Dunklin County, Missouri - Chapter 4: The Civil Avar, 1896

took largely of the character of a guerrilla or partisan warfare, and with two or three exceptions there were no regularly planned and executed campaigns by regular troops. At the beginning most of the inhabitants of this portion of the country were desirous of preserving the Union, but at the same time opposed to the coercion of the seceding States. When, however, the alternative of union or disunion was presented, the majority of the counties of Missouri went with the South. Dunklin, with the majority, supported the *' State Guards," which by act of the Legislature was organized in May, 1861.

The Governor of Missouri appointed N. W. Watkins, Brigadier-General, to command the First Military District, which embraced Southeast Missouri.

Gen. Watkins soon tendered his resignation, which was accepted. His successor was Gen. Jeff. Thompson. Upon assuming command he issued the following proclamatory call: -

'* Havinor been elected to command the fifallant sons of the First Military District of Missouri in the second War for Independence, I appeal to all whose hearts are with us to immediately take the field. By a speedy and simultaneous assault on our foes we can, like a hurricane, scatter them to the winds, while tardy action, like the gentle South wind, will only meet with Northern frosts, and advance and recede, and, like the seasons, will be like the history of the war, and will last forever. Come now! Strike while the iron is hot! Our enemies are whipped in Virginia. They have been whipped in Missouri; Gen. Hardee advances in the center. Gen. Pillow on the right. Gen. McCuUoch on the left with 20,000 brave Southern hearts to our aid ; so leave your plow in the furrow, your ox to the yoke, and rush like a tornado upon our invaders and foes to sweep them from the face of the earth, or force them from the soil of the State.

*< Brave sons of the First District, come and join us ! We have plenty of ammunition and the cattle on 10,000 hills are ours. We have 40,000 Belgian muskets coming, but bring your guns and muskets with you if you have them, if not come without them. We will strike our foes like a Southern thunderbolt, and soon our camp fires will illuminate the Meramec and Missouri.

Early in 1861 a regiment was organized in Dunklin County for the State Guard's service. James A. Walker was elected Colonel, and D. Y. Pankey, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Birth Right, Major.

Eldricige, Lee Taylor, A. J. Dooley, W. P. Jones and Taylor Pickard. The regiment was organized at Clarkton, and after spending some time in drilling, joined Gen. Thompson's force and were in the fight at Fredericktown. Gen. Thompson, with his State Guards, entered upon an active warfare, and while they did not do any serious damage to the Union army succeeded in drawing the attention of a considerable force. On August 11, 1861, a detachment dashed into the valley of Hemburg, Scott Co., where there was a small body of Home Guards. Killed one man, wounded five andcaptured thirteen.

On August 20, 1861, Col. Jason H. Hunter was sent out to develop the Unionists in the vicinity of Bird's Point. At Charleston he met Col. Dougherty with the Twenty-second Illinois Infantry, and engaged them in a skirmish in the town, but was driven back in confusion. When he returned to camp. Hunter was placed under arrest by Gen. Thompson for disobeying orders, his instructions having been not to engage the enemy. Gen. Thompson's men numbered about 3,000, about 800 of whom were Dunklinites.

In October, Gen. Thompson with his entire force marched northward to Fredericktown, followed by a considerable force of Union men under Col. J. B. Plumer from Cape Girardeau. Before the arrival of Plumer, Thompson left Fredericktown, and it was thought by the citizens of the town that he was in full retreat, and they so informed his pursuers.

in full force ; they had faced about and awaited the approach of the enemy. During the fight that ensued neither side suffered serious loss. Gen. Thompson was driven back and retreated in safety to Greenville.

Meanwhile the Union forces had not remained idle. July 17, 1861, B. Gratz Brown, with a regiment of three-months' volunteers, was ordered to take possession of Pilot Knob, where he remained until August 8th, when he was relieved by Gen. U. S. Grant, with his Twenty -first Illinois regiment. Gen. Grant at once prepared to take the offensive against Hardee, at Greenville, but when ready to begin active operation, he was relieved by Gen. B. M. Prentiss.

