Letter No. 8.
Dear Doctor:
As 1861 closed and the year of 1862 dawned upon us, it found Missouri clear of
any formidable force of the Southern army. The scene of bloodshed had moved to
Northern Arkansas and Missouri could sit down to rest, but she must now take care of
herself as far as possible. So, as the Mo. State Vols., including all arms, such as the
“Haw Eaters” or Wayne Co. Cav., were being discharged in the closing days of the
winter of 1861-62, as noted in letter No. 7, the new organizations began to form. In fact,
before the “Six Months Call State Vols.” were discharged, this “Missouri State Militia
Vols.” was rapidly taking on shape. As Capt. P. L. Powers and his “Haw Eaters” were
discharged, they turned over their Enfield rifles and accoutrements to now Capt. Wm. T.
Leeper, who had organized Co. B 12th M.S.M. Vols., as they were ever after designated.
This M.S.M. Vols. branch of the U. S. service were just the same as U. S. Vols. and fared
the same as to supplies and equipage, arms and ammunition also. Being volunteers they
were made up of the most intensely loyal union men. A large number had already seen
service and many of them were sufferers, made so by the hand of the Rebels, being
driven from their homes by the Rebels in almost every county in the state of Missouri.
So now we had a new arm of the U. S. service in Missouri, so far as loyalty to the Union
was concerned, which was wholly reliable and trustworthy. Their officers in general
were of the bravest and best men in Missouri, and generally men of talent. They were
also paid by the U. S. gov’t, but were to serve in Missouri only. Here we pause to note a
bit of history found in the War History of the United States written by Sam’l M.
Schmucker L.L.D., revised and completed by Dr. L. P. Brockett, which was published at
the close of the great Rebelion.
30
On Page 841, Chapter 66, he says: “The necessity of raising a large force for
Sherman’s Meridian expedition, and after that general became commander of the Military
division of the Mississippi, the gathering of the larger part of his troops for the campaign
in Georgia, compelled the reduction of the force in Missouri to the lowest number which
would suffice for holding the position. The old Missouri State Militia, a part of which
had proved unreliable, had been disbanded, and but few of the enrolled Missouri Militia,
a more loyal and efficient organization, were now in service.”
Now, every man now living of the old M.S.M. Vols., and, we might also say,
every man then living in Missouri, either Union or Southern, who are still alive, and at all
acquainted with military affairs in Missouri during the war, full well know that, so far as
the reliability of the two classes of men included in Schmucker’s History is concerned,
precisely and exactly to the opposite of the above statement is true. We cannot for a
single atom of a moment think that this error was designedly made, but that it was a
mistake made in the writing of this history. The “Enrolled Missouri Militia,” organized
after enrollment, of which we will notice in its place was designated in abbreviations
“E.M.M. Vols.” So we conclude that Drs. Schmucker and Brockett were misinformed or
in writing got the two confused, consequently we feel it our duty to here set forth the fact,
which we have tried to do, in honor of the old M.S.M. Vols. No matter which side he
was on in that fearful strife, all full well knew, so far as reliability is concerned, the
difference between the men who offered their lives as sacrifices upon their country’s altar
because they loved her and the flag, and the men who remained at home until the
pressing needs of their country compelled her to enroll them into their militia, and then
tell them that they must go out and serve their country.
Now, with this new M.S.M. Southeast Missouri soon found herself able to take
care of herself, measurably, and so the U. S. Vols. began to press to the front. For the
most part the M.S.M. were made up of cavalry, with U. S. horses and equipments. The
infantry, of course, were used to man forts and were trained to handle heavy guns and to
guard railroad bridges, while the cavalry did scout duty and outpost duty. In fact the
spring of 1862 found Missouri a vast military police field. The Guerilla and the
Bushwhacker must be seen to, then the picking up of Confederate soldiers, who were
continually stealing in to their homes, either on genuine furlough or “French” furlough,
and the men who were stealing south to join the Southern army, and the stealing through
our lines supplies, such as ammunition, revolvers, medicine &c., and also letters and
messengers bearing the enemy information of the movements &c. of the U. S. soldiers in
Missouri. In these latter things the women, whose sympathies were with the South took
an active part, so while we had among the Missouri women some who were most
intensely Union, some were most intensely Secessionist, which, of course, is according to
human nature.
