Saline County, Missouri - Chapter 13: The Civil War in 1 864-5, 1910

Chapter 13: The Civil War in 1 864-5

During the closing year of the war, 1864, many cruel and horrible deeds were charged to both Federals and Confederates under the excuse of military necessity. Early in the spring, the Confederate guerrilla parties began to move in the western part of the state, and the red-legs of Kansas and Kansas militia, together with the Federal Missouri militia, were all particularly active. Men were murdered and scalped, and their bodies mutilated, houses and barns were burned, women and children turned out of doors, whole districts laid waste, and whole counties devastated.

Anderson, Ouantrell, Todd and Poole and other guerrilla leaders took no prisoners in fight, and took none elsewhere that they did not kill. They shot, stabbed and cut the throats of their victims, without mercy sparing none from the stripling to the patriarch who they thought needed killing. The Federal militia were equally merciless towards citizens, guerrillas and bushwhackers. Anyone who belonged to them, or who under any circumstances had been connected with them, or who had fed or harbored them, or given them information, or had seen them and failed to report their presence to the Federal garrison, if captured, was shot down with but little ceremony or none at all. Each party claimed to act in retalliation for offenses committed by the other. Robbery and pillage were so common as to become as a matter of course, and people were so much accustomed to it as to regard it almost with indifference. It was civil war in earnest and in fact here in Saline county.

An unusual number of bushwhacking fights occurred, and an unusual number of captures and executions during the year. The leading events, those concerning the entire county, were the burning of the court house and General Price's march through the county with his whole command in the fall of 1864.

In August, 1864, the Federal garrison at Marshall was moved to Lexington. The force here had consisted of a detachment of the First Missouri State Militia under Major Mullins, and had been ordered to Lafayette county by Lieutenant-Colonel Lazear, of that regiment, in command of the district of

Lafayette and Saline. Col. W. S. Jackson, son of Governor Jackson, had a Confederate command, then recruiting and operating- in this county. Cooper and Howard. A portion of this force was in Howard county and another portion on this side of the river.

As soon as the Federals had fairly abandoned Marshall, information of the fact was obtained by Colonel Jackson's force on the loth of August, and according to the best information obtainable, a dozen or two of Jackson's men. under Lieutenants Piper and Durrett, dashed into town, there being no one to oppose them, and they remained here for some hours, many of them being from this county and acquainted with the citizens of this place. 1lie old court house had been used by the Federals from time to time during their occupancy of the place as barracks and sleeping (|uarters of the men. The county officers had ceased to occupy the house and the records had been removed to Lexington for safe keeping. The building was not occupied by anybody. The lower rooms were littered up with hay and straw, which had been used by the Federal soldiers for bedding. Shortly after Jackson's men had arrived in the place, one of them went to the northeast corner of the court house on the outside of the building, picked up a whisp of hay, lighted a match and set it on fire, tossing it through the window- upon the hay and straw lying on the floor. Then he went away. In a short time, the building was completely on fire and was entirely destroyed. The building had stood for forty years and w^as in a very good state of preser\-ation, but had been used so much by the Federal soldiers for their (piarters that the Southern men thought they w-ere justified in destroying it. Many other court houses W'-ere burned in Missouri during the Civil war.

News of the burning of the court house having been received by Colonel Lazear at Lexington, he immediately came down with a detachment of his troops, proceeding to take severe measures to punish the people of the county for suffering and allowing something to be done which they could not help. A number of citizens, male and female, were arrested and brought to Marshall, where they were confined and kept in prison for different lengths of time and released only upon taking the iron-clad oath and giving heavy bond. Some of the men were not allowed to do this. It was at this time that Mr. Gilliam was apprehended on a charge of having fed the guerrilla. Captain Yeager, and afterw-ards released on the statement of Miss Jennie Flannery that she was the guilty party, mention of which circumstance is made elsewhere.

Some of the ladies who were arrested by Colonel Lazear were Miss Sue Bryant, of Marshall, Misses Bennie Elhott, Jennie Flannery and Sallie Pear- son, of Arrow Rock, Alisses Amanda and Missouri Jackson, of Saline Ciiy. sisters. The charges against these ladies were generally for harboring, feeding and giving information to bnsln\hackers. Miss Bryant, a daughter of Col. John W. Bryant, of Marshall, was charged with encouraging liushwhackers by way of waving something in imitation of a Federal flag while they were burning the court house. Miss Bryant, afterwards Mrs. Cason, denied the charge altogether, but she was taken to Boonville, thence to \\"arrensburg, and from there to a prison in St. Louis, where she was kept for some months, being released at last on taking the oath of allegiance and filing a bond for three thousand dollars, being then seventeen vears did. Miss Bryant, Miss Elliott and Miss Flannery were the only ladies taken out of the county. The Misses Jackson and Miss Pearson w^ere released on taking the oath. Miss Flannery took the oath at \\'arrensburg and was set free there. Miss Elliott proved contumacious and was, it was said, eventually confined in the penitentiary at Jefferson City. The men arrested were released upon taking the oath of allegiance and filing a bond as securit}- for their good behavior.

A few days after the burning of the court house, some of the members of Jackson's command were in attendance at church in Blackwater township. A company of militia rode up and tried to capture them. Their approach had been noted by a watchful picket, who sounded the alarm. All of them escaped but Lieutenant Durrett. who was shot throug"h the ankle and fell, fainting, from his horse. The militia soon made him prisoner, took him to Arrow Rock, tried him by drumhead court-martial, and sentenced him to be shot. The sentence was executed in a very brief time. The Lieutenant, unable to stand by reason of his broken limb, was proppetl up against a fence and riddled with musket balls. His ofifense, as alleged by the militia, was that he had assisted in burning the court house and was guilty of being a bushwhacker generally. His comrades gave as a reason why they did not try to carry off the wounded man, that they were pressed for time, and besides, they thought him dead. Durrett died "game." His last message to his friends was: "Tell the boys to keep on fighting."

