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 40
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103
When General Curtis then in command of the military forces for the Union in Missouri received news of the battle of Springfield, he sent the following dispatch to General Brown:
Headquarters, Etc., St. Louis, Jan. 12, 1863.
To Brig .- Gen. E. B. Brown-Dispatch of the IIth, via Sedalia, received. Your gallant and successful defense of Springfield has added to the glory of
300
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
the 8th of January. The troops and the people of Springfield who par- ticipated in your efforts have given imperishable proof of their loyal devo- tion to our cause and country, and the state of Missouri will ever cherish your memory. S. R. CURTIS, Major-General.
Upon receipt of the news of the attempted capture of Springfield the Federal authorities awoke to the necessity of properly protecting this im- portant post, the base of their supplies. General Herron himself came up from AArkansas a few days after the fight and made plans for the future safety of the place. When news of the battle reached the army in Arkansas on the 10th, the Second Brigade. First Division of the Army of the Fron- tier, was at once set in motion, Springfield being its destination. This brigade was commanded by Col. William F. Cloud of the Second Kansas Cavalry and was composed of that regiment, the Tenth and Thirteenth Kan- sas and Rabb's Second Indiana Battery. The brigade started from near Elm Springs and by a hard forced march reached Springfield on the 13th. The Seventh Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, commanded by Col. John F. Phillips, joined Colonel Cloud at Cassville and came on with the advance, the march from that place was made without stopping but once.
After the arrival of re-inforcements the citizens of Greene county took up the peaceful pursuits of life again and civil law came into dominion so far as regarding the civil rights of the people. In a short time the courts were in session and a number of cases growing out of the Civil war were disposed of. During the Confederate occupancy of Springfield, many of the Union citizens of the county had their property taken by the Confeder- ates, some of whom were also citizens of this county and owned property. Certain other Unionists were arrested by the Greene county Confederates who were acting in obedience to orders of their superior officers. When the Confederate army left Greene county, some under Campbell, Lotspeich and others left with it, and after the Federal authority was restored, suit was in- stituted against them by some of the Unionists living here whom they had ar- rested or whose property they had taken for military purposes. As personal service could not be had, notice of these suits was given by publication in the newspapers, which of course the defendants never saw until long after judg- ment had been rendered by default and execution issued and served, and their property levied on and sold.
CONFEDERATES RESENT PROCEEDINGS.
The Confederates always claimed that these proceedings against them were unjust and unfair, inasmuch as they were carried on during their absence when they were prevented from appearing in their own defense and
367
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
that when executions were levied on their property it was sold ridiculously low and without regard to propriety. After the war all prosecutions grow- ing out of the military acts of either army were dismissed and forever barred by special act of the Legislature.
Col. Benjamin Crabb, of the Nineteenth Iowa Infantry, was relieved from command of the post at Springfield in February, 1863, and was suc- ceeded by Col. Thomas M. Bowen, of the Thirteenth Kansas Infantry. He eventually became United States senator from Colorado. His administra- tion of the affairs at Springfield did not give general satisfaction, prin- cipally because he allowed his troops to do too much foraging in which he seemed unwilling or unable to control them.
About this time small-pox broke out in Springfield which caused con- siderable excitement, but the disease was prevented from invading the camps of the soldiers.
The Army of the Frontier during February and March was scattered over southwestern Missouri. General Blunt's command of Kansas troops, principally, was stationed in Lawrence county a short distance from Greene. Owing to a great scarcity of forage a wide distribution of the troops was necessary. Everywhere the farmers were called upon to feed the troops and their horses. Citizens from Christian county reported to the commander at Springfield that the Union soldiers were exterminating the hogs in that county, killing them whenever they could find them and carrying them off, contrary to orders. There was little excuse for this lawlessness, for the government provided well for the soldiers in this locality and the citizens had no right to expect that they would be plundered by the troops sent to protect them. By March Ist, the Eighth Missouri Cavalry Volunteers, largely composed of Greene county men, was stationed at Finley, about thirty miles from Springfield. The scarcity of forage and the continued hard scouting required of the men had reduced the number of horses to an average of twenty-five to the company. There was great complaint of the want of discipline in the command. Colonel Geiger was absent from the regiment, in command of the Second Brigade of General Herron's Division. Lieu- tenant-colonel Baldwin was under arrest for having some Confederate prisoners who had violated their paroles taken out and shot without a trial. Major Lisenby was at Springfield the greater portion of the time and Major Rich commanded the regiment.
