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 24
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Lieutenant Kimble, of Company B, had his leg broken and his
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horse killed under him by a cannon ball. Lieutenant Badger, of the same company, had his saber and scabbard broken in two by the explosion of a bomb. Private Hockaby, of the same com- pany, had his horse killed under him. Capt. J. F. Stone, of Com- pany C, had his horse killed under him while at the head of his company. Private Wilson, of the same company, lost his horse at the same time.
I was ordered to take my command down the creek and cross over at the first crossing I could find. I did so, and joined the cavalry brigade on the prairie south of the creek. We were not near enough again during the day to give or receive a shot from the enemy. Very respectfully,
RICHARD A. BOUGHAN,
Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Vernon County Battalion.
To the Assistant Adjutant General, 8th Division Missouri State Guard.
The forces under Generals McCulloch and Price were hasten- ing to the aid of Governor Jackson, and the day after the fight he met them at Carthage. It was then decided that McCulloch and General Pearce of the Arkansas State troops should return with their forces to Marysville, Arkansas. And General Price, taking command of Governor Jackson's troops, in a three days' march led them to Cowskin Prairie, in the extreme southwest cor- ner of McDonald county, where they were encamped sixteen days, organizing and drilling. In the reorganization of the Ver- non County Battalion here, new companies were added. and it was made the 7th cavalry regiment of the 8th division of the Missouri State Guards. There were now in the regiment some 483 men from Vernon, and one company from Hickory county. The officers were D. C. Hunter, colonel ; R. A. Boughan, lieutenant- colonel; George W. Bolton, major; Dr. James White, surgeon; W. H. Taylor, quartermaster; B. O. Weidemyer, adjutant, and W. W. Prewitt, sergeant-major.
General Price led his reorganized forces from Cowskin Prairie on July 25th, and on August 10th occurred the battle of Wilson's Creek, memorable as one of the bloody conflicts of the war. Both General Lyon, the Federal leader who was killed in this battle, and Major Sturgis, who took command and led the Union troops from the field, had been stationed at Fort Scott during the Kansas
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troubles, and General Lyon was known to many Vernon county citizens and to some of the men who fought against him.
The Montevallo company, under Captain Gatewood, fought with Barbridge's regiment of Clark's division, and suffered the loss of seven men killed and fourteen wounded, two of the killed being George W. and John H. Ray, brothers, which was nearly one-fourth of the entire loss of the regiment. Cawthorn's entire brigade of 1,210 men lost but twenty-one killed and sixty-six wounded. He himself died a few days after the battle from a mortal wound. Of this brigade, in which the Vernon county regiment. fought, being the first regiment on the Confederate side to become engaged, Colonel Snead's "Fight for Missouri," p. 2691, Brown's History, says :
"The Confederates were not yet aware of his (General Lyon's) approach, as they had withdrawn all their pickets at midnight. About this time, however, Colonel Cawthorn, who was in imme- diate command of Rain's mounted brigade, sent out a picket in the direction from which Lyon was approaching. This picket had not advanced more than a mile and a half beyond Gibson's Mill when they discovered that an enemy was in their front. This fact being made known to Cawthorn, he sent Colonel Hunter with "the effectives" of his regiment, some 300 men, to ascertain whether this enemy was advancing in force or not. When Hun- ter reached the picket, about 5 a. m., the head of the Federal column was already in sight. His first intention was to attack. But Lyon, seeing that his approach was at last known to the Con- federates, and that his further advance would be contested, now deployed his men into line, sending Osterhaus' battalion to the right and Plummer's to the left as skirmishers, and bringing the 1st Missouri up to the support of Totten's battery. Hunter there- upon retreated, and Lyon moved forward as rapidly as the ground would permit.
"Cawthorn was meanwhile forming the rest of his brigade on the northern slope of Bloody Hill. He had about 600 dismounted men in line. When Hunter, falling back before Lyon, reached this position, Cawthorn ordered him to retire further down the creek and dismount his men, and then to return to the field and take position on his right. But before this was done Lyon ap- peared on the brow of the opposite hill with the 1st Missouri, the 1st Kansas and Totten's battery. A brisk skirmish took place
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and Cawthorn was driven back over the brow of Bloody Hill to its southern slope, where he was safe for the time. Hunter and McCown, who had been separated from Cawthorn, did not rejoin him until late in the day."