At Arrow Rock, a detachment of Lazear's troops arrested Marshall Piper, tried him by some sort of court-martial and shot him within an hour. He was universally regarded as a harmless and very excellent man. .and one who had taken no part in the war whatever. He was always peaceable and inoffensive, and his execution was not only a regret, but a surprise to all who knew him. Colonel Lazear says : "Piper was shot for harboring and feeding bushwhackers, and refusing to give information concerning the same: and you will please allow me here to say that it had more good effect in giving the Union people of Saline peace and protection than any one act I had done during the war." Mr. Piper's relatives deny yet that he was guilty, as charged, and his friends and neighbors, both Union and Confederate, all pronounce his execution simply an atrocity. Piper, with sixteen or eighteen of his neighbors, was first arrested, released on parole, and ordered to report regularly at Arrow Rock every morning. The next morning he left his home and went to town, in compliance with the terms of his parole. Esquire Davidson, who was county assessor at the time and a firm Union man, was with him. Mr. Davidson says that a number of the citizens were gathered together by Lazear's order and addressed by him in a speech, full of reproach for their past conduct, and of threat and warning for the future. Closing, he pointed to Piper, saying, "As for that fellow, he will be shot today, at two o'clock." This was the first intimation that Mr. Piper had that he was not to be allowed to return home, as he had been promised. Mr. Davidson remonstrated, expostulated, and entreated Colonel Lazear to spare the poor man, and so did others ; but he was inexorable, would listen to no explanations, would give no time for the procurement of testimony establishing- the innocence and harmless character of the condemned - would have nothing but his blood. Promptly at two o'clock, Piper was led out. He did not shrink from the ordeal. He said he was not afraid to die, but, especially for the sake of his family, did not wish to. A detail of ten men carried out Lazear's order and, strange to say, eleven bullet wounds were found in the body. Piper's hands were bound with his own handkerchief. He stood up and received the fatal fire without a tremor, protesting his innocence of intentional wrong to the last.

Esquire Davidson took charge of the remains and traveled home with them, meeting the family of the dead man, who had heard of the sentence and were coming to see their respected head before the sentence should be carried out, but had arrived too late. He lay a mangled corpse, the victim of a horrible, outrageous murder, inexcusable and uncalled for and productive of no good, but exasperating and harrowing and bringing only retaliation upon innocent men for its commission.

Soon thereafter, the county was occupied by General Price with several thousand men on his famous march into Missouri in quest of supplies and recruits. It was intended, so says General Marmaduke, to capture not only the small Federal depots in Missouri, but the great military^ post at Fort Leavenworth as well. If the expedition had been entirely successful, communications would have been opened with Arkansas and then Price's army would have become an army of occupation.

In the summer of 1864 there was an army of about sixty thousand in the Trans-Mississippi department under the command of Gen. Kirby Smitli. who ordered Gen. SterHng Price with ten thousand cavah'y to make a march into Missouri. The expedition contained three divisions, under Generals Marmaduke, Shelby and Fagan. They started from Dallas county, Arkansas, on the 30th day of August, 1864.

Nearly an entire month was occupied in reaching Pilot Knob, on the Iron Mountain Railway, and the road to St. Louis was then open for a swift and decided movement. But General Ewing was allowed to escape from Pilot Knob, and so much time was wasted that St. Louis could no longer be taken, because Gen. A. J. Smith, with his army corps, had reached St. Louis from Cairo. General Price then turned off to the northwest and struck for Jefferson City.

The state capitol was swarming with troops and, though encamped within sight of its dome for one night, the expedition avoided it and pushed on slowly to the west, now encumbered with a tremenduous train of wagons, cattle and supplies of all kinds, marching not more than twelve miles a day.

Reaching Boonville, the expedition halted three days. Here at Boonville, General Price and his staff were recipients of great hospitality and attention from the citizens and particularly the ladies. General Price's adjutant-general and chief of staff was Lachlan Allen MacLean, * a remarkably handsome man, a former citizen of Saline. He, particularly, was shown great attention by the ladies of Boonville. General Price's headquarters were at McPherson's Citv Hotel.

* Col. Lachlan MacLean was a native born Scotchman, highly educated, who came to Saline county about 1845 and taught school here for several years. He was a man of fine education and an artist of abihty, and then a remarkably handsome young man of strikingattainments. He moved from Saline to Lafayette county, where he was elected county surveyor, and served four years. Li 1849 he married Miss Eleanor M. Smith, of Lafayette county. In 1855 he was appointed to a position in the office of the surveyor-general of Kansas, and afterwards took a prominent part in the border troubles.

At the beginning of the Civil war Mr. IMacLean returned to Lafayette county, Alissouri, joined the Confederate army, and was made adjutant to General Rains. When General Rains joined Gen. Sterling Price, MacLean was made adjutant to General Price and chief of staff, and he served in this capacity until 1864, when he was killed in a personal encounter with a subordinate officer, Col. Robert Wood, of Saline county. It was said that AlacLean threw a glass of whiskey into Colonel Wood's face, whereupon, Wood killed him with a bowie knife, stabbing him several times.