About September 1st, Gen. Grant was appointed to the command of the district of Southeast Missouri, which also included Southern Illinois. He established temporary headquarters at Cape Girardeau, but a few days later removed to Cairo, Illinois.

By order of the Department Commander he was first to take command of a combined expedition from Cairo, Bird's Point and Ironton for the capture of »Ieff. Thompson. Gen. Prentiss had been ordered to move from Ironton to Cape Girardeau, and the forces at Cairo were to be ready to drop down the river to Belmont and march westward from that point. When Gen. Prentiss reached Jackson, he found orders from Grant to halt his troops there, but disregarding them he pushed on to Cape Girardeau, where he was met by Grant, who ordered him to return his men to Jackson at once. Prentiss believed himself the ranking officer, and feeling much aggrieved at being placed under one whom he considered his junior, he left his command when he had counter-marched them to Jackson, and went to St. Louis. This put an end to the expedition against Thompson.

After the campaign at Fredericktown the regiment from Dunklin County returned to New Madrid, and at the end of six months was mustered out. Meanwhile Gen. Grant, who was stationed at Cairo, had by November 1, 1861, an army of 20,000 Union soldiers fairly well drilled but entirely unexperienced in war.

Gen. Grant divided his men, dispatching Col. Oglesby from Bird's Point with a force of nearly 3,000 men in pursuit of an equally large number of Confederates, who were reported to be on St. Francois River about fifty miles to the west. On November 5, Grant received a teleojram from St. Louis informinor him that the enemy were reinforcing Price from Columbia by way of White River, and directing him if possible to prevent it. Now Col. W. H. L. Wallace was sent to overtake and reinforce Oglesby, and to change the direction of the expedition to New Madrid. Gen. C. F. Smith was ordered to make a demonstration on Columbus from Paducah. Gen. Grant with his remaining 3,000 men dropped down the river on steamers convoyed by two gunboats to within six miles of Columbus.

Learning early the next morning that the Confederates were crossing troops to Belmont to reinforce the camp at that place, Grant pushed down the river and an hour after daybreak was landing his troops on the west bank about a mile above Belmont. By 8 o'clock two companies from each regiment were thrown forward, as skirmishers, and soon met the enemy. The engagement soon became general and histed for about four hours. Finally the Confederates fell back and took refuge belovv the river bank. The Union men wasted their time by plundering the deserted tents of the Confederates, thereby forfeiting an opportunity to secure a signal victory. During this time the Confederates dispatched two boat loads of reinforcements from Columbus.

Gen. Grant was powerless to control his men until they found themselves in danger of being cut off from retreat ; they then formed in line and started for their boats, which they reached with but little resistance from the enemy.

In 1862, the first important movement in Dunklin County was that made by Col. Edd Daniels in May, with the First Wisconsin regiment. On oeing defeated in a fight at Chalk Bluff, Ark., with Col. W. L. Jeffers, a Confederate oflScer, Daniels pushed down through this county and captured the steamer Daniel E. Miller, at Hornersville.

October 29, 1862, there was a skirmish at Clarkton, between the Second Illinois Cavalry from New Madrid, Rogers Battery from Columbus, and Col. Henry E. Clark. The former captured about sixty men and over sixty horses and then retreated.

From this time until the close of the war, there were no regular organized troops from Dunklin County except those allied with Col. Solomon G. Kitchens, who recruited a regiment in the spring of 1862, in Stoddard County. Jesse Ellison was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and Capt. Walker of this county, Major, also Dr. Linamood was Captain of a Company from Hornersville. These all joined Gen. Price in his operations against Steel in Southern Arkansas, and remained with him until surrendered at Jacksonport, Ark., on June 5, 1865.

Several merciless guerrilla bands operated in the southern part of Missouri led by such men as Pope Conyers, Timothy Reeves, Hilderbrandt and the Bowlins.