Just prior to this battle, rumors coming to the Vernon county regiment that Lane, Montgomery and Jamieson with their bands were raiding and committing depredations in the county they petitioned General Price, through Major Prewitt, to be allowed to return to repel the invaders. But the imminence of a decisive battle led General Price to not grant the request at that time. After the battle, however, the petition was successfully renewed, and the regiment, led by Colonel Hunter, returned to Montevallo, whence, having learned no invaders were in the county, the men dispersed to their homes, where they were welcomed and received with loud acclaim, as heroes of two victorious battles. In this act General Price undoubtedly allowed his generous spirit to over- ride his better judgment, and while it was an unusual act of kind heartedness, it was characteristic of the man, who always took a fatherly interest in his men.
In order to avail himself of some thousands of recruits from north Missouri wanting to join him, General Price, having planned to move his army from Springfield to Lexington, ordered General Harris to meet him there, and directed the new recruits to be brought thither.
Already he had sent General Rains, who was in command of southwest Missouri, with his mounted men, to clear the border counties of Kansas troops, to prevent their forming an army in his rear. The Vernon county regiment was of Rains' division and the fact of the men being home, it was hoped, would gain new recruits, and that they would be serviceable in the scouting ex- pedition. Coming to Montevallo General Rains learned from Hunter's men that Lane and Montgomery were at Fort Scott, with Federal forces estimated at from 2,500 to 4,000 men, and so reported to General Price, with a request for reinforcements. Leaving Springfield on August 25th General Price had gone north to Bolivar, and now determined, with all possible speed, to go himself with his whole army, thus accomplishing the pur- pose of Rains' expedition, and at the same time misleading the Union forces as to his intended march on Lexington. And in furtherance of this, marched his entire army via Montevallo, to
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near Nevada City, where he arrived and went into camp on August 31st. In order to learn the true situation at Fort Scott he sent out a body of 800 mounted men from different commands, under command of General A. E. Steen, to reconnoiter. With Hunter and some seventy-five of his men as guides, General Steen set out from General Price's camp toward Fort Scott early Sun- day morning, September 1st. Arriving in the vicinity of Fort Scott, and stationing the main body of his men behind a high ridge out of view, he sent some seventy-five, many of them Vernon county men, to inspect more closely the Federal position. The Union forces numbered approximately 1,800 new recruits, and formed parts of what became later the 3d, 4th and 5th Kansas regiments. The 3d, numbering some 600, was commanded by James Montgomery ; the 4th, of an equal number, was under Colonel William Weer, and the 5th, with 500 men, was under Colonel H. P. Johnson. Each was made up of infantry, mounted infantry, cavalry and artillery. There was a six-pounder and a twelve-pound mountain howitzer, the latter in charge of Sergeant Thomas Moonlight, and the whole, known as the Kansas brigade, was under command of General Jim Lane.
The main camps of the Federals were practically deserted, hundreds of the soldiers being in attendance at a religious meet- ing in the Marmaton valley, where Montgomery, with his sword upon his thigh and his Bible in his hand, was preaching and leading the services. Their horses and mules were grazing on the prairies and in the bottoms, about 100 mules belonging to Colonel Wear's regiment being by themselves nearest the Mis- souri line.
While they were thus off their guard, and to their utter amazement, the seventy-five men whom Steen had sent forward to inspect, with a sudden dash, and yelling like maniacs, fright- ened away the herders and drove eighty-six head of mules across the line into Missouri and later into General Price's camp.
Aroused by this daring exploit in sight from where Mont- gomery was preaching, without waiting for the benediction, those assembled rushed hither and thither and soon 250, under Colonel Johnson, started in pursuit of the bold raiders, while Montgomery immediately followed with the mounted men of his regiment. Reaching the top of the ridge behind which Steen and his men were awaiting developments, Johnson and Montgomery vainly
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tried to get him at disadvantage. But Steen, having accom- plished the purpose of his mission, fell back after the exchange of a few shots, with three of his men wounded and four taken prisoners, and returned to headquarters. On receiving Steen's report, General Price, with a view of moving against the Fed- erals at Fort Scott, concentrated his forces on the east side of the Big Drywood, himself taking personal direction of affairs. General Rains' division was fartherest westward along the Little Drywood, Clark and Parsons were between Little Drywood and Montevallo and McBride was at Springfield. Hurried consulta- tions by both sides resulted in a determination by each to attack the other.
