USA > Missouri > Vernon County > History of Vernon County, Missouri : past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county Vol. I > Part 23
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It is true that Montgomery is an anti-slavery fanatic, of the John Brown school, and that he has been to the North recently, and returned with arms of different kinds. It is true that he has distributed those arms to about 300 of his ragged followers, who scatter to their dens at the approach of danger and are whistled together again like a flock of quails. It is true that Montgomery is harboring a few fugitive slaves, and that Jenni- son has made certain declarations of waging war "upon the curse of slavery in Missouri," and it is true that Jennison, Montgom- ery & Co. have recently shot Moore and Bishop, and hung Harri- son, Hines and Samuel Scott. And that is all of it. Bad enough, to be sure; but all these outrages concern the territory of Kansas and not Missouri. Why it is that the federal government has not heretofore enforced the fugitive slave law in Kansas and checked the course of the outlaws there are matters I do not now propose to discuss.
The prompt action of our executive in taking steps to pro- tect our western frontier cannot be too highly applauded or ap- preciated; but the idea of marching the gallant St. Louis brigade to the southwest is, to one familiar with the state of affairs on the border, very amusing. We want no St. Louis soldiery to pro- tect us. I feel great satisfaction in stating that the militia of my district is fully adequate to the defense of our state against all the ragged, nigger-stealing outlaws that Jim Montgomery may be able to march against us. All we ask of the governor is to furnish us arms and other munitions of war. We want an arsenal in this district, with arms for 500 men, and ammunition for a three months' campaign; but we ask for no men from other districts.
If we relied upon the St. Louis militia for protection the guer-
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rillas of the Kansas plains could sweep the entire southwest be- fore our defenders could possibly reach us. The recent march of the brigade to the border will cost the state many thousands of dollars perhaps, the fourth part of which, judiciously expended for the best arms and ammunition, would place us in an attitude of successful defense against the whole of Kansas. In the border counties of this district every man is a soldier, and has his gun, blanket, horse, saddle and bridle at hand, to be used at a mo- ment's notice ; but their arms are deficient and ammunition scarce. Let these be furnished us and we will do our own fighting when- ever necessary.
Judge Williams and Mr. Colby, the marshal of Kansas. should have the dragoons to protect them and to enforce the laws; but in this sixth military district of Missouri we want no such pro- tection-we would blush to ask the valiant St. Louis brigade, so long as we have sufficient munitions of war, to come and assist us against all the dirty rabble that Montgomery and Jennison may marshall against us. Should our state be ever in fact invaded by any enemy whatever from southern Kansas, it is to be hoped that the commander-in-chief of the state forces will not so degrade the volunteers of this district as to call the militia of another district to protect us. Respectfully, etc. J. F. SNYDER,
Division Inspector Sixth Military District Missouri Militia.
MOUNTED RIFLEMEN.
Of the three companies of mounted riflemen formed by General Frost, and spoken of in his report, the company in which Vernon county men were enrolled numbered some eighty men, was of- ficered by Captain Thomas Staples of Saline county, Lieutenants R. A. Boughan, who was acting captain about three months, and William Marchbanks, of Vernon county, and one Jackson, of St. Louis, and was stationed at Fail's store on the Kansas line. Another company stationed at Ball's Mill, or Little Osage, was commanded by Emmett McDonald, of St. Louis. The third, under Captain Clark Kennedy, of St. Louis, was stationed on Mul- berry creek a little north of the line dividing Vernon and Bates counties. The artillery company, an old and efficient volunteer organization from St. Louis, was officered by Captain William Jackson, and Lieutenants Henry Guibor, W. P. Barlow and one Weber, all of St. Louis, and was stationed at Little Osage.
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Supplies were issued and orders given from headquarters at Ball's Mill, and Colonel John S. Bowen was in command.
With all this precaution and preparation there was no hostile demonstration and no trouble. The people of the county suffered no harm, but were benefited to the extent of the money that was paid to local contractors who furnished most of the rations for the soldiers, and to those who found employment while the troops were here.
The Battalion was on duty till the latter part of April, 1861, when, pursuant to orders, Captain McDonald's company returned to St. Louis and the others were disbanded.