In 1848 MacLean was well known here in SaHne county, and was a great favorite. He had taught school here for several years, lived at Marshall, and was a talented car-

On tlie 15111 of Octoljer, General Price's army reached Saline conntw General Rosecrans was now in pnrsnit of Price with a \astly sn])erior force of infantry, caxalry and artillery. Still the expedition with its enormons train conid not mo\e faster than twelve or fifteen miles a da}-. Passinii;' across throni^h Saline connt}-. General Price halted and camped on the 16th of October at the Kiser bridge over Salt h'ork creek on the state road to Lexington. On the 14th General Shelby, with two hundred men and two pieces of cannon, had gone north across the county to attack Glasgow, so as to enal)le General Clarke, who was on the north side of the ri\-er with In's brigade, to cross over. Shelby opened lire on the garrison camp just at daylight, shelling it for a short time. A skiff was found and an attempt made to bring over a steamboat from the opposite side. The boat was reached, Init her machinery was found in too damaged a condition for use. The skiff returned without loss. The guns of General Clarke were soon heard north of town, and thus attacked in front and rear. Colonel Harding, who was in command at Glasgow, surrendered with all his forces. General Clarke crossed over his troops and, with General Shell)y. marched rapidly to Price's camp on Salt Fork.

The angry roar of a great army behind him. with ample power to cut him off, accelerated the mo\ements of General Price and he loroke camj) in Saline as soon as General Clarke arrived, moving fifteen miles to Waverly in Lafayette county. On reaching Lexington, the amiy met the Kansas troops under General Lane and, after some fierce fighting. dro\'e them back to Independence. On the 2ist of October, a hard two or three hours' fight enabled the advance of the expedition under General Marmaduke, supported b}- General Shelby, to force back the L^nited States troops and cross the Little Blue, reaching Independence. Here the expedition seemed utterly toonist among his other gifts. At that time there was a man named McChire, who kept a hotel here, and was himself a character. IMcClure went to Independence, Missouri, to spend Christmas in 1848, and while absent the town wags started a story on him to the effect that at Independence he had bought a Newfoundland dog, supposing it to be a buffalo calf, and to illustrate this story, MacLean drew a pen and ink cartoon, representing McClure standing in a stable lot at Independence, looking on with great satisfaction at a large Newfoundland dog tied up to a stake with a large strong rope and with a pile of hay under his nose. .\ hoosier looking over the fence says to McChire. "Hello, there ; what in the devil are you feeding that dog on hay for?" McClure answering, says, "Dog, you damn long-legged fool, that is a buffalo calf that I have just paid twenty-live dollars for."

This cartoon by IMacLean came into the possession of the author of this book, and remained until MacLean liecame so conspicuous in the Civil war. wlien it was delivered to a lady, a great admirer of MacLean, and was lost.

MacLean was a member of Captain Reid's company from Salini' in the Mexican war, and was one of the engineers detailed at Santa Fe to locate, design and l)uild h\irt Marcy.

doomed, for a large army was in front and a vastly superior force under Rosecrans in person, in sight behind. But, notwithstanding this, not a soldier moved, but all slept soundly. All day long on the 23d of October was spent in the battle of Westport, Marmaduke fighting in the rear to hold back General Rosecrans' forces, and Shelby fighting the army of General Lane in front in order to open the way for his huge train to travel towards the south. Some of the hardest fig-hting of the whole war was done on both sides along between Independence. Kansas City and Westport. Nature never formed a grander battle-field than that around \A^estport. Possibly General Price might have saved his wagon train b}' hurrying it through on the night of the 22d, and saved the lives of many gallant men, but blundering seemed the normal condition of the commanders in chief on both sides about Independence, Kansas City and Westport. Finally, after six hours" fighting and the loss of one-third of their men, Marmaduke and Shelby succeeded in holding back Rosecrans and driving ofif Blunt and Lane until General Price with his long train got well through the defiles about Westport, and the devoted Missourian closed up on the rear. The two iron brigades of Shelby's division, composed very largely of Saline and Lafayette county men. held the whole Federal army at bay through all this long retreat, sacrificing half of what was left of the division to save the train, that was really useless and had to he finally l^urned to prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy.

In this last fighting that was done in Missouri, there were many Saline county soldiers on both sides, all of whom bore themselves bravely and well. The last stand was made by Shelby at Newtonia. and in the demoralized condition of the retreat, was barely able to get far into Arkansas. Shelby with his Saline and Lafayette soldiers had saved the remnant of the expedition, but at the cost of many lives.

While General Price was in this county, many of his men left him for a lirief y\sh to their homes. While the army was at camp on the Salt Fork near Kiser's bridge, nearly all the soldiers from Saline had a holiday, scattering in every direction and going almost where they pleased. Many of the Carroll county men went home, and also those of Lafayette. Ray and Chariton, and here was a grand opportunity for Rosecrans and Pleasonton to scatter and destroy Price's army, but, as was quite frequently the case, the Federal commander failed to appreciate the situation, allowing the Confederates to rest themselves and their horses and have a good time generally, while waiting the arrival of Shelby and Clarke with recruits from the north side of the river.

dreds of people from the county visited him; old and young, male and female, the General being greatly admired by all classes of the people of Alissouri. But while General Price was being petted and coddled, the Federal forces were gathering under Pleasanton in his rear, moving up along the north side of the river to get in his front, and also coming down and out from Kansas, swarming and preparing everywhere for the battle that afterwards followed at the Blue, at Independence and W'estpcjrt, and on the Little Osage.

During this stay of General Price's army in Saline county, the Federal sympathizers felt the displeasure of the Confederates, in some instances very severely. Much foraging was done, horses taken, and many dollars' worth of other property was lost at their expense, and some suffering of a more serious nature.

