USA > Missouri > Greene County > Past and present of Greene County Missouri, early and recent history and genealogical records of many of the representative citizens, Volume I > Part 27
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The regiment of Home Guards which General Lyon accepted and which had been organized during the previous month, contained twelve companies and an aggregate of eleven hundred and thirty-three officers and men, and it saw considerable service of a varied nature in Greene and adjoining counties. A number from Christian county were in the regiment, but all the field officers were from Greene county, as follows: John S. Phelps, colonel; Marcus Boyd, lieutenant-colonel; S. H. Boyd, major; R. J. McElhaney, adjutant ; Henry Sheppard. quartermaster. The companies from Greene county were as follows: Company A. John A. Lee, captain : Jason T. Fielden, first lieu-
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tenant : aggregate strength of company, fifty-eight. Company B. William Vauglm, captain; Isham W. Faught, first lieutenant ; George M. Keltner, second lieutenant : aggregate strength of the company, seventy-three. Com- pany C. J. T. Abernathy, captain; Hugh Boyd, first lieutenant ; William Cliborne, second lieutenant ; aggregate strength, seventy-five. Company D. Charles 1. Dunwright, captain : William II. Kershner, first lieutenant ; Walter 1. Gault, second lieutenant ; aggregate strength, ninety-six. Company G. T. C. Piper, captain, resigned July 30th, and succeeded by J. A. Mack, Sr. ; T. V. Massey, first lieutenant ; T. B. Gibson, second lieutenant ; aggregate strength, fifty-six. Company K. John W. Gatty, captain, resigned July 8th; Hosea G. Mullings, first lieutenant : J. S. Roberson, second lieutenant : aggre- gate strength, one hundred and twenty-five. Company L, William II. Mc- Adams, captain : David C. AAllen, first lieutenant ; S. B. Rainey, second lieu- tenant : aggregate strength, seventy-five. Company M, Sampson P. Bass, captain : Pleasant A. Hart, first lieutenant : Stephen L. Wiles, second lieu- tenant : Henry Sullivan, third lieutenant : aggregate strength, one hundred and one. Company N. Daniel L. Mallicoat, captain; George W. Cooper, first lieutenant : Francis L. Milligan, second lieutenant ; aggregate strength, sixty-two. Other companies were "E." Captain Nelson; "F," Captain Stevens ( died on a scout, June 25, 1861) : "H." Captain Jesse Galloway (killed September 29, 1861) ; and "I." Captain Allred. from other counties. The regiment was disbanded August 17, 1861, one week after the battle of Wilson's Creek. Many of its members re-enlisted in Phelps' regiment and the Twenty-fourth Missouri Infantry.
A FALSE ALARM.
.A picnic and basket-dinner was held by the women of Springfield who were of Union families at Pond Spring near where the army of General Lyon was camped in the western part of Greene county. The officers and visitors were spending a pleasant hour at lunch under the shade of the trees, when a great cloud of dust was observed along the road to the west and a column of troops was seen to be approaching. The alarm was given and great excitement prevailed. everyone believing that Price and McCulloch, who were known to be not far away, were marching on the Union camp with their armies, and the dust was supposed to be caused by the vanguard of their approaching commands. The long role sounded in the Union camp, bugles rang out. "there was mounting in hot haste," the infantry swung into line, the artillery unlimbered and formed in position, and everything was ready for a fight within a few minutes. The picnickers were placed in secure re- treats in a deep hollow in the rear of the picnic grounds. But it was soon ยท discovered that the marching column was composed of Union refugees, with
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their wagons, cattle. household goods, men and their families who had been frightened out of Barry, Newton and McDonald counties by the troops of Price and Rains.
Recently other Federal troops had reached Springfield and passed on. Among these was the Fourth Regiment United States Reserve Corps, under Col. B. Gratz Brown, of St. Louis, afterwards a United States senator and governor of Missouri. When the first eight companies of this regiment reached Springfield on July 5th, and hearing of Sigel's defeat at Carthage it marched two days later on to Mt. Vernon to assist him, but returned to Springfield July 9th, and about a week later went back to St. Louis and was mustered out, its terms of enlistment having expired. When Sigel went west to Neosho before the battle of Carthage he left two companies of Salo- mon's regiment in Springfield under Maj. Cronenbold, and in the meantime these troops had made numerous arrests among the citizens, charged with "disloyalty," and the court house which was used as a prison, was soon full. Colonel Sigel had appointed Col. John S. Phelps and Marcus Boyd a com- mission to examine into the cases of the imprisoned, with power to release or retain in custody as they saw proper. The result was that few were kept as prisoners.
