USA > Missouri > Jasper County > Jasper County, Missouri, in the Civil War > Part 11
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"A little later in the year West was reported to be about to come through this country again and I and six men were laying in wait for him about three miles north of Avilla on Dry Fork near where Les Carter now lives. My men were mostly asleep when I heard a clatter of approaching hoofs, so I hurriedly waked
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them up and got them ready. We lined a stake and rider fence along the road and they could not have seen us until they were about thirty feet from us. All the men were armed only with revolvers but in addition to my side arms I had a shotgun loaded in one barrel with three buckshot and a ball, and loaded in the other with twelve buckshot.
"Now when men are waked suddenly from their sleep they are apt to be a little bit jumpy and my men were no exception. As the guerrillas approached we could see that they outnumbered us several to one, and one of my fellows, losing control of himself, started to run. He had only gone about twenty feet when I stop- ped him and he returned immediately to his place. The enemy had seen this, however, and stopped a short dis- tance up the road.
"I immediately challenged them and demanded who they were but they returned no answer and began to form a line. I then gave the command to fire, al- though revolvers were not very effective at that range. I had taken aim with my shotgun at the leader and fired first with the barrel containing the buck and ball, then following with the other barrel that contained the twelve buckshot. I could not see that the first shot had any effect but at the second the bushwhacker reeled in his saddle, dropped a fine shotgun that he was carrying, and began to curse violently. His men, see- ing him hit, became panic-stricken and stampeded. Their chieftain was evidently not wounded badly for
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he cursed them roundly and finally brought them to a stand some distance away.
"Owing to the superior number of bandits I could not charge them for if I had it would have revealed how few we were, a thing that might have been unfortunate for us. On the other hand the enemy, not knowing our strength, was afraid to do any attacking himself. The leader called me every epithet that he could lay his tongue to, shouted out that I was always talking about bushwhackers when I was the worst bushwhacker my- self that was in the country. I told him that regard- less of who was the worst bushwhacker he and his men by the way they had run had shown that they were the worst cowards. There was some more conversation along this line that I do not remember.
"I finally gave my men orders to get ready to charge, using a tone of voice loud enough for the bush- whackers to hear, yet not so loud that they would think that I was doing it just for their benefit. Hearing me they really believed a charge was coming and despite all their leader could do stampeded again, we hasten- ing them on their way with a few parting shots. I have understood that this was Bill Anderson's gang which generally operated along the Missouri river but I was never able to learn for sure."
Not long after the incident related in the foregoing by Captain Stemmons an affair happened near Carth- age which was described by George Walker who later learned the facts from citizens, as follows :
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"Gabe McDaniel and Ferd Ozment, both members of Livingston's old battalion, stopped one day for supper at the Snodgrass home northwest of Carthage just a short distance west of where the Knell fair ground is now located. While the two were in the house eating, a number of militia rode up and surrounded the house. McDaniel and Ozment knew that they were caught but they were brave men and did not hesitate. They dashed from the house, revolver in hand, firing as they came. Of course it was no use, both being shot down the moment they stepped outside the door. McDaniel fell dead and Ozment was so dangerously wounded that the militiamen thought his death was certain and paid no further attention to him. Someone, I think it was some member of the Snodgrass family, loaded him into a vehicle and took him to his mother's place northeast of town."
"I well remember the circumstances following Oz- ment's wounding," says Captain Stemmons. "He was a confederate soldier and it was my understanding that he was on his way home for a visit at the time he was shot. I went to the Ozment home and saw him after he had been taken there.
"When I reported the matter to Captain Stotts he told me that he did not want Ozment to get away and that I should keep a close watch on him. I answered that I thought there was no danger of his escaping, for in my opinion he was almost certain to die from the wound that he had received. I promised to keep an eye on him and did so. I saw him some time later and
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was amazed at the progress he was making toward re- covery. When I informed Captain Stotts of this he in- structed me to take young Ferd prisoner and send him in.