Price's men passed through the county on every road that ran from east to west. In Lafayette county, before reaching Lexington, the army was compactly organized. Shelby's division had been divided, a part of the command went with their leader to Glasgow, a portion of his division assisted General Fagan in the capture of Sedalia, the latter rejoining the army at Waverly. Marmaduke passed through Marshall and the central part of the county with his division, while Pagan's Arkansas division passed south through Pettis county, and while near Dresden, captured a hundred head of fat cattle, which had been taken there a few days before for shipment to St. Louis. A large portion of this herd of cattle were killed and consumed by General Pagan's troops, and resulting from their capture a famous law suit took place between Reuben V. Harvey, a citizen of Saline county, against the Butchers' Association of St. Louis, which suit ultimately reached the supreme court, being decided in favor of the defendant, a report of which may be found in the 39th Vol. Mo. Rep., p. 211.

The Presidential Election Of 1 864

At this election, the first votes ever cast for a Republican candidate for President in Saline county were given. The total vote was small owing to the great number of men on the Democratic side that were not allowed to vote. The Republican candidates were Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, while the Democratic candidates were Cien. George B. McClellan, a Federal commander, and George H. Pendleton, of Ohio. The \-ote was: Lin- coin and Johnson, one hundred and seventy; McClellan and Pendleton, ninety-eight. A great change had taken place. In i860 it would have been extremely perilous to vote for Lincoln. In 1864 it was dangerous not to vote for him.

The following entry appears in the county court records for the August term, 1864, the old court house being burned shortly afterwards, but after all the records had been moved from it :

"Whereas it appears to the county court of Saline countv that the records and other property of Saline county are in great danger of being destroyed by guerrilla bands. It is, therefore, ordered by the county court that a militan' guard to consist of not more than eighty men of cavalr\- arid infantry be employed by Saline county to protect said property and that said guard be paid for said services out of the public money of said countv not otherwise appropriated, the same wages per month that are paid to soldiers for the same class of service and that said guard be employed for two months from the i6th day of August, 1864, and no longer unless by further order of this court."

These so called guerrilla bands w^ere much more interested in the preservation of the records of this county than were any troops belonging to the Federal forces, and it was a false assumption by the county court that the records of the county were in any danger of being destroyed by them. They were more interested in the titles to land in this county than the county court, or such men that they would have employed to protect the records. Therefore, the order was altogether unnecessary, and merely another circuitous way of disposing of the public funds for the benefit of the people on their side.

About this time, a company of militia stationed at Marshall, hearing of the approach of a considerable body of Confederates, became alarmed and made a precipitate retreat. Before they left they threw into the well in the court house yard a lot of muskets and ammunition of war, where the}- yet remained in 188 1.

"As evidence that the customs and laws of slavery were still observed by the Union authorities and as a record of the olden time and of a custom that has forever passed away the following entries may be seen in the proceedings of the county court for the June term, 1862. and as late as 1864."

Ujo Past And Present

"It is ordered by the Court that N'incent Marniaduke, Capt. James Boyer. Robert Xowlin, W'illian B. Sappington. John Durrett and James Nefif; Willis Piper. D. W. Marmaduke and William Durrett be and the same are hereby a])pointed a patrol fc^r Arrow Rock townshiji to serve for one year frnm this date, who will patrol not less than forty-eight hovu's in each month at the rate of one cent per hour."

This order was a complete 1jurles(|ue upon the real state of atTairs at that time, for the negroes had all been free for some time before that, even before they were declared free by Mr. Lincoln's proclamation of January i, 1863.

At that time. January 1, 1863. when President Lincoln issued his proclamation, declaring the end of slavery, there was a citizen of Marshall. H. J. Johnson, but familiarly called, "Black" Johnson by his friends from the fact of his being of an unusal dark complexion. Mr. Johnson was a stone mason, the man wdio built the first jail for Saline county, which was built of stone, as well as building many chimneys and foundations for private hcnises throughout the county, having been a citizen for many years and a man of family. Li 1863 he lived down on the Arrow Rock road on the outskirts of the town, his house being appropriated as a hospital for Shelby's wounded at the battle of Marshall. Johnson was a natural humorist, wit and wag, and very fond of jokes, and though illiterate, was a man with an exceedingly bright mind, always associating with lawyers, doctors, etc.. the more intelligent part of the communit)-. Johnson on coming up town one morning was told of Mr. Lincoln's proclamation, declaring the freedom of the slaves throughout the country. "W^ell." said Mr. Johnson. "1 am \'ery glad to hear it. for now O'Bannon will lie free, and his damn negroes will ha\'e to go to work." Mr. O'Bannon was a well known lawyer, a member of the Marshall bar, whose sla\'es were notorious for idleness instead of industr}-, their master having been under the necessit}' of supporting them, although he owned a splendid tract of h\e hundred acres of land in the near neighborhood at that time.

The Civil war was virtuallv over so far as Saline count}' was concerned after the termination of Price's march through the count}-. But civil affairs were in a turlmlant condition for several months following.

