Civil War in Missouri-1863
Second Battle of Springfield January 8, 1863
The “Queen City” of Missouri, as the community of Springfield is known, had experienced military conflict in the past related to the Civil War. Most prominently were the First Battle of Springfield on October 25, 1861 and the well-known Confederate victory in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861. When the calendar was turned to the year 1863, once again the Queen City would experience conflict, conflict quite unlike what had previously been felt.
The Union forces had built Springfield into a Federal site not long after the loss at Wilson’s Creek. By the end of 1862, the town had four forts and other protective measures to keep it out of the hands of the Confederates. It was a key transportation, communications, and supply hub for the Union in southwestern Missouri. It played a role in Union efforts waged in Arkansas and the surrounding area. With the Confederate victory at Ozark, Missouri, Confederate Brigadier General John S. Marmaduke pushed for Springfield. Marmaduke planned to convene the forces of his troops, those of Colonel Emmett MacDonald, and Colonel Joseph C. Porter’s troops as one large force to take Springfield. Porter had earlier become known as the Confederate leader of battles in northeast Missouri, including the Battle of Kirksville.
Union scouts in northern Arkansas detected Marmaduke’s movements and sent warning to Springfield that a Confederate force as large as 6,000 men was on its way to the town. This message squashed Marmaduke’s hope of taking the town by surprise, but it was disheartening for Brigadier General E. B. Brown, the Union officer in charge of Springfield. Brown had less than 1,500 men at his disposal. He called on every available soldier to concentrate on the protection of Springfield. His officers even went through local hospitals to recruit any recuperating soldiers that were patients and see who might be able to serve to fight off the impending Confederate attack. These injured soldiers would become known as the “Quinine Brigade.” Some of the ordinary citizens of Springfield came forward and fought in the melee. There would be approximately 2,099 fighting for the Union in the battle. The actual number of Confederate troops between the three commanders was closer to 2,000 than 4,000, so it appears that there might be a more equal battle.
The attack began near 10:00 am on the morning of Thursday, January 8, 1863. Missouri’s Confederate General Joseph O. Shelby wrote of the morning that “The sun came up on the morning of the 8th like a ball of fire, and the day was gloomy and chill; but Springfield loomed up before us in the distance like a beautiful panorama, and the men, catching the inspiration of the scene, forgot all their trials and hardships, and were eager for the rough, red fray.” Shelby’s “Iron Brigade” would be one of the key units of the Confederate charge that day. Shelby and MacDonald’s men would begin the attack on Springfield with Porter’s men being nowhere in sight.
Continual fire raged back and forth for several hours. Each side would gain a little ground or lose a little throughout the day. The Confederates seized control of a fortified college building serving as a prison and left undefended. This college building would serve as an important staging area for the rebels against the Federals. At one point, Shelby called for a larger assault as he feared reinforcement of the Union troops. Shelby would write of the event “At the command, a thousand warriors sprang to their feet, and, with one wild Missouri yell, burst upon the foe; some storm the fort at the headlong charge, others gain houses from which the Federals had just been driven, and keep up the fight, while some push on after the flying foe. The storm increases and the combatants get closer and closer.”
As the words of Shelby allude to, private homes and businesses would be instrumental as shelter for both sides. Like in the Battle of Kirksville, Confederate forces would use these homes to hide inside and fire upon their enemy. Confederate sharpshooters would pick off any exposed Union soldier from behind the protection of the windows of these houses. One of the Union soldiers that suffered this fate was General Brown. He saw the weakening of his men and road forward to rally them. One of the Confederate sharpshooters would fire and strike Brown in the shoulder. The injury was not believed to be life threatening, but did cause his removal from the fight and command handed over to Colonel Benjamin Crabb, the commander of one of the Iowa Union regiments in the fray. With the apparent upperhand being held by the Confederates, some of the Union troops retreated.
In time and before the Confederates could actually secure the upperhand, Crabb rallied his Federals back into line and gained reinforcements. The setting of the sun gave way to one final charge by the Confederates. Crabb rallied his troops with the addition of more Iowa infantry regiments, was able to hold the flank, pushing the Confederates south. With the lack of Porter’s troops, Marmaduke realized that his force was too small to defeat the Federals and pulled his forces back around 11:00pm. The Confederates would retreat early the next morning.