"I halted my men in the timber near the Ozment home and sent two men in butternut, the usual garb of guerrillas, to the house to see what they could find out. They told the Ozments that they were bush- whackers and had learned that I was on my way to capture Ferd and that they had come to warn him to get away if he could.
"Mrs. Ozment told them that word had been re- ceived several hours previously and that Ferd had al- ready gone. The men asked her where he was and she said that she did not know but that he was headed south and she supposed he was down on the river some- where. She had no suspicion that the two were other than they claimed, and when they left she asked them if they were hungry-for she was a kind hearted wo- man-and being informed that they were she gave them a quantity of cold biscuit and some other food. We never did capture Ozment. I learned long after- wards that he had been warned by a traitor in my own company."
On May 4 Col. J. D. Allen at Mount Vernon wrote as follows in reference to the situation in Jasper county :
"I have received a communication from Captain Rohrer, stationed at Carthage, stating that he was pressed and was expecting an attack immediately, ask-
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ing for reinforcements. I immediately sent him 25 men from Company C, stationed at Cave Springs. Captain Rohrer states that his information is that there are about 80 to 125 and that he is being threatened hourly by them. I think he will be able with the re- inforcement sent him to whip them. There should be one more company sent to Carthage, as one company of fifty men is not sufficient at that place. I have no company at this time to send them."
The expected attack was not delivered on Captain Rohrer but reports indicate that guerrilla bands con- tinued to pass north through Jasper county. Colonel Allen made an extensive scout through Newton and Jasper counties a week or so later and on May 23 re- ported as follows regarding the Jasper county portion of his trip:
"Major Burch and I at Neosho had concluded to take a scout into Arkansas but just on the eve of start- ing I received information that the rebels were rob- bing the citizens on Spring river some eight miles above Carthage and that they intended staying in that neigh- borhood for some days. I had information of some 40 or 50 being in that country . We turned our course for Carthage. On arriving there we learned that the large bunch had passed within two miles of Carthage and had sent word to Captain Rohrer to come out and fight them, but when they went they were gone; the captain, not having men enough, did not follow very far. We then separated. Major Burch went in the direction of Sherwood and Fidelity and then returned to Neosho.
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I divided my force into three squads; sent one squad north to the Dry fork of Spring river, thence up that stream to Sarcoxie, thence to Cave Spring to camp; and I went up the river with the other squad to where the robbing was done and found the trail of about 25 or 30. Followed the trail north to the prairie where the home guard had a fight with them the night before but no damage done. I found that they had returned to the river again. I camped for the night. The next day I searched the river bottom thoroughly for about ten miles; found where they had camped and followed their trail to where they dispersed, and then I searched the hills but made no further discoveries. We camped at Cave Spring. I directed Captain Stotts to send out an infantry scout."
A short time later a rumor of a menace to Neosho from the south caused Col. Allen to move a company which was stationed at Lamar to a point further south. The guerrillas immediately entered Lamar and burned it with the exception of one or two houses. Nathan Bray, one of the leading citizens of the place left the homeless residents sitting around the smoking ruins and came to Carthage for aid. Captain Walker was now garrisoning the Jasper county town again and told Bray he could spare no men for a trip to Lamar. Bray then went to Mt. Vernon from whence he wrote an angry letter to General Sanborn, and eventually a company of the Seventh Provisional was again sta- tioned at Lamar.
During the winter General Price, General Shelby and other confederate officers, in order to better con-
RUINS OF OLD RAY STORE AT PRESTON
One of the stormiest political meetings of the county was held at Pres- ton, probably in front of this store, a short time preceding the battle of Car- thage. The gathering which was presided over by a Lieut. Rankin finally broke up in wildest confusion. Aside from its war time associations the old ruin is of interest as showing one type of construction of its day. It is built of rough, unhewn stone, chinked in with smaller rocks and held together by a rotting mortar, the principal components of which seem to be lime and river gravel. The corners of the building are of limestone croppings taken from the hills and the lintels of the doors are of hewn oak.