On the 9th or April, 1865, lacking three days of four years from the capture of Fort Sumter by the Confederates, Lee's great army of Virginia surrendered to the Federal commander, General Grant. General Johnston's Confederate army surrendered a few days thereafter to the Federal General Sherman. On the 13th of May. Kirby Smith's Trans-Mississippi army surrendered to General Canby. Pretty soon thereafter the county began to fill up with returned Confederates, who were glad to get home again, under, however, unfavorable circumstances. Sometimes they were arrested by the militia. Col. William S. Jackson's command laid down their arms and surrendered to Colonel Denny at Glasgow. May igth. Colonel Jackson was paroled and allowed to retain his arms by the military authority, but was soon after arrested by the civil authorities. Some other men among the Confederates were confined, accused of being guerrillas, and some others were killed by the militia. Occasionally encounters of a personal nature took place between the militia and the returned Confederates, but nothing very serious or disastrous. The bad blood engendered b}' the Civil war had not yet become calmed or purified. There was not a very good condition of safety for life or property for some months afterwards. Cases of robbery were Cjuite frequent. Bands of men dressed in blue clothing paid nocturnal to citizens reputed to have money and, under threats of death, forced them to disgorge. The militia claimed that these robberies were returned Confederates, dressed in blue clothing, but the Confederates charged that the depredators were the militia themselves. Sometimes this land piracy and plunder was carried on by men in citizen's apparel. The details of these rc^l:)- beries in Saline have not been preserved.

From the spring of 1862 to the close of the Civil war in 1865. there was more or less fighting, scouting, raiding, killing and all the incidental horrors belonging to a Civil war occurring between the citizens of the county. The Federals sought to maintain their authority through(~)ut the county, and generally succeeded. In addition to the Missouri State Militia, armed and equipped by and under the pay of the United States, there were the Enrolled Missouri Militia, and also the Provisional Militia or Home Guards, ready to be and often called out and put in service. Of these latter companies, of the captains. G. S. and A. Burnsides. ('orum. Bingham and Elsea did the most service of any troops in the county, some of the companies being constantly in the county, and the details of all the affrays that oc-

The guerrilla organizations of Ouantrell, Todd, Blunt, Yeager, Anderson, Poole and others scouted through the county, occasional!}' having collisions with the militia. There were also companies of partisan rangers commanded by officers regularl}- commissioned by the Federal authorities, who were scattered about the country in this county, Cooper, Howard and Lafayette. Some of these latter bands were guerrillas in practice, but the Federals considered all of them guerrillas. Some records of these encounters with the Federal militia are here noted.

On the 30th day of July, 1863, a fight occurred in the western part of the county between Captain Cannon, with a company of the Fourth Regiment, Missouri State Militia - a detachment of which under Major Kelly was then stationed in Marshall - and a band of guerrillas, supposed by the Federals to be Quantrell's band, but generally believed to have been Captain Blunt's company. Captain Cannon lost two men, killed in the fight, and was repulsed and the guerrillas moved on rapidly to the west. The guerrillas halted at noon on a farm on the south road, and after they had started in the afternoon they suddenly, in the prairie, came upon Major Smith (paymaster) with an escort of the First Regiment Missouri Cavalry from Lexington. The escort were feeding their horses when the guerrillas came upon them, and fled incontinently on foot to the brush not far ofif on the first fire from the guerrillas, leaving Smith and his clerk. As soon as the guerrillas fired, the clerk (name not known) jumped into the ambulance and threw the small iron safe into the high grass and weeds bordering the road. The safe contained twenty-five thousand dollars in greenbacks. The guerrillas rode all around and over the place, but somehow failed to find the little safe hidden away in the high grass. Major Smith sat in the house near by, undi-sturbed. The guerrillas took the clerk's watch and pocketbook and then rode off west. Major Smith then sent a courier to Major Kelly in Marshall, who sent out a company and brought him in, greenbacks, clerk and all, safe. Soon after this affair, two young men. Grove, a nephew of Col. W. A. Wilson, and Gilliam, a son of A. W. Gilliam, Sr., of the northeastern part of the county, were captured on the Miami road by a scouting party of Federal soldiers from Marshall. Major Kelly, then in command of the post, says they were taken straggling in the rear of a band of Quant- rell's guerrillas, whom they had recently joined. The relatives of these unfortunate men contend that they had not joined any guerrilla band, and did not intend to, Ijut were making their way to the Confederate army. On the night of the 29th of July, about midnight, a party of soldiers in Marshall, without the knowledge of their officers, took Grove and Gilliam from the guard, with or without the connivance of the guard, dragging- them into the woods north of town and there hanged them. The bodies of these two illfated men were found the next morning, (juite dead, and were buried bv the citizens.

Fight At Arrow Rock

About the 19th of July, 1864, Lieut. D. 1'. Woodruif, with twenty-five men of the First Cavalry, Missouri State Alilitia, while stationed at Arrow Rock, was attacked by a force of guerrillas about one hundred strong, commanded by Captain Yager, of Quantrell's men. The Federals took position in a brick building, which they had occupied as quarters. The guerrillas, after making a bold and dashing attempt to dislodge them without success, set fire to some buildings in the block of which the stronghold of the Federals was a part. A retreat was therefore the only alternative of the Federals, and this they accomplished, under the cover of darkness, without the loss of a man, but they were forced to leave behind them their horses. The attack was made at nightfall. The guerrillas had some of their men wounded, including Captain Yager. Yager was taken to a bushwhacker's camp near Mr. Gilliam's, in Cambridge township, where he was cared for by a Miss Flannery living near. The young lady visited the wounded guerrilla daily and ministered to his wants as best she could. Afterwards the owner of the cornfield, Mr. Gilliam himself, was arrested by the Federals for having cared for Yager, and it was about to go hard with him, when Miss Flannery, learning the situation, herself rode into Marshall, admitted to the Federal commandant that she, and only she, was the one that had nursed the outlaw, and thus obtained the release of and doubtless saved the life of her neighbor, Mr. Gilliam. She was kept a prisoner by the Federals for some weeks, but finally released. The militia had only one man slightly wounded.