Severe criticisms of the "Southwest Battalion," and allega- tions that its real purpose dared not be declared, led to a bitter personal controversy between Colonel Snyder and Colonel Bowen, and a challenge. But the "affair of honor," the time of which was not definitely fixed, never occurred; and the Civil War com- ing on both parties entered the Confederate service in different sections of the country.
The following letter written by Lieutenant W. P. Barlow, of Jackson's Battery, is given as illustrative of life at the battalion's headquarters :
When our battalion reached Ball's Mills in Decem- ber, 1860, we found, first, the mills and one house on the west side of the Osage; then crossing the old covered bridge was the store of Orrick & McNeil; and two dwelling houses, Mr. Camp's across the road, and Orrick's or McNeil's in rear of the store; then there was Dodge's whisky shop, and still better, a large barn, in which the batterymen and horses slept a few nights until our tents arrived. We officers occupied the second story of the store, spreading our blankets on the floor, and holding high jinks after "taps," until Bowen shut down on us. Our stores were hauled from the railroad, 125 miles. During the winter a deep snow cut off supplies, whisky gave out, and our mess drank 200 bottles of Jayne's Expectorant and 100 of India Cholagogue, then went dry until the thaw! The weather was so cold, and we took so much active exercise, that a quiet patent medicine spree had no bad effect, except upon Bowen's temper. He broke up the fes- tivities by sending us into tents just as the mercury went away below zero.
You ask what we did to kill time. Bowen reduced us to regu-
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lar army discipline, and all day long, from reveille at dawn to taps at 8 :30 p. m., the regular succession of bugle calls summoned us to stable-call or drill, fatigue, guard-mount and dress parade. That winter was so bitter cold we had to keep busy or freeze, for there were no fires in the tents. In fact, we soon learned to avoid a fire, being more comfortable that way than when we warmed up by frequent visits to the store. Our guard-tent was near the bridge entrance, across the road from the store, and at night none crossed that bridge unchallenged. The freighters used to haul their wagons, loaded with potatoes and apples, close to our guard fire, to keep their freight from freezing, and sleep under the wagons.
Dodge would sell whisky to the men, and this filled the guard tent with prisoners. Then a sentry was placed in front of his doggery. Result, a drunken sentry and increased traffic. At night the sentries called their posts each half hour. One night we were horrified at hearing, bawled at the top of Cal. Foster's stentorian voice : "P-o-s-t N-u-m-b-e-r 2-10 o'clock-All's well -Dodge has shut up his whisky shop-Rainin' like h-1!" I was adjutant at that time, and had to jump into my uniform, and double-quick through the darkness and mud to order due punishment for this terrible infraction of discipline.
What a magnificent drill ground we had-a prairie two or three miles across, southeast of the store, untouched by plow or fence. How our cavalry used to charge across the level plain, and the battery gallop around and smash poles by turning too short.
A beautiful young lady, Miss Julia N., lived across the river, through the woods, about half a mile on the Papinsville road. Being adjutant, I could only get away from camp without leave between retreat and tattoo, or between 5:30 to 8 p. m. Then in full uniform, wearing my saber of course, I would gallop over to see Miss Julia, hitching my horse to a tree near her front door, and revel in her sweet smiles until the bugle sounded first call for tattoo. I then had exactly five minutes in which to mount and ride that half mile, through the woods in the dark, dodge the colonel, and appear on parade as if just out of my tent. I could barely make it without a second to spare. Ah, my poor heart! It was easy to "kill time."
Then when the spring opened, we had grand drills and dress
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parades for the ladies, and our uniforms being duly gold-laced, and the men really well drilled, we made a dashing appearance. There was no difficulty in traveling in those days, before stage coaches had made people effeminate. There was the pretty Miss Douglas, living only forty miles to the northeast via Papinsville. It was simply a pleasant ride for her, with her white-haired father, to gallop over one day and back the next or second day after.
And some of those country girls-it was exciting to see one slip a rope around a mustang's jaw, mount bare back, and start with the dogs on a dead run to drive the cows home, often lying flat on the pony's back to pass under a hanging limb, yelling like Indians, dogs barking, cow-bells jingling, all on a race for home.
I wonder if Jim McCoole's hogs yet haunt the Osage bottom. Jim lived in or near Papinsville, and his hogs were said to be like Texas mavericks-every hog that strayed into that bottom some- how ran up against his brand !
