USA > Missouri > St Charles County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 19
USA > Missouri > Montgomery County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 19
USA > Missouri > Warren County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 19
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
thing by attempting to raid the white settlements, they gave up all hostile designs and gave little or no further trouble.
Returning to Ft. Kearny, Capt. McCausland and his men remained there until May, 1848, and then started for the present site of New Ft. Kearny, on the Platte river, out in Nebraska. There they built the present fort, which is located about 150 miles from Omaha, and the land site of which Col. Powell bought for the government from the Pawnees. This fort was established to protect the Western set- tlements from the Indians beyond, in Nebraska and the surrounding regions of country. They remained at Ft. Kearny until the fall of 1848, and, in the meantime, peace having been declared between the United States and Mexico, they returned to Ft. Leavenworth, leaving Ft. Kearny in charge of a detachment of regulars, and were there- upon honorably mustered out of the service. The battalion took part in no engagement during the service, being principally employed in garrison duty and for the protection of the Western frontiers against the Indians. Several men, however, died of sickness contracted in the army, including O'Brian, Kenna, and one or two others.
Capt. McCausland had been sheriff of the county prior to organiz- ing his company, and was a man of much personal popularity. He was an old citizen of the county and a man of high standing. In the service he was greatly beloved by his men, who were glad to follow wherever he chose to lead. If he had been called to the scene of war. he would doubtless have made an enviable record for his company in the history of that struggle. As it was, he and they did their duty faithfully and without fear of danger or hardships, and are not less entitled to gratitude for the manner in which they acquitted them- selves than if they had fought the battles of their country beyond the Rio Grande.
Col. Powell was one of the leading men of the county at that day. He was a physician by profession and a man of culture and large property. He was a man of large physique, of sandy complexion, steel blue eyes, and always clean shaven, and was a man of fine pres- ence and personal appearance. He had been county and circuit clerk and recorder of deeds ( all three ) for a number of years, and was after- wards a judge of the county court. His address was always pleasant and he made a favorable impression on all whom he met. No man in the county stood higher than he in general esteem. The fact of his election for the colonelcy of his battalion when he was a total stranger to all except those of his own company, and by such men as Gen. Craig, Gov. Stewart and others, shows that he was a man of
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
mark among men of prominence and ability. His name justly holds a place in the history of the county among the names of its most hon- orable and useful citizens.
There are several old Mexican veterans living in this county, who, however, enlisted from other counties or States. The names of the following are now recalled : Atho Kissinger, who enlisted from Vir- ginia; Conrad Gruenkorn, who enlisted from St. Charles ; John A. Schwatke, who enlisted from St. Louis, and Capt. H. Evers, who also enlisted from that city.
Few people in Missouri or elsewhere appreciated the nature of the conflict between the two sections or its scope and magnitude until after the clash of arms had resounded throughout the Union. Who was right or who wrong is not here to be discussed. Good men on either side honestly believed they were right and devotedly offered up their lives upon the altar of their convictions. The faith that men die for, whatever it may be, is not to be derided and lightly put aside.
Unquestionably the Civil War grew out of the agitation of slavery. But for that no conflict would have occurred, and half a million of as brave men as ever kept step to martial music, who now sleep beneath the sod victims to that unhappy strife, would have been spared to their country and homes, millions and hundreds of millions of treasure wasted, or worse than wasted - devoted to the destruction of life and property would have been saved ; a vast debt upon the country, piled up a century deep would not have been incurred ; and the time and energy of more than two millions and a half of soldiers would have been usefully employed in the pursuits of peace. For every slave emancipated ten times his or her value in actual expenditures were required by the war, to say nothing of other losses ; and the life of a soldier was taken for every eight slaves liberated. But freedom and human rights are, of course, not to be estimated by the measure of blood and treasure required to secure and maintain them. Still, how much better it would have been if reason had prevailed instead of pas- sion, and emancipation had been brought about by peaceful means.
In the days of the Colonies and in the early years of the Republic negro slavery was an institution generally recognized, and the pres- ent constitution was formed with that as one of the property inter- ests of the country. Gradually slavery, more from physical causes than from anything else, became confined to the Southern and South- western States, and naturally when the agitation arose for its aboli- tion they bitterly opposed the threatened revolution in their labor
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
system, and exerted themselves to their utmost for the protection of their slave property. They held that the Union was instituted for the protection of the rights and property of the people of all the States forming it, and that when those of one section sought to destroy the property interests of another section, they were working to defeat one of the principal objects for which the government was established ; that the North had no more right to interfere with slavery in the South than the South had to prohibit manufactures in New England, or the working of white employes at starving rates of wages ; that all knew that slavery was one of the recognized institutions of most of the States when the Union was formed, and that if any had conscien- tious scruples against it, they ought not to have entered into asso- ciation with slave States, much less afterwards have attempted to abolish it in other States.