Fight On The Blackwater

On the evening of the 25th of September, 1864, Major Mullins, with one hundred and twenty-five men of the First Cavalry Missouri State Militia, attacked Col. W. S. Jackson's partisan rangers and Woodson's guer- rillas on the Blackwater, nunil)enng- probably seventy-five men. The Federals gained an easy victory, for the Confederates were taken Ijy surprise and tliey were very imperfectly armed. The latter tied and "scattered." all getting- together in a few days. A few were slightly wounded on each side; non.e were killed.

In Noveml^er, 1864, sixteen bushwhackers called at the residence of N. J. Smith, near Fairville. and took possession of his blacksmith shop for the purpose of shoeing their horses. While all of them were in the shop, and busy at work, a detail of Federal cavalry came in the lot on one side, and a company of infantry was to come in on the other side of the shop, all belonging to Gen. A. J. Smith's army returning from the pursuit of Price. It was raining and the infantry were too slow for the cavalry, or the cavalry were too fast for the infantry, and by a rush, shooting as they went, the bushwhackers escaped without losing a man or having a man wounded. The F^ederals in their rage at the escape of the guerrillas, wanted to burn Smith's residence, and would have done so had it not been for the man who piloted them over to where the guerrillas were, who told them that he knew Mr. Smith to be a Union man.

In the early spring of 1865, four guerrillas, Harris, Potter and the Wilhite brothers, hitched their horses in the timber, near the Ik^usc of Baltimore Thomas, on the Marshall and Lexington state road and near the Saline and I^afayette county lines, and proceeded to Mr. Thomas' for something to eat or for some other purpose. While in the house, they were charged on by a Federal company. In attempting to escape over the garden picket fence, three of them were wounded, but all succeeded in making their escape. One of these, Harris, was killed by the falling of a house in which he was concealed. Shortly after, Potter was captured at the same house and taken to Marshall, and shot, while almost dead from his wounds. The other two, though one was badly wounded, succeeded in getting safe away.

"Nin" Wilhite swore that before he ever surrendered he would kill the two negroes who rei)<)rted on himself and comrades, and came so near ha\'- ing them captured. He went to the house of Baltimore Thomas, after the war was over, and killed an old and harmless negro, known as "Uncle Ben," and w'ounded another, named Harry. But the negroes who actually report-

By The Confederates

"During the summer of 1862. the killing of Judge Robert G. Smart occurred near Miami, which is memorable not only because of the high position of the gentleman himself, but as being the first of those terrible murders of individual citizens which afterwards became so fearfully frequent and so sadly familiar. Judge Smart was a citizen of Jackson county when the war broke out, and being southern born, he naturally sympathized with the southern people; but he was always very conservative in his conversation and had committed no overt act. In 1861 he resigned his office (judge of circuit court), rather than take the oath, which he considered he had already taken; and lived a quiet, peaceable life in Jackson county until the winter of 1861-2, when affairs became so disturbed in that county, from the frequent raiding of Kansas jayhawkers, that he removed to Saline county and settled near Miami, with his family. Here he remained quiet and inoffensive, associating with the citizens of the town and vicinity, and also with the Federal soldiers, and was respected by them all. In 1861, before Judge Smart removed to Saline, Messrs. Walker and Risehouse, two citizens of Miami, joined the Confederates and remained in the army about four months, when they returned home and announced a change of heart and sentiment. In order to prove their loyalty, they went over to Boonville and reported to a company of Federal soldiers that Judge Smart was harboring bushwhackers. This was wholly false; but the Federals did not know it, and the company came that same night, arriving about sunrise July 20, 1862. As Judge Smart saw them coming in his front gate, he ran out of the back way. The Federals immediately Started in pursuit, when, seeing he could not escape, he threw up his hands three times, calling out, T surrender.' He was answered by a volley from the pursuers; three balls entered his body, killing him almost instantly. He was buried by the citizens, who sorrowed much for his untimely end. No one else was disturbed by the soldiers, who were strangers in the state. The)- stopped for breakfast about two miles from town, at a farmer's house, where they told of the report by Walker and Ricehouse. They were soon convinced that the report was untrue and expressed great regret that the mistake had been made, and that they had come at all.

Jackson county, also came and located within a few miles of the Judge. He spent most of his time fox-hunting, sometimes with the citizens, sometimes with the militia, and sometimes with both. He and Judge Smart were warm friends, though while here they held but little intercourse with each other. In ]\rarch, 1863, Dickey suddenly disappeared; but in a short time was again on hand, and with him Blunt's company of guerrillas, of which company Dickey was lieutenant. They entered Miami in the forenoon, went straight for W^alker and Ricehouse. arrested them and carried them away as prisoners. About twelve miles east of Miami, they ate dinner, captured and captors, both apparently in the highest good humor. The farmer at whose house they dined sa}'s he had no suspicion that any of them were prisoners, and thought that he was feeding Federal soldiers, as Walker and Ricehouse were along. On the way they arrested a farmer to guide them through the timber. Going about two miles northwest, to Edmondson creek, they halted in the timber, tied ropes around the necks of W^alker and Ricehouse and to limbs of trees above them, as they sat upon their horses, and then drove the horses from under them. They then made the dangling bodies targets for revolver practice, shooting them full of holes. The first intimation the unfortunate men had of the fate before them was the tying of the ropes around their necks, and all their prayers and supplications were utterly unheeded. After shooting them until they were certainly dead, the guerrillas told their guide he could go, as they had nothing special against him, and he went ! The guerrillas then took down the bodies of Walker and Ricehouse and buried them. Since the war their skeletons were found, conveyed to Miami, and buried by the citizens. Dickev was killed a few months afterward, near the Saline and Lafayette county lines, he killing and badly wounding four men before he fell dead."