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trol the partisan bands and to prevent plundering and needless destruction, had made strong efforts to get as many of the guerrillas as possible to enter the regular confederate service. Many were loath to do this from various reasons and had never done so. On May 19, Shelby, who was then at Dover, Ark., wrote the follow- ing letter to Coffee, Pickler, Coleman and Lieut. Col. M. D. Babler who were under his command:
"You will collect together all squads of men who may be operating in the section of the country in which you may be operating and cause them to enter the regular service; you must make every exertion in your power to bring these men into service. You will send details under good officers to arrest all bands of jay- hawkers, whether southern or union, who may be com- mitting outrages upon citizens. In all cases where the proof is sufficient against any person or persons who may be or have committed depredations upon the citi- zens you will cause them to be shot. All squads and unorganized bands must be broken up. You will sub- sist and forage your commands, giving proper vouchers for anything purchased."
The above order while written in Arkansas and referring definitely to Arkansas undoubtedly was meant to apply wherever the officers to whom it was addressed operated, for Shelby of course knew that at least part of them would soon be operating in Missouri, in fact, as has been said, Jackman was already reported to have gone north. Since Pickler's and Coffee's usual field of operations was in southwest Missouri it was
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plainly Shelby's intention to put the war in this sec- tion on as high a plane as possible. There is little evi- dence at hand to show what effect, if any, this order had on matters in Jasper county. What it does show is that the confederate generals were trying to carry on the guerrilla warfare in as regular a fashion as could be done.
On June 10 a force of guerrillas estimated at from 80 to 140 men passed Neosho headed north and a force of the Eighth Missouri Militia Cavalry under Captain Kelso pursued them as far as a point ten miles north of Carthage but could not catch them.
A week later General Sanborn wrote to Rosecrans that it was impossible for him to keep order in the border counties with the force then at his command and that if he could not get more men he would either have to confine his activities to merely holding the gar- risoned posts or else he would have to burn out the bor- der counties so the guerrillas could find nothing to live on and retire from them altogether. A few days after this he again wrote asking that the enrolled militia of Jasper, Barton, Newton and other counties be called into service and rendezvous at the county seats. This step was necessary on account of the number of guer- rillas operating in the counties and on account of the rumber of small parties of confederate soldiers making their way north. Sanborn was authorized to call the militia and soon did so.
On June 16 a detachment of Company C, Third Wisconsin Cavalry, had a skirmish near Preston. In
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reference to it First Sergeant R. W. Smith in command of the detachment reported as follows to his colonel at Fort Scott:
"Agreeably to your order of the 13th instant I proceeded to Carthage, Mo., with 30 men of this com- pany for the purpose of bringing out cattle for use of the government trains. I was delayed two days after my arrival at Carthage and on the 16th at daybreak started for Fort Scott. All was quiet on the road until after we had crossed the lower ford on Big North Fork near Preston, Mo., where 46 rebels came out a short distance from the timber and kept up a continual ad- vance and firing upon us while we were so badly scat- tered as to afford no possible time to form line. I im- mediately ordered a retreat and formed line about 100 yards from where we were first attacked and across a ravine, where the rebels came to a halt but continued firing. After exchanging a few rounds the rebels with- drew and fell back into the timber, where I had pre- viously discovered another body of men, and this at- tack being so close to the timber it was impossible to follow them without running into three times our num- ber. I ordered two men to the right about one-half mile to an eminence on the prairie, where all around us was visible to them, and made a discovery of about 30 rebels on the opposite side of the point of timber from where we were attacked, but none of them from either side offered us an engagement on the prairie. The loss on our side was one killed-Eugene Hunt, a private. This was done before the men had all got together.
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Three of the enemy were wounded, one mortally. The cattle ran into the timber about 200 yards from the rebel camp, leaving no opportunity of recapturing them without great sacrifice. I was consequently obliged to leave them and slowly retreat to camp on Dry Wood tonight."