When near the border, if, riding across the lonesome prairie, one saw a horseman aprpoaching, each unbuttoned his holster and kept straight on, too proud to diverge from the straight course; when you met the stranger each intently eyed the other until be- yond shooting distance. One night Lieut. Bill Marchbanks, of Staples' company, Dr. -, of the same company, and myself were riding across country near Fail's store, when we met three horsemen in the dark. Without a word pistols were drawn, and with finger on trigger both parties separated and each chose his man. When within six feet of my opponent, each covering the other with cocked navy, I discovered from his gray horse that it was Sergeant Bob Marchbanks, Bill's brother. We had been just across the line, to dine with a friend, and being late, they were looking for us.
I remember Colonel Boughan ("Dick" I believe we then called him) as a quiet, gentlemanly, middle-aged man, a lieutenant of Staples' company when Bowen sent a German bugler and myself out to drill them. The bugler would blow stable-call for dinner, and chuckle at calling them to "eat like horses," until I stopped him. They were not long enough. in service to know the differ- . ence.
We had a four-gun battery, brass 6-pdrs., commanded by Capt. Wm. Jackson, a German. He entered the Union army,
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gaining the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Guibor, Weber, and my- self were the lieutenants. Weber, also a German, joined the Union side, but did not continue in service through the war, and died soon after the surrender. Guibor and myself went south and came out with captain's commisisons and experience. We would probably have been generals only the Confederacy had plenty of good ones, while good captains were scarce. Capt. Clark Kennerly, elected major at Ball's Mill, went south, served through the war. Archie McFarland, a lieutenant in Kennerly's company, became colonel of the Fourth Missouri (Confederate) infantry, and died a few years ago. Capt. Tom Staples can still be seen at our Confederate reunions.
Those guns, after being taken from us at Camp Jackson and returned to us by the Third Louisiana during the battle of Wil- son's creek, were. claimed by Gen. Ben. McCulloch, hauled to Little Rock, and remained there until that place was captured.
Wolves were plentiful in Vernon county then. When scouting all night over those snow-covered prairies, at daybreak they could nearly always be seen breaking for the timber in a sneaking, speedy lope. Sometimes a big grizzly one would sit on his haunches, in close gunshot, and review us while passing. We never troubled them.
Indians often camped at Ball's Mills, until they learned that our men would get drunk and follow the squaws. Sometimes a dignified old fellow in red blanket, leggings and moccasins, would seat himself in front of my tent and stolidly view the camp for hours without uttering a word.
I trust the people of Vernon now rest easier at night. One dark night, while scouting about twenty miles northwest of Ball's Mills, I lost my bearings and rode up to a house to inquire the way. No amount of hailing could wake the people, and finally I ordered the sergeant (Bob Marchbanks, I think,) to dismount and smash in the front door with the butt of his gun, if they did not answer. Then the weak, trembling voice of a woman gave us the desired directions. Her husband was there, but feared we were another hanging party.
I trust, also, you have gentler saddle horses now. All good ones "bucked" then, it seemed to me; at least those I rode did. But we could make sixty miles a day in the saddle, and have a fight each morning to decide who was the boss for the day.
CHAPTER XXI.
BEGINNINGS OF CIVIL WAR.
Following these border troubles, the public mind in all sections continued in a state of unrest, and the approaching conflict be- came more and more imminent. In the South the feeling of re- sentment against the infringement of southern rights, and of bitterness toward the North and the growing abolition sentiment that seemed to prevail, increased and intensified with the passing of events. The results of elections in the South showed a marked growth of the secession sentiment. Nor was Vernon county lack- ing in this spirit of unrest. The August election in 1860, for state and county officers, was without special import in the county, which was largely democratic, and democrats were elected to all the county offices. The gubernatorial poll, totaling 693 votes, showed 305 for C. F. Jackson, the Douglas democrat, 261 for the Breckinridge democrat, Hancock Jackson, and 127 for Sample Orr, the Bell-Everett candidate. In the contest for representa- tive, between James M. Gatewood and Dr. J. L. D. Blevans, demo- crats, and W. W. Prewitt, a Bell-Everett man, Gatewood was elected by a fair plurality. The following presidential election in November showed a marked change in political sentiment, the democratic vote being thirty-five less than at the August election ; the Douglas party showing a loss of more than a half from the August poll ; the Bell-Everett showing an increase of eighty votes, and the Breckinridge, on southern rights ticket, being increased by 129 votes over the August poll. The presidential vote in the county, totaling 738, gave Breckinridge and Lane 380, Bell and Everett 207, and Douglas and Johnson 151. There were in the county less than a score of republicans, some of whom, at least, would probably have voted had they been permitted. But the feeling against republicans was very strong; the method of voting was viva voce, and it turned out hat Lincoln and Hamlin did not
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get a single vote, and one old republican who tried to vote was told by Colonel D. C. Hunter that there was no Lincoln poll-book and laughed out of his purpose.