Long forage trains were often sent up and down the country as far north as Pettis county by the commanders of the posts in southwest Missouri. Joseph Gott was the chief forage-master at Springfield. He made several trips and never lost a train. However, about the middle of February a for- age train belonging to the Eighth Missouri State Militia, then stationed in Newton county was captured by a scouting party of Confederates, supposed
308
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
to be under Standwaite and Jackman and some of the guards killed. A force of cavalry was sent out from Springfield to assist in the capture of those who attacked the train, but returned without accomplishing anything.
An officer of an lowa regiment, who, disguised as a Confederate, in- duced Ali. Bolen to come into a house and get breakfast near the Arkansas line, in February, and, while seated at the table the officer killed Bolen. The latter was a desperate guerrilla and bushwhacker and was a terror to the U'nion citizens living in the southern part of Greene county, as well as those of Christian. Taney and Stone. He had killed many men, one of his most atrocious murders being committed in the fall of 1861 when he cut off the ears of a man named Budd, seventy years of age, and tortured him in Indian fashion before finally killing him with a revolver. He was hated by both the Confederates and Federals. The other most atrocious crime was taking Ishan Day a prisoner, tying a rope around his neck and tying rocks to the rope and throwing him into White river and drowning him.
Times were very hard all over southwestern Missouri during the spring of 1863. There were many vicious and unprincipled Federal soldiers who delighted in preying upon the Confederate sympathizers, and the lot of many Union families was but little better. Persons who, up to this time, had struggled bravely to help themselves, now gave up in despair and desperation. Gangs of women and children daily concentrated at the military posts and at the little towns looking for bread which they could find no longer in their own desolated homes. Many of the men had enlisted in the Federal army, in the Twenty-fourth Missouri, in the Eighth Missouri Cavalry. the Sixth Missouri, the Fourteenth Missouri State Militia and the First Arkansas, which regiments were chiefly recruited in Greene and other counties of this part of the state and hundreds were in the enrolled Missouri militia, and many of the families of these men were in absolute want, for the Federal government had not paid its soldiers in this quarter for months and no money could be obtained from their natural protectors or honorably earned. In perhaps still more wretched plight were the families of Confederate soldiers. Hundreds of women refugees swarmed about Springfield and other posts of importance and became abandoned and depraved, více of all sorts prevailing. Homeless wanderers were strolling about begging for food, clothing and shelter. Fortunately the winter was not severe or there would have been the most intense suffering. Many passed night after night out in the open.
A PROVISIONAL REGIMENT ORGANIZED.
In various parts of Missouri the organization of provisional regiments was begun in February, 1863. It was believed that the crisis calling for :the general arming of the. people of the state had passed, and Governor
369
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
Gamble decided to begin the organization of the various military districts of a picked force of men, to be detailed from the enrolled militia for perma- nent service and to consist of those who could the most easily be spared from their ordinary vocations. Greene county was in the fourth military district and in this district two regiments of provisional militia were formed, the Sixth and the Seventh, each regiment consisting of twelve companies and organized as a regiment of cavalry. The colonel, lieutenant-colonel, three majors, the adjutant and other officers of the Sixth regiment were mainly from Greene county, as were three of the companies as follows :
First colonel, Henry Sheppard, formerly of the Seventy-second Enrolled Missouri Militia, commissioned April 1, 1863, resigned the following Octo- ber. Second colonel, F. S. Jones, commissioned October 5, 1863, resigned January 22, 186.4. Majors, John Hornbeak, R. K. Hart, and John Small. Adjutant, J. W. Mack. Quartermaster, W. P. Davis. Assistant Surgeon, Philip M. Slaughter.
Company A-This company was detailed from the Seventy-fourth En- rolled Missouri Militia, Col. Marcus Boyd's regiment. Its officers were, first captain. John Small, promoted to major. October 5, 1863. Second captain, R. M. Hayter, commissioned October 5. 1863. First lieutenant, Isaac P. Julian; second, Lazarus J. Phillips ; third. Samuel Harshbarger. First second lieutenant, Lazarus J. Phillips : second, Samuel Harshbarger ; third. Preston Gilmore.