The North, however, disclaimed any intention to interfere with slavery in the States where it was already established, but asserted that it ought to be prohibited in the territories and not allowed in any of the new States to be formed. Still, there was no mistaking the tendency of the anti-slave movement - that it would ultimately result in the abolition of slavery throughout the Union. This the Southern people saw and very well understood, and now that it is an accomplished fact, it is one of the proudest boasts of the party which brought it about.
The election of Mr. Lincoln in 1860 was brought about by the anti-slavery agitation and through a division of the Democratic party. Elected, as he was, by the extreme men of the North on this ques- tion, the South felt satisfied that he would be controlled by anti- slavery influences, and that the further continuance of the Southern States in the Union would be at the peril of their slave property. They therefore took steps immediately to secede from the Union by the same methods and authority by which they had acceded to its terms and entered it; and ordinances of secession were passed by most of the slave States. Efforts for a compromise were made but without any substantial results ; and in a short time a provisional Confederate government was established, including and representing most of the slave States.
However, after the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln, it was decided by his administration not to recognize the acts of secession of the slave States and to continue the enforcement of the Federal revenue and other national laws in the territory of those States. This, of course, could not but bring about a conflict, and both sides began to prepare
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
for the struggle. The authorities at Washington took steps to re-en- force the different Federal forts in the Southern States. Speaking of this in his first annual message, President Lincoln said : " It was believed, howsoever, that to abandon that position to hold the forts in the South, under the circumstances, would be utterly ruinous ; that the necessity under which it (their temporary evacuation) was to be done would not be fully understood ; that by many it would be con- strued as a voluntary policy ; that at home it would discourage the friends of the Union and embolden its adversaries, and go far to in- sure to the latter a recognition abroad, that in fact it would be our national destruction consummated. This could not be allowed. Star- vation was not yet upon the garrison (Ft. Sumpter) and ere it would be reached Ft. Pickens might be re-enforced. This last would be a clear indication of policy that the Union was to be preserved at all hazards, and would better enable the country to accept the temporary evacuation of Ft. Sumpter as a military necessity. An order was at once directed (early in April, 1861) to be sent for the landing of the troops from the steamship Brooklyn into Ft. Pickens." The Gover- nor of South Carolina was informed by a special messenger from Mr. Lincoln of what had been done.
There was no mistaking what this meant. It meant war, for South Carolina had seceded months before, and claimed to be independent of the Federal government. Hence, that State construed the sending of re-enforcements into her territory by the authorities at Washington as an belligerent act, an overt, open act of war, and accordingly, hav- ing nothing now to do but to fight or back down, she at once opened fire on Ft. Sumpter. Thus the great Civil War was inaugurated.
Missouri, being a slave State, was of course largely identified in interest and sympathy with her sister States of the South. Many of her people, however, undoubtedly a majority of them, were opposed to secession, except as a last resort. They were even more unani- mously opposed to coercion. The sentiment of the State may be judged, approximately, from the following figures : In 1860 Mr. Lincoln received 17,028 votes ; Stephen A. Douglas, 58,801 ; John C. Breckinridge, 31,317 ; and John Bell ( largely the Whig vote of the State ), 58,372. In the Senate of the State Legislature, a resolution introduced by Mr. John Hyer, of Dent, directing the Senators in Congress from this State, and requesting her Representatives to oppose the passage of all bills and acts granting supplies of men or money to coerce the seceded States, and if such acts should be passed, calling on her Senators and Representatives to resign, was passed by an
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
almost unanimous vote-16 to 2. £ In the House, a resolution de- nouncing the act of Capt. Lyon, in moving upon and capturing the State militia at Camp Jackson, as an outrage upon the sovereignty of the State and to be resisted by armed force, was adopted unanimously. In the State Convention, authorized by an act of the Legislature passed on the recommendation of Gov. Jackson, which met for the purpose of considering the relations of this State to the Federal Union and adopting such measures as the exigencies of the times demanded, Gen. Sterling Price, shortly afterwards major-general of the Confederate service, was elected President.