The election of Mr. Lincoln but added fuel to the smouldering fires, and increased the secession sentiment, which was held, al- most to a man, by the Breckinridge party. Among the Bell- Everett and Douglas democrats were some who claimed they were Union men, but their loyalty was of little practical account, being hedged about with so many conditions, and based on contingencies that in the very nature of things must sooner or later arise. Few indeed there were who held to the unconditional Jacksonian prin- ciple, "Our country, may she ever be right ; but right or wrong. our country !"
Accustomed as they were to skirmishes and warlike demonstra- tions on the border during recent years, the secessionists did not hesitate to speak their sentiments, and the prospect of real war was pleasing rather than terrifying to them, and measures were taken to be prepared for the inevitable. In the early winter of 1861, the militia company at Nevada, commanded by Captain Williams, was equipped with state arms, from Colonel Bowen at Balltown, and regularly drilled, it being well understood that the arms would be used in resisting the United States when the time came.
Prior to the election for delegates to the state convention, held on February 28, 1861, ten days after the election, some half dozen candidates announced themselves. Among these were Major George Boulton, a pronounced secessionist of Vernon, and a young lawyer, John M. Stemmons of Dade county, both of whom were defeated, Vernon contributing her share toward that end. The three chosen for this district, all supposed to be conditional Union men, were Judge John R. Chenault of Jasper, Nelson Mc- Dowell of Dade and Joseph J. Gravely of Cedar county. Of these McDowell and Gravely stood for the Union and only Chenault justified the public expectation, and his seat was declared vacant for disloyalty at the meeting of the convention in January, 1862.
But the passing of time seemed only to intensify the spirit of distrust and bitterness toward the North, and the remembrance of wrongs suffered at the hands of Kansas abolitionists, and the continual prophecies of evil, kept alive the spirit of sectional hate. Contributing to this, came the news of the firing on Fort Sumpter ;
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President Lincoln's call for troops and the refusal of Governor Jackson to comply with the demand for Missouri's quota, and especially the Camp Jackson capture, accompanied by wild and distorted accounts of the indiscriminate slaughter in St. Louis of men, women and children by the "Federal Dutch," and the butchery but fairly begun.
Thus fanned into flame and fed by alarming rumors the fires of sectional hatred were kept alive, and the secession spirit grew apace. Unable to hold out against it, the conservative Bell- Everett and Douglas men, for the most part, yielded and in Vernon county, after the Camp Jackson affair, there were few who were not in open sympathy with the Southern cause. Of the avowed Union men, were Abram Redfield and perhaps two or three others at Deerfield; then there were William Hudson and the Teels, south of Nevada; at and near Balltown were the Charles family, Colonel McNeil and the Dodges; on upper Clear creek were Frank Wyrick and Mr. Moore, his father-in-law, and on West Drywood were William Hiller, Crowley, Cox and John Reynolds, and there may have been a few others. Some Union families either from fear, or because ordered, moved away.
At Nevada, Montevallo, Deerfield and at other places through- out the county meetings in aid of the secession cause were called. And in response to the impassioned speeches of leading men, Gatewood, Boulton, Prewitt, Hunter and others, to arm themselves and resist to the death the black abolitionists and the tyrannical Lincoln government, the passions of the people were stirred and the martial spirit aroused. The call to arms on June 12, 1861, found in Vernon county, besides the Nevada company, under Cap- tain Williams, which had been supplied with state muskets by Colonel Bowen, other companies well organized and drilled, and like conditions prevailed in many other sections of the state.