The harborers of the guerillas, bushwhackers and such like were to be watched, so
it is seen that the new M.S.M. had plenty to keep them busy all the time.
As 1862 came upon us we found ourselves, as a nation, in the business of making
history at a rapid rate. That new history then being made was most cheering to the lovers
of the Union and the flag, but most disheartening to the lover (?) of the Southern
Confederacy. After “Uncle Samuel” woke up next morning after the battle of Manassas
Junction, Va., he moved things as no one else but him can. All the boys were then “for
three years, or during the war.” The long term in a war is always the most satisfactory to
31
the soldiers and officers engaged in it. Some of the things that cheered us in the early
days of ’62, including the spring, are these: Gen Grant made a good fight and withdrawal
at Belmont, Mo. Gens; Geo. H. Thomas and Scharp had thrashed Gen. Felix Zallicoffer
and killed him, and had driven his scattered force south from Somerset, Ky., opening up
East Town. That was most excellent news. This was Jan. 19th, 1862. Then the writer
well remembers how we chafed because somebody didn’t smash the Rebel stronghold at
Bowling Green, Ky. At length the 5th of February came along, and Fort Henry on the
Tennessee River fell into our hands. Then, by the 16th, the strong position of Ft.
Donalson on the Cumberland River, 12 miles farther north, was in command of Gen. U.
S. Grant. Bowling Green, KY., next, we thought, but no! Gen. Grant’s successful moves
onto Forts Henry and Donalson flanked Bowling Green, Ky. We then sang with glee,
“And on they kept going. Till they reached old Shilo.” They left Nashville in the bowels
of Gen. Buell, not even waiting to shake hands with him. Then along there Gen. Jeff
Thompson was driven from Sikeston here in Southeast Missouri across his earth works,
“Niggah Wool Swamps,” back onto New Madrid, losing six of his guns. Then among the
very best of all, Gens. Curtis and Sigel completely wore out Gens. McCulloch, VanDorn
and Price at Pea Ridge, Ark. On March 6th, 7th and 8th, 1862. Then, on March 10th, Gen.
O. M. Mitchel occupied Huntsville, Ala. Then, beginning on March 15th, Island No. 10
was attacked and Gen. Pope began hammering at the gates of New Madrid just below.
This was a long trying time on our patience, but April 8th found Gen. Pope in undisputed
possession of both New Madrid and Island No. 10. Then, the 28th of March, Gen. Butler
began tugging at the great chain that obstructed the Mississippi River below New
Orleans, and by April 29th New Orleans was in command of that brave old general, even
if they did call him “Beast Ben Butler” because he put a stop to the ignominous low
down treatment of his men at the hands of the women of that city. Then came the awful
battle, against heavy odds, of Gen. Grant’s command against A. S. Johnson and
Beauregard on April 6th and 7th, 1862, at Shiloh, and Buell’s advance to assist Gen.
Grant. Not only these were coming fast to cheer us, but many, very many more, such
victories and achievements came along with them to spice our pie. So the old proverb of,
“He who laughs last laughs best,” held good in our case. The Secessionists laughed over
Ft. Sumter, Manassas, Wilson’s Creek and Lexington, Mp., in 1861, but now, in 1862,
they wavered as we did in 1861, and we laughed. Our end of the “see-saw” was now on
the ground. In our enthusiasm we have overlooked some Southeast Missouri history, to
which we now give attention.
As the months of January and February, 1862, passed along, Ironton and Pilot
Knob became an advanced or secondary base to St. Louis, as the Iron Mountain Ry. then
terminated at Pilot Knob, then an active iron mine camp or town. The conical mountain,
Pilot Knob, and Shepherd’s Mt., a little to the southwest, furnished the iron ore for the
smelting furnace at the north base of Pilot Knob. As troops poured in they advanced
south to Patterson, here in Wayne County, 40 miles south of Pilot Knob. As Patterson
became an advanced important post to Pilot Knob, the road to Pilot Knob was repaired.
