Saline County, Missouri - Chapter 12: Presidential Campaign of 1860 Its Results and Effects - the Civil War, 1910 (part 2 of 2)

The number of men engaged on each side cannot now be accurately given, and never will be certainly known. Greeley's history of the war estimates Shelbv's forces at two thousand five hundred; Edwai'd*^' "Shelby and his Men" put it at eight hundred : General Shelby himself told the writer that he had fourteen hundred ; others of the Confederates say he had about nine hundred old soldiers and two hundred recruits, one-half of whom were armed and participated in the battle.

Edwards puts the number of Federals at eight thousand, half under Brown and half under Ewing; Colonel Lazear and Major Kelly say that the total Federal force did not exceed twelve hundred: other h>deral officers say it did not exceed one thousand, etc. This included two six-pound guns under Lieutenant Turber and Johnson's four four-pound guns. All of the Federals were Missouri militia.

After carefully examining the testimony on both sides, and desiring to state tlie truth without prejudice, it is altogether probable that the force under Shelbv that took part in the fight numbered about a thousand men - not many

Well it was for the Federals that General Shelby did not correctly estimate their number. He outfought Brown as it was. but he thought Ewing's forces were assisting in the attack, or he would have no doubt gained a complete victory. But either commander could have won great renown for himself had he been as well informed as he should have been. Shelby could have ridden over and through Brown's forces and escaped without the loss of a tin cup. and Brown could have completely broken up and dispersed or captured the most of the Confederates. It was the old, old case wherein the foresight was not equal to the aftersight.

After remaining in camp about three hours at the point on the bottom wdierein he destroyed his wagons, Shelby passed on to Waverly. reaching that place at about three in the morning and scarcely halting. He was so closely pressed while passing through this county that but few of his men whose homes were here had time or opportunity to visit them. Many of them rode bv the homes of old neighbors, but only had time to ride in ranks and shake them by the hand as they stood by the road side, arid ask hurriedly after friends and relatives. About fifty recruits were obtained in this county.

The Federals followed cautiously in Shelby's rear, the pursuing force being Phillips' Seventh Regiment. The command halted that night at the residence of Mr. Vanmeter, in the bottom.

Durine the fioht at Alarshall, a citizen named Mitchell had a cow. which had strayed between the lines of the contending forces. Wdiile and where the bullets flew thickest Mr. Mitchell went calmly down after his bossy, and not seemingly caring whether blue or gray was the color of the victors, drove her back to a place of safety, amid the storm of whistling bullets and screaming shell. Approaching the Federal line, he called out to the soldiers to "Stand back out of the way and let this blamed old cow pass." and the soldiers stood back accordingly, and Mitchell saved his cow.

A Mr. McCafferty had some choice pieces of bacon, which he was very anxious should not be captured or plundered by either side. His house w-as placed on blocks without any underpinning. He thought to "save the bacon" by hiding it under the house. His neighbor. Jim McKnown. had a pack of hounds, lean, lank and ravenously hungry. Affrighted at the noise of the battle, "the thunder of the captains and the shouting," these hounds had slunk under McCafiferty's house, and lay cowering right where he proposed to hide his meat. As he flung it under, piece by piece, the dogs seized it and gleefully carried it away to a place of safety, where it was devoured.

McCafferty, strange to say (!), was laughed at by those of his neighbors who had no meat of their own to hide, as well as those who had, on account of his mishap.

Two or three bombs from Shelby's cannon came into town. One struck a horse, hitched to the square fence; another hit a church, and one hit a store building. A good story is told of the effect of one of these shots.