Cass County Home Guard
The "Official Description"
Organized by authority of General Fremont, June, 1861. Acted as an escort to a train from Kansas City to Springfield, MO for General Lyon, when it was ordered again to Kanasas City, and on their march met the enemy in force at Jonesville, having skirmishes the whole route. Duty at Springfield and Kansas City, till September, 1861 when mustered out.
Independent Company (76 men)
Rank Officer Commissioned Remarks
-------- ---------------------- --------------- -----------
Captain Aaron Thomas Killed at Independence in 1862.
1st Lt. Samuel Jackson
2nd Lt. George Hume
Sources: 1) "A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, V.III" by Frederick H. Dyer, c1908, p.1341
2) Annual Report of the Adjutant General of Missouri for the Year Ending December 31, 1863", c1864; p.133.
From the above it appears that the unit "officially" ceased to exist in Sept 1861 however...
Bruce Nichols reports that it continued to exist and loosely function into the winter of 61/62 see http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/mocwmb/archive_index.cgi?noframes;read=1250 for more.
From MILITARY OPERATIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR - A Guide-Index of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies 1861-1865, Volume V: Trans-Mississippi and Pacific Coast Theaters of Operations
Page 142 - Wadesburg, not found in atlas ( in E. central Cass County, about16 miles s by W of Holden, 161:E10/11).
-skirmish at , Dec 24, 1861, 8:evl. Union troops engage per battle list (B) Cass County Home Guards, Missouri Cav., County A (2 men wounded) (a) (c) same regt. NOTE: this entry was based on the corresponding entry in battle list (a), which apparently was derived from a record of events on a County musteroll. The information indicates that the County "had an engagement at Wadesburg with the rebels on the evening of Dec.24/61 killing 4 Rebels and getting 2 of our men slightly wounded Engagement lasted 2 hours, enemy had 3 men to our 1, we routed them...."
Which supports Bruce's assertion that they continued to function likely without much offical command and control.
History of Creighton
by Clara Rucker Ogg, http://www.casscounty.com/creighton.htm
Creighton (on Knob Creek) the only town in Sherman Township , Cass County is about 2 miles North of Grand River and just west of the Cass- Henry County line. It was developed by families who came from Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio and settled in northern Sherman Township about 2 miles north of the present site, in the late 1830s. Creighton Village began with the building of the Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Missouri Railroad, 50 years later.
The first settler in the township was Anderson Smith in 1836. He built a double log cabin near the Henry County line. He became a Cass County judge in 1844. Next to settle in the area were Asa Hendricks and Moses Strong. Strong caught the Gold Fever and left his wife and 4 children on Knob Creek. He Died in California.
Possible, the most influential settler in the area was Joshua Page (1837). He lived in Lafayette County and had an interest in the beginning of Missouri University. He was the first teacher and preacher of the First Christian Church in the area. He performed the first marriage (Mariam Sturge and Robert Cornett) in the township. The cornet family was the first slave holder.
In the early 1840s, several families Gregg, Maupin, Tabor and Long arrived. These families built sturdy cabins , raised their food, taught their children and shared with each other. They took turns making over night trips to Lexington for the supplies they couldn't produce. The Osage Indians seldom came to beg for sugar, etc. They spoke some English and seemed fascinated by the white children.
In 1858 Woodson Wade came to the area and laid out the village of Wadesburg. By 1883 there was a Post Office, School, Blacksmith-harness shop and two churches, Christian and Baptist.
Then the Civil War came - some families moved to Kansas and others stayed. On Christmas 1861, Lowe and his Home Guards returned to the area. They celebrated too much and went to Wadesburg, firing on the town and killing one man. A feud developed so the village of Grant was founded about 1 mile north.
Grant was developed by H.V. Stall, Lotspeich, McCoy, Dixon, etc. but never grew beyond a few shops and a Presbyterian Church.
During "Order No. 11" several families moved over to Henry County. The area wasn't burnt but was troubled by bushwhackers.
