Linn County, Missouri - Chapter 4, 1912

The Era of Prosperity - Development of Schools and Churches - Death of Senator Linn - Presidential Election of 1844 - Shadow of the Mexican War - Call for Volunteers - Quick Response from Linn County - Incidents of the Campaign in Netv Mexico - A Veteran's Interesting Narrative^ - The Enemy Burned American Soldiers - Grim Retaliation by the U. S. Forces Under Sterling Price - List of Linn County Veterans in War of 1846 - The Rush to the Gold Lands - More Wealth in Missouri than ivas Found in California.

From the year 1840 dates the most material progress of Linn County. In an election taken two years before, 168 votes were cast. The voting population was possibly somewhat in excess of that number. There had been some advancement along all lines of endeavor, but from 1840 on the development of the county was more systematic. Schools and churches were established in all the settlements and considerable attention given to the improvement of the highways.

In 1843 occurred the death of Senator Lewis F. Linn, for whom Linn county and its county seat had been named. The Senator died at Ste. Genevieve. The general assembly appropriated $900 for a monument to his memory.

The presidential election of 1844 caused much excitement through the country. Texas had knocked at the door of the United States for admission, and was accepted by an act passed March 1, 1845, the admission into the Union to take effect December 29, 1845. Mexico, strongly averse to losing this great domain, appealed to the sword. United States troops hurried to the Eio Grande. Volunteers from Linn, Boone, Chariton, Carroll, Livingston, Randolph and Monroe counties in Missouri, rushed to the nation's standard in response to a call made by Governor Edwards in May, 1846. Sterling Price, who afterwards became a noted Confederate leader in the Civil war, resigned his seat in congress and was given a colonel's commission by President Polk, with authority to raise a regiment to reinforce the Army of the West. The volunteers concentrated at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., in August, where an election by the troops endorsed Sterling Price's com- mission as colonel and D. D. Mitchell was chosen lieutenant-colonel. The Missouri troops proceeded to Santa Fe, arriving there September 28, 1846. New Mexico had recently been seized by the United States troops under General Kearney, and Santa Fe, the capital, was surrendered to them. So when the Missouri troops arrived the American flag floated over the citadel of that famous old town. Howard H. Eichardson, who is still living, was a member of Company 0, Missouri Volunteers. The Linn county volunteers composed Company N. A description of the campaigTi by Mr. Richardson, which was given to the writer not long ago, covers events in which the Linn county volunteers took part or witnessed.

"We were armed with old-fashioned flint-lock rifles," said Mr. Richardson. ' ' You pulled the trigger and the hammer came down mth a noise something like this - 'chwaek!' Then in a little while the powder ignited and went ' swang ! ' An ounce ball and three buckshot then began traveling over the hills himting for some gilt-spangled greaser. The country was full of Mexicans and their red-skinned allies. Neither were worth much as soldiers. The guns of the Mexicans were a great deal more ornamental than useful, and they didn't know how to shoot straight with them. The plan of campaign pursued by the enemy seemed to be to try to strike terror into the hearts of the people by all sorts of atrocities. You might call it a sort of guerrilla warfare.

"AYe were reconnoitering about 15 miles out of Santa Fe one day when our scouts came in and reported that 12 greasers had cauglit three detached Americans, and were burning them at the stake in Indian style. We had heard about that manner of fighting and were prepared for it. The main body rushed forward, and the terrible tale was only too well authenticated by the awful sight. We caught six of the torturers, but the balance got away. The prisoners were taken back to Santa Fe, and given a fair trial. Their guilt was established absolutely and they were sentenced to hang. They asked to have a priest, and I was appointed as one of their guards during the services attending the forgiveness of their sins. At the time of this ceremony a rope was around the neck of each of the condemned. I understand Spanish very well, but they talked in a tongue unknown to me. While the execution was pending word reached Colonel Price that 15,000 Mexicans were headed for town to rescue the prisoners and slay the garrison. If the information had any etfect on the commander he did not show it. Then Thuston, the interpreter, told Colonel Price tha»t certain parties - mentioning men of high degree - would pay $50,000 for the release

' ' ' Seiior Thuston, you tell those people that these prisoners killed and burned my men ; they have been fairly tried and sentenced to hang and hang they shall ! Your whole government hasn 't got money enough to buy them!'

' ' It was the first time I ever saw the Colonel real angry. His fine face actually blazed. There was no more talk of clemency. The execution was in the public square. When the condemned took their places on the scaffold one man looked piteously around and cried :

"The necks of five were broken by the drop. The knot slipped on the sixth one and Colonel Price directed Corporal Sam Eichardson, a St. Louis man, to fix it. Richardson gave the knot a twitch and said :

"In the ^^inter of 1846-47 the Mexicans who held Taos, up on the Rio Grande, fortified the place, and sent down a black flag. It was the government's object to hustle the Mexicans out of New Mexico as fast as possible and we went up there with 600 men and five cannon. The town was on a hillside and you had to cross the stream to get to it. There was a heavy snow on the ground and the soldiers had to walk ahead and tramp down a road for the cannon. The enemy garrisoned an adobe church and by a brisk fire held us back until we got our cannon in action. Colonel Price himself lent a hand at the gun wheels while getting them in position. He wore shoulder straps and a belt made out of buffalo hide. Mexican balls struck him three times that day on his accoutrement, but he stayed in the fight. The cannon soon knocked holes in the church and other buildings and the Americans went in mth a rush. The first man to enter was blown to pieces by a bomb, but the others followed closely, with bayonets and swords ready. The garrison was killed or scattered. It had initiated the black flag and did not ask quarter. That fight ended regular warfare in New Mexico, and our troops had no more battles. But we were busy for some time looking after guerrilla bands.

