Bruce & Kirby

Amazing how small the war in SE MO was...

One of the men claimed to have kill G R Zimmerman was Levi Lincoln. Albert Martin in his notes to Cyrus Peterson specificaly mentions that Levi Lincoln was at Doniphon and that Reeves and Jeffers specifically came down the line of prisoners looking for Pape's and Cochran's men. Lincoln was spotted and was apparently pulled with Wilson and others, Martin relates Lincoln managed to break away from his captors yet was wounded. Further Martin relates hearing the execution of Wilson et al... Now granted this was written post war and after the outcry of cruelty.

The Western Democrat Eagle (Cape Girardeau, published by the 1st Wisconsin after confiscating the press from a man named Moore) have numerous articles about Chalk Bluff and the retreat as well as several listings of POWs from both sides and at least 2 articles about summary executions performed by officials in Cape Girardeau, one on direct orders of Fisk.

There are also reports on Doniphan and apparently a very scorched earth policy on the way back home by the unit with bragging about the killing of secesh all the way home. Not anything new, just underscores the brutality and personal nature of the conflict.

John R