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 38
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walls keep up the fight until re-inforcements came. It is no doubt true that General Brown, who was never regarded as a very efficient and courageous officer, was on this occasion especially flustrated and irresoluite, and was in a very perturbed state of mind throughout the night, declaring one minute that he would retreat, and the next that he would fight. Colonels Sheppard and Boyd, whose homes were here. were determined not to retreat or yield without first having tried in vain to stem the onrush of the dashing Marma- duke ard Shelby. In the meantime Surgeon Melcher had made the rounds of the hospitals, calling for volunteers, and about three hundred men were obtained, and they were organized into companies of fifty each and placed under the command of nurses and stewards and disabled commissioned officers. Then they were marched to the arsenal and furnished with arms and ammunition. Doctor Melcher set his cooks preparing provisions, and each of the convalescents was supplied with food in their haversacks, their various medicines, and sent out to the skirmish line. Gen. E. B. Brown was very skeptical of the services of these men, but after the war he made the following statement, in part, regarding the character and importance of Doctor Melcher and his "Quinine Brigade :"
During the attack of General Marmaduke, Doctor Melcher organized the convalescents under his control into military companies, who, acting under his direction, did very efficient duty in the battle and greatly assisted in the defense of the post, and thereby saved several millions of dollars to the government of the United States in military stores deposited at Spring- field for the use of the Army of the Frontier, then in northwest Arkansas. I have always been and am still of the opinion that, as my command was composed entirely of irregular troops and militia, without the aid and as- sistance of Doctor Melcher, I could not have defended the post.
.All through the night and in the early morning hours the enrolled militia kept coming in, many of them, who came from Taney county con- firmed the report of the approach of the Confederates. The wild rumors still flew and the citizens of Springfield, especially the Union families, were thrown almost into a panic. for they were led to believe that the town would be captured by the enemy and that those who were Union sympathizers would be severely dealt with, and their property seized. On the other hand the Southern families were much pleased at the prospect of a return of the army that, would bring back many Greene county men who were serving under the stars and bars. It will be remembered that the women in those stirring times were practically all violent partisans and were very pronounced. in their views, whichever side they favored. Many of the citizens left town, or at least moved from the vicinity of the forts nearest the center of the. town: some took refuge. in their cellars, all hid their money and valuables .:
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It was one of the worst nights of excitement, alarm and terror that Spring- field had yet had.
THE MARSHALLING OF ARMS AT MARMADUKE'S APPROACH.
January 8th dawned on a stirring scene in Springfield, mounted cour- iers ran their horses through the streets, the commands of officers were heard on the still wintry air, small squads of troops were coming in from all sides from the country-everybody was active and most were nervous and fore- boding. At daylight there came wildly galloping into town the detachment of the Fourteenth Missouri State Militia which had been stationed at Ozark, and reported that Marmaduke, Shelby, Emmett McDonald and other South- ern chieftains had attacked them at their post shortly before midnight, drove them out, burned their fort and were still chasing them; they said they had ridden hard half the night and had noted the movements of the enemy and that he was evidently intending to strike Springfield. General Brown now no longer hesitated and began earnestly to prepare for the fight which he knew he must face. He sent Capt. Green B. Philips' Company of Colonel Boyd's Regiment to Fort No. 4, where the "Quinine Brigade" and volunteer artillerymen under Lieutenant Hoffman, had already been stationed. A two- story brick college building stood near Grand avenue and Market street which had been used by the garrison as a military prison. It now contained about fifty Confederates, who were taken out and placed in the county jail, and although General Brown ordered that the building be filled with sol- diers, by some oversight this was not done. The cavalry, under Lieut .- Col. Walter King, of the Third State Militia, were stationed in the southeastern part of town. To the right of the cavalry and to the left of the fort was a detachment of the "Quinine Brigade." Most of the Eighteenth Iowa In- fantry was.at Fort No. I and as the Seventy-fourth regiment, under Colonel Boyd, came in it was sent to join the Iowa troops, with the exception of Company C, under Captain Phillips. About one hundred men of the Eigh- teenth Iowa had been sent to Fort No. 2 with part of the "Quinine Brigade." Colonel Sheppard's regiment, the Seventy-second, numbering two hundred and thirty-eight men, were awaiting orders at the public square. Captain McAfee organized some men from the convalescent camps and volunteers, armed them and reported to General Brown for duty, and were assigned to - the arsenal-the church building of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, on South street, and which at that time was piled full of tons of ammuni- tion of all kinds, cartridges, shot and shell, and hundreds of stands of arms. General Brown ordered Captain McAfee to prepare oil, shavings and other inflammables, and be ready to set fire to and blow up the arsenal and maga- zine, when ordered to, if it was seen that the town must fall into the enemy's
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hands. Only one battalion of the Fourth Missouri State Militia was present, commanded by Col. George 11. Hall, of St. Joseph, and under him was Maj. Douglas Dale. According to Doctor Melcher just as the last company of convalescents was being armed, the skirmishing began. Just then a com- pany of citizens, forty-two in number, came running up and asked to be furnished with arms and ammunition. They were quickly supplied, assigned to duty with the "Quinine Brigade" and fought gallantly throughout the day in Fort No. 4 and in the vicinity of that fort.