Company E-This company was detailed from the Seventy-second En- rolled Missouri Militia. All the officers were commissioned April 15, 1863. Capt. Samuel W. Headlee : first lieutenant. Bryan Winfield; second lieuten- ant, Samuel B. Rainey.
Company H-This company was detailed from the Seventy-second regi- ment Enrolled Missouri Militia. Some of its members were from Christian county. Roswell K. Hart was the first captain : William McCullah, second captain : Isham W. Faught, first lieutenant : O. P. Cates, first, second lieu- tenant ; John A. Gideon, second, second lieutenant.
During the months of April and May. 1863, many of the Greene county men who were in the Confederate service made raids into the southern counties of Missouri and visited their homes. Sometimes the raids resulted in no special damage, but now and then blood was shed. In May, Will Fulbright. a well known young man about Springfield and a member of the Fulbright family here, returned to the county with a dozen of his com- panions. The object of their raid into Greene county has never been defi- nitely known. The party reached the county in safety and went into camp on the James river. A Union citizen discovered them and reported their presence to the enrolled militia of the neighborhood, a squad of whom was
(24)
370
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
soon organized and were in search of the raiders. Coming upon them with- out warning they were soon routed by the militia and in the melee Fulbright was shot and killed. It was reported that he was ill and his comrades had merely accompanied him home where he could get proper medical attention, that no raid was intended, and that Fulbright was shot after he had signified his willingness to surrender. The truth of the matter will never be known.
There being armed soldiers all over the state of Missouri during the autumn of 1863, it was feared that in many quarters they would attempt to influence the election of that fall by intimidation of voters. Major-Gen- eral Schofield, commander of the department in which Missouri was situated took steps to prevent this and issued the following order:
Headquarters Department of Missouri, St. Louis, Mo .. September 18, 1863. General Order No. 101.
The right of the people to peacefully assemble for all lawful purposes, and the right to freely express their will at the polls according to law, are essential in civil liberty. No interference with these rights, either by violence, threats, intimidation or otherwise will be tolerated.
Any commissioned officer who shall incite or encourage any interference with any lawful assemblage of the people, or who shall fail to do his utmost to prevent such interference shall be dismissed from the service and any officer, soldier or civilian, who shall, by violence. threats or otherwise, actually interfere with any such lawful assemblage of the people, shall be punished by imprisonment or otherwise at the discretion of a court martial or military commission.
Any officer, soldier, civilian, who shall attempt to intimidate any quali- fied voter in the exercise of his right to vote, or who shall attempt to pre- vent any qualified voter from going to the polls or voting, shall be punished by imprisonment or otherwise at the discretion of a court martial or military commission.
Special attention is called to the fifth article of war, which will be ap- plied to commisisoned officers of Missouri militia not in active service, as well as the officers and soldiers in actual service.
By command of MAJOR-GENERAL SCHOFIELD. C. W. Marsh. Assistant Adjutant General.
After the election the returns from many of the military companies of Greene county were rejected for irregularities. However, this was not true of Company E, Sixth Provisional Regiment, and three companies of the. Twenty-fourth Missouri Infantry.
37I
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
FEDERAL TROOPS ORGANIZED AT SPRINGFIELD.
A number of companies and regiments for the Federal service was organized during the winter of 1863-4 at Springfield. The able-bodied men of the county had learned before this that they might expect to be in active service the greater portion of the time if they remained at their homes as militia men. This being the case many preferred to enter the regular service of the United States. They did not feel safe at home where there was little peace. Even a number of Confederate sympathizers entered the regular service of the United States as a choice between two evils, for their existence at home was more precarious than the Unionists.
Among the military organizations perfected at Springfield during this period were three batteries of the Second Missouri Artillery Regiment. They were known as Batteries H. I and K, and were commanded respectively at the first by Capt. W. C. Montgomery, Capt. S. H. Julian and Capt. W. P. Davis. Montgomery and Julian commanded their batteries through the war; David died and was succeeded by Ephraim Confare, who resigned in June, 1864, and then Edward S. Rowland became captain. As these batteries were composed partly of Greene county men and were organized here, a brief history of each is not deemed inappropriate in these pages.