An incident that happened about this time was in- terestingly told in a letter written in 1911 by Mrs. Rhoda A. Hottel of Sarcoxie. The letter in part fol- lows :
"War time stories recently published bring vividly to my mind the personal experience, or a scrap of it at least, of my husband which I heard him often repeat before his death.
"The company that he soldiered with, Captain Captain Green C. Stotts, was for a long time stationed at Cave Springs six miles northeast of Sarcoxie and it seemed was used largely for a home guard or for scout- ing over the country when the enemy was known to be in the vicinity, as this part of the state was on the line and at the mercy of marauding parties generally known as bushwhackers and the war here was carried on with no quarter to the enemy.
"Ab Humbard, an old settler in this vicinity who had fled south and was in command of one of these bushwhacking companies, made frequent raids in this vicinity and was a terror to the community. It was reported at headquarters that he and his gang were somewhere south of Knights, near Wild Cat grove, I think. It was necessary to send a dispatch to Carthage
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so the captain detailed R. L. Hottel to deliver the dis- patch with an escort of three other soldiers. They were to deliver the dispatch that afternoon, remain in Car- thage over night, and return to camp by the following noon. The men to accompany him were Polk Dunkle, Rich Guthrie and Billy Adams. Mr. Hottel asked the captain to give him a larger squad of men as it was known that Humbard and his gang were somewhere close. The captain ordered him to take his three men and go on to Carthage and return the next morning and at about 11 a. m. he might expect Lieut. J. P. Boyd with another detachment to meet him at the narrows where two points of timber extended out in the edge of Haskins prairie about four miles west of Sarcoxie on or about on what is now known as the Tom Johnson farm, this then being considered the danger point.
"The trip was made to Carthage and back to near this point. The four soldiers and one citizen who was coming with them from Carthage were riding leisurely along with Rich Guthrie in front when they saw what they were sure was the expected guard coming under Boyd. It was the time and place for this guard and they had every appearance of United States soldiers. The discovery that it was a confederate force was not made until Guthrie rode into them and was compelled to surrender and the remainder ordered to halt. The latter knew that surrender meant sure and speedy death and the only way out was to run out if they could, so they wheeled their horses from the road, ran around a horse lot fence and into the timber nearby,
-
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firing back at their pursuers as they ran. The citizen ran with the others and was fired on also but made his escape and reached the camp at Cave Springs and re- ported all four of the boys killed.
"While the citizen was making his escape one way the soldiers were being closed in on on all sides in the edge of the timber where the bullets rained around them like hail. After reaching down in the timber a ways Polk Dunkle was shot from his horse and wound- ed. Hottel and Adams seemed to have been a little more fortunate in that they had gotten into heavier brush but Adams received a wound on the head which crazed him, and in the commotion had lost his horse and was wandering around in the brush hunting some one to whom he could surrender. Mr. Hottel's horse had fallen down, pitching him over its head and causing him to lose a revolver and his hat, horse, saddle and bridle, but he always said that he never stopped to pick himself up but was running before he got straight.
"He ran onto Adams who took him to be a 'reb' and surrendered to him and begged him not to kill him. He finally got Adams to know who he was and he told him to stay with him and he would take him out safe, which Adams would first agree to do and then insist that both go back to where the bushwhackers were and surrender. Finally he had to overpower the poor crazed man and set down on him to prevent his going. While setting there holding the man down and trying to keep him still and hid as much as possible, he could hear Dunkle only a very short distance from where they
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were, begging the confederates not to kill him, but a few shots and groans followed and all was over.
"There had been so much firing that the woods were full of smoke, and fearing, it is supposed, that the small squad was only a decoy sent out to get their whole force down into the timber, the bushwhackers held a consultation only a short distance away and the whole fifteen or twenty men galloped away, taking Rich Guthrie with them. My husband succeeded in reaching the camp the next morning about sunrise with Adams who had recovered partially from the wound that he had received. Knowing the enemy was in the country they were afraid of the roads so they reached camp by creeping through the brush.