Steen's bold exploit increased the alarm of Lane and in a measure confirmed the rumors that had come to him that large forces under Rains and Price were in Vernon county, with Fort Scott as their objective point. These rumors were further con- firmed by the reports from Abram Redfield and other Union citi- zens of Vernon county, that Price was actually at Nevada City with 10,000 men. Whereupon Lane, prepared to withdraw his infantry and supplies to Fort Lincoln, on the Upper Osage. and to send a mounted force against the rebels, hoping thus to learn their real purpose and strength and cover his evacuation of Fort Scott. Selecting from a large number of volunteers 448 of the best armed and mounted men, and nine men to accompany Ser- geant Moonlight with the twelve-pound mountain howitzer, Lane early Monday morning, September 2d, sent them, under command of Montgomery, against the enemy on the Drywood. Besides Colonels Weer and Johnson, there were in the command Captain Harris S. Green, who had the advance, and a good representation from the Iola battalion. And on their leaving Fort Scott Lane began the withdrawal of the rest of his army to Fort Lincoln.
At nearly the same time that Montgomery and his command started, General Steen set out from Price's army toward Fort Scott to reconnoiter further. Under him were detachments from Rains' "Blackberry Cavalry," and other divisions, and a part of Hunter's regiment, who knew the country, under Lieutenant- Colonel Boughan-Colonel Hunter being temporarily absent from Nevada City. Steen's party crossed the Big Drywood at Hogan's ford, some two and a quarter miles north of Deerfield and ten miles a little south of east from Fort Scott.
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The opposing forces sighted each other on the high prairie west of Drywood. Montgomery, hoping to capture a few men and get from them desired information, hastened forward, and Captain Greeno, by a sudden dash, cut off and captured a few of Steen's men, who were off their guard, loitering in orchards eating apples and chatting, among the prisoners being "Crack" Mayfield, John Crockett, John Campbell, Welby Hunton and one or two other Vernon county men. Colonel Ed. Price, General Price's son; had arrived that morning with 2,000 Missourians, comprising the regiments of Colonel Congreve Jackson of How- ard, Colonel R. S. Bevier of Macon, and the battalions of Majors Singleton and Peaches, of Boone and adjoining counties, so that General Price's army now numbered, all told, about 12,000 men.
With Montgomery's advance, Steen re-crossed the Drywood and reported the situation to General Price, who at once took personal charge. Ordering up Bledsoe's battery of Rains' divi- sion, a vigorous attack was opened, and Bledsoe was at once re- enforced by Guibor's battery of Parsons' division. At the same time the cavalry and mounted infantry were deployed to the right and left, and a body under Steen ordered to cross the stream and attack the Federals' rear or flank.
Montgomery's line of battle crossed the creek, and a shell from Moonlight's howitzer was answered by Bledsoe's battery ; but its guns were well nigh silenced, many of the gunners being hit and Bledsoe himself falling wounded. In the brisk skirmish that now began, many of the Kansans dismounted and fired from the edge of the timber and the high grass. With the regiments of Hurst and Graves of Rains' division to the left of Bledsoe's battery, Congreve Jackson's regiment and Singleton's battalion of Clark's division to the left of Hurst and Graves, and the com- ing up and passing to the right of the line of Kelly's regiment, of St. Louis, and with Guibor's battery in action, the battle was for a time hot and spirited. Some of the Missourians were wounded by shots from the Sharp's rifles and revolvers with which the Kansans were armed, and such was the effectiveness and activity of Moonlight's howitzer that some of the Missourians were led to think it a full battery, so that a cavalry charge on the Federal lines was not attempted.
When the Kansans did not assault, as he expected they would, but rather stood on the defensive, in seeking the cause General
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Price ascertained that their force, all told, numbered less than 500, against his 2,000 men in line. And besides he had 10,000 troops in reserve. Learning this, General Price ordered his line to advance. And when two of his batteries opened a vigorous fire on Montgomery's men, they began to fall back and retreat in good order across the Drywood, the Iola battalion bringing up the rear. At this point Captain Jackman, with a company of mounted Missourians, guided by Major Prewitt, who was familiar with the ground, detoured around the Kansan's line, and from ambush by the side of the road leading to the ford, opened fire on the Iola battery as it galloped up, and killed two or three of its men, most of the shots going over their heads.
