USA > Missouri > Jasper County > Jasper County, Missouri, in the Civil War > Part 2
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CHAPTER V 1865-The Coming of Peace
Jasper county a waste-General Sanborn plans to remove remaining southern or neutral families-Mrs. Scott's protest-Sanborn's letter to Mrs. Scott-Gov- ernor asked to form new volunteer militia-A skirmish on Center creek-Company G, 76th Enrolled Militia, disbanded-Lieut. Lyman J. Burch heads new militia company-Guerrillas again in Jasper county-Captain Roberts makes extensive scout through desolated land XX
-Lee surrenders-J. P. Boyd chases and kills bush- whackers-Southwest Missouri guerrillas surrender- Fifteenth Missouri cavalry mustered out-Refugees and discharged soldiers return to ruins of homes-New county officers named-Towns revive-County seat changed back from Cave Springs to Carthage-County starts on new era of prosperity and growth.
APPENDIX PARTIAL LIST OF SLAIN INDEX
XXI
CHAPTER I
Days of '61
Jasper county at the beginning of 1861, although a new country, was a prosperous and rapidly growing one, checkered with fertile fields and dotted with hap- py homes. The last census report had given the popu- lation as 6,883 of whom 350 were slaves. The largest towns were Carthage and Sarcoxie, the former having about 500 residents and the latter 400. Both of these places had a number of good buildings.
The third largest town in the county was Sher- wood which was destroyed during the course of the war and never rebuilt. This town was located on the southwest quarter of section 18, township 28, range 33 which is about two miles west and two miles north of the northwest corner of the present day Joplin and two miles south and a half mile west of the present site of Carl Junction. Sherwood had a population esti- mated as high as 250, had several good store buildings and a brick school house was in course of erection when the war broke out. It was an important point for trading with the Indians and during the four years of conflict some of the fiercest of the guerrilla fighting in this section was carried on around it.
Next to Sherwood in importance came Minersville, Avilla, Medoc and Preston, the population of the first two being estimated at about 100 each and the latter two at 50 each. There is some difference in opinion about Avilla, some stating that the place consisted
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JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
mainly of the post office and store run by D. S. Holman and that 100 is considerably in excess of the probable number of inhabitants. Minersville, now known as Oronogo, was, as its name indicated, a mining town. Preston had two stone store buildings and several frame houses. Medoc had several stores and other buildings. Another village was Fidelity, a small place south of Carthage. In addition to the towns or villages named there were several isolated stores, the most noted being Merrick's Post, three miles north of the present site of Smithfield.
The principal industry of the county was, of course, farming. Mining operations had begun at sev- eral points, the most notable of these being on Turkey creek where Joplin now stands. William Tingle, for- merly a prominent Sarcoxie merchant, had settled here and was mining lead. He also erected a lead smelter and a general store, calling the place Leadville. Wil- liam T. Orchard and others were mining lead near Min- ersville while Thomas R. Livingston and his half brother, William Parkinson, had a mine, lead smelter and a general store two miles further west at what was known as French Point on Center creek.
There was one newspaper in the county, The South- west News, published at Carthage by C. C. Dawson and apparently reaching most of this part of the state. Its motto was "Independent in all things, neutral in noth- ing." One copy of this paper-the issue of March 29, 1861, is extant and is now hanging framed in double- glass in the Carthage library. Its columns afford an interesting insight into the spirit of the day. It con-
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DAYS OF '61
tains little news but has reprints of various speeches, one delivered in the legislature by Senator James S. Rains of Sarcoxie, protesting against the adjournment of the legislature at that time in view of the impending political crisis. One editorial states "Abraham Lincoln is six feet four in physical stature and four feet six in mental stature." Long resolutions adopted by a meet- ing of citizens in Dade county are printed, the Dade county committee having urged the secession of Mis- souri and promising to welcome northern invaders with "bloody hands to hospitable graves."