"When the news reached camp of the skirmish the captain ordered out a scouting party to bring in the dead which was about all that was left to be done. Thomas D. Snow of Sarcoxie, one of the party sent out, ran onto the body of Rich Guthrie about three-quarters of a mile from where the fight occurred.
"The guard that was to have met Mr. Hottel's party and helped it through the danger point was never sent out."
A few weeks after Mrs. Hottel's letter was pub- lished, S. M. Brown, a former member of Captain Stott's company, wrote an interesting story of the se- quel of the misadventure of Hottel's patrol. His letter follows :
"I was a member of the same company and regi- ment as Sergeant Hottel and was one of the men de-
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tailed to escort him on that dispatch bearing trip, but as I, with other members of the company had just come into camp that morning from a several days' trip and was tired and my horse worn down, Rich Guthrie asked permission to go in my place. We went to the orderly sergeant who was Stephen Hood and the change in the detail was made and the poor fellow went to his death.
"Now I want to begin where Mrs. Hottel says, 'They could only send out and bring in the dead.' I was one of the scouts that was sent out under Lieut. J. P. Boyd and we followed that gang all night. They came in from the north to Dr. Wilson's on Spring river. Their object was to kill the old doctor and they were only kept from it by his hiding in the garret of his house and by the interference of Moses McKnight who hap- pened to be at Dr. Wilson's that night. From the Wil- son home they went to old Mr. Spark's and shot him down in the presence of his family. From there they went to the home of the brother of the captain of the gang and made his son get out of bed, and shot the boy through the forehead in the presence of his mother and other members of the family. Not satisfied with their work of bloodshed they then went to Mr. Bennie's, called him up and shot him through the stomach, the ball coming out of his back, but he did not die from the effects of the shot. He lived ten or twelve years after the war.
"Then they started south. We were three or four miles from them, our camp being between us and the
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gang, so we spurred our jaded horses to camp. Mes- sengers had been there and told which way the gang had gone.
"Hoping to head them off at Sarcoxie, we were put under gallop for that distance, and found on our arrival that they had just pased through, going west toward Wild Cat Grove. We could tell the direction they were taking by striking a match and looking at the horse tracks in the road.
"It was now near four or five o'clock in the morn- ing and we had been in the saddle since the afternoon before without a drop of water or a bite to eat for our- selves or horses, but as we went up that steep, rocky hill out onto the open prairie, let me tell you that the boys' blood was up. Up one hill and down another we went, until reaching the top we saw in the flat in front of us and about 300 yards distant, the gang we were seeking. Captain Stotts threw his men into line and ordered us to make the dash.
"Humbard's men got to the brush and took a po- sition in thick post oak bushes at the corner of a rail fence. When we advanced on them it was the writer's misfortune to be right in advance, with John White, Davy Cagle and Huestin Beck, the fence on our south, the fence and the bushwhackers on our north.
"When we came to the point of brush, Humbard was standing with his horse just back of the brush, and having a horse that looked just like Sergeant Col- ley's and being dressed in federal uniform with an
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eagle buckle on his belt, we could not afford to fire without speaking, so White hailed him with 'Who's there ?' Each had his pistol in his hand and it cocked. Humbard fired and called to his men to 'come out and give them hell.' Humbard's shot killed John White who fell across my horse right in front of me. Such a rain of bullets and shot as went over and around our heads I had never heard before or since. We lost only one man. I don't know about their loss except as told us afterwards-that they had some wounded, and that two days after the battle they buried two men.
"After the fight we gathered up seventeen horses and a lot of household goods that they had stolen. We also got a negro girl, ten or twelve years old, that they had stolen from Dr. Wilson, and let me say that that girl could out yell anyone I ever heard in my life."
It was probably along about this time that Bud Shirley was killed at Sarcoxie. Mrs. Sarah Musgrave, then Mrs. Sarah Scott, who resided in the town men- tioned, during the war, has told of the affair in pub- lished acounts as follows :
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