Big Creek, 7 miles north of Patterson was bridged. “Corduroy” was laid in the bad places
in the road, and the telegraph wire came along also. Then Greenville, the capitol of
Wayne Co., 9 ½ miles southeast of Patterson, was occupied, threatening Bloomfield in
Stoddard Co., 40 miles southeast of Greenville, which was occupied, occasionally, by
Gen. Jeffries with some four or five companies, more of less, of Confederates, and
32
perhaps some of Gen. M. Jeff Thompson’s men. Then, when these “Confed” would
venture northward on scouting expeditions, they were almost always accompanied by a
lot of “Bat men,” that is, men who would do like the bat in the great war said to have
once raged between the animals and fowls. Sir bat was a genuine fowl till he saw the tide
of war turn in favor of the animals, then he drew in his “India rubber wings” and put out
his foot, and said: “See! I am an animal now.” So with these “Bat men”, then living
down scattered over Jeffries earth works, the swamps. They would take their shot-guns
and rifles and go along with these scouts, as Southern soldiers, and take such clothing
from the Union citizens as children’s shoes, hats, stockings and all other children’s
clothing; women’s wear, dresses and all kinds of under clothing, bed quilts, blankets,
sheets &c. Then anything else they chose to take, such as, knives, forks and spoons;
men’s clothing of all kinds were considered contraband goods. On returning to their
homes all loaded with their spoils of war, these “Bat men” would draw in their “wings of
war,” and when we would go scouting down below they would poke out their citizen foot
and say: “Oh yes, we are for the Union, but we dasn’t say nuthin down here.” The
Mingo swamp extending from Castor River southwest to the St. Francis River, some 15
or 16 miles. Mingo swamp is 6 or 8 miles wide next to Castor, but narrows down to
about 4 miles next to the Ste. Francis River. When both rivers are high to overflowing
there is a solid sheet of water all over this Mingo bottom, extending from river to river
and is from 3 feet to 15 feet deep. About the middle, or perhaps some nearer to the Ste
Francis, is a low swag 4 miles wide, and about as long in the middle of which is a still
lower swag called the head of Mingo Creek, which is very crooked and flows southwest
into the St. Francis. When the waters are low this vast bottom of land is dry, except the
pond at the head of Mingo Creek. During wet weather, but the rivers not overflowing,
there is a lake in the above mentioned swag and it becomes filled with fish. The banks of
Mingo Creek are high and get higher next to the Ste Francis River, and in very low water
and dry weather this creek becomes dry, or nearly so, after the lake has emptied, but in
wet weather the lake fills up to find a drain down Mingo Creek into the Ste Francis, until
the rivers overflow. Then the current in Mingo Creek is reversed and the Ste Francois
River waters rush up Mingo Creek as it begins to fill up to overflow the whole of the
Mingo bottom or swamp, which is covered with a heavy growth of cypress and tubler
gum and swamp oaks. Next to the Ste Francois River the Mingo Creek has a bridge on
the Greenville and Bloomfield road, about 20 miles southeast of Greenville and about as
far northwest of Bloomfield. So it is seen that it was in 1862 rather risky business for the
Union troops to cross the Mingo Creek in small force. “Crack Skull” our men got pretty
badly worsted in Feb. 1862. The men engaged in this unsuccessful advance on
Bloomfield marched from Greenville, all cavalry. We will here listen while old Comrade
Henry V. Mabrey, now probate judge of Wayne Co. and living in Greenville, tells of this
affair, and, as he was there, can tell all about the defeat and hasty retreat to Greenville.
Comrade Mabrey says: “Yes, I was at the Mingo or ‘Crack Skull’ spat Feb. 24th, 1862. I
was then a private in Co. B 12th M.S.M. Cav., commanded by W. T. Leeper. Capt. W. T.
Leeper and nearly all of his men were present taking part; also the Capt. Hawkins Co., (I
believe) F 6th Mo. Cav. Vols. I don’t remember who commanded that company. I do not
think Capt. Hawkins was there. Maj. Clendenning was in command, but I think in the
spat the surprise was so complete and sudden that he lost his wits and was so near
paralyzed that he made a complete failure.
33
“We had, I think, two, perhaps three, companies of the 1st Ind. Cav. Vols. with us,
of whom one Sergt. Was killed near Mangrum’s house. We had 4 or 5 companies, while
Jeffries had 4 companies, besides what citizens (“Bat men,” H.C.W.) were with him. Jeff
Thompson was said to have a company or two there but was not there in person. The
enemy came behind us in the heavy woods and waited till we mounted to advance
towards Bloomfield. The Capt. Hawkins company mounted and took the advance. Our
company were mounted ready to move next, and the companies of the 1st Ind. Cav. Were
about ready to mount, when all of a sudden the Rebs opened fire on our backs. Our
company dismounted to fight. The Capt. Hawkins Co. instead of making a military
maneuver wheeled about promiscuously and came dashing back, running over some of
Leeper’s men, knocking many of them away from their horses. Capt. Leeper among the
others lost his horse. I managed to hold my horse. Capt. Leeper then began to fall back
across the field toward the Mingo Creek, firing on the enemy as they fell back. Capt.