Battery H was organized as a company of heavy artillery at Springfield, December 4, 1863, and left Springfield February 3, 1864, proceeded by way of Rolla and St. Louis to New Madrid, Missouri. It was commanded by Capt. W. C. Montgomery. On April 27, 1864, it was ordered to Cape Girardeau, this state, and remained there until May 3rd of that year, when it was ordered to St. Louis to be equipped as a battery of field artillery and it reached that city May 8th, where it remained until September 2Ist. following, then was sent to Pilot Knob, Missouri, and took part in the battle at that place a week later on September 26th and 27th. It lost traveling forge, battery wagon, baggage wagon, eighteen mules and twelve horses, then abandoned caissons and camp property and marched to Leesburg, on the Pacific rail- road, some seventy-five miles away, took part in the engagement at that place. September 30th. Remaining there until October 5, 1864. it left for Rolla, Missouri, and three days later was ordered with a division of cavalry in pursuit of General Price. The battery was engaged several days with the enemy at Russellville, California, and Boonville, Missouri. On October 17th, it marched to Lexington and then towards Independence, near Kansas City, coming up with the enemy in the suburbs of the former town, took position at once, fired twelve rounds, when the Confederates retreated. The follow- ing night the battery left Independence with General McNeil's command on the Little Santa Fe road. It was engaged in the battle of the Big Blue and
372
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
it pursued the enemy towards Fort Scott, Kansas, and was engaged at Marais-des-Cygnes and Osage river, after which it went into Fort Scott for rations and forage. - One section of the battery under command of Lieutenant Smiley, marched with General Sanborn's brigade on October 27th to Newtonia, Missouri, and was engaged with the Confederates at that place. The remaining section, under command of Captain Montgomery, returned to Warrensburg, Missouri, a distance of ninety-three miles, as part of an escort to prisoners and captured property. Then it was ordered to St. Louis again, where it was joined by Lieutenant Smiley's section. During the raid of General Price in Missouri of that year this battery marched about twelve hundred miles and expended seventeen hundred rounds of ammuni- tion. It lost four men killed, ten captured, three missing and six wounded; twenty-five horses were killed and fifteen captured. By January 1, 1865, this company was in winter quarters at Franklin, Missouri, where it remained until June with following, when, in accordance with instructions from the headquarters of the army, it was mounted and equipped as cavalry, and, with other batteries of the regiment, ordered to Omaha, Nebraska, where it arrived June 20th and remained until July 1, 1865, when it left as a portion of the right column, Powder river Indian expedition. During the various engagements on Powder river with the Indians, this company lost three men killed. It returned to St. Louis, November 11th, and was mustered out of service. November 20. 1865.
Battery I was organized in Springfield, December 28. 1863. as a com- pany of heavy artillery. It left Springfield. February 3, 1864, and proceeded to New Madrid, this state, by way of Rolla and St. Louis to be equipped as a light battery. It remained at St. Louis until October 4, 1864. when it was sent to Franklin, Missouri, and attached to Brigadier-general Pike's division of the Enrolled Missouri Militia, then went to Washington and Hermann, arriving there October 25th. The battery was ordered to St. Louis, Novem- ber 9. 1864, then sent to Paducah, Kentucky, where it remained until Novem- ber 27th, when it left there and was a part of Major-General Smith's Division Sixteenth Army Corps. While on a scout on foot in Osceola county, Arkan- sas. April 7, 1864, a detachment of this battery under Lieut. Lazarus J. Phillips, was surrounded in a swamp and surprised by a stronger force of Confederates and a hard fight occurred in which Lieutenant Phillips, Serg- eant Hanley and five privates of this battery were killed. However, the South- erners were defeated with a severer loss. In December, 1864, the battery was ordered to Tennessee and guarded the rear of the Union army when it fell back from Franklin to Nashville. During the three days' battle at the latter place. December 15th and 16th, it was actively engaged during the last two days, during which it fired twenty-two thousand pounds of ammunition ; lost five men wounded, ten horses killed, and had every gun struck repeatedly.
373
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
It followed the army in pursuit of General Hood as far south as the Tennes- see river and for a time was stationed at Eastport. It was stationed at Jacksonville, Tennessee, January 1, 1865, where it did garrison duty until the latter part of June of that year when it was ordered to St. Louis and was mustered out of service, August 23, 1865.
