Jeff Davis Bayless had several siblings including Gerorge Callaway Bayless (b 12-30-1838) A member of Company 'F', 47th MO (USA) along with Elisha and Albert Eaves(brothers-in-law), enlisted 8/27/64. Contracted pneumonia and died in a hospital in Pulaski TN and is buried at Stones River Nat. Cemetery.
Jacob H Bayless (b 1840) believed to meet his demise as described below:
Skirmish at Whitener's Corn Crib/death of Bayless
Posted By: Kirby Ross
Date: Tuesday, 28 November 2006, at 3:33 p.m.
The following two first person accounts detail a southeast Missouri small unit action involving Sam Hildebrand, during which one of his men--a man named Bayless--was killed, along with two other men. On the Federal side the action involved the 8th Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia. The first account is from Henry C. Wilkinson, who was a 21 year old non-commissioned officer in Company M, 8th Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia at the time of the skirmish. He early had served in Company K, 68th Enrolled Missouri Militia, and subsequently served in Company H, 47th Missouri Infantry. All three units were intimately involved in counter-insurgency operations in southeast Missouri, and specifically targeted Hildebrand. The Wilkinson account comes from a paper Wilkinson wrote entitled “Biographical Sketch of Captain Pinkney L. Powers,” and can be found in box 5 folder 5 of the Cyrus Peterson Papers at the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis.
The second account was written by Cyrus Peterson, who was around age 15 at the time of the skirmish that is related below. He lived near to where the skirmish occurred. In the early 20th century he became president of the Missouri Historical Society and compiled a massive collection of personal accounts of the war in southeast Missouri. Peterson’s account of the skirmish comes from a letter he wrote to Henry C. Wilkinson on Jan. 22, 1903, which is now located in box 7 folder 1 of the Cyrus Peterson Papers at the MHS.
The third account is by Sam Hildebrand, and can be found in the first half of Chapter 19 of his autobiography.
H.C. Wilkinson: “Very soon after arming of Co. M. at Mineral Point, somehow Capt Powers ‘scented game’ above. Sam Hildebrand and his band was somewhere up country and Capt. Powers, true to his instinct as a scout, obtained permit to take with him picked men, and by night marches, reached his home in Wayne County and steal over onto Castor River in the night to watch for Hildebrand to come along on his way south. Co. M armed with the Enfield Carbine, and several revolvers, they left camp at Mineral Point in Washington County late p.m. The 3rd night out found them posted on the Bloomfield and Fredericktown Road on Castor River, in the barn shed on the farm of Solomon Whitener and some 3 miles south of Gravelton. They had hardly settled to business when the guard in obedience to orders stole in, and reported horsemen approaching. Soon they came along side and one made a pass to shoot Capt. Powers’ guard, but, all at once 3 out of the 4 Rebels lay in the road dead men, one of the 4 escaped but cut all over by bullets. Capt. Powers had 17 trusty men with him and their fire proved it. Daylight revealed the fact that Sam Hildebrand was about a hundred yards or more to the rear with some 8 or 10 men with him, but at the fire of Capt. Powers and his men on his advance guard they took to the hills leaving the road. This affair put an end to guerrilla bands traveling that road for a long time.”
Cyrus A. Peterson: “Were you in the squad with Capt. Powers which killed the three bushwhackers at old Soloman Whitener’s corn crib in the summer of ’63 or ’64? The three killed were Bayless, Boyce & some other fellow whose name began with “B” but I have forgotten it. There were 12 in the bunch and the 4 men in the advance got the fire of Powers’ squad and 3 of them went down--only one escaping. The 8 men behind changed their course to the brush and avoided a conflict. We lived two miles north of old Soloman’s place and this gang earlier in the evening in passing our place surrounded a very spry little mule of ours, in the horse lot, and tried to bridle her, but she kicked her way through the cordon of horse thieves and got away from them. She had sport with them for half an hour, in the dark, and finally we heard them say: ‘D-d D--m the mule, let it go!’ and they rode away defeated.
Sam Hildebrand: “... we concluded to make another trip over onto Castor Creek, for my men were always anxious to go to parts of the country frequented by the Federals. We had been on Castor but one day and night when a party of Federals came along, making their way through the country, and camping within a short distance of Bollinger’s Mill. We were quietly enjoying ourselves in the nook of rocky range of brushy hills when a runner came to inform us of the fact. Of the exact number of Federals he did not know.
“It was with some difficulty that I restrained by men to wait until a proper hour of the night before making the attack, but finally about ten o’ clock I gave the word to get ready, which was done in a very few minutes. Going around the hills we struck the main road about a mile from their camp. We rode very slowly until we routed the pickets, then dashed on and crowded them into camp; but the locality of their camp and the position in which they had taken up quarters, had not been stated to us correctly; consequently we came out somewhat worsted.