The absence of Porter greatly impacted Marmaduke’s chance for success at Springfield. They would retreat into Arkansas by the end of the weekend and Springfield would continue to be an important supply and medical center for the Union army.
Sources used:
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/186
http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/mo/mo018.html
http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/archives/345
http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/mo018.htm
http://battleofspringfield.freeservers.com/
http://civilwardailygazette.com/with-one-wild-missouri-yell-the-second-battle-of-springfield/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Springfield
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/186
http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/mo/mo018.html
http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/archives/345
http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/mo018.htm
http://battleofspringfield.freeservers.com/
http://civilwardailygazette.com/with-one-wild-missouri-yell-the-second-battle-of-springfield/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Springfield
Battle of Hartville January 11, 1863
Marmaduke left the area of Springfield on the Telegraph Road (later to become part of Route 66) on the morning of January 9, 1863. His men would soon approach Hartville, about sixty miles east of Springfield. Porter finally joined the ranks, coming out of Pocahontas, Arkansas, as the Confederates approached Hartville. Marmaduke now had around 2,500 under his charge and the defeat at Springfield meant that they were low on supplies. He hoped to restock his soldiers in the Wright County town. Union forces were following him from Springfield.
On the same day that Marmaduke left Springfield, he sent some men into Hartville to capture the town. They were successful in capturing the Union forces located at Hartville. Porter would move on toward Marshfield, about twenty-five miles west of Hartville.
The 10th would find Porter’s men raiding other Union installations in the area before catching up with Marmaduke east of Marshfield. Reports given to Marmaduke gave information of Union forces heading his way to attack. One of these Union leaders, Colonel Samuel Merrill (not to be confused with Captain Lewis Merrill and “Merrill’s Horse”) arrived at Hartville from Houston, Missouri. Merrill and Porter would engage in conflict on the 11th.
The forces of Shelby and Porter would try to defeat Merrill but the smaller Union force (only around 700 men) held their position. Merrill would eventually withdraw most of his men, but those under Lt. Col. Dunlap never got the order and stayed on the field until nightfall. Once Dunlap learned that his small group of Federals were all that was left to engage the larger Confederate force, he ordered a retreat toward Lebanon. The event would be acknowledged as a Confederate victory, although Porter was injured in the fight. Porter would die from the injuries received at Hartville.
Sources used:
http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/archives/327
http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/regions/wright
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/a-sullen-stubborn-bloody-fight-january-1863-the-battle-of-hartville.82114/
http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/mo019.htm
http://mocivilwar150.com/attraction/735
http://www.hartvilleareacc.com/area-history.html
http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/mo/mo019.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hartville
http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/archives/327
http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/regions/wright
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/a-sullen-stubborn-bloody-fight-january-1863-the-battle-of-hartville.82114/
http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/mo019.htm
http://mocivilwar150.com/attraction/735
http://www.hartvilleareacc.com/area-history.html
http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/mo/mo019.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hartville
The Battle of Mingo Swamp aka The Mingo Swamp Massacre February 3, 1863
Take a trip to Bollinger County in the southeastern region of Missouri and you will find the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History. Inside the museum, you will find “Dina MO,” or the Missouri Dinosaur. Hypsibema missouriensis is a hadrosaur, or duck billed dinosaur that inhabited the area during the late Cretaceous period. Originally called “Dinosaur Dan,” this plant-eating dinosaur is the official State Dinosaur of Missouri. So much of this region remains swampy still with great vegetation growing abundantly. Maybe if Dinosaur Dan would have been around in 1863 the McGee and Cato families would not have met the fates that they did in February of that year.
Mingo Swamp was seen by Native Americans as the home of rare wildlife and was a favored hunting ground ages before the first white man trudged through the swampy marshes. It was ill-fitted for human settlement and would have few establishing their homes there. But because of these same things, it would also become a haven for guerrillas during the Civil War. People like Missouri’s Swamp Fox, Jeff Thompson, would frequent the area to hide out from Federal troops.