But it is unquestionably true, as has been stated, that until the war had actually begun the majority of the people of the State were in favor of Missouri taking a neutral position between the seceded States and the administration at Washington. Yet they were in favor of this only in the hope that a compromise might be brought about, at least this was the position of most of the advocates of neutrality. But when all hope of compromise had failed, a very large majority of the people favored the Southern cause, and either openly identified themselves with it or gave it their warmest sympathy. This is further proved by the statistics of the armies of the two sections. £ Though occupied almost continuously by the Federal forces, this State fur- nished to the Southern army volunteers, even in the face of the great difficulties and dangers they had to encounter to reach the forces of the South, and notwithstanding the many inducements that were held out to enter the Union service. On the other hand 109,111 entered the Federal army. These are the truths of history and must be given, however they may be looked upon from the one side or the other.
The first volunteers from St. Charles county were for the Southern service. The Legislature of the State, in extra session, having passed a series of acts early in 1861, authorizing the enlistment and arming of the State militia, volunteers were accordingly called for, and what was known as the " Missouri State Guard " was organized. Steps were at once taken to enlist a company in this county, under Gov. Jackson's first call. A company, in fact, was recruited, composed of some of the best men of the county. Richard Overall was made captain and David Shultz, first-lieutenant. The second-lieutenant was Chap. Luckett, and the company numbered about fifty men. It was sworn in by Col. Benjamin Emmons, present circuit clerk of the county, and one or two drill exercises were had at the court-house. The company was organized for artillery service, and parties were sent
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
to Jefferson City to obtain cannon from the State armory, under Gov. Jackson. Before their arrival, however, all the ordnance of the State had been distributed, so that none could be had for the St. Charles company. This proved a serious disappointment, and placed matters at a standstill, so far as this company was concerned, until after the surrender of Camp Jackson, when the Federal forces soon took possession of St. Charles and rendered further organization of Southern volunteers at this place impossible.
The prompt action of Gen. Lyon at St. Louis in the capture of Camp Jackson placed that city in the hands of the Federal authori- ties, and on account of the proximity of St. Charles county to St. Louis, it, too, shortly fell under the control of the Union forces. Another circumstance contributed very materially to this. The pop- ulation of St. Charles county was about equally divided between the Americans and those of German birth or descent. The Germans were always unalterably opposed to slavery, though up to the time of the Lincoln campaign they had voted and acted with the Democratic party, more on the account of the attitude of that party on the Know Nothing or Native American question than for any other reason. But when that was settled by the defeat of the Know Nothing party and the question of slavery became the uppermost issue in politics, they took a positive stand against slavery. Demo- crats have always thought a little hard of this, inasmuch as it was they who saved the Germans from outlawry and stood up for the protection of all their rights, including their full and equal citizenship ; and that the Germans should then turn on them in the South and assist to take their slave property from them without compensation - moreover even put their slaves to rule over them in many of the States, seemed a little ungrateful. But the Germans were friends of liberty and equal rights, regardless of party interests or affiliations. Having secured their own rights they were for securing the rights of all other men, regardless of race or color, and were therefore friends of negro emancipation and enfranchisement.
The Germans of the county were not less. active in organizing for the Union than the Americans were for the South. Judge Arnold Krekel, now of the United States District Court, was their leader in preparing them for holding St. Charles county to the Union cause. About the time Col. Emmons was swearing in the Southern company of artillery, or shortly afterwards, a company of Home Guards for the Union service was formed, composed almost exclusively of Ger- mans. This was organized soon after the fall of Camp Jackson, and
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
those principally instrumental in organizing it were Gustave Bruere, then editor of the St. Charles Democrat, John Bruere, Judge Gatz- weiler, E. F. Gut, Henry Machens, G. Hoover, and one or two other prominent Germans of St. Charles, including Judge Krekel. Mr. Hoover was elected captain of the company. A week later another company was organized in the county and afterwards still other companies until a regiment of 12 companies was formed, aggrega- ting over 1,300 men. Judge Arnold Krekel was elected colonel of the regiment ; F. W. Gatzweiler, major, and Edward F. Gut, quar- termaster.