Leeper had nine bullet holes in his clothing, but no blood. John Cowly was shot through
the right side, the ball, a musket or “Minnie”, entering below the right shoulder blade and
came out above the right nipple. He recovered and was able for duty again. Charley
Flynn was shot through in a similar manner, only not so deep and through the left side.
He recovered. John Ellege was captured the evening before (23rd) while pickets were
being posted. During this melee of the 24th our (Leeper’s) company lost Ruben Whitt,
Rufus Moore, Levi Legrand and Mark Hughes, taken prisoners. Poor Mark Hughes, I
passed him on my way out. He was on his horse, but hurt so badly he couldn’t let his
horse go fast enough to make his escape. Wiley Mangrum kindly took the wounded boys
into his house and treated them very kindly.
“A few of the boys who did not lose their horses made it into Greenville that
night, but the next day there were some dead horses. My horse, being a long legged
jumper, leaped the fence with me, and on we went to the Black Mingo Creek. Our
“Stuttering” boy passed saying: “’F-‘f’f’f’f y-y-y-ou d-d-d-don’t w-w-w-want tttto gg-
g-go t-t-to h-e-ll, j-j-j-jine th-th-the a-a-a—army.” The Mingo bridge was
impassable for horses, the water too deep to ford, but, as there was no time to parley, we
just simply rode on without a halt and pressed on our way, not rejoicing over the victory
but very glad to escape. Poor Dan Davidson, one of the Capt. Hawkins Co., was burnt by
a ball passing through his clothing, and rubbed the skin just enough to burn, but not
enough to bleed more than a spoonful or so. Being well acquainted with him, we rode
together as we fell back to Lost Creek, he complaining that he was shot through the right
side. I asked him if he was bleeding much. He said: “Not on the outside. I’m afraid it is
bleeding on the inside and will kill me.” It was real funny to see the blank look in his
face when we halted on Lost Creek, and the boys all anxiously stripped off his clothing to
examine and care for his would. It was found the skin was only seared about 6 or 8
inches.
“Poor Joe Shrader, one of Hawkins’ men, in crossing the Mingo Creek, after
successfully swimming his horse over, was hung in the bridle or halter of a loose horse
and pulled off his horse in the mud, and was ran over and trampled by horses with men
on them going after ammunition (?). Poor Joe was ever after a cripple for life. As it was
not a favorable time then to take Bloomfield, we fell back to Greenville next day, the
25th.
34
Bloomfield remained in rather undisputed possession of Gen. Jeffries and Col. Sol
Kitchens till January 1863, and then off and on till the middle of the summer of that year,
which we will notice further on in our story.
Yours truly
H. C. Wilkinson,
Damon, Mo.
Letter No. 9.
Dear Doctor:-
As the Nation was making history in the year of 1862, it will be remembered that
Southeast Missouri, contributed her share,-according to her ability and circumstances.
Sometime in the early part of the summer of 1862, the Provisional Governor of Missouri,
ordered all able bodied men between the ages of 18 and 45 years to be enrolled into
companies and formed into regiments, brigades and divisions, known as the “Enrolled
Missouri Militia”. There was no dodging this enrollment only by going south or to
Illinois,- or going into the guerilla hordes or to volunteer into the U. S. Service or the
M. S. M. This now included “ours truly”,- the writer. We felt rather large then! Among
this class of militia we had all kinds of men. Some were of the most intense loyal men,
some were “neuter gender” men, some rather moderate Union men and some, would have
thrown up their hats and shouted themselves hoarse if Jeff Davis had gained the day.
Many here in Wayne County and surrounding counties, lay out in the woods to evade this
enrollment. They were hunted after by Capt. Powers and his men later on, and were
made prisoners and so held until they were willing to enroll and be sworn in as E. M. M.