Montgomery, with his forces and a few prisoners, retreated to Fort Scott in good order and without being molested; though an ineffectual pursuit was attempted bv a force under General Steen, which was soon ordered back, and the entire army of Mis- sourians went into camp on the Drywood.
The Kansans had five men killed and six wounded, according to the official report, among the killed being Simeon Pennington of Montgomery's regiment, and William Henry, the bugler of the Iola battery. On the side of the Missourians two men were killed (one of them being Ralph Cruise, a son of Daniel Cruise. whom John Brown's men murdered in the winter of 1858,) and twenty-three wounded, of whom, Captain Bledsoe, who received a severe wound in the leg, was the most prominent. Only a part of the Vernon county regiment were in the fight, some being on furlough, and Colonel Hunter himself being away and the battalion being led in the action by Lieutenant-Colonel Boughan.
Captain W. P. Barlow, who was then a lieutenant of Bledsoe's battery, gave the following description of the battery's part in the Drywood engagement :
About noon, as we were quietly jogging along through the narrow belt of timber skirting Drywood creek, we were startled by a sharp rattle of rifles just ahead, instantly fol- lowed by the 'boom' of Bledsoe's battery, which sounded start- lingly close,-and it was. We hurried on 100 or 200 yards and came out into the open prairie into a dense grass, just the height of one's shoulders when mounted. Over this rank growth we could see the smoke of Bledsoe's guns and close in front of them
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the heads of a few mounted Federal officers apparently urging their men on to the guns, where Bledsoe was lying badly wounded.
Captain Guibor with the battery, and Rock Champion with our partners, Kelly's men, pitched right in without orders and soon drove the enemy back. Then, seeing General Price trotting up, we waited an instant for a definite order and received a very indefinite one. The general had just emerged from the timber and had no time to look or to plan. Riding up and making a sweep with his hand from the northwest to the northeast, he simply said: 'Take your battery up there and open on 'em !' And the whole military situation was summed up in this simple order.
"We checked the enemy's head of column and advanced so quickly that some 300 yards distance was gained before we our- selves were checked and found ourselves in a dangerous position. A number of our cannoneers were soon shot down and in a few minutes but three men remained unhurt on the left gun. The Federals were closing around that flank, and the piece was firing (extreme left oblique) canister at close range. I ran over to help them, when a shell burst in front and I saw the fur fly from the neck of Moulds, a tall cannoneer, who asked to go to the rear. This was refused and we fired three rounds more, when Moulds' left arm dropped helpless, leaving but two sound men. We then limbered up the gun and sent it to the rear, feeling that all the others would be lost. The next gun in line was then turned to sweep the flank.
"About this time I had lost all hope. But looking over to the right, there stood Kelly's men, sturdily in line, loading and firing with beautiful deliberation. Rock Champion, six feet two in height, wearing long cavalry boots, was raging like a mad bull up and down the line of file closers, yelling, 'aim low!' In the center Captain Guibor sat his horse, apparently cool and certainly solemn, and just then General Parsons rode up, slowly twisting his beard, to see how we were getting on. O, how slow his men were forming line back there near the timber, and Guibor showing the general the enemy's heads through the tall grass, slowly, but surely swinging around us. General Parsons actually hurried back-his line advanced-when suddenly the enemy ceased firing, and our front was clear. The enemy broke at sight of the ad-
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vancing line which did not fire a shot. This was one instance when moments were precious. Fifteen minutes' longer delay would have insured our capture and Lexington could not easily have been taken without artillery."
Following Montgomery's retreat to Fort Scott, with a knowl- edge that Price with an army of 10,000 men confronted the place. great alarm prevailed, and nearly all the people left the town. Four women were courageous enough to remain, viz: Mrs. Hiero T. Wilson, Mrs. J. S. Miller, Miss Sallie Miller and Mrs. William Smith.