The advertisements also show something of the times. One new merchant, John J. Johnston, had a display space head "SHERWOOD SECEDED. GREAT EXCITEMENT," following it up with an an- nouncement that he and his store had seceded from Sherwood and were now in Carthage at the old Cravens stand where they had on hand a complete line of cook stoves, castings, etc. An advertisement by George W. Broome announced that he had some valuable land for sale in the Spring river bottoms northwest of Sher- wood, including one 600 acre farm and one 300 acre farm, 100 acres of the latter being in cultivation. "Ne- groes will be taken in payment for the above land at the highest cash price," the advertisement concluded. Parkinson, Long & Co., of French Point, gave a mes- sage of confidence and reassurance by announcing that they were continuing to ship pig lead despite the un- certain condition of affairs. "We take this method of informing teamsters of this and adjoining counties,"
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JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
the advertisements states, "that we have on hand 1,200 pigs of lead to be shipped to Boonville, Syracuse, Tip- ton or Jefferson City and expect to continue smelting so that waggoners can be supplied with loads at any time at custom prices."
Feelings on the political questions of the day were very strong in Jasper county at this time, three distinct parties being in evidence. There were the uncondi- tional union men-a small minority who favored stand- ing unreservedly for the union. Prominent in this party were Norris C. Hood, Archibald McCoy, Dr. J. M. Stemmons, John Crow, Samuel B. LaForce and others. Next was the conditional union men whose local leader was Judge John R. Chenault. This party believed in staying with the union unless the northern states tried to force the southern states back into the union by force of arms. In that case the conditional union men were in favor of joining the south. The third party, and the one having the overwhelming majority, was the secessionists, advocating the immediate secession of Missouri from the union to join the states of the con- federacy. Leaders in this party was A. J. Fallion, Thomas R. Livingston, C. C. Dawson, Senator James S. Rains and C. C. Cravens.
The pro-slavery party was especially strong in Sarcoxie and this town had always taken the keenest interest in the long political fight which had been waged in the United States between the slavery men and the rapidly increasing element in favor of the abo- lition of this system of involuntary servitude. It is
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DAYS OF '61
said that in 1858 at the time of the Missouri-Kansas trouble a Kansas school teacher was hired to teach in the Sarcoxie schools. He was a strong abolitionist and insisted on reading "Uncle Tom's Cabin" to his pupils and in other ways pointing out the evils of slavery. He would not resign when asked to do so and later when a delegation of citizens called upon him and or- dered him to leave town he refused. He was then seized, taken to the woods and tarred and feathered, after which proceeding he returned to Kansas. The story goes that during the war he came back to Sarcoxie as a member of a regiment of union soldiers and quietly took revenge for his mistreatment by burning down the village school house.
In the early spring of 1861 military companies were formed all over the county, and the tramp of drill- ing men preparing for the struggle that they sensed was coming could be heard in almost every town and village. The first organization that was formed seems to have been at Sarcoxie where a company of eighty men was raised as early as March 1, later going into the state service, thence into the confederate army. Senator Rains of Sarcoxie was made a brigadier gen- eral in the state guard. In Carthage, Medoc, Miners- ville, Sherwood and possibly other points companies were formed. The one at Carthage was known as "The Border Rangers" and in the Southwest News for March 29, heretofore quoted, appears this item
"The Border Rangers drill every Saturday from this on. Let everyone be at his post tomorrow as there is important business to transact."
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JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
The Medoc Company, which was known as the "Border Guards," was organized principally for home defense, the condition of the public mind indicating that a time was rapidly approaching when life and property would not be safe. S. J. Talbot, who had been running a saw-mill where Galesburg now stands and who was known as a strong southern sympathizer, was elected captain; James A. Hunter, an unconditional union man, first lieutenant, while for second lieutenant was chosen either A. F. Clanton or Tip Margraves. Authorities differ on this. Each Saturday the mem- bers of the "Border Guards" assembled at Medoc and a vigorous drill with wooden sabers followed, the or- ganization preparing to be a cavalry unit.
This continued for some weeks until after actual military operations had started in the east. Then there came to Medoc one drill day a delegation consisting of Judge John R. Chenault, John B. Dale and B. F. John- son. They made speeches in favor of Missouri defi- nitely aligning herself with the confederacy, finishing by urging the amateur cavalrymen to enter the state service and draw arms. Now the state government was well known to lean toward the cause of the south, and a considerable party of the company, headed by Lieutenant Hunter, preferred to stay under the United States flag. The majority, however, were ardent se- cessionists and enthusiastically received the delega- tion's suggestion, Captain Talbot announcing that he would immediately take the step urged.