These “lay out” fellows were put into companies rather by themselves, but were never
trusted with arms though held subject to the orders of Gov. Gamble. One Company (D)
of the 68th Regt. E. M. M., was called into active service and armed, in December, 1862,
and soon it was found that the orderly sergeant was planning a muting, or rather planning
to seize the arms and ammunition of the company and make south, with a many men as
he could carry with him. Capt. Morgan Mace commanded Company D, 68th E. M. M.,
and in good time he discovered the plot and fell at once to weeding out the badly affected
“secesh” element including his orderly sergeant. They were at once mustered out without
honors. Capt. Mace and many of his men were good, loyal men. Capt. Mace was very
active during the war, in giving his assistance to the cause of the Union. His home was
then about one half mile south of Arcadia, where he lived until he died after the war was
over.
The 68th E. M. M. was organized and commanded by Col. James Lindsay, of
Ironton; Capt. C. R. Peck of Ironton, was Adjutant: Robert Lindsay of Ironton, Major.
Company A was commanded by Capt. Bob Adair of St. Francois County: Company D by
Capt. Morgan Mace, as above mentioned: Company F (I think) was commanded by Capt.
Henry Finley of Madison County: Company B by Capt. Belkin of Fredericktown,
perhaps: Company K by Capt. P. L. Powers of Wayne County. These companies were
all of the 68th Regt. that were ever called into active service, uniformed, armed and
equipped, now remembered by the writer. The strong Union sentiment was predominant
in these five companies, and they made fairly good soldiers, or the majority did. The
writer now remembers of three other companies of the 68th E. M. M. that were organized
35
but saw little or no active service. The letters of these companies were never known to
the writer. One company was commanded by Capt. Jas. E. Davis, of near Patterson,
Wayne County; another by Capt. Joseph Wilson, south side of Madison County, Col Jas.
Lindsay bought and attached three very light field pieces, about two inch guns. And
placed them in charge of a Lieutenant whose speech “betrayeth him” to not be far from
the “lop-eared Dutch”. We were sure that he was a loyal man. If memory is correct, this
Lieutenant and his men belonged to Capt. Bob Adair’s company. If not, he belonged to
Capt. Belkin’s Company. The writer will never forget his old friend, Fritz Rickus, who
had charge of one of those little guns. They moulded lead, elongated conical balls for
them and used canister also. The last we ever saw of these pretty little guns was in old
Fort Davidson on the night of Sept. 27th, 1864, after we had given Price such a thrashing,
and we suppose they went up with the explosion of our magazine, or were taken away by
Price next day after we evacuated the fort and blew up the magazine.
The heading of the Muster-in-Roll of Company K, 68th Regt. E. M. M., reads as
follows: “Muster-in Roll of Captain P. L. Powers’ Company (K) in the Wayne County
Regiment of Enrolled Militia, State of Missouri, commanded by Colonel James Lindsay.
Organized by direction of Hamilton R. Gamble, Governor of Missouri, and under
General Orders of Brigadier General Schofield, No. 19, Headquarters Missouri State
Militia, July 22nd, 1862.”
The date of the muster-in given opposite the men’s names, is July 28th, 1862, at
Greenville, Missouri, by Maj. Lazzar. This company was not called into active service at
that time, but were required to meet for drill some two, three or four times in the month.
On one or two occasions, it was called into service for a few days at a time, to do scout
duty and as the summer closed and autumn set in, there were several details for scout
duty, to catch up small bands of roving rebels and rebel soldiers visiting their homes,
generally from Gen. Jeffries’ men at Bloomfield. “Watch all the time” was our pass
word.
Along in the summer of 1862, the “Knights of the Golden Circle” was organized
and in the southern part of Madison County, it was pretty strong. As the summer of 1862
wore along, the Union Army had left Southeast Missouri mostly in care of the M. S. M.
There were no troops at Patterson by the middle of July and only two companies of the
M. S. M. in Greenville. Then at Fredericktown, one or two companies. The forces at
Pilot Knob was then very low in numbers. This was a favorable time for the “K. G. C.”
to organize and operate, which they did in earnest. It was Capt. W. T. Leeper’s company
B and Capt. A. Dill’s Company G, 12th M.S. M. doing scout and outpost duty at
Greenville in July, 1862, Col. Miles Ponder and Tim Reeves and a lot of “bat men”
concluded to make a raid on Greenville here in Wayne County. My neighbor, John C.