There was at that time a large foundry in Springfield and its workmen were set to casting cannon balls for Sigel's artillery, and these together with wagon loads' of provisions were hurried to him, as he was about out of both. This was all done under direction of Col. Phelps, who was. in a sense, com- mander of the post here. In the rush to get the cannon balls to the front, some of them left the foundry so hot that one wagon was set on fire. About this time Major Dorn was a special agent for the Southerners among the tribes in the Indian Territory. His family resided in Springfield, and, upon hearing of the precarious situation here he sent for his family to join him. Members of the family rode in a carriage while the household effects were placed in wagons. When but a few miles out of town, Colonel Phelps sent a detachment of soldiers and brought the refugees back, making a thorough search of the wagons, for he had been told that they contained ammunition and other articles contraband of war intended for use of the secessionists under Price and Rains. However, nothing was found and a few days later the Dorn family was allowed to proceed on its way.
A company of Home Guards was mustered into the Union service for three months by authority of General Sweeney soon after the Federal occu- pation of Springfield. This company consisted of eighty-nine men, and was armed with muskets taken from a company of mutineers belonging to one of Sigel's regiments which had become insubordinate on the march from Rolla to Springfield. The company was an independent one and not attached to any regiment or battalion. It was organized chiefly for duty in Spring- field and was here during Sigel's absence and the battle of Carthage.
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THE EXPEDITION TO FORSYTH.
Hearing that a large secession camp was at Forsyth, Taney county, General Sweeney was detailed to take about twelve hundred men from Springfield on July 20th to break it up. The command was composed of two companies of the regular cavalry under Capt. D. S. Stanley; a section of Captain Totten's battery, in charge of Lieutenant Sokalski: about five hundred men of the First lowa Infantry, under Lieutenant-colonel Merritt ; Captain Wood's company of mounted Kansas volunteers, and the Second Kansas Infantry under Colonel Mitchell. The little army left Springfield on Saturday and reached Forsyth two days later, on Monday afternoon. captured the town with but little difficulty, putting to flight about two hun- dred State Guards, who had been quartered in the court house and secured some guns, provisions, horses, clothing, blankets and a few prisoners ; also a quantity of lead was taken from a well into which it had been thrown when the invaders approached the town. Three shells were thrown into the court house after the Unionists had possession of the town. In the skirmish three Federals were wounded and a horse was shot from under Captain Stanley. It was reported that five were killed of the secessionists and ten wounded, among whom was a Captain Jackson. For some unknown reason General Sweeney did not molest a Confederate camp of one thousand men, only fifty miles from Forsyth, at Yellville, Arkansas.
The Confederates were not ignorant of the activity of the Federals in southwest Missouri during this period and were making every preparation possible to dispute the occupancy of this section of the state with their foes. Gen. Ben McCulloch, a dashing Texan, who had seen service as a "ranger," had been ordered by the Confederate government to go to the assistance of its allies in Missouri. He accordingly established temporary headquarters at Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he was joined by one regiment of Louisiana and Arkansas volunteers and a division of Arkansas state troops. The Mis- souri State Guards, under Governor Jackson and General Rains, had first gathered near Sarcoxie, Jasper county, later pitching their tents on the Cow- skin Prairie. in McDonald county, where considerable time was spent in drill- ing, organizing and recruiting. From the latter encampment Gen. Sterling Price began moving the State Guards, on July 25. 1861, toward Cassville, Barry county, where he was to meet the troops of Generals McCulloch and N. B. Pearce, also Gen. J. H. McBride's division of State Guards. Here preparations were to be made for a forward movement on General Lyon, Sigel, Sweeney and the other Union commanders, whose troops were in the vicinity of Springfield. The junction of the secession forces was effected on July 29th, and the combined armies were soon put under marching orders.