A general split followed and the "Border Guard" had held its last drill in its original form. The mem-
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DAYS OF '61
bers who had declared themselves in favor of the union found it advisable to leave the country, most of them going to Kansas and enlisting with the troops from that state, many joining the Sixth Kansas Cavalry which before long included quite a few Jasper county men. Others left the country entirely, returning to the states from which they had come and enlisting in the companies from their old home towns. Among these latter was Lieut. Hunter who took his mother and a younger brother back to Indiana to a point of safety and then enlisted as a private in Company I, Second Indiana Cavalry with which unit he served throughout the war. The southern men of the "Border Guard" stayed with the organization, later going into the state guard.
During this time a confederate flag, the first to be raised in Missouri, was flying at Sarcoxie. It had been in existence for some weeks prior to the capture of Fort Sumter in April 1861 and when word was re- ceived of this first act of the war it was hoisted to the top of a tall pole and floated there, it is said, until in early July. Then the flag was taken down and federal troops passing through the town cut down the flag pole and burned it. Meanwhile important events were transpiring elsewhere.
On May 10 a considerable portion of the Missouri state militia, which had gathered in St. Louis "for training" and which union men believed was meant to seize the St. Louis arsenal for the south, was cap- tured by a strong force of federal volunteers under
.
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JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
Captain Nathaniel Lyon. This was the first act of open war in this state. Missouri at once began to arm, the formation of the new military force known as the state guard being begun. After a temporary truce which ended June 11, Lyon, now a general, led a col- umn of federal troops to Boonville where he scattered a hastily assembled force of the state guard on June 17. At the same time he sent a strong force under Brigadier General Thomas W. Sweeny to Springfield to hold that part of the state and to prevent the newly organized state guard from escaping to the south.
Following the Boonville affair, Governor Claiborne F. Jackson started for the south with all the state guard that could be gathered up, and Sweeny at Spring- field ordered Col. Franz Sigel and a force of U. S. Vol- unteers who were in or near the border tier of counties to cut him off.
Sigel left a company of 94 men at Neosho to hold this town against the confederates who were gathering near the Missouri-Arkansas border and with the re- mainder marched to Carthage, camping at the springs, now known as Carter springs, at the east edge of town on the night of July 4. Here he was visited soon after dark by several union citizens who gave him val- uable information about the southern forces. The same night Governor Jackson, his army augmented by a strong force from southwest Missouri commanded by General James S. Rains, camped about 18 miles to the north. It seems probable that the company raised in Sarcoxie was with Rains.
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DAYS OF '61
Colonel Monroe, quartermaster of General M. M. Parson's division of the state guard, had been sent on south by his chief to Carthage to obtain subsistence and forage. Just after sundown a mounted man rode up to Parson's headquarters at the state camp and re- ported that Monroe at Carthage was menaced by a su- perior force of federals and asked that reinforcements be sent to him. This was the first intimation that the state guard had that there was an enemy in its front.
Parsons immediately ordered his men to be ready to move at 10 p. m., intending to make a night march to Monroe's relief. Governor Jackson, however, as soon as he learned of Parsons news and the action he proposed to take, very wisely countermanded the order for a move that night and gave instructions that the entire state army should move south as a unit early the next morning.
A clash between the two forces were now inev- itable. Jackson's object was to make his way to the south where his untrained force could be organized and drilled into shape. Sigel's object was to destroy or scatter Jackson's army and in this he probably hoped to be aided by General Lyon who he erroneously thought was following immediately in the governor's rear.
The union column consisted of nine companies of the Third Missouri Infantry, 550 men; seven companies of the Fifth Missouri Infantry, 400 men, and two bat- teries of artillery, 4 guns each, 150 men-a total force of 1,100. Col. Sigel was an old German soldier, exper-
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JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
ienced in war, and many of his men were also veterans. His soldiers were well trained and disciplined for this. period of the war and the infantry was armed with the 69 calibre rifle musket, an efficient weapon.
The state troops were organized as follows: Second and Eighth Divisions Missouri State Guard, Brigadier General James S. Rains.