General Nathaniel Lion was Federal commander in Missouri, and to carry out his purpose of preventing the approach of Gov- ernor Jackson's army to the Confederate forces in Arkansas, and force it to disperse or surrender, by placing it between two fires, on June 15th sent to Springfield and other southwestern points in the state the regiments of Colonels Sigel, Solomon and B. Gratz Brown, under General Thomas W. Sweeney, and himself, with 2,000 men, marched to Booneville. In a conflict here on the 17th he defeated and scattered a thousand secession troops commanded
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by Governor Jackson and Colonel John S. Marmaduke. Follow- ing this, and in preparation for a systematic arrangement of the troops and their assignment to proper commands, there was a general gathering of forces at Camp Lamar, on the Spring river, a few miles north of the town of Lamar, in the southwestern section of the State. Toward this rendezvous Governor Jackson's army of some 5,000 men, one-third of whom were unarmed, fell back from Booneville in the latter part of June. A few days later the Governor himself, with a few hundred men, coming from Warsaw made a brief halt at Montevallo, and then moved on to Camp Lamar, and there awaited the arrival of the forces under Generals Raines and Slack, who reached there July 3d. Generals Pearson and Clark, each with a small body of men, were on the ground and General Price had gone to bring from Arkansas the Confederate troops then under General McCulloch.
Here was organized the Vernon County Battalion, which was commanded by Lieut .- Col. R. A. Boughan, and numbered in its ranks some 200 of the picked men of the county. They were well mounted and about half of them efficiently armed. All were ex- perienced in the use of arms and thorough horsemen, and withal zealous supporters of the Southern cause.
Pursuant to General Lyon's order, Colonel Sigel marched to Springfield with his regiment, and soon after, with Colonel Solo- mon and his regiment moved westward to Neosho and Sarcoxie, expecting to intercept the Governor's army. On learning that Governor Jackson and his army were at Camp Lamar, Colonel Sigel planned to keep them north of Spring river till General Lyon should come up and attack in the rear. Accordingly he advanced to Carthage on July 4th, with 1,075 men and seven pieces of artillery, and on the 5th joined battle with the secession forces numbering 2,600 infantry and artillery, 1,500 mounted men and seven cannon, under Governor Jackson. In this engage- ment, known as the battle of Carthage, the Federals retreated to Sarcoxie with a loss of thirteen killed and thirty-one wounded, the loss to Governor Jackson's force being ten men and a num- ber of horses killed, and sixty-four men wounded. The part taken in the engagement by the Vernon County Battalion is set forth in the following official report of its commander :
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Report of Lieut .- Col. Richard A. Boughan, 7th Cavalry, 8th Divis- ion M. S. G., of the Battle Near Carthage.
Camp Lee, Mo., July 19, 1861.
Sir :- Herewith please find report of the battalion under my command in the engagement had with the Federal forces on the prairie near Dry Fork, twelve miles north of Carthage, the county seat of Jasper county, Missouri, on the 5th day of this month. .
The force under my command that day from my own battalion was 200 men, two-thirds of whom were armed with common rifles and shot-guns, viz., Company A, Capt. R. H. Williams, 4 officers and 60 men; Company B, Capt. C. D. Smith, 4 officers and 40 men; Company C, Capt. J. F. Stone, 3 officers and 32 men; Com- pany D, Capt. George W. Hopkins, 4 officers and 30 men, and Company E, Capt. J. Crockett, 3 officers and 30 men, making an aggregate of 200 men. Colonel Hyde, of St. Joseph, Mo., with about 100 men, was ordered to attach his command to my bat- talion for that day, and the position assigned to me was on the left of Colonel Peyton's regiment.
When the order was given to charge on the battery of the enemy I moved forward with the whole command, having divided the force under me into two squadrons, giving to Colonel Hyde the command of the first, assisted by Major Bolton, and I com- manded the second squadron, assisted by Captain Cunningham, of Colonel Hyde's battalion. The men marched off in good order, and were anxious to fight. We were prevented from making a direct charge on the battery of the enemy, from the fact that a strong fence ran parallel with, north, and between my command and the position taken by the enemy. We, therefore, followed in rear of Colonel Peyton's regiment through the field, wheat and corn, until some confusion, occasioned by pulling down a strong fence, was discovered at the head of the column, when I obliqued to the right, intending to get a position in the rear of the enemy and charge from that point. From the time we passed the brow of the hill in the field we were exposed to a raking fire of canister and round shot until we reached the timber. I am proud to say that the men behaved admirably, promptly obeying every order given to them, and were remarkably calm and cool for young soldiers.
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