Killing Of Capt. Ed Brown

"Early in the spring of 1862, Capt. Ed Brown, who raised the first Saline county company that participated in the battle of Wilson's creek, was killed by a portion of the Saline militia from Marshall. Captain Brown's company had surrendered in the previous Deceml)er at the Blackwater capture. He had never joined the regular Confederate army, but had joined Robinson's command, which were all captured at Blackwater. He returned home and had been concealing himself, to avoid taking the prescribed oath, which, however, he had at last done, and then stayed quietly at home thinking himself safe. He lived one mile and a quarter from Fairville. and was a brother of Robert L. Brown of Fairville. The killing was effected by two militia men to whom it had been reported that Brown had been harboring and aiding guerrillas. They rode up to Brown's residence and asked him to show them a road which ran through some fields. He went with them, and when he had reached the bottom of a large hollow a short distance north of his house, they shot him as he was in the act of opening a gate for tliem. Then thev returned by a circuitous route to their company at Marshall."

Murder Of James Boyer

"In the spring of 1862. James Boyer, then chairman of the board of trustees of Arrow Rock, met his death at the Main street wharf, in that town, at the hands of one William Chase, a militiaman, who discharged the contents of one chamber of his pistol into the forehead of the unfortunate Boyer. The report of the pistol was heard by persons in the village, but the only known witnesses of the tragedy were the parties thereto. A negro boy ran up town and reported that a man was killed at the landing. The boy was soon followed by Chase, who deliberately told what he had done and surrendered voluntarily to Captain Bingham, of the state militia. The homicide was taken to Boonville and incarcerated, but never came to trial, as he was forcibly liberated by a company of German militia, stationed at Boonville."

Killing Of Ingram

"In 1862 Captain Winter, in command of a scouting party of Missouri State Militia, from Marshall, took and shot a Mr. Ingram, in the Petite Saux bottom, he having claimed that he shot Captain Hawk, at the Meadow Spring fight, a short time before."

Killing Of Bogamire

"In the summer of 1852 a Union man named Bogamire was killed by the Confederate guerrillas in the town of Miami. He had been around the place for several months. He was not a soldier, but did not seem to have any particular business. The guerrillas spotted him. They believed him to be a Federal spy. It was claimed that he was seen with a company of Federals en route from Clinton to Lexington. Three days afterward the guerrillas came upon him in the town of Miami. They chased him and killed him on the banks of the river to the left of High street. The citizens buried the body in the old cemetery."

Killing Of Park Woods

"In 1863. at the house where J. H. C. Fulton now resides, the mihtia killed a man named Park Woods. Mr. Woods was attending- to the business of Hugh McDowell, who then owned the farm. He was a southern man in principle, but had taken no part in the war. The militia demanded admittance into the house, which Woods refused, and thev shot him."

Execution Of Dr. J. W. Benson

"In August, 1863, a court martial was held in Marshall, on Doctor Benson, who had been captured by some of the soldiers. It was charged that he had been with Ouantrell at the burning of Lawrence. This was proved. He did not deny this, but stated that he was there as a surgeon only. However, the evidence was sufficient to convict him, and he was sentenced to be shot. He was taken to the graveyard north of town, and seated on his coffin and facing the file of soldiers he received his death. He died bravely and cheerfully. At his own request, he was shot below the face, and died without a struggle.

"Major Kelly, of the Fourth Missouri State Militia, in command at Marshall at the time, says Doctor Benson died bravely. He had been captured while on his way to Marshall to surrender himself, having been induced to take this step by certain Union men, who had agreed to see to it that he was treated as a prisoner of war. The Federals almost universally regretted his death. He was a young man of many excellent traits of character. The citizens. Union and Confederate, regarded his execution as a horrible affair. Three details had to be made before men could be found who would become his executioners. But the company he had been keeping justified his execution according to the laws of war, in the view of the Federal authorities. At that time Ouantrell and his men spared no Federal who fell into their hands, and the law of retaliation was everywhere in force. O, the horrible enormities of that Civil war!"

Killing Of Rev. Kavanaugh

"In 1863 the Rev. Mr. Kavanaugh. formerly from Alabama, and .stepfather of Rev. Joe Lewis, presiding elder of St. Louis, was killed on the farm where Elder T. W. Hancock now resides, by some Federal soldiers who thought him an active southern man."

Killing Of James E. Elson

"James E. Elson, of Miami township, was killed by the guerrillas in the fall of 1863. He was a Union soldier, had been captured by the guerrillas, and was under guard in the Petite Saux bottom, near Marshall's mill. Having asked for a drink of water, two of the guards took him to the river, near l)y. and while he was kneeling down and drinking, one of the guards shot him and rolled him into the river. This statement is as it was given by Capt. A. Burnsides, who said he gave it as made to citizens by one of the guerrillas afterward."

Execution Of Asa Huff

''In 1863 Asa Huff, of Captain Garrett's company, Shelby's regiment, was left behind his command while it was in this county on the famous Shelby raid. He remained at and about home in Caml)ridge township until July, 1864, living a great portion of that time in the brush, in a sort of cave dug in the ground, in company with a man named Norvell, now a prominent school teacher at Slater. One day Huff was taken sick, and a doctor was called, but that worthy refused to prescribe for the invalid until he had informed the Federals of Huff's whereabouts. Ilie militia went out anrl paroled him, and as soon as he had recovered from his sickness they took him to Marshall and shot him. His mother went with him to the town and begged the commander. Captain Houks, to spare her son. and when he refused, asked to be allowed to see him shot ! This was also refused. ]\Irs. Huff is one of the pioneer women of this county."