It was Marmaduke's plan to make the march in silence and take the Federals by surprise. His movements were unobserved from Louisburg, Arkansas, to the crossing of White river, at Dubuque. Porter was to come in from the eastward and brush away the small Union garrisons at Hartville and elsewhere and prevent their forming in the rear, and, knowing that this. would delay his progress, Marmaduke and Shelby were to move leisurely and give the other column plenty of time to reach Springfield at the time agreed upon. But the unexpected happened at Dubuque when a small scouting party was encountered, which preferred to stand its ground and put up a stubborn fight rather than run away from the advance of Shelby's brigade, Elliott's battalion, and at the same time ascertained the character and size of the Confederate force and its probable destination, then hurried away to give the alarm, turning about and watching from time to time, all the while keeping swift messengers on the way to Springfield. After the skirmish at the ford, Marmaduke knew that he would be compelled to reach his destina- tion by forced march, reaching Springfield in twenty-four hours if possible. He started messengers across the country to inform Porter of the delay and change in program and to order him to turn squarely across the country by the first road that run eastward and be at Springfield by the evening of the 8th at the latest ; but the roads that wound through the mountainous country were little better than rocky trails and the messengers found it difficult to travel swiftly and they failed to find Porter, who passed on with his force, unaware of any change in the original plan.
It was Captain Birch, with a detachment of the Fourteenth Missouri State Militia from Ozark, to ascertain the truth regarding the rumored invasion. and it was his troops that came upon a Confederate lieutenant and two men near the ford at White river, the Southerners having been left sick in a house by the roadside. From them Birch learned that the Confederates were coming up in formidable numbers, led by such dashing chieftains as the austere Marmaduke, Shelby, of fighting Kentucky blood, and the long- haired, fearless McDonald, and all impatient to fight. Captain Birch lost no time in starting back north to the Federal post at Lawrence Mills, on Beaver creek, in the northwestern part of Taney county, where Major Turner, with seventy-five Taney and Douglas county men, members of the Seventy-second
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Enrolled Missouri Militia, formed a garrison in a little block-house and fort. Major Turner was warned of his danger by Birch, the latter advising him to evacuate the post and go on to Ozark. Turner was an old man, had been long in the service, but was reluctant to believe that anything larger than a small Confederate force of bushwhackers was in the surrounding country, and he made no efforts to retreat or to fight. He had scarcely de- livered his opinion of the true state of affairs regarding the invasion when the Confederate advance began firing on his pickets, and in a few moments Emmett McDonald, with five hundred cavalry, dashed up and assaulted the block-house and everything in it and around it, the invaders yelling like blood-thirsty Comanches. Turner's men made scarcely a show of resistance until they scampered through the woods toward Ozark; five of them were killed, many wounded, among them being Major Turner himself, and very soon nearly all of them were prisoners, but paroled at once and in a few minutes more McDonald was dashing away with his men to rejoin Marma- duke's main column, which had come on the main Yellville road, leaving Forsyth to the left and west, and striking straight for Ozark and Spring- field. McDonald had been sent to crush the post on Beaver creek and prevent it from forming and following in the rear. He did his work well.
SHELBY REACHES OZARK.