Kerr, then a young lad, told the writer that he then lived with Miles Ponder on Current
River, at Ponder’s Mill, and Ponder said to the men living around him, “Boys, all of you
that choose to go along, can have all you can get.” So quite a number of “bat men”
volunteered to go along,- to take, - not steal, of course. We learned that, on Saturday,
July 19th, 1862, one Russell K. Sweazea discovered something not right away over
southwest of Greenville, in the neighborhood of Reeves’ Station on Black River, in
Butler County, and he came in and reported to Capt. Leeper that Tim Reeves was
coming. Also we heard that Capt. Leeper’s brother came in from Black River and
reported the same. So two women did the same, so we heard. Capt. Leeper was in
36
command at Greenville, but he treated their stories as “grapevine telegraph news”, as
they had halloed “The wofe! The wofe!” so often and no wolf there, that he took no
precautionary measures, only to draw in his pickets closer. One was called in to the court
house in Greenville, as Capt. Leeper’s camp was above town and nearly a quarter of a
mile north of the court house. All retired to their quarters as usual, as night drew on and
the men undressed and went to “blankets” and slept like soldiers until morning, and now
we will listen while old Comrade Henry Y. Mabrey, then orderly sergeant of Capt.
Leeper’s company tells of what happened. He says:
“About our little ‘spat’ at Greenville, July 20th, 1862, there were two companies
of us. Company B, 12th M. S. M. Cav., under Capt. W. T. Leeper and Company G, 12th
M. S. M. Cav., under Capt. A. Dill, Capt. Dill was not present, I think. Maj. Ponder with
four companies of Tim Reeves; men came in on us at daylight, having surrounded our
pickets. (the enemy crossed the river below the pickets and came around and charged
from the east. H.C.W.) They had quite a number of citizens (“bat men” H.C.W.) joined
in with them, with shot guns, squirrel rifles and such arms as they could gather up. Of
course, it was a surprise to us. They were within about 100 yards of us when I
discovered them and I called ‘Company B! Fall in!’ Our camp guard fired one shot and
we that could, ran for life. Some of the boys were not up yet. Two of them, Dick
Faggerty and Tho. Armstrong, were killed outright in their tents. Joseph M. Stephenson
and Jas. A. Proffit were badly wounded and afterwards died of their wounds. Josiah C.
Wilson was shot through the leg below the knee, rendering him a cripple for life. Samuel
R. Kelley (afterwards a 1st Lieutenant, got a shot in the shoulder, taking the lead with him
to his grave. There was a general ‘skedaddle’ of both of our companies, but Lieut.
Purcell was shot through the toe and captured. Hamlet Clark slipped and fell as he
started to run, just at that juncture about a dozen shots were fired at him,-none of them
touched him, but in his wisdom he lay still and they came and took off his belt, arms, etc.,
boasting what a fine Yankee they had slain. Old Hamlet lay still, until 17 of us, including
Capt. Leeper and Lieut. Francis got together and putting on a bold front, we raised the
“rebel yell”, dashing back toward them, firing as we went. That gave old Hamlet an
opportunity to rise and get away. While we had the attention of the enemy engaged,
Lieut. Purcell managed a little strategy and made his escape out of their hands in a
shower of lead. He said that Col. Ponder was talking to him and told him that “Right
here under this apple tree, you die!’ The lieutenant said, ‘Well, I suppose that in a
hundred years from now, it will be all the same,’ Then he told Ponder he had a request to
make of him before being shot. Ponder told him to ‘Out with it then!’ He then told
Ponder that “I have some valuable papers here in my tent that I want to hand to you to
give to Mrs. Bedford, down in town so my wife can get them.’ Ponder told him to ‘Hurry
up, and be quick and get them!’ To accommodate the colonel, the Lieutenant went on the
run for his tent, so as not to keep Ponder pondering, but bad luck for Ponder, Lieut.
Purcell just missed the door of his tent and shot like an arrow behind his tent then down
the steep bank into the crooked drain, then stooping as he ran, till he came to the St.
Francois River which ran close by, and then he ran across the river into the heavy timber
on the island. Not another shot touched him.
“We then played hide and seek with them for about thirty minutes, during which
time Charley Flynn, whom they had captured, crawled into a tent of oats and took a good
sweat for his health and when he crawled out, the ‘secesh’ had gone and left him. When
37
our game of hide and seek closed, we left rather suddenly. As we started, on of them, as
though he did not care to hurt one of us, or perhaps to see if we would run, fired after us
with a load of buck shot, hitting Elijah Clark with a buck shot in the rear of one ham.