Killing Of Charles Flannegan

"On Sunday evening. August 21. 1864. Mr. Flannegan, living a few miles east of Marshall, a quiet old man, who had taken the oath of loyalty, was arrested, brought to Marshall, and shot by the Federal soldiers, under the following circumstances: A squad of soldiers from Marshall dressed themselves in citizen's clothes, and went to Mr. Flannegan's on Saturday night, August 20, 1864, and told him they were bushwhackers, and asked for food, horses, etc., and a place to hide. He told them he was poor and had nothing to give them but a pair of woolen socks, which they took. He told them where they could hide. They then said to him : 'You have taken an oath to report us to Marshall; are you going to do it?' He replied that he would not. They then left him and returned to town. They said they waited until the middle of the next day for him to report them, and as he did not come, the same squad, or a part of the same, went out and arrested him, and brought him to Marshall Sunday evening, August 21, 1864. It is not known whether he was given any regular trial, but on Wednesday, August 24th, he was taken by a squad of soldiers to the ravine north of town, where Jefferson street now crosses the ravine, and then shot to death. His body was taken charge of by his relatives, and buried."

"I saw this shooting. Flannegan and Huff were shot at the same time, in July or August, and before the 9th day of August, 1864. They were shot on what is now called Arrow street near Salt Pond street, about seventy-five feet west of Salt Pond street, about where Justice's yard comes to Arrow street. I saw the men shot and I left Marshall on 8th or 9th of August and the court house was burned August 10, 1864.

"In 1864, Colonel Perrie and two other Confederates, employed ahead of Price's army on recruiting service, were shot and killed while asleep in the timber north of Carrollton, Carroll county, Missouri, by a squad of Federals soldiers and Union citizens. Soon afterward, during Price's last raid. Carrollton was suddenly surrounded by rebel soldiers and four Federal soldiers and three citizens who had been engaged in the killing of Perrie were captured, brought over the river, and tried by court-martial at Grand

* Col. Samuel Boyd was a prominent lawyer here at that time. He was a native of Flcmingsburg, Kentucky, born in 1834. -^ regular college graduate, he obtained license to practice law in the state of Illinois in 1859. Immediately afterwards, coming to this state, locating at Marshall, in this, county, he began the practice here. In the Civil war, he joined Price's army for a short time, but soon afterwards returned home to his practice, which had grown to be extensive and lucrative. He eventually established a worthy and successful professional reputation.

Colonel Boyd was married twice, his wives licing sisters, daughters of the late Dr. E. Clarkson, who lived near Marshall. At his death, which occurred in the spring of 1898, he left surviving him his wife, three grown sons and two grown daughters, one of which is the wife of F. P. Sebree, now a prominent lawyer in Kansas City. Colonel Boyd died after a lingering illness at his residence in Marshall, in the spring of 1898. and lies buried in Ridge Park cemetery.

"Two of the citizens captured were named Trotter and Stanley ; the name of the other cannot now be remembered. One of the soldiers tried had on Colonel Perrie's boots. Two ladies, Mrs. Mary Meadows and Mrs. A. M. Creel, heard the shooting and went out to the place of execution. They found them all dead. Dr. G. W. Hereford and A. M. Creel, of the neighborhood, had them decently buried.

"The Confederates making the capture were mainly from Carroll county and belonged to Gen. John B. Clark's brigade. It is said that the shooting of the Federals was approved by the Confederate officers in command of Price's army, although this is denied by many."

Killing Of Howerton

"William Howerton, a Union man, who had lived about ten years in the Petite Saux bottom and was accused of being an informer against Southern men, was killed in 1864, during Price's raid, by Pete Frazier, Bill Duck, H. D. Evans, Sid Martin and Masterton, according to his own statement, for he lived eight or ten days after he was shot. It was claimed, too, that he was shot in retaliation for the death of Harris, whom Howerton had reported to the militia."

"On the 24th of December, 1864, Mr. Allen ?^IcReynolds was killed between his house and Grand Pass church. He was a Whig in politics - that is, as the term Whig was then understood. He did not approve of either abolitionism or secession. On the day mentioned, Capt. R. M. Box, of Company F, Seventh Regiment of Missouri State Militia, as it was stated, sent two men to Mr. McReynold's house to get dinner, which they did. Soon after they went away, a squad of men belonging to the same regiment came to the house, and announcing themselves as bushwhackers, demanded of McReynolds information concerning the Federals. Mr. Creed, who was present, warned McReynolds that they were Federal militia; but he would not believe it, and gave them, it is supposed, all the information he could, and probably made statements that, in the eyes of the militiamen, justified them in shooting him. Upon their demand he went out with them to point the directions to certain places. He was last seen alive, pointing, as if giving the direction to Marshall. He was then carried a little further down the road and there shot to death. Death must have come to him instantaneously, as he was shot three times in the head and five or six times in other parts of the body. McReynolds was a Southern man in his sympathies, and what he said to the mihtiamen is not known - but, beheving them to be friends, it is probable he 'gave himself away'. He was a peaceable and Cjuiet man, universally respected by his neighbors, and his death created a great excitement all through the western portion of the county. He was buried in the grain field of Baltimore Thomas.

"Mr. McReynolds was born and raised in Tennessee, and came to Missouri about the year 1828, and settled at the old homestead, the place where David McReynolds now lives, though the old house is gone. He was about fifty-seven years old when killed.

"In 1862, Isaac Lovelace was shot and killed with a shot-gun, by some person unknown, at a party at Mr. Gilliam's place in the Upper bottom."