One band of rebel guerrillas in southern Missouri was led by Daniel McGee. McGee had served with Nathan Bedford Forrest, who would be one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan after the war. The McGee family were slaveowners and many of McGee’s family members also served the Confederate cause.
According to Ivan N. McKee in “Lost Family-lost Cause: A Story of the McGee Family in Wayne County,” the Union State Militia could attack the pro-Confederate families in Missouri because of the increased Union troops from other states serving throughout Missouri. “The State Militia could freely roam, laying waste to their former neighbors in a manner which would not have been physically possible if left to their own means and abilities,” said McKee. When increased reports came about of Union harassment of pro-South families in Missouri, the McGees returned to their homes to protect their families. They continued to serve the Confederacy by preventing Union attacks and capturing Union soldiers and sympathizers to carry to official Confederate forces. McGee and others continued to recruit men for the Confederacy.
Sam Hildebrand was a ruthless rebel marauder in the southeastern part of the state. He had once attempted to join the Union army at the start of the war, but when he saw his family farm burnt and his uncle killed by Union forces, he chose to retaliate in vengeance. He was one of the Union’s highest priorities to stop or capture in the area, one of the reasons for the Mingo Swamp event. Another altercation near Bollinger’s Mill by members of Reeder’s 12th Missouri State Militia gave evidence to the whereabouts of Daniel McGee.
Simeion “Sim” Cato was Daniel McGee’s uncle and had a plantation on the southern part of the county. In the early moments of February 1863, Major F.W. Reeder with 140 members of the 12th Cavalry Missouri State Militia entered into a swamp area near Arab, Missouri. Cato’s plantation was in this vicinity and the Union leaders believed that the band of Confederate marauders where housed there. Reeder was assisted by Captain Levi E. Whybark. The evening of February 3rd was when Whybark located McGee and his men come across McGee. The Confederates are believed to be sleeping when Whybark charged their location. They were caught unaware and away from their weapons. These circumstances give support to the conclusion that things would have been different if this would have happened during the day. There were no casualties for the Union, but nearly all of the rebels would die from the attack. Nine Confederates died outright, twenty others were mortally wounded. Daniel McGee was part of the nine. Bruce Nichols in “Guerrilla Warfare in Civil War Missouri, Volume II, 1863” suggests that the large number of Confederate deaths gives speculation that Whybark did not give McGee and the others a chance to surrender. Simeon Cato would also be part of the twenty-nine Confederate deaths.
Reeder claimed in his report “We dashed upon them before a single one had a chance to escape. They were at once recognized as McGee’s band, and as our approach was as sudden as it was unexpected they fled in confusion across the large cornfield in the center which the house of Cato stood. My men now were in their element, and whilst others quickly tore down the fence of the cornfield the rest surrounded it, and within fifteen minutes we had exterminated the whole band. We took no prisoners from amongst them, as I had previously given the order not to do so.” Understandably, this attack is considered a massacre by many of the locals and would influence their opinion toward the Union troops.
Some years ago, a mass grave was discovered at Greenbriar Cemetery in southern Bollinger County. Investigations determined that it contained the remains of Confederate soldiers by the uniforms, coats, and buttons. The bodies are believed to be victims of the Mingo Swamp massacre. Many people have reported seeing what they believe are apparitions of the murdered soldiers in the area. On July 2, 2005, a dedication ceremony took place at the site associated with the attack. Re-enactment with members of the 2nd Missouri cavalry, sharpshooters, and more was to be present for the unveiling of a Historical Site Marker. This marker is located on Highway 51 about a mile south of Arab, Missouri.