The regiment went into camp near Cottleville, at what was named Camp Krekel, where they remained for some time engaged in drill- ing, and doing home guard duty. It was known as the St. Charles County Regiment of Home Guards, and was armed from the govern- ment arsenal at St. Louis by order of Gen. Lyon. It was not regu- larly accepted into service, however, until July, 1861. At that time the following were the three principal officers of the respective companies : Co. A - Captain, Jacob New ; first-lieutenant, Henry Damann ; second-lieutenant, Richard Vogt. Co. B - Captain, Stephen Jeude ; first-lieutenant, Adam Schweizer ; second-lieutenant, Frederick Lotte. Co. D-Captain, John Fuchs ; first-lieutenant, John Holtman ; second-lieutenant, Herman Weinshagen. Co. E- Captain, Henry Schemmer ; first-lieutenant, Jobst Paso ; second-lieu- tenant, Herman Schemmer. Co. F-Captain, Henry Stratman ; first- lieutenant, Charles Schlootman ; second-lieutenant, Casper Deiman. Co. G- Captain, Charles Lumber ; first-lieutenant, Lisfer Nicklaus ; second-lieutenant, Roth Nicklaus. Co. H -Captain, Moritz Neus- taetter ; first-lieutenant, Franz Ruster; second-lieutenant, Joseph Boecker. Co. I - Captain, Robert Bailey, Jr. ; first-lieutenant, Mathew Zimmermann ; second-lieutenant, John E. Dirkee. Co. K- Captain, Henry Windmuller; first-lieutenant, Herman Wilke ; second- lieutenant, Jobst Broecker. Co. M- Captain, John D. Holrah ; first- lieutenant, Frederick Wolf; second-lieutenant, J. C. Kuhlhoff. Co. N - Captain, Gustave Heven ; first-lieutenant, Gottfried Muke; sec- ond-lieutenant, Henry Denker. Co. O-Captain, Franz Martin ; first-lieutenant, Herman Kuhlman ; second-lieutenant, Franz Kafer- kamp.
This regiment did valuable service for the Union cause in the early part of the war by holding St. Charles county and not only prevent- ing the enlistment of Southern volunteers here, but keeping down Southern organizations and enlistments further north. "Krekel's
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
Dutch," as they were called, stood a dreaded menace to the active Southern element in all this part of the country, and gave loyal men the assurance of protection and encouragement.
From this regiment of Home Guards, after the necessity for their active service in the county had passed, other organizations were formed, though many of the older men, and others not eligible for regular military duty, continued for some time afterwards to perform Home Guard service, and were very valuable in this line of duty. The volunteers in the St. Charles County United States Reserve Corps were principally from the old Home Guard regiment. There were six companies of volunteers in this county for the Reserve Corps. They were organized in August, 1861, and continued to serve until January, 1862. Capt. G. Hoover was captain of Co. A, Capt. Gatzweiler of Co. B, and Capt. Schmalzinger of Co. C. The names of the captains of the other three companies are not now recalled. Their duty was mainly local, consisting of guarding the railroad bridges, preventing raids into the country, and so forth. They were succeeded by four companies of Missouri State militia, which were organized early in 1862, the time of the Reserve Corps companies having expired. Many of the volunteers in the latter had served in the companies of the Reserve Corps, which had been organized under the authority of the general government for home service, and were paid by the government.
The four companies of the Missouri State militia were formed into the First battalion, M. S. M., and served as members of that battal- ion until December, 1862, or for about a year. Altogether they numbered about 400 men, and were commanded by Lieut .- Col. Arnold Krekel. Ferdinand Hess was adjutant of the battalion, and Dr. John Bruere, surgeon. The four companies were commanded, respectively, as follows : Co. A - Captain, Henry Windmuller ; first-lieutenant, Theodore Hegeman ; second-lieutenant, Charles Growe. Co. B- Captain, Adolph Hufschmidt; first-lieutenant, George Struben ; second-lieutenant, Charles Bruere. Co. C-Captain, George Muller ; first-lieutenant, Fred. Graberherst; second-lieutenant, Frederick August. Co. D-Captain, Frederick Heign; first-lieutenant, Joseph Linkogel ; second-lieutenant, August Hildeberndt. Three of the above companies were cavalry and one infantry, the latter being Co. B, under Capt. Hufschmidt. In November, 1862, the cavalry companies were honorably discharged from the service at Fulton, Missouri. But the infantry company was ordered to St. Louis, and there attached to the First Missouri State militia infantry, in which it served for three
1
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
years. The latter regiment was principally engaged in guard service at the St. Louis and on the Iron Mountain Railroad. Before the First battalion was dissolved, however, they participated in one or two fights in this section of the state- one at Box Springs, which was sharp and hotly contested. The enemy was driven out of the country tributary to Mexico, which he had been infesting for some time previous.