Wadesburg and Grant served the people well until 1885 when the KCC & S Railroad was built 2 miles south of the village. A coal mine was operated by E.J. Perry , a school mate of George Nettleton, a railroad owner. Each got what he wanted a way to ship coal out and a Nettleton Addition. The Leaky Roof also built a spur to the brick plant. Wadesburg and Grant moved south and named the city after John Creighton who had lived there some time.
The refernce to Lowe and the Home guard and timing match the killing of George Lotspeich as prviously related also note the reference to a feud erupting. Likely the result of personalities and not military strategy.
Thus it appears that the Cass county Home Guard appears to be an independent command much like Cochran's in Bollinger County that occaisionaly ran amuck...
Sandy Lowe was Captain of company D. He was 33 when he enlisted at Austin, Cass, MO.
http://www.sos.mo.gov/TIF2PDFConsumer/DispPDF.aspx?fTiff=/archives/AdjutantGeneral/Civil_War/ServiceCards/s880/1439.tif&Fln=S200514.pdf
He is shown as mustering out in February 1862 again supporting the idea that the unit was extant during the 61/62 winter.
Lt. SANDY LOWE, Born August 12, 1828 St. Louis County, MO. Died Sedan, Chautauqua, County, Kansas, Oct. 10, 1902. Buried Greenwood Cemetery. Served in Co. G 7th Missouri S. M. Cav.
Further he was involved in the pursuit of Quantrill in Kansas. From 1918 Kanasas and Kansans: "Lowe had been active in the border wars as a loyal man. Because of an indignity to which his wife had been subjected by the guerrillas he made the war a personal matter. It is said that he slew from time to time the twenty-eight guerrillas, mostly by assassination, who mistreated his wife and child. Three of his companies were about Baldwin; and that of Captain Jackson Bell, of Black-Jack. William W. Junkin, of Baldwin, was in Captain Pingree's Company. He said to the author that Colonel Lowe did not succeed in getting many of his men together. The time was too short. Junkin captured a guerrilla and took him to Lowe, who immediately shot him dead, saying as he did so: "That makes forty of them I have killed. I had killed thirty-nine before this one." His act and the reflection he expressed thereon seemed to give him immense satisfaction."
The Lotspiech Farm:
30 JUN 1860 Lotspeich & Brothers Farm, Cass County, Missouri
Mo Certificate # 49079
The S. W. 1/4 of the S.E. 1/4 of section 3 and the W. 1/2 of the N.E. 1/4 and the S.E. 1/4 of the N.E. 1/3 of section 10 in the township 43 of range 29 in the district of lands subject to sale at Warsaw, Missouri containing 160 acres
L.S.739869
You can pinpoint this location using the Cares map system at http://www.cares.missouri.edu/
And then there is this interesting story of Austin per John Barnard
This area did not escape the ravages of the Civil War. The community was fairly evenly divided in their loyalty to the north and south. There were several skirmishes between renegade bands of sympathizers in and around Austin. The home guard had the responsibility of protecting the citizens who feared for their lives. An interesting fact is that George W. Stumbaugh, a member of the Missouri Militia, was ambushed by Kansas bushwackers at Austin on August 11, 1862. Because his death was in action of a patrol to protect local property, Stumbaugh was treated on army records as a blue coat, and George W. Stumbaugh Post of the G.A.R., at the conclusion of the war was named in his honor. The post was active until 1910 (approx.) with the Austin Bean Dinner being an annual affair in the community life. The Annual Bean Dinner is still on going in the Austin community. The above was copied from "The Civil War Journal and letters of Colonel John Van Deusen DuBois 4-14-1861 to 10-16-1862. [Dubois was first Major then Colonel of the 1st Missouri Artillary (Union)- JJR]
Stumbaugh service card is found to have his death listed at the hands of guerillas. He was a member of the 2nd MSM the successor unit to the Cass Co Home Guard.
http://www.sos.mo.gov/TIF2PDFConsumer/DispPDF.aspx?fTiff=/archives/AdjutantGeneral/Civil_War/ServiceCards/s836/1034.tif&Fln=S304606.pdf
The question arises was Lowe one of the "Kansans" involved in the Barnard story? (Rhetorical question only :>)
John R.