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The First Division was commanded by General McCulloch in person; Gen- eral Pearce, of Arkansas, commanded the Second Division, and the Third Division, under General Steen, of Missouri, left Cassville, August Ist and 2d, taking the Springfield road. It is said that General Price, with the major portion of his infantry, accompanied the Second Division. A few days later a regiment of Texas Rangers, under Colonel Greer, joined the advanc- ing Confederates. The advance guard was commanded by Gen. J. S. Rains, the noted Jasper county politician. His was the Eighth Division and of this he selected six companies of mounted Missourians to lead the van. Rains was given the advance because many of his men were residents of this section of the state and were familiar with the roads and general lay of the land. On Friday, August 2d, he camped at Dug Springs, in Christian county, about twenty miles southwest of Springfield. The main army was some distance to the westward. The Confederate army was really composed of three armies, as follows : The Missouri State Guard under General Price, a division of Arkansas state troops under Gen. N. Bart Pearce, and a division of South- ern troops under Gen. Ben McCulloch. Pearce's division was composed of the First Arkansas Cavalry, under Col. De Rosey Carroll, Capt. Charles A. Carroll's independent company of cavalry, the Third Arkansas Infantry, under Col. John R. Gratiot, the Fourth Arkansas Infantry, under Col. J. D. Walker, the Fifth Arkansas Infantry, under Col. T. P. Dockery and Capt. Woodruff's Battery, the "Pulaski Artillery." All of the infantry regiments had enlisted for three months only and their terms of enlistment expired about September I. They were properly state militia. Another Arkansas battery under Capt. J. G. Reid, of Ft. Smith, was also with General Pearce, but later assigned to McCulloch's division.
AN ENGAGEMENT AT DUG SPRINGS.
The Federal scouts duly informed General Lyon of the concentration of the Confederate troops, and of the intention of the combined armies marching to engage him in battle. His spies were bold and faithful. They sometimes marched in the enemy's ranks, loitered about the headquarters of the commanding officers and in whatever manner possible gathered informa- tion that was of great value to the Federals, then left the camps unobserved, slipped through the line of pickets and made their way in all haste to inform their chief. Most of these scouts and spies were residents of this part of the state and were familiar with "the lay of the land" in general. On the other hand the spies of General Price were just as clever and daring, and gained such information as he required from the Federal camp. They, too, were residents of this part of the state. A number of Greene county men acted as scouts and spies for both armies. Although the Southern army greatly
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ontimbered his own, Lyon, the fighting Irishman that he was, decided to go out and give battle, not waiting for the enemy to come to him, but meet- ing him half way. He had sent numerous messages to General Fremont for re-inforcements from St. Louis, but not deeming it advisable to wait any longer on uncertainty he got his army in motion late Thursday afternoon, August ist. The forces of Sigel and Sturgis had swelled his army to five thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight men of all arms, infantry, cavalry and eighteen pieces of artillery. Mounting his white charger he led the force in person, taking the road toward Cassville, leaving behind a force of volun- teers and Home Guards to hold Springfield. That night the army bivouacked about ten miles southwest of Springfield on a branch of the James river. His subordinate commanders were Brig .- Gen. T. W. Sweeney, Col. Franz Sigel and Maj. S. D. Sturgis. Early the following morning the command resumed its march. The men suffered severely from the dust, intense heat and thirst. Most of the wells and streams were dry as a result of the drought. Late in the afternoon as much as five dollars was offered for a canteen of warm ditch water, but the column pushed on until the vanguard came upon General Rains' troops at Dug Springs, which is in an oblong valley, five miles in length and broken by projecting spurs of the hills, which form wooded ridges. Although the enemy was first seen about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, at a house by the roadside with a wagon partly laden with cooked provisions from which they were driven away by a shell from one of Captain Totten's guns, it was not until five o'clock in the afternoon that general fighting began. At that time a battalion of regular infantry under Capt. Frederick Steele, a company of United States Dragoons under Capt. D. S. Stanley, and two six-pounders of Captain Totten's battery had a skirmish with Rains' men, driving the latter away, with the loss of one killed and a half dozen wounded, and capturing ten prisoners. Lieutenant Northcut is said to have been mortally wounded. The Federal loss was four killed outright, one mortally wounded, and about thirty slightly wounded. Three of the Union killed were Corporal Klein and Privates Devlin and Givens. H. D. Fulbright, a native of Greene county, where he had resided most of his life, was sun struck during the engagement and died. Another Greene county man, W. J. Frazier, of Captain Campbell's company, was slightly wounded. Although Captain Campbell was at that time absent on a scout, the larger portion of his company participated in the skirmish. Rains's troops were pursued by the Federals the following morning as far as Curran. twenty-six miles from Springfield and almost on the county line of Stone and Barry counties. During the day a scouting party of Southern- ers, which had come from Marionville, was met, but they fled when Totten's artillery opened fire on them.
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GENERAL LYON RETREATS.