Expecting Price to follow up his victory, Lane, who had al- ready sent much of the military stores and some troops to Fort Lincoln, prepared to defend the place by putting his forces in readiness. But a heavy rain setting in after dark he, about mid- night, started with his infantry for Fort Lincoln, leaving Mont- gomery with 800 mounted men at Fort Scott with orders to hold out and fight as long as possible, and, if it became necessary, to burn all in sight, rather than let anything fall into the hands of the enemy. The following report was sent by Lane to Captain W. E. Prince, at Fort Leavenworth :
Fort Lincoln, Sept. 3, 1861.
Sir :- I informed you that we drove back the advanced guard of the enemy and of the loss of Weer's mules. My cavalry en- gaged the whole force of the enemy yesterday for two hours, twelve miles east of Fort Scott. It turns out to be the column of Price and Rains, numbering from 6,000 to 10,000, with seven pieces of artillery, some twelve-pounders. I last night fell back upon this point, leaving there at midnight. I left my cavalry to amuse the enemy until we could establish ourselves here and re- move our good stores from Fort Scott. I have ordered Major Dean to join me by forced marches. I am compelled to make a stand here, or give up Kansas to disgrace and destruction. If you do not hear from me again, you can understand I am sur- rounded by a superior force. When thus situated I trust the Government will see the necessity for re-enforcing me. My loss so far is about five killed and six wounded. The enemy has suf- fered considerably.
The fight yesterday was a gallant one on our part. Colonel Montgomery and Colonel Weer behaved admirably. In fact all
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the troops engaged behaved steadily. I can only try again. Send me a re-enforcement. Yours, truly,
J. H. LANE, Commanding Kansas Brigade,
To Capt. Prince, Commanding Ft. Leavenworth.
So heavy was the rainfall on the night following the fight that the camp-fires on the Drywood could not be kept burning and Price's men were drenched to the skin, and the following day were busy cleaning their arms, so many of which were discharged in removing the wetted charges that the rattle of musketry was like that of a miniature battle. A number of Union men of Vernon county were arrested and taken to General Price's camp, some of whom were paroled and others taken off with the army, Mr. Redfield's attempt to negotiate an exchange of prisoners having failed, and a few, among them Frank Wyrick, made their escape.
There being little danger of further immediate trouble with the thoroughly alarmed Kansans, who had fled to their forts, General Price, on September 4th, reverted to his original purpose and, with his army. resumed his march toward Lexington, reaching there by easy marches on the 12th: the last stages of the march from Warrensburg being close on the heels of the retreating Union forces. General Mulligan surrendered on the 20th, and in his report of the Drywood affair to Governor Jackson. General Price said among other things :
"I am glad to be able to inform your Excellency that the enemy have continued their retreat northward from Fort Scott, which place they have abandoned. This relieves me from any present necessity for pursuing them into Kansas, whose soil I am unwilling to invade, unless her citizens shall provoke me to do so by committing renewed outrages upon the people of this State. In that event I shall not only cross the border, but will lay waste the farms and utterly destroy the cities and villages of that State. It is my earnest desire, however, to keep my army within Mis- souri."
These statements from General Price would seem to be a com- plete answer to the rumors that were current, after the fight, that his reason for not invading Kansas was that Governor Jack- son had instructed him to keep his army in Missouri. And con-
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firms Colonel Snead, who was his adjutant-general, and who has asserted that General Price was not fighting for Kansas, but for Missouri, and could do it most successfully on her own soil. He did not want to go into Kansas, and using his discretion and act- ing on his own initiative followed the course that appealed to his judgment as wisest and best.
Prior to the Drywood affair, on August 28th, Capt. James Mc- Williams, with some 200 Kansas troops from Fort Lincoln, of Montgomery's regiment, mounted and with Moonlight's howitzer, invaded the northwest part of Vernon county, their objective point being Ball's Mill, where were stationed a detachment of Confederate troops under Colonel Cummins, of Bates county, for the purpose of grinding meal for General Price's commis- saries, at Colonel McNeil's mill, of which they had taken pos- session. Colonel Cummins, with 150 men from Rains' division, met the Federals about three miles northwest of the mill, and in the skirmish that ensued one of Captain Williams' men was wounded, and he himself had his horse killed under him. Cum- mins, who had two men killed and a few wounded, fell back to the mill and thence rejoined the army. Despite the protests of McNeil, the owner of the mill, the Federals bombarded it and the following morning burned both the mill and the bridge.
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