Confederate service the number of Lewis County men can only be estimated. The records bearing upon the point can not be found; if they were completely kept, which is doubtful, they have been lost in some way. Such inquiry and investigation as can be made, however, lead to the conclusion that the number who actually enlisted, bore arms, and did more . or less service, was about 350. This estimate includes those who served under Gen. Martin E. Green in the Missouri State Guard, and those who joined Col. Joe C. Porter, in the summer of 1862, and served with him until after the battle of Kirksville. It also includes 25 men as the probable number that made their way into the Confederate Army, singly or in small parties, but it does not take into account Capt. Caldwell's company of recruits, broken up at the fight on Silver Creek.
Quite a number of men abandoned the army after the expira- tion of their six months' term of service in the Missouri State Guard, some of them before. From time to time others deserted and came home, or went elsewhere. It is believed that of the 150 men that joined Col. Porter, fully 50 had previously, at different periods, served under Gen. Green. Of those who fought through the war from the time of their enlistment, or were either killed, died in service, or were discharged for disability, it can not be said that they exceeded 200. In the foregoing no con- sideration is given to those who were out with Green and Porter a shorter period than thirty days, unless they took part in an engagement.
The following men from Lewis County were members of Com- pany A, Tenth Missouri Infantry, Confederate States Army :*
First sergeant, John W. Williams; second sergeant, David
* The names are taken from the muster roll of the company in the possession of J. L. Grubbs, Esq., of Canton.
*
1
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HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
W. Christie; third sergeant, John C. Richardson; fifth sergeant, William T. La Rue.
Second corporal, Charles Magee.
Privates-John T. Askin, Augustus Anderson, M. M. Briford, John H. Bland, David Daggs, J. H. Emery, D. L. Ford, J. L. Grubbs, G. B. Hudson, G. R. Minor, W. J. Magee, W. H. Neal, James Peat, James B. Richardson, E. J. Richardson, George W. Smith, T. J. Turner, A. W. Turner and H. C. Willson.
Col. William M. Moore, of Lewis County, became the colonel of the Tenth Missouri Infantry, Confederate. This regiment served chiefly in Arkansas, under Gen. Price. It was badly cut up in the battle of Helena, July 4, 1863. It will be observed that while there were twenty-four men from. this county in this regiment, there were thirteen of their neighbors in the Tenth Missouri Infantry, Federal.
THE TWENTY-FIRST MISSOURI INFANTRY.
As this regiment was composed almost exclusively of men from Lewis, Clark, Knox and Scotland Counties, something of its history may appropriately appear in this volume. The regiment really dated its origin from the organization of the Union Home Guards in northeast Missouri, during the summer of 1861. The home guards finally entered two battalion organizations, known as the First and Second Northeast Missouri Regiments, of which David Moore was colonel of the First, and Humphrey M. Wood- yard the colonel of the Second. Each of the two commanders had his commission first from Gen. Lyon.
Many of Moore's regiment, while they were yet in the home guards, did much active service, as elsewhere noted, and partici- pated in the engagement at Athens; Col. Woodyard's men fought at Clapp's Ford and elsewhere, and both commands participated in Gen. Pope's campaign against Martin E. Green, down to the "Tiger's Den," near Florida, Monroe County. In the winter of 1861, while the two battalions were at Canton, they were consoli- dated by an order of Gov. Gamble (special order No. 15), dated December 31. Said the order:
The battalion of Missouri volunteers heretofore known as the First North- east Missouri Regiment, under the command of Col. D. Moore, and the battalion of Missouri volunteers heretofore known as the Second Northeast Missouri
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
Regiment, under the command of Col. H. M. Woodyard, are hereby consoli- dated into a regiment, to be hereafter known and designated as the Twenty-first Regiment of Missouri volunteers.
Col. Moore was appointed colonel, and Col. Woodyard lieuten- ant-colonel, of the regiment thus formed. The ten companies. were all from northeast Missouri. Company A was from Lewis County; Company B from Adair, Knox and Scotland; Company C from Scotland; Companies D and E from Knox; Companies F, G and H from Clark, with a few men in Company F from Iowa; Company I was from Scotland and Company K from Lewis.
Both prior and subsequent to the organization the several companies did a good deal of active service in northeast Missouri, in scouting through the country and clearing it of the rebel partisans and preventing their organization. In the early spring of 1862 the regiment passed down the Mississippi, and joined the army of Gen. Grant at Pittsburg Landing, Tenn. On the 6th of April it participated in the memorable battle of Shiloh or Pitts- burg Landing, and was the first Federal regiment to become engaged. Contrary to the generally received opinion the division (Gen. Prentiss' sixth) to which it belonged was not really sur- prised, since it is a fact that the Twenty-first Missouri actually marched out and attacked the rebels as they were advancing. The part taken by the regiment in this action may best be under- stood by the following reports of Cols. Moore and Woodyard:
HEADQUARTERS 21ST MO. INFANTRY, 6TH DIV., ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE. April 11th, 1862.
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