General Shelby's brigade reached Ozark on the evening of the 7th, where a stop of more than an hour was made to rest and eat supper. About midnight the advance galloped into Ozark, where the Fourteenth Missouri State Militia had hastily abandoned the post, and gone on to Springfield. The fort and block-house were burned, and a few prisoners taken, and the column moved on with Shelby and Marmaduke at the head, with Elliott's battalion, on the main road to Springfield. A few prisoners were gathered along the way, mainly members of the militia. The advance reached the Phelps farm, which the southeastern part of the city now covers, and where still may be seen the historic elm under which General Lyon was first buried. Porter had not come up. A discussion ensued between Marmaduke and Shelby as to whether they should wait for him or attack the town at once, but meanwhile they kept the place closely invested. Marmaduke later stated that his delay in attacking the town was occasioned by his waiting for Em- mett McDonald and his battalion more particularly than for Porter, al- though he incidentally admitted that he might have been waiting for both. But shortly after nine o'clock a line of battle was formed. Some skirmish- ers from the militia, advancing through some undergrowth, were discovered, fired on and stopped, many being severely wounded. Preparations were at first made to ascertain the Federal strength at the southeast corner of their
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position on the St. Louis road and Gid Thompson's regiment was swung around to the right. In the edge of the timber, two miles from the public square, Marmaduke formed his line for the attack. Thompson's regiment held the right: Shelby's regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Gor- don, held the left : Jeans' regiment, commanded by Lieut. Charles Gilkey, and Collins' battery were in the center. These troops were all dismounted. Elliott's and McDonald's battalions continued to operate as cavalry, Elliott to the right, and MeDonald to the left. The lines were formed in the open prairie, under fire. Marmaduke evidently made a serious blunder here. General Brown and his staff had been led to believe that the Confederate force numbered between five thousand and six thousand men, and conse- quently the invaders were greatly feared. Now, Marmaduke came up in sight of the Federals, displaying plainly his whole force, showing that he had but a few hundred men more than the town contained. This gave cour- age to Brown and his men, who now determined to fight to the last ditch.
When General Brown became certain that the Confederate attack was to be made from the south, early in the morning, he ordered a number of houses burned in that section of town which obstructed the range and sweep of the guns of Fort No. 4, on South street. Twelve buildings were de- stroved. half of which belonged to Mrs. J. A. Stephens, widow of the Union citizen killed by Zagonyi's men when they rode into Springfield after the fight with Colonel Frazier's force. Another house destroyed belonged to WV. P. Davis, who was at the time in the Federal service. The expediency of this action has been questioned, but Brown thought it necessary to prevent a lodgment of the enemy in his immediate front, and the harassment of his best position. But whether the destruction of these houses was a mili- tary necessity or not, they should have been paid for by the government, which, so far as can be learned, never were. The flames added to the excitement of the citizens, many of whom began packing up and leaving as quickly as possible for the sheltering walls of Fort No. I.
The Third Missouri, under Col. Walter King, and the Fourteenth Mis- souri State Militia, numbering over six hundred men, were to the north and south of St. Louis street. Near the public square a huge steam boiler and other obstructions were placed across the street.
THIE BATTLE BEGINS.
A force of Confederate cavalry, Elliott's battalion, had been sent to feel the way and to learn if the route into the city by St. Louis street and down the valley of Jordan creek was practical. This force soon' con- fronted King's regiment and a sharp skirmish ensued, the Confederates falling back. King's force then charged and drove the invaders well back
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onto the prairie, but fearing he would be cut off, did not follow far. King returned to his original position and began firing at long range upon all Confederates in his front, and finally made another successful charge; how- ever, the forces did not come close together and little damage was done either side. Here Marmaduke made another serious mistake. Had he con- centrated his entire force upon the east and southeast and made a determined charge he could have broken King's line easily and gained the public square in a few minutes. The force he sent was entirely too small to be successful. On the other hand, the Federals made a display of all their force in that quarter and fought well, did a great deal of marching and counter-marching to the rear, which had the desired effect-to make the Confederates believe that there was a very powerful force in their front. The entire Confederate force was then formed to the southeast, where the troops waited for the order to advance, which was finally made without first a demand for the surrender of the town, or notification to remove the women and children, a circumstance unfavorably commented upon by the Unionists. General Shelby moved up the two guns belonging to his brigade, and ordered their com- mander, Capt. R. A. Collins, to open on the town and Fort No. 4. Collins was very soon throwing shells in rapid succession into Fort No. 4 and near the public square with great precision. One shot pierced the Lyon House, later the Southern Hotel, which stood just south of the present Methodist church on South street. Two others struck the old St. Paul's church, just across the street, then occupied as an arsenal and guarded by Captain Mc- Afee's men. It was not long until the old iron guns of Fort No. 4 began replying to those of Collins and for a time there was quite a free interchange of metallic compliments between Lieutenant Hoffman and Dick Collins. Captain Phillips' company of Marcus Boyd's regiment of militia and con- valescents in the fort also began firing with their muskets at long range. Collins was throwing solid shot, while Hoffman was throwing shell, as he had howitzers. Then came a lull in the fighting, about eleven-thirty o'clock, and Marmaduke conferred with his officers, who examined the field in front with their field-glasses, and after a great deal of riding about and consulta- tion, they finally agreed to assault the Federal works from the south and southwest. Being near-sighted, General Marmaduke could tell nothing about the position of his enemy, but aproved plan of attack, which was at once begun.