About the time of the organization of the First battalion, a num- ber of companies were formed in this county under the Enrolled Mil- itia Law, and afterwards did home duty during the remainder of the war. Nearly all of the members of the old Home Guards who had not entered some other branch of the service, became members of one or another of the companies of the Enrolled militia, and many other citizens of the county also entered the new organization. They con- tinued in the county during the entire war, except on one or two oc- casions when they were called into other parts of North Missouri to resist the raids of the enemy. In 1863 they were for a time under Gen. Merrill, up in North Missouri, to oppose a Southern raid in that section of the State.
Besides the companies and organizations above referred to, two companies of volunteers from the county were furnished to Col. Dyer's regiment, and accompanied that regiment South. There were also a number of volunteers from this county in other regiments, organized elsewhere, and in the regular army ; and a number went to St. Louis to join Gen. Lyon at the very outbreak of the war, before even the first company was formed here. St. Charles county perhaps furnished not less than 2,000 volunteers for the Union service, including Home Guards, Enrolled militia, and so forth.
The county was never under the control of the Southern authorities after the affair at Camp Jackson, nor were any Southern troops afterwards ever in the county, except a few scouts who generally went out considerably faster than they came in. Southern enlistments were therefore very difficult here, if not impossible, and the result was that but few Southern men, even of those who desired to, succeeded in joining the Southern army. However, in 1861, Dr. Johnson, now of Johnson & Bruere, physicians at St. Charles, organized a company of young men in the upper part of the county near Pauldingsville for the Southern service. This company was organized in December, 1861, and was composed of about 100 young men, mainly from the best families in the county.
Captain Johnson at once started to join Price's army with his com- pany, and went as far as Mount Zion, in Boone county, where he fell
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HISTORY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY.
in with Col. Dorsey, also of the Southern service ; or, rather, he had met Dorsey a short time before. He was with Dorsey at the fight at Mount Zion, where they were defeated, and Capt. Johnson and several of his men were captured. The loss on the Southern side was 4 men killed, 20 wounded and 25 prisoners. Young McDonald of this county was among those mortally wounded. William McClenney was also wounded, being shot through the stomach, but nevertheless re- covered. Capt. Johnson was paroled and came home. Afterwards he served in the Southern army east of the Mississippi. Among those in his company at Mount Zion, the names of only the following are now remembered : -
C. M. Johnson, captain ; B. F. Moore, first-lieutenant ; John Ball, second-lieutenant ; Swan, drill sergeant ; J. B. Hays, county ; Charles Krugar, county ; James Allen, Dallas, Texas ; John Silvey, Man- chester, Mo. ; Isaac N. Howell, county ; H. A. Callaway, Tombstone, Arizona ; William B. Callaway, Louisiana; William McClenney, county ; John McClenney, Wright county, Mo. ; Henry Elliot, James Elliot, Dallas, Texas ; William Phillips; Mathew Fitts, Louisiana, Mo. ; William B. Edwards, David L. Edwards, county ; John Sanders ; Richard Krugar, High Hill, Mo. ; Eli McConnell ; Robert Bowman, Oliver Steele, Can. Jacobs, John Cunningham, Coley Kent, William E. Coleman ; Thomas Breckenbridge, transferred Sidnor's company ; William Ferrel, Robert Ferrel, Albin McDonald, William Dugan, Dennis Muschaney, Samuel Muschaney, county ; John M. Gaty, Pettis county, Mo. ; Gustave Smith, Charles Vanberkelow, Henry Painter, county ; John Bowles ( deserter), Henry King, Daniel Prime, William Duff, - - Sherman, L. A. Johnson, Visalia, Cal. ; Thomas Johnson, Charles Cunningham, county ; Adam Garland, Joseph Gar- land, Waco, Texas ; John Sargent, Ben Maples, Thomas Carroll, George Logan, Findley Logan, Palestine, Texas; William Spiers, Warren county ; James Devine, Andrew McConnell, William Silvey, Andrew J. Silvey, Dr. C. M. Pringle, regiment surgeon, Doc. Turpin, county ; Douglass Luckett, Walter Sheets, Thomas Creach, Benjamin Herrington, A. J. Coshow, Lud. Watts, Tyler Painter, William Hill, county ; Doc. Givens, Tobias Givens, George Painter, Daniel Dyer, Samuel Sherman, Gyp Dyer, Daniel Sherman, Wesley Dyer, Martin Carter, Ben Carter, Taylor Travis, Robert Travis, John Clowers, Capt. Clowers, Hugh Stultz, David Stultz, Joseph Sherman, Warner Bris- coe and John Rector. The company consisted of 112 men, only the names of 87 appearing above.
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