The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board

Re: William Cleland 11th Missouri Infantry (US)

Dennis: I do not have any biographical information regarding Cleland to share. However, I am providing the contents of some letters he wrote regarding the battle at Fredericktown, Missouri, that were published in Massachusetts newspapers. Although he exaggerates several things, the letters are interesting commentary.

Copied from http://www.letterscivilwar.com/ several months ago, I couldn't find the site today when I looked for it. Here are the letters:

The following extracts from letters received from Sergeant-Major Wm. W. Cleland, of this city, dated at Camp Fremont, Cape Girardeau, will be interesting to many of our readers:

“Since I last wrote you, many events of an exciting nature have taken place here. Our Regt. (11th Mo. Volunteers.) went out on an expedition after a body of secessionists, to a place called Perryville, about forty miles from this; but when we got there the bird had flown. We, however, took a large number of contrabands, cattle, horses and prisoners. The latter we keep at work on the fortifications. The next day after we returned we were again ordered to march, but only three companies went on this expedition. We marched twelve hours without hardly stopping, and about nine o’clock in the evening found ourselves suddenly surrounded by a large body of horsemen, armed with squirrel rifles and shot guns; but our boys, nothing daunted by the disparity of numbers, went into the fight with great bravery, and entirely routed the enemy, killing and wounding twenty or thirty, taking ten prisoners, and capturing twenty horses, &c. We only lost three of our men.

“Col. Plummer has recently been appointed to our regiment. He is a thorough soldier, brave, gentlemanly, and very kind to his command, and is received with great approbation by all concerned. My duties at the present time are very arduous, and leaves me but little time even for sleep. I told you that the enemy were within a few miles of us. They have not as yet changed their position, but we will soon make them. It is as you say – Missouri is an exciting field at the present time, and I have no doubt there will be as hard fighting here as on any field during the present war.”

A letter was received yesterday from Sergt. Major Cleland, dated at Cape Girardeau, Oct. 17th, in which he says:

“Col. Plummer, with our Regt., and about three thousand infantry, one company of artillery, and two companies of cavalry – making in all about five thousand men, –march to-night to intercept Jeff. Thompson, who is in command of some twelve thousand rebels at Fredericktown. We anticipate a severe fight, but our brave soldiers are prepared for any emergency and go with full confidence of being able to defeat them. Should I fall you have the consolation of knowing that I have died in the service of my country, in endeavoring to preserve that liberty and Union which was established by the Father of our Republic – the great and glorious Washington.”

No further information has been received from him respecting the battle, but we are in hopes from the Tel. Dispatches of the decisive victory of Col. Plummer and his command over the rebels at Fredericktown, and the few which were killed and wounded of the former, that our young and brave townsman still lives to brave the dangers of other battle fields in defence of the Union.

Worcester (Mass.) Aegis and Transcript, November 2, 1861; pg. 4, col. 5.)

The Victory at Frederickstown, Mo.

We have been favored with a copy of the following letter from our young friend, Wm. W. Cleland, Sergeant Major of the Eleventh Mo. Volunteers, describing the late Federal Victory:

Camp Fremont,
Cape Girardeau, Oct. 20, 1861.

I have just arrived from the battle field and hasten to let you know that I am still alive, and to give you an account of the recent victory of the Union troops at Frederickstown.

The 11th Missouri, the 17th and 20th Illinois, one company of artillery and two of cavalry, under Col. Plummer, left Cape Girardeau Thursday evening, Oct. 17, and reached Fredericktown on Monday at 12 o’clock, where we were joined by Col. Curlin’s forces, from Ironton. Here we were informed by the traitorous inhabitants that Jeff Thompson had gone to Granville, about thirty miles distant. After proceeding a half mile we learned that the rebels were then lying in ambush waiting our approach, and that the information derived from the Fredericktonians was only a dodge of the enemy to entrap us. Col. Plummer being the senior officer, the command of the whole troops devolved upon him. The artillery was immediately ordered in front, and the cavalry and infantry formed in line of battle. A couple of well directed shots from our artillery were soon answered by a shell from the masked rebel battery and a perfect sheet of fire from their infantry, disclosing to us their hiding places.

Then commenced the battle in right good earnest. The rain of bullets, shot and shell, at first was truly terrific; but luckily for us they were all fired too high. We, however, returned their fire with equal determination and soon drove them from their ambuscades with great destruction of life. After an hour’s hard fighting they began to retreat. We followed then through field and bush, completely routing them at every point. Our soldiers hunted them out, finding sometimes one or two, then forty or fifty in a squad; and so we kept on until a quarter before 6 o’clock. Thus continued this terrible conflict until close of day; making four hours of a hard contested battle, which together with our long march in the morning made us pretty tired when it came night,-and thus ended the battle of Frederickstown.

Our loss was only seven killed and forty wounded. The rebels had 300 killed, 160 wounded, and 170 taken prisoners. A large number of horses, rifles, shot-guns, old flint-lock muskets, &c., four pieces of artillery-two 12 pounders, and two 16 pounders, fell into our hands. Col. Plummer is a brave officer; he is cool and collected; never gets excited on the field of battle; and gives his commands with such skill and forethought that we could not help winning the day. Being on the staff I had to ride right into the thickest of the fight, carrying commands from Col. Plummer to the officers of the other regiments, with the bullets whistling pass me in every direction; but we all did our duty nobly. I was proud of the Eleventh, as I had to drill them; and although comparatively a new regiment, they fought as well as any other on the field. On the return of our troops to Fredericktown they were so exasperated at the deception of the inhabitants that they burned some fourteen or fifteen houses, although our officers did all they could to prevent them.
You can have no conception of the awful sight presented by the field after the battle. The dead and the wounded were strewn in every direction, and often, commingled in one common ?, would be found dead horses and their vanquished riders. Some were crying for water to quench their parched thirst; others for aid to be disentangled from the bodies of their once respected companions. We rendered them all the aid we could; but, sad to relate, on visiting the field next morning we had found the hogs had mutilated many of the dead bodies.

Col. Plummer received a dispatch from Cape Girardeau that Gens. Hardee and Pillow were advancing on that place with a force of ten thousand men to cut us off and take it. We were at once ordered home, marching the distance (seventy-eight miles) in two days and ten hours. We left Col. Garlin and his force in charge of Frederickstown.

Chelsea (Mass.) Telegraph and Pioneer, November 9, 1861, pg. 2, col. 4.

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