Meanwhile the troops had been drawn up in line and dismounted. De- priving his men of their horses at such a moment was another thing for which Marmaduke has been censured, for Shelby's men were true cavalry- men and could give much better account of themselves upon their splendid horses, in which they took great pride, and very reluctantly did they abandon
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their steeds. During this interval the Federals were also maneuvering. Some of King's men and the Fourth Missouri State Militia were moved out upon the Fayetteville road, and then to the north of that thoroughfare, in the southwest quarter of town. The Seventy-second regiment of militia was also up from the public square to the Fayetteville road, for General Brown was now fully convinced that an attack was to be made in that quarter. As the troops were hurried from one part of town to another there was a great deal of galloping about on the part of officers and loud commands to the troops as they were shifted about in "double-quick" time. The route from the main part of town to Fort No. I was also thronged with fugitives tramping back and forth from their homes carrying over their most valuable articles for safety. Lieutenant Creighton was in charge of the arsenal pro- per and he issued muskets to many Union citizens organized by Doctor Melcher, who were willing to fight in defense of the town and who had asked for arms. But every man who had an order for a gun had to sign a receipt for it when it was given him. This proceeding required so much time that Captain Mc. Afee interfered. drove Creighton away, after which he gave guns to those who asked for them as fast as he could hand them out. He was of the opinion that with a dangerous foe thundering at the gates of the town and people clamoring for a chance to defend them it was a time to dispense with all red-tape proceedings.
GENERAL BROWN IS WOUNDED.
General Brown was shot from his horse about three o'clock in the afternoon, while at the corner of South and State streets, while standing there with some of his staff, having ridden out for the purpose of encourag- ing his men. His arm was broken above the elbow, and later a piece of bone was taken out. He immediately went to the rear and Doctor Melcher dressed his arm and saved it from amputation, the operation being counted one of the most skillful in the surgical annals of the war. By a written order he at once turned over the command of the Federal troops engaged in defending the town to Colonel Crabb. However, he did not leave the service until several months later, and commanded the forces sent against Joe Shelby in his raid the following autumn. Most of the Union officers and men alike had little faith in General Brown's military ability or courage as a fighter. but the Confederates gave him great credit for courage and good conduct at the battle of Springfield. After the war Major Edwards, in his book entitled "Shelby and His Men," said of him, in part, as follows :
General Brown made a splendid fight for his town, and exhibited con- spicuous courage and ability. He rode the entire length of Shelby's brigade, under a severe fire, clad in bold regimentals, elegantly mounted and ahead
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of all, so that the fire might be concentrated on him. It was reckless bravado, but General Brown gained by one bold dash the admiration and respect of Shelby's soldiers. As he rode along the front of the brigade two hundred voices were heard above the crashing muskets, "Cease firing- don't shoot that man-let him go-let him go." I take pleasure in paying this tribute to a brave and generous officer.
WHEN THE FIGHTING IS FIERCEST.