Capt. Leeper being in command, of course we crossed the St. Francois River at ‘Leeper’s
Ford’, which extended all the way from where the Wilson barn now stands down to the
Greenville cemetery, (about a quarter of a mile H.C.W.) The St. Francois River was
navigable for boots that morning. How many of them were hurt, I never knew definitely.
One man by the name of Collins, of the enemy, was shot though the breast, too badly hurt
for them to take him away. He soon died. The citizens of Greenville told me of as many
as half a dozen that were wounded,-some pretty badly, but all able to ride away on
horseback. Madison Wilson slipped and fell as he went down to the ford and ruptured
himself.
“The enemy got all of our horses, but five that broke loose and two or three that
were killed during the fight. They got about 40 guns (Enfield rifles with sabre bayonets)
and some ammunition They also get our good clothing,-not sparing my best shoes, my
best time piece and even took my brace of holster pistols!”
It was late afternoon on Sunday July 20th, that word of this Greenville affair
reached Coldwater, and word also came to the writer that a gang of men were seen on
horseback on our creek. We at once spread the alarm and Cedar Creek was well picketed
all that night by the citizens then already enrolled militia men. At about 3 A.M. Monday
morning, father was taking his turn doing guard duty, when we were aroused by his
challenge “Halt! Who goes there ?” Out we tumbled, guns and revolvers in hand, ready
to fire on anything in human shape. In the starlight we saw a small group of men on
horseback in the lane close by. They were in a hurry to give their names, but were none
too soon, for father said his finger was almost pressing the trigger of his gun. It was our
old tried friend, James P. Ellis, now of coldwater, whose voice we recognized, as he
answered, “We are friends. Don’t fire!” The other two men with him were Capt. Lee
Wybark and Sergt. Willis Potter of the 12th M.S.M. (if we are not mistaken) just from
Fredericktown with re-enforcements for Capt. Leeper at Greenville. The writer and his
father rode with them down to the main road, where Capt. Wybarks’s boys were on
picket also, learning nothing further, father and the writer returned home. Capt. Wybark
rode to Greenville as fast as he could on a 40 mile ride, and as he came in sight of Capt.
Leeper’s camp he drew up his men for a charge, as the men he saw were all ragged and
dirty like ”bat men”. He was just in the act of giving the command “Charge” when he
saw Capt. Leeper come out of his tent with his dress coat and shoulder straps on, and at
once recognized him,-so it is seen that Capt. Leeper’s nearest accessible support was
Capt. Lee Wybark at Fredericktown, 40 miles north of him and way to Curtis in
Arkansas, south of him. Marble Hill over 40 miles east of him and a wilderness west of
him, to Springfield, Mo.
Soon after this unfortunate affair happened at Greenville, the soldiers began
pouring into Patterson and Greenville, somewhere up in the thousands, with some guns.
One regiment we well remember was the 13th Ill. Cav. Col. Boyd of Mo.with his regt.
was there and he was in command when on July 28th, 1862, Capt. P. L. Powers, Company
K, 68th Regt. E. M. M. rode down there to be mustered into the “Enrolled Missouri
Militia”, ready to answer any call or order into active service,or anything else to help
Uncle Samuel. Soon after this, a few days, perhaps, Capt. Powers received an order from
38
Col. Boyd to at once proceed to Greenville with all of his men that he could mount.
Some “grape vine telegraph” scare was up, as the colonel ordered Powers out on the old
“Military Road” south of Greenville to do outpost duty, and armed the unarmed militia
men with old captured rifles and shot guns.
The company remained there a few days, or until the scare was over, and then
they were ordered in and they returned their borrowed guns and returned to their homes.
Then , in a very short time, Col. Boyd made a requisition on Capt. Powers for an
many men as he could mount, to go immediately to Greenville and to accompany a scout
down to Doniphan, in Ripley County, or to Van Buren in Carter County. As the writer
was so unfortunate then, to belong to the infantry division of Company K, he had to
remain at home in the tobacco field. As soon as this scout had made its rounds, Capt.
Powers and his men were again released and they returned to their homes. Guess we
might have properly been termed “supernumerary-minute-Enrolled-Missouri-Militiamen”
Almost name enough to pull down like a well loaded knapsack! But then, we were
making history.
Yours truly,
H. C. Wilkinson,
Damon, Mo.