Sources used:
http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/cato/711/
http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/battle-of-mingo-swamp/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1436364760/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1436364760&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwpalmbeachb-20&linkId=TGIHUN5M44RCLAAK
http://semorpc.org/civil_war.html
https://books.google.com/books?id=H0pVjb2R5oAC&pg=PT34&lpg=PT34&dq=february+1863+mingo+swamp&source=bl&ots=lhZ4_TjJlE&sig=Oxf53yUsiW2roEF9IU7bgpttLf4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwip5affyKDKAhVLQyYKHQh0C0wQ6AEIUTAJ#v=onepage&q=february%201863%20mingo%20swamp&f=false
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/CATO/1997-08/0871001567
https://books.google.com/books?id=UjyN1JPmuVYC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=captain+daniel+mcgee&source=bl&ots=TM1RcRSR__&sig=9O7pCV5f8ELL-x_wLz2PFIW6zHU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1pvi7qDKAhWBgj4KHZtDBQQQ6AEIJDAB#v=onepage&q=captain%20daniel%20mcgee&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=AjnZBjFsF0EC&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=captain+daniel+mcgee&source=bl&ots=WUp7umcff4&sig=UO3GbU_sFifHjk5Jc4qDA9oTKdE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1pvi7qDKAhWBgj4KHZtDBQQQ6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=captain%20daniel%20mcgee&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=9_1Q6aRLWIYC&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=captain+daniel+mcgee&source=bl&ots=982M98-Tp7&sig=bDosHQreTw6I0Sx9UbQHmLSoIJg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1pvi7qDKAhWBgj4KHZtDBQQQ6AEIMDAF#v=onepage&q=captain%20daniel%20mcgee&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=QjeWdxnBWtIC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&dq=captain+daniel+mcgee&source=bl&ots=Q_rLBz5qFr&sig=Hk4ikdFvzkyBQtkms14pDW0u4mY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1pvi7qDKAhWBgj4KHZtDBQQQ6AEIQjAJ#v=onepage&q=captain%20daniel%20mcgee&f=false
http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/cato/711/
http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/battle-of-mingo-swamp/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1436364760/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1436364760&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwpalmbeachb-20&linkId=TGIHUN5M44RCLAAK
http://semorpc.org/civil_war.html
https://books.google.com/books?id=H0pVjb2R5oAC&pg=PT34&lpg=PT34&dq=february+1863+mingo+swamp&source=bl&ots=lhZ4_TjJlE&sig=Oxf53yUsiW2roEF9IU7bgpttLf4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwip5affyKDKAhVLQyYKHQh0C0wQ6AEIUTAJ#v=onepage&q=february%201863%20mingo%20swamp&f=false
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/CATO/1997-08/0871001567
https://books.google.com/books?id=UjyN1JPmuVYC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=captain+daniel+mcgee&source=bl&ots=TM1RcRSR__&sig=9O7pCV5f8ELL-x_wLz2PFIW6zHU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1pvi7qDKAhWBgj4KHZtDBQQQ6AEIJDAB#v=onepage&q=captain%20daniel%20mcgee&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=AjnZBjFsF0EC&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=captain+daniel+mcgee&source=bl&ots=WUp7umcff4&sig=UO3GbU_sFifHjk5Jc4qDA9oTKdE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1pvi7qDKAhWBgj4KHZtDBQQQ6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=captain%20daniel%20mcgee&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=9_1Q6aRLWIYC&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=captain+daniel+mcgee&source=bl&ots=982M98-Tp7&sig=bDosHQreTw6I0Sx9UbQHmLSoIJg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1pvi7qDKAhWBgj4KHZtDBQQQ6AEIMDAF#v=onepage&q=captain%20daniel%20mcgee&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=QjeWdxnBWtIC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&dq=captain+daniel+mcgee&source=bl&ots=Q_rLBz5qFr&sig=Hk4ikdFvzkyBQtkms14pDW0u4mY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1pvi7qDKAhWBgj4KHZtDBQQQ6AEIQjAJ#v=onepage&q=captain%20daniel%20mcgee&f=false
Blue Springs, Missouri March 22, 1863
The 5th Missouri State Militia Cavalry along with an artillery company engaged in fighting against a group of guerrillas at Blue Springs, Missouri on this date. Captain H.B. Johnson led the Union forces, outnumbered by the guerrillas. This was considered a Confederate victory. There were nine Union soldiers killed, three wounded, and six missing. The Confederate losses are unknown as they scattered in all directions, killing, plundering, and destroying as they went.
Iron Mountain Railroad, April 24, 1863
Confederate General Marmaduke continued to cause turmoil throughout the Missouri region during the year of 1863. In April, he engaged in approaching St. Louis or at least attempting to cause the Union from traveling out of St. Louis. Operating out of Frederickstown, Missouri, Marmaduke had a force of six to eight thousand men. His plan was to destroy railroad bridges on the Iron Mountain Railroad, leading from St. Louis to Poplar Bluff and on into Arkansas. The railroad was created to deliver iron ore from the Iron Mountain region in south Missouri to St. Louis for use in the industry there.