“They had chosen a narrow place in the road, and had turned their wagons across it, so that in our attempt to dash through their camp, as was our custom, we found our progress suddenly stopped; this bothered us so badly that they opened a heavy fire on us, killing two of my men and wounding another slightly before we had time to retreat. We were not certain of having killed any of them, but were afterwards told by a citizen that we wounded three, on of whom died next morning. After this unfortunate mistake my remaining men wanted to go back to Green County, Arkansas....”
These accounts can be found in my annotated version of “The Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand, the Renowned Missouri Bushwhacker” at pages 74-75, 203-204.
There is also Richard A Bayless (b 1841) whom I've not found any direct Civil war activity for though he was of prime age. He survived the war and is found still in Liberty Twshp in 1870.
Now for the Barnes bunch.
Reuben (b 1828) married Martha Woods (b 1824 d/o Elijah & Sarah Woods) in 1849 and had five children. Margaret Durena being the youngest and born Jan 1, 1862, one year prior to Reuben's death at Bloomfield MO. Reuben was the son of George W Barnes (b 1796) and Mary Parkes (b 1801). George W was of some means and traded slaves with Milton P. Cayce of Farmington (another name to be found in Hildebrand's history and a player in the war in St. Francois Co.)
Reuben's sibs were an interesting bunch. Ambrose Lee Barnes (1826) ends up in the Laws cemetery near the old plank road east of Farmington. He married Harriet Holman and was a surgeon. He was briefly conscripted for 6 daysin 1863 into the 10th EMM.
Francis Livingston (1831) marries George Calvin Laws and they both end up in Texas at wars end. GC Laws having been in Co B 2nd Mo Cavalary for a while and then ran with Pete Smith of Bollinger Co fame for a time. Pete Smith also apparently ended up in Texas.
George Washington Columbus Barnes (b 1832) managed to work both sides during the war eventually ending up in Greene Co Missouri. His wife was Keturah Murphy daughter of David Murphy the founder of Farmington and first cousin to George "Wesley" Murphy, an accomodating accquaintance of Sam Hildebrand. Here is his Obit :
Came To Ste Geneivie Co, at age 3, moved on to Green Co, Missouri 1884 with family. Travel to California 1852 as part of th Gold Rush, married at age 26.
Obituary
G. W. Barnes was born. August,11 1832, in North Carolina; died January 29, 1912, at his old home near Springfield, Mo. When three years of age he came to St. Genevieve county, and moved with his family to Greene county near Springfield in 1884. He became a member of a Baptist church in St. Francois county in. his youth and was married to Keturrah .Murphy when 26 years of age. To this union were born eight children, six of whom are now living: Mrs. Vida Martin, of Springfield, Mrs Nettie Richmond of Bolivar; Elliott Barnes of Phillipsburg, Marcus and C. Allan Barnes of Springfield, Mo. and Erastus Barnes of :Milton, Wash. He also leaves nineteen grandchildren and four great grandchildren. In 1852 he went to California during the. gold fever time and many were the exciting narratives he told of adventures in the. early days. He was ever kind and tender with his children who will greatly miss him. Funeral services Were conducted by Rev.Alden, after which his remains were laid to rest in Green Lawn Cemetery. by the side of his companion; who preceded him to the grave ten months. Dear brothers and sister strive to enter in at the straight gate that leadeth to the City of Light, where there will be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying. N.B.R. "St Francois County Public Library"
Of note is the trip to California during the Gold Rush. A number of Liberty Twshp men made the trip including Reuben Barnes and part of the Murphy bunch from Farmington. Family lore relates GWC was not particularly well liked on their return.
John M Barnes (1843) is an interesting history of himself. He is also in Co B 2nd Mo Cav (CSA) with Calvin Laws in April 1862 in Gainesville Ark. He then appears on the roll of the 11th Mo Vol. Inf (USA) in Dec. 1862 (enlisting in Potosi) and promptly enters the hospital in Mobile Alabama in Nov 1863 for the duration of the war with "prostatitis and Hernia". He is briefly back in St. Francois Co (Big River Twshp) for the 1880 census but ends up with wife Emily in Kansas by 1895. He enters the Veterens Home in 1905 at Leavenworth KS and apparently dies in Dec. 1917 with Right Hemiplegia and double hernia. Physical descriptions on cards and birthdates and place of birth are all congruent and list him as 5-11 to 6 feet blue eyes, gray hair, fair complexioned. Native of St Gen. County.
Enjoy :>)
John R.