Kirby,

Both Peterson, McGee, et. al.'s book "Price's Lieutenants" 1995, p. 110 and Carolyn Bartel's 1995 "The Forgotten Men" p. 27 tell us that CPT Hampton Boone was quartermaster in 1st MO Cavalry Regiment of Clark's Division of Missouri State Guard in 1861. This unit was composed mostly of Cooper and Howard County southerners. Boone was captured actually twice before his spectacular disguised escape attempt in St. Louis. He was captured 2 Nov 1861 near Martinville, Vernon County by Johnson's Kansas Brigade and then paroled by COL William R. Judson at nearby Fort Scott. He was next captured 19 Dec 1861 at Milford, northeast Johnson County, with over 1500 other southerners. Since he had violated parole and was also accused of bridgeburning earlier in MO, I can understand his great desire to escape. Other sources for this include Joanne Eakins' 1995 "MO Pows," Boone entry. I believe the good captain finally made good his escape from Myrtle Street Prison and the St. Louis military prison system according to Columbia's "Missouri Statesman," of 6 June 1862 when on 29 May with COL Walter Scott he wrenched out window bars and crawled across a roof past the guards during the noise of a thunderstorm. What a guy!

Bruce Nichols