Marmaduke’s men set out to burn three bridges on the line, midway between Pilot Knob and St. Louis. A Federal detachment of twenty men under the command of Lieutenant Hoffbauer were attacked by Marmaduke’s troops while they guarded one of the bridges and were taken prisoner. One Union man was killed and the bridge was set on fire. Sergeant Henry Kayser and fourteen men from another bridge came to help save the Union men captured by the rebels. These Confederates did not expect the reinforcements and their precision shooting. This surprise brought confusion to the Confederates and they left their prisoners and casualties in a run. The combined Union force was able to save the bridge. Five rebels were killed and twenty wounded.
Sources used:
http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18630428.2.9.1
https://books.google.com/books?id=SAFAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA438&lpg=PA438&dq=iron+mountain+railroad+april+1863&source=bl&ots=hSNVB83gYo&sig=f5SfskWbPqV-tx1DhfYqJ8kLJ3o&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiViqfrrKHKAhUFLyYKHUlkAKEQ6AEIKDAC#v=onepage&q=iron%20mountain%20railroad%20april%201863&f=false
http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18630428.2.9.1
https://books.google.com/books?id=SAFAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA438&lpg=PA438&dq=iron+mountain+railroad+april+1863&source=bl&ots=hSNVB83gYo&sig=f5SfskWbPqV-tx1DhfYqJ8kLJ3o&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiViqfrrKHKAhUFLyYKHUlkAKEQ6AEIKDAC#v=onepage&q=iron%20mountain%20railroad%20april%201863&f=false
Battle of Cape Girardeau, April 26, 1863
With the loss on the railway route, Marmaduke set to fight the Union at Cape Girardeau. Still with a large number of troops, Marmaduke and Bainbridge attacked the Federal force at Cape Girardeau on April 26, 1863 near 11:00 am, a time when most civilians would be attending worship on a typical Sunday morning. The fighting was fierce and went on for three hours. Union forces were under the command of now General John McNeil, the Union victor from Kirksville and the Butcher of Palmyra. Swamp Fox Jeff Thompson also played a role in the battle. Many of the men with Marmaduke were from the town and had desire to liberate their home from the Federal troops. Cape Girardeau had been in Union hands since July 1861.
While the Confederate numbers near 8,000, McNeil only had a contingency of 2,000 to 3,000 men. McNeil was a well-hated enemy of the South, especially after the executions at Palmyra. Marmaduke wanted to take the Union leader, alive or dead. With the support of 2,500 Texan volunteers, the Confederates attacked Cape but weren’t prepared for the fortification of the city by the Federal troops. They were able to withstand the Confederates but for how long?
McNeil knew he was outnumbered and sent communication to his commanding officer at St. Louis, General Samuel R. Curtis. “General, I am attacked by 8,000 men under Marmaduke. Expect to be stormed tomorrow. Can you send me two regiments of infantry and a field battery with supply of ammunition?”
Rain had drenched the Confederates by 8:00 am when the command was sent out from Col. Jo Shelby to get into battle formation. Intense fight went on for several hours during the afternoon. Shelby drove his men forward and Marmaduke sent in more troops. The Confederates learned that the Federals had secured their position within their fortifications.
Curtis must have heard the plea of McNeil, because at some point reinforcements came in by steamboat. The new soldiers, as well as the gunships themselves, added to the outnumbered Union force. Shelby gave the order to charge but Marmaduke questioned its success and ordered the Confederate troops to pull back. This gave the increased Union force a chance to move from defense to offense and charge after them. Between 2:30 and 3:00pm, Shelby’s brigade fell back through their lines and the firing ceased.
McNeil thought the Confederates would attack again but it didn’t happen. The Confederates moved on toward Jackson. The Union had succeeded at keeping Cape Girardeau in the hand of the North.