The dismounted Confederate troops began moving around to the south- west part of town about two o'clock in the afternoon. One of the guns of Collins' battery was also sent to that quarter, took up a position a little to the west of Market street and opened on the Seventy-second Infantry in its front with grape and canister. Previously Lieutenant-Colonel Jones, of the Seventy-second, had made a reconnoissance down in the brush by the Fay- etteville road but found no enemy. Now Collins' second gun was brought up and placed near the first. It was about two-thirty o'clock when the battle began in earnest, the Confederates advancing from the south towards the north and northwest, coming up the little valley at the foot of South and Campbell streets, and sweeping over the ground to the westward. A group of houses in that vicinity was called "Dutchtown," and the invaders soon passed through this quarter, taking the houses and their out-buildings for shelter as they advanced upon the stockaded college building, which had been inadvertently left unguarded, and captured it without losing a man, beating down and driving backward the Seventy-second Infantry, pushing on slowly from house to house, from street to street until the Seventy- second was forced back to College street, running west from the public square, and they were along West Walnut street. A portion of Jeans' regi- ment, under Gilkey, and some of Gordon's troops, in front of Fort No. 4, which they intended storming, when a good opportunity offered, but Lieu- tenant Hoffman's gunners served their old iron cannon so vigorously, and the "Quinine Brigade" kept up such a continuous musket fire that all at- tempts to assault the fort was given up, and the Confederates drifted west- ward and over about the old cemetery, about which some of the hardest fighting of the day took place. Fort No. 4 kept up an incessant fire, as did its supports also, and Sheppard and Jones rallied the Seventy-second regi- ment and advanced against the enemy, driving them across and a little to the south of Mt. Vernon street. At the same time a squad of volunteers among the convalescents hurried from the arsenal to the corner of Market and Mt. Vernon streets and took possession of the Toney residence, from which point of vantage they opened on the Confederates in front. The house was riddled with bullets and nine of the convalescents were found
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weltering in their blood about this dwelling when the fight was over. Many dead of both sides were also found lying about the vacant lot just cast of the Toney residence.
For more than an hour lively skirmishing was kept up between Shelby's troops-Gordon's and Thompson's regiments-and Sheppard's Seventy-sec- ond Infantry and the convalescents, and finally about four o'clock five com- panies of the Eighteenth lowa Infantry came up from Fort No. I and went into position along the Fayetteville road, and opened a galling fire on the enemy in that quarter. Three times a detachment of Shelby's troops, who were trying to get a position to the right or west of the Federal line, were charged and driven back by the cavalry on that flank which had been sta- tioned there early in the day to prevent the turning of the Federal right. Meanwhile Marmaduke's men in the stockade poured a murderous fire at every blue coat within range, and an attempt to drive them out was soon abandoned, the officers seeing that it would be a useless waste of life.
In Fort No. I were two six-pound brass field pieces, one of which was manned and supported by detachments from the Eighteenth Iowa, under Capts. John A. Landis. William R. Blue and Joseph Van Meter, and had been brought over to strengthen the Federal right just before the Confed- erates made their grand charge. and it went into position on State street, a little cast of Campbell, and to the cast and south of the cemetery, and opened with canister on Shelby's brigade. It had no sooner done so than a battalion of Gilkey's men. under Maj. John Bowman and a part of Gordon's regiment. under Captain Titsworth, started straight for this gun, bent on its capture at any cost, and after a short but hard fight hauled it away in triumph. having driven back its supporters to the fort. through and beyond the cemetery. Here occurred the severest conflict of the day. Major Bow- man dashed up and ordered Captain Landis to surrender ; the latter refused and ordered Bowman to surrender. The major instantly fired, the ball tak- ing off the captain's shoulder strap. But simultaneously a shot from Landis' revolver struck Major Bowman just below the heart. A fierce fight followed, in which Captains Blue and Van Meter were mortally wounded, several of their men killed, and Captain Landis and a score of Iowans were wounded severely. while Marmaduke lost Captain Titsworth, Lieutenant Buffington and Lieutenant McCoy, five men killed and twenty wounded, including Lieut. Maurice Langhorne. The gunner, with the primers of the piece in his possession, ran to the rear, thus preventing the enemy from using the cannon for some time, and it was hauled off to the rear by hand. When the Confederates started on the charge some of the Iowa troops remarked that they should get away as quickly as possible or they would be captured by the wearers of the gray. At this Captains Blue and Van Meter at once drew their revolvers and threatened to shoot the first men who started to retreat, and
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