"In September, 1847, we started home, in obedience to orders, and while on thg way we encountered a provision train headed for the soldiers further south. Before meeting the train we had heard there was a teamster iu i1 who had been scalped and left for dead by the

Indians. The teamster had loitered off from the company to hunt and the Indians, who always hung around waiting for such chances, had promptly assailed the isolated man. When the caravan approached, Captain Jackson, our commander, rode up to the boss driver and asked :

"Then what do you think our captain did? Why, he got the boss driver to pull back the sldn on the poor fellow's head, and then propped him up in the wagon so all could see, and made us file slowly past.

"It was almost impossible for one or two men to get any distance from the camp without hearing an arrow whiz. Yet there wasn't a man in the troop w^ho was not always wildly anxious to try his luck by himself.

" 'I'll watch out. Captain,' an over-confident soldier would say; 'I just want to go across the hills there to hunt a little game. I'll divide with you.'

"But it was generally the red-skinned hunters who got the 'game,' for they were marvelous shots and cunning as death." RosTEK OF Volunteers From Linn County

Under the command of Col. Sterling Price was Capt. Thomas Barbee's mounted volunteers from Linn county. They were known as Company N, Second Eegiment of Missouri Mounted Volunteers. Following is a list of the officers and privates :

The greater number of these have passed into the beyond. They did their work as loyal soldiers and as faithful citizens. They were engaged in many exciting battles, and bore the United States banner aloft to victory. When the Linn countj' troopers returned they were given an ovation by the folks at home. There was a grand barbecue, speechmaking and a very happy day to all concerned.

With the close of the Mexican War the soldier threw away his sword and took up the plow. The next few years were busy and fruitful ones in Linn county. Missouri was filling up rapidly, towns were springing up everywhere and land was being industriously cultivated. Right in the midst of all this activity came the news of the discovery of gold in California. Linn county was just eleven years old when the workmen at Colonel Sutter's sawmill at Colma, California, in January, 1848, struck some curious stuff in the channel, which turned out to be gold. For a while an effort was made to keep the discovery hidden. Sutter began building a mill and a load of the ore was sent to Sacramento to be tested. The amazing result of the test was made known in San Francisco and from there the news spread all over the world, growing richer in color the further it traveled. This soon became the main topic of conversation in the nation. No legend from California was too wild to be believed. Men supposed that the hills and valleys were literally capped with gold, and that one might go out with pick and spade and enrich himself forever. The idea is not at all exaggerated. Mark Twain, who went west long after the gold excitement in 1849, tells how he separated himself from his old mining companions and hurried out into the hills to find a gold mine all by himself. He returned with his pockets laden with curious stuff that glittered and he complacently awaited the enthusiastic confirmation of his more experienced comrades.

They glanced' over the stuff, smiled contemptuously and said it was nothing but mica, not worth 10 cents a ton. Mark Twain's idea about gold in the West was pretty much shared by nine out of every ten men in those hopeful days of 1849.

It was a hard and dangerous journey to the gold coast. Insurance companies charged a stiff rate, more than they did on soldiers who went to war. For this reason the argonauts assembled themselves into bands or companies, elected a captain and lieutenants and traveled westward with all the precaution that military parties exercised in time of war. Oxen were used to haul the heavy wagons, with their precious freight of bacon, meal, beans, canned goods and ammunition. The further west the caravan traveled the greater the prices advanced on these commodities. If a caravan run out of supplies it cost a small fortune to renew them after getting west of St. Joseph. Some men made more money by selling provisions to the gold seekers than they would have made in mining. At the fords of streams the travelers had to pay toll to the man who claimed to own the crossing. At night regular sentinels would be put out to guard against surprises by hostile Indians and roving bands of bad men. The wagons would be located in a circle, with the horses and oxen in the center, forming a sort of fort to resist attacks.

From dawn to nightfall along the Linn county highway the whitewinged prairie schooners could be seen wending their way westwai'd. The men journeying with them were a hopeful lot. They were all going to mine gold and enrich themselves.

This great westward trek of the Americans in 1849 caused the real development of the western coast and the great country between. Although much gold was taken from California at the time, that was insignificant as compared with the immense good done in opening up the western country to civilization and settlement.

The sturdy race of men that had settled in Linn county caught the gold contagion as naturally as the sparks fly up. Human nature couldn't resist chasing such a rainbow as that which graced the gold coast. About 120 citizens of Linn county took part in this memorable pilgrimage. They had the same fortune that came to others with like ambitions. Some few died in the far west, others made fair strikes in California and returned with some of the precious metal for which they had sacrificed so much. The majority, perhaps, came back emptyhanded but in no sense discouraged, and went to work to build up Linn county. They found on her fruitful acres much greater gold mines than they had dreamed of in California.