Sources used:
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/177
http://www.capecivilwar.org/swingle---battle-of-cape-girardeau.html
http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18630428.2.9.1
http://www.capecounty.us/ProsecutingAttorney/battleofcapegirardeau.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_Girardeau
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/177
http://www.capecivilwar.org/swingle---battle-of-cape-girardeau.html
http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18630428.2.9.1
http://www.capecounty.us/ProsecutingAttorney/battleofcapegirardeau.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_Girardeau
Chalk Bluff incident, May 1-2, 1863
Marmaduke was quick to flee Cape Girardeau after that loss and McNeil was as quick to take up the pursuit of the Confederates. Marmaduke made his way toward the Arkansas border on the St. Francis River. The Confederates destroyed bridges along the way after they crossed various rivers and creeks in hopes to delay their pursuers.
Brigadier General William Vandever came up from Pilot Grove and succeeded McNeil as the chief Union commander in the pursuit. McNeil would be responsible for two fresh brigades of Union troops in the pursuit of Marmaduke. The Confederates had burnt bridges, causing the Union men to have to rebuild them to cross, plus roads in the area were poor and swamps hindered the Union forces. McNeil did skirmish with Marmaduke’s rear guard about four miles from the St. Francis River.
Marmaduke’s men were safely concealed along the river close to Chalk Bluff. The 3rd Missouri Cavalry Regiment charged forward only to encounter an ambush. With intense fire from the rebels, the 3rd ended up falling back until the artillery and reinforcements joined them. The Confederates would slip across the river into Arkansas later in the evening. Marmaduke’s entire force would be in Arkansas by sunup, but the casualties were substantial.
Marmaduke was successful in escape, but the skirmish at Chalk Bluff was not seen as a favorable end to the Confederate General’s campaign into Missouri. He was unable to maintain a presence in Missouri and was able to only get enough recruits to replace those he had lost. His men continued to fight poorly armed and fed. His efforts from there on out would no longer include the state of Missouri. Marmaduke would continue fighting for the southern lands.
Sources used:
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/187
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1128
http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ar007.htm
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/187
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1128
http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ar007.htm
Burning of Nevada, Missouri May 26, 1863
We have already learned that Vernon County Missouri suffered a great deal of renegade activities Bushwhacker and Jayhawker alike preyed on the Vernon County town. Captain William Marchbanks led nineteen bushwhackers trailed a small pro-Union militia into the town on May 24, 1863. The Unionist were returning home to Cedar County from Fort Scott, Kansas and stopped in Nevada to rest. From the interaction initiated by the bushwhackers, the Union militia was scattered and two of them were killed. On the 26th of the month, Union militia under the command of a Captain Anderson Morton, entered the town in retaliation for the attack on the Cedar County militiamen. Many considered Nevada as the Bushwhacker capital and the attack of the 24th cemented this belief in the minds of pro-Union people in the area.
Morton gave the charge to burn the city to the ground. People were presented with opening the doors of their homes to meet with Union militia calling them to evacuate the dwellings. When the houses were emptied, the Union men set the structures on fire. Morton and his men would leave the town by 11:00. Very few buildings escaped the torching by the Unionists. They did spare the homes of the two men who cared for the bodies of the two dead Union solders.
Sources used:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMBM6C_Burning_of_Nevada_Nevada_Mo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada,_Missouri
http://nevadamo.org/welcome-visitors/history/
http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/map/nevada-city-missouri
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMBM6C_Burning_of_Nevada_Nevada_Mo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada,_Missouri
http://nevadamo.org/welcome-visitors/history/
http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/map/nevada-city-missouri
Third Battle of Boonville, October 11, 1863
Waverly, Missouri Rope manufacturer, Joseph Orville Shelby served the Confederate cause with a reckless abandon. As the commander of the “Iron Brigade,” so named because of their ruthlessness, Shelby would inflict death or injury to over 1,000 Union forces and seize or destroy near $2 million worth of Federal supplies and property. In December 1863, the Confederate leadership would promote him to the rank of brigadier general. But that was after his famous raid through Missouri during that past October.