Upon reaching Curran, General Lyon decided to return to Springfield, having found the forces of the enemy to be so overwhelming compared to his own, and await the re-inforcements which he still had some hopes of being sent from St. Louis, deciding that he could not afford to risk a decisive battle under the circumstances, for the possession of southwest Missouri which seemed to mean so much at that time. His scouts had reported that a large force of State Guards was marching from the direction of Sarcoxie to join Price. Accordingly, after a council of war with his officers, Sweeney, Sigel, Majors Sturgis, Sheppard, Schofield and Conant, and the artillery captains, Totten and Schaeffer, General Lyon concluded that it was best to counter- march his army and soon was on the road to Springfield, coming this time directly to the town, where he arrived August 5th. The main body of the army camped about the town. Nearly two thousand of the volunteers and regulars under Lieutenant-colonel Andrews, of the First Missouri, and Major Sturgis were stationed about four miles from town, where they remained until August 7th, when they were withdrawn to the line of defense around the town. A guard was at once placed on all the roads and avenues of approach to Springfield. No one was allowed to pass out of the town ex- cept physicians, although everybody was admitted. No camp was ever better guarded and all knowledge of what was going on within the Union lines was prevented reaching the enemy.
According to Col. Thomas L. Snead, General Price's assistant adjutant in 1861, he and General Price rode over to General McCulloch's camp at McCulloch's farm, on Sunday morning, August 4th, and in the presence of Snead and Col. James McIntosh, who was McCulloch's adjutant general, General Price urged McCulloch to co-operate with him in an attack on Lyon who was supposed to be in the immediate front, the Confederates hav- ing not at the time been apprised of the fact that he had retreated. It seems that McCulloch was a man of considerable obstinacy, overestimating his own ability as a commander, and had no faith whatever in the generalship of Price, in fact, had a general contempt for the Missouri officers in general. Price was a major-general of Missouri militia, .McCulloch only a Confederate brigadier. Price was somewhat boisterous in manner, had a loud voice and a positive address, and always spoke to McCulloch as if he regarded the latter to be his inferior. At this conference the following parley took place : "Do you mean to march on and attack Lyon, General McCulloch?" Price inquired. "I have not received orders yet to do so, sir," answered McCulloch, adding, "My instructions leave me in doubt whether I will be justified in doing so." "Now, sir," said Price, still in his loud, imperious tone, "I have
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commanded in more battles than you ever saw, General McCulloch. 1 have three times as many troops as you. I am of higher rank than you are, and I am twenty years your senior in age and general experience. 1 waive all these considerations. General McCulloch, and if you will march upon the enemy 1 will obey your orders and give you the whole command and all the glory to be won there." McCulloch then said that he was expecting a dis- patch from President Jefferson Davis and would take General Price at his word if it should be favorable, and if after consideration with General Pearce the latter should agree also to co-operate, the latter having an independent command of Arkansas state troops. General Price immediately called his general officers together and told them what he had done. They were at first violently opposed to his action, but finally they gave their unwilling consent to what they considered an unnecessary self-abasement. In the afternoon McCulloch and McIntosh came to Price's headquarters and Mc- Culloch announced that he had received, in the meantime, dispatches from Richmond that gave him greater freedom of action, and also that he would receive that night Greer's Texas regiment, comprising one thousand men as reinforcements, and that he would, therefore, accede to General Price's proposition and assume command of the combined armies and march against Lyon. Accordingly General Price directed Col. Snead to write the neces- sary orders and had them published to the Missouri State Guard. Word had come that the Federals were retreating and the orders were to move for- ward that very night. Later it was discovered that General Lyon had escaped with his army.
CONFEDERATES ENTER GREENE COUNTY.
The three divisions of the Confederate army were now united, General Rains having fallen back on the main force after his rout at Dug Springs, McCulloch and Price being at that time five miles away, camped on Crane creek in the northern part of Stone county, and he reported to them that he had been assailed by a force much greater than the combined Southern armies. It seemed that he had been thoroughly frightened. His report was given greater weight than it should have been by his superior officers. General McCulloch advised a retreat, but General Price counseled a forward movement, his officers and men agreeing with him and asking to be led into combat, but as McCulloch was not willing to advance, General Price asked him for the loan of some arms for a portion of his command which was with- out adequate arms, that the Missourians might advance alone. McCulloch refused and the confusion and embarrassing disagreement continued until on Sunday evening. August 4th, when McCulloch received orders from the Con- federate capital to advance on General Lyon. This order greatly pleased
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GEN. STERLING PRICE.