First brigade-Col. Richard H. Weightman. Capt. Hiram Bledsoes' battery, one 12- pounder and two 6-pounders 40
Capt. F. M. Mckinney's infantry de- tachment 16
Col. John R. Graves independent in- fantry regiment 271
Third regiment infantry-Col. Edgar V. Hurst 521
Lt. Col. W. S. O'Kane's battalion of infantry 350
Cavalry
Companies A, B and H, Third Cavalry, and Captain Stone's and Captain Owens' companies-Col. R. Y. L. Peyton 115
First battalion independent cavalry- Col. James McCown 250
One battalion, Fourth Cavalry, Lt. Col. Richard A. Vaughn 200
Capt. Jo Shelby's rangers 43
Miscellaneous 6
Total armed in Rain's divisions 1812
War Department Photograph
TYPICAL COMPANY OF UNION INFANTRY
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DAYS OF '61
An unknown number of unarmed men.
Third Division Missouri State Guard, Brig. Gener- al John B. Clark. Infantry under Col. J. Q. Burbidge, Lt. Col. Edwin Price and Major John B. Clark, Jr., (First Division) 365
Fourth Division, Missouri State Guard, Brig. Gen. William Y. Slack.
Col. B. A. Rives cavalry regiment 500
Col. John T. Hughes regiment and Major J. C. Thornton's Bn. In- fantry 700
Sixth Division, Brigadier General Monroe M. Parsons.
Infantry under Colonel Kelley and Major Dills ; Col. Ben Brown's cav- alry regiment; 1 battery of four brass six-pounders 650
2215
The armed total thus probably consisted of over 4,000 men, in addition to which there were 2,000 or more unarmed.
Some of the officers and men had served in the Mexican war with Price and Doniphan but the vast majority were recruits whom there had been no oppor- tunity to train. The men of the First regiment which came from around Jefferson City were equipped with effective rifles which had been purchased some time previously in St. Louis and with supplies which had
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JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
been received in Jefferson City. The troops from Clay county, who are said to have been well trained and dis- ciplined, were armed with weapons taken from the United States arsenal at Liberty, but the larger part of Governor Jackson's force had only common hunting rifles-not a mean weapon in the hands of men who knew how to use them-and shot-guns. A considerable number of mounted men had only pistols. Most of the artillery had been taken from the arsenal at Liberty although the twelve-pounder-"Old Sacramento"-had been captured by Doniphan in his Mexican campaign. Few of Jackson's men had uniforms, most of them go- ing into battle in ordinary civilian dress and some of the officers wearing high "plug" hats.
In the early morning of July 5 Colonel Sigel broke camp at Carthage and marched northward, Monroe's detachment of the state troops falling back before him. A short distance north of Dry Fork and about eight miles north of Carthage his advance guard was held up by Captain Jo Shelby's company of the state guard. General Rain's column had left its camp at 4 a. m. that morning, Governor Jackson riding at its head, and when it came near the enemy, Shelby's rangers had been pushed out to cover the main body while it formed for action.
Sigel, finding his advance guard checked and sharply engaged, first sent two companies of infantry and two pieces of artillery to support it and then threw his whole force into line of battle except one cannon and one company of infantry which he left to guard his
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1620815 DAYS OF '61
baggage train and protect his rear. The state troops were by now also ready for battle, and Shelby, in ac- cordance with orders, skillfully disengaged his company and fell back to the main line.
The state troops had formed in line on a high ridge of prairie which sloped southward with undula- tions to the timbered-fringed creek about a mile and a quarter away. Sigel was on the lower ground facing north, and between the two armies were open fields with an occasional fence.
The second battalion of the Third Missouri Infan- try under the command of Major Henry Bischoff formed the left of the union line and next to it were posted four pieces of artillery. In the center were two battalions of the Fifth Missouri Infantry under Lieut. Col. Charles E. Saloman and Lieut. Col. Christian D. Wolff and next came three more pieces of artillery un- der Captain Christian Essig. The right was formed by the first battalion of the Third Missouri commanded by Lieut. Col. Francis Hassendeubel.
General Rain's cavalry under Colonels Mccown and Peyton and Lieut. Col. Vaughn formed the right of the state line and of these horsemen General Rains took personal command. Next came Col. Weightman's in- fantry brigade consisting of Col. Grave's infantry reg- iment, Capt. Hiram Bledsoe's battery of three pieces and Lieut. Col. O'Kanes infantry battalion. The Third Infantry under Colonel Edgar V. Hurst was not yet in line but was hurrying up as fast as possible. East of O'Kane was General Slack's infantry under Col. Hughes
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JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
next the four guns of General Parson's division under Capt. H. Guibor, then Parson's infantry under Colonel Kelley with the infantry of General Clark on its left. The extreme left of the line was formed by the cavalry commanded by Colonel Rives of Slack's division and Colonel Brown of Parson's division. Well to the rear the unarmed men with Governor Jackson were drawn up to give the appearance of a reserve and forming what Shelby called "the line of spectators."