Battery K was organized in Springfield, January 14, 1864, as a com- pany of heavy artillery. On February 3rd of that year it proceeded to New Madrid, Missouri, where it remained until May 7th, when it was sent to Cape Girardeau and from there to St. Louis, May 10th to be equipped as a battery of light artillery. It remained in St. Louis until October II, 1864, when it embarked on the steamer Stephen Decatur, and proceeded to Jefferson City, this state, and it left there October 19th over the Pacific railroad to Lamine bridge, where it was stationed until November 15, 1864, when it was ordered to Franklin. Missouri, to go into winter quarters and there it remained until June II, 1865, when it was mounted and equipped as a cavalry and ordered to join other companies of the regiment at Omaha, Nebraska, where it arrived June 20th. Leaving there July Ist, it served as a portion of the right column, Powder river Indian expedition, and in engagements with the Indians on Powder river on September Ist and 5th, this company lost five men killed. It was ordered back to St. Louis November 11th and was mustered out of service November 25, 1865.
The organization of the Second Arkansas Cavalry was completed at Springfield, in March, 1864, having been recruited the previous winter and fall at Springfield, Cassville and other points in the southwest. Col. John E. Phelps, a Greene county man, who finally was promoted to a brevet brigadier- general, and who was a son of Hon. John S. Phelps, was commissioned colonel of the regiment on March 18th. Young Phelps had seen almost con- tinuous service from the day of the battle of Wilson's Creek to the day he was assigned to this regiment. Among the other Greene county men in this regiment were Pleasant G. Potter, regimental commissary and the following members of Company A : William D. Moore, second lieutenant ; privates, James M. Mills, William McElhaney, John Mills, Anthony Myers and James M. Beall. Company E, privates. Samuel Gwinn and Peyton Gwinn. Com- pany F. private John F. G. Cleburne. Company M, Capt. G. W. Moore, Second Lieut. James P. Phillips, Sergt. George W. Moore, Second Lieut. James P. Phillips, Sergt. George W. Moore, private Rufus Alredge, sutler, J. L. French. The Second Arkansas Regiment was mainly composed of the men of that state who had remained Union in sentiment and had either escaped the Confederate conscription laws or deserted the Confederate army. They lived principally in northwestern Arkansas and were known locally as "Mountain Feds." The regiment was in many minor engagements in
374
GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI.
Arkansas and all of the important battles of Price's raid and was finally mustered out of service August 20, 1865.
As the Second Arkansas Regiment was preparing to leave Springfield for service at the front, the women of the city presented Col. John E. Phelps with a beautiful sword and at the same time they presented an elegant ban- Her to the regiment. The standard has been very carefully preserved in the capital buikling at Little Rock for many years.
The Sixth Provisional Regiment of militia was organized in August. 1863. by order of the commander-in-chief of the Sixteenth Regiment of Cavalry. Missouri Volunteers. Many of the members of this regiment were Greene county men. Its colonel was John F. McMahan ; lieutenant-colonel. Roswell K. Hart, and its last three majors were John B. Waddill, John Small and James L. Rush. The regiment was composed of twelve com- panies, with an aggregate of more than eleven hundred men. It was mus- tered into the service of the United States in August, 1864, to date back to November 1. 1863. Lieut .- Col. John F. McMahan, who was later colonel,
commanded the regiment from the first. The various companies were sta- tioned in Greene, Christian, Douglas, Ozark. Webster, Laclede and Texas counties. These companies did much to exterminate bushwhackers and re- store quiet in this part of the state. During the latter part of 1864 this regiment composed a part of General Sanborn's command and participated in the pursuit of General Price and bore an honorable part in every engage- ment from Jefferson City until the Confederates were driven from the state. It was in the advance at the battles of Boonville, on the extreme right of the advance at Independence and also at the battle of the Big Blue, where it made a brilliant saber charge upon an overwhelming number of the enemy, at that time falling back from Westport. After Price left Missouri with his army, the regiment returned to the southwestern part of the state and was judiciously distributed in the counties named above, for the purpose of suppressing lawlessness and preserving order. Company K, in Texas county, was very valuable to that section of the state, operating against the maraud- ers that infested the Rolla district and the line of communication between Rolla and Springfield, killing about fifty of the most desperate outlaws and driving out many more. The entire regiment was mustered out of service July 1. 1865.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.