Shelby learned while he was in Arkansas that federal authorities had basically evicted his wife from Missouri. That had to infuriate the proud man. He sought the approval of Sterling Price to be able to lead a raid through the western part of the state. Shelby was bound and determined to seek revenge for his family. September 1863 brought the approval that Shelby wanted. He would leave Arkadelphia, Arkansas on September 22nd with a force of 800 men. He was Missouri-bound once again. Shelby attacked Neosho, Sarcoxie, and Warsaw before he found himself in the vicinity of Boonville. On October 11th, Shelby’s men engaged the Union forces in the town of Boonville. Reinforcements came to Boonville the next day to strengthen the Federals, causing the rebels to retreat westward and make their way to Marshall.
Sources used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_O._Shelby
http://civilwar.wikia.com/wiki/Shelby%27s_Raid_(1863)
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/look-back/the-civil-war-in-missouri-an-overview-by-prof-louis/article_e0f53d85-c64e-5e90-976d-4cbba57c47c8.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_O._Shelby
http://civilwar.wikia.com/wiki/Shelby%27s_Raid_(1863)
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/look-back/the-civil-war-in-missouri-an-overview-by-prof-louis/article_e0f53d85-c64e-5e90-976d-4cbba57c47c8.html
Battle of Marshall, October 13, 1863
The retreat of Shelby from Boonville led him to continue his trek westward into the next county, Saline County, and the community of Marshall. Lt. Col. B.F. Lazear and the First Regiment Missouri State Militia Cavalry had engaged Shelby at Boonville and made his pursuit of the Confederate leader toward Marshall once he learned of Shelby’s retreat. Shelby was aware of his pursuers and posted men at Dug Ford on the Lamine River to wait in ambush. The Federals were able to clear the enemy and continue their mission. Lazear’s superior officer, Brig. General Egbert B. Brown would soon join his men and a mass force of more than 1,800 men would prepare to take the Confederates, who now were number close to 1,200.
Brown would send Lazear and 1,000 men late in the evening to come around the left of Shelby and set up a position in front of the Confederates. Brown in turn would take his men at daybreak to attack the Confederate rear.
At sunrise the morning of October 13, Lazear was in the town and receiving report that Shelby was coming. Shelby crossed Salt Fork Creek and made his charge on the Union troops to his front. As both sides established their positions, the first regiment of Shelby’s men had to cross a deep ravine under heavy Union fire. The way was rough and those men had to fall back. Shelby would send three charges against the Union forces. Each met great resistance.
After more than two hours of intense fighting, Shelby set about mounting his force to break through the Union lines and escape toward his hometown of Waverly. One of the Union leaders, Major G.W. Kelly led the Fourth Missouri State Militia Cavalry through Shelby’s men and split the force in two. The hope was to weaken their strength and prevent Shelby from escape. Shelby still broke through and led many of his forces along with ammunition and supplies toward Miami, Missouri. The other half of the Confederates swung off to the right, crossed Salt Fork Creek and retreated down Arrow Rock Road. Lazear continued after Shelby.
The October 27, 1863 edition of The New York Times would include the following news report: “A dispatch received at headquarters represents that all of Joe Shelby’s force had been driven beyond the boundary of the State, and that Gen. McNeil had crossed the Boston Mountains in pursuit of the fleeing rebels.” Shelby’s men would come back together near Bentonville, Arkansas on November 3rd, exhausted. Selby had engaged in one of the longest raids of the war, approximately 1,500 miles. It was a typical textbook raid, the kind that military men are trained to conduct and conquer. Shelby had gained many volunteers and destroyed or captured much Federal materials. Even though he didn’t make much military impact on the state of Missouri, his raid had been a great morale strengthener. He would be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General after the raid.
Sources used:
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/171
http://www.nytimes.com/1863/10/28/news/the-guerrillas-chased-from-missouri-gen-mcneil-still-in-pursuit.html?pagewanted=print
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/171
http://www.nytimes.com/1863/10/28/news/the-guerrillas-chased-from-missouri-gen-mcneil-still-in-pursuit.html?pagewanted=print
Brownsville, Missouri October 16, 1863
Robert A. Campbell records in The Rebellion Register that this Saline County community was captured and partially burned by guerrillas on this date. With the amount of activity occurring in this area at the same time, it might be a fair speculation that these were involved in Shelby’s Raid. Brownsville would be renamed Sweet Springs in the 1880s, a name that is still in use today.