The action began with Sigel's artillery opening fire with round shot, shell, spherical case shot and grape. Parson's four brass six-pounders promptly re- turned the fire and Capt. Bledsoe's three guns imme- diately joined in. This artillery duel continued for a short time and then Capt. Guibor's battery ceased fire on account of a shortage of ammunition. Sigel, not un- naturally considering that these guns had been silenced, prepared to advance with his infantry. However one battery of his own artillery was complaining of a shortage of ammunition by this time and, what was more important, the state guard cavalry both on the left and the right were moving around his flanks in an effort to cut off his line of retreat.
The union commander could no longer think of attack. His task from now on was to extricate his troops from their perilous position and escape from the superior forces which were closing around him. A portion of his artillery shifted fire to the menacing cavalry and the whole federal force began to fall back by successive stages to Dry Fork. Seeing this retire-
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DAYS OF '61
ment, the state guard infantry pushed forward all along the line and the cavalry on the flanks continued on its encircling movement.
Just south of Dry Fork, Colonel Sigel stationed Capt. Essig's battery in such a position as to command the ford. To the left of the battery one company of the Fifth regiment under Capt. Stephani was deployed while two companies of the Third regiment under Cap- tains Dengler and Golmer held the right. Behind these front line companies were two companies of the Fifth regiment under Captain Stark and Meisner in imme- diate support.
The advancing battle line of the state guard soon came under fire from Sigel's new position and Bled- soe's battery at once unlimbered and hotly engaged Essig's four guns. The infantry pushed on down to the timber skirting the stream in an attempt to cross- the movement of course being under a heavy fire. Passing through the timber, the infantry under O'Kane of Weightman's brigade, together with the men of Parson's and Clark's divisions, found themselves en- gaged in a brisk fire fight with the federals across the stream, at points the opposing lines being only forty or fifty yards apart. Graves' and Hurst's regiments on the right seem not to have been strongly opposed but were unable to find a place to cross the stream for some time. Bledsoe's battery had a number of men disabled during this part of the action and the infantry on both sides suffered losses in killed and wounded.
The state guard cavalry was meanwhile continuing to push around the union flank and the regiments of
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JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR
Colonels Rives and Brown, which had worked around Sigel's right, formed behind Buck Branch squarely across his line of retreat. Rain's cavalry from the west was also closing in. It was high time for Sigel to move. With three companies of the Third regiment in front as an advance guard to break through the cavalry and with two pieces of artillery and strong detachments of infantry out on each side as flank guards and with two companies under Lieut. Schickel as a rear guard he marched south, brushing aside the illy armed and poorly trained cavalry of Rives and Brown and continu- ing on toward Carthage.
As Sigel's column neared Spring river the cavalry of General Rains attempted to close in in front of his advance and prevent him from crossing. It was driven off to the west, however, and Sigel's rear guard made a brief stand on the high ground north of the stream, beyond where the lower bridge now is, to hold back the State Guard infantry until the union column had had time to cross the river and the valley.
South of the river, on the heights northwest of Carthage, the federals again took position, making sure of their line of retreat by sending Lieut. Col. Wolff and two pieces of artillery to the hills east of town to keep the Mount Vernon road open and to hold back Rives and Brown's horsemen who were crossing Spring river north of the city. Captain Cramer with two companies of the Fifth regiment was sent at the same time to hold the west side of the town against the cavalry which was working around in that direction.
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DAYS OF '61
As Weightman's brigade crossed Spring river and emerged from the southern edge of the timber it was fired upon by the artillery in the federal positions northwest of the town. Graves' and Hursts' regi- ments were moved to the west to outflank this posi- tion and, soon after Sigel again withdrew, entered the town at about the same time as the infantry regiment of Colonel Hughes of Slack's division. A spirited fight ensued with the federal rear guard which had been ordered to hold the town long enough to give their wearied comrades in the main body a short time to rest. Sheltering themselves behind houses, walls and fences the union soldiers maintained their position for a time then retired fighting to new positions which other units of Sigel's troops had taken up on the heights east of the city on a ridge southwest of where they had camped at the springs before. This was along where River street now runs.
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