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General Price. A council was at once held at which McCulloch agreed to march on Springfield provided he was granted the chief command of the consolidated army. Price was anxious to give battle to the Federals and defeat and drive them from this section of the state before General Fremont could send re-inforcements from St. Louis, so he consented to the terms of the imperious Texan, although Price was by all right and justice in supreme command of all the Confederate forces in Missouri. And he said, "I am not fighting for distinction, but for the liberation of my country, and I am willing to surrender not only my command but my life, if necessary, as a sacrifice to the cause." So about midnight the Southerners broke camp and began their march on the Fayetteville road toward Springfield August 4. Their progress was slow and cautious until August 6th, when the crossing at Wilson's creek was reached, near the Christian county line, ten miles southwest of Spring- field.
FEDERAL ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF WILSON'S CREEK.
Upon the return of General Lyon to Springfield from Dug Springs, he scattered his forces along the various roads leading into the city at a distance of from three to five miles. Twenty-five hundred of his force, under Major Sturgis were stationed on the Fayetteville road, five miles out. All avenues of approach were well guarded and every precaution taken against surprise and attack. General Lyon's private room and personal headquarters were in a house on North Jefferson street, not far from the public square. The build- ing was at that time the property of Mrs. Boren and later owned by Mrs. Timmons. His general headquarters were on the north side of College street, a little west of Main, in a house then owned by John S. Phelps, but which had been recently occupied by Major Dorn. In this same house his body lay after it was borne from the ill-fated field of Wilson's Creek. The house was burned by Curtis' Federals in February, 1862, and the lot re- mained vacant thereafter for a quarter of a century or more.
General Lyon had no sooner returned to Springfield from his brief expe- dition in the Dug Springs country, than he sent a courier again to General Fremont in St. Louis importuning him for re-inforcements. About this time John S. Phelps was returning to Washington, D. C., for the purpose of attending the special session of Congress, which President Lincoln had called, and on his way Mr. Phelps stopped in St. Louis and urged Fremont to send aid to Lyon at once, pointing out to him every detail of the grave situation in the southwestern part of the state. Not only men but supplies, both of which were in the Mound City in abundance, were needed. Following is a copy of the note written by General Lyon to General Fremont, under date of July 27, 1861, which Mr. Phelps delivered :
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"Memorandum for Col. Phelps. See Fremont about troops and stores for this place. Our men have not been paid and are rather dispirited ; they are badly off for clothing and the want of shoes unfits them for marching. Some staff officers are badly needed, and the interests of the government suffer badly for the want of them. The time of the three months' volunteers is nearly out, and on their returning home my command will be reduced too low for effective operations. Troops must at once be forwarded to supply their place. The safety of the state is hazarded. Orders from Gen. Scott strip the entire West of regular forces and increase the chances of sacrificing it. The public press is full of reports that troops from other states are moving toward the northern border of Arkansas for the purpose of invading Missouri."
General Fremont ignored all these entreaties, saying that he did not believe General Lyon was in anything like desperate straits; that McCulloch and Price could have nothing but an inconsiderable force, since the country in southwestern Missouri was too poor to support a force of any formidable strength : that in his opinion Lyon could take care of himself ; and finally that he had no troops to spare him anyway, as he had received information through Gov. O. P. Morton, of Indiana, that a large Confederate force and flotilla of gunboats, under command of General Pillow, were coming up the Mississippi river to attack Cairo, Bird's Point, and if successful in their destruction, would come on and destroy St. Louis and that he had need of every available man to guard those threatened points. But General Lyon was a man not given to leaving any gaps down and knowing the situation perfectly, he consulted not only with his officers but with the leading Union men of Springfield and gained information on every phase of the situation and his efficient scouts brought him all details of conditions within the enemy's lines. He was impatient to give battle to the armies of McCulloch and Price in his front, but his caution made him desire additional troops for this purpose to enable him to have a reasonable chance of success. Nearly every day he sent messages for assistance and he visited his outposts every day. Sometimes he would lose his temper and violently indulge in pro- fanity. Two prominent Union men were with him one day when he re- ceived a message from Fremont stating that no more troops could or would be sent for the present, whereat General Lyon roundly cursed his superior officer and declared that Fremont was a worse enemy to him and the Union cause than Price, McCulloch and the whole tribe of rebels in this part of the state.
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