Jamie and Keith,

For starters, thanks to both of you for educating me that Benjamin Snelling actually had two sons: Benjamin (Jr.) and Charles V. Snelling; and that it was Charles V. Snelling who was captured, tried, and executed by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Brown and his command of the 5th Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia (Prov EMM or PEMM) in August 1863, being the only Union troops stationed at that time in Clinton, county seat of Henry County. I will need to send a correction to my publisher to reflect this information.

I will add that there was at least one garrison of the 1st Cavalry Missouri State Militia (MSM) in west Henry County (at Germantown) at that time. There was also one other garrison of the 5th PEMM at Calhoun in NE Henry County. (Source for Union garrisons in Henry County in August 1863 was a disposition of troops report dated 31 July 1863 in "O.R." Series 1, Vol. 22, Part 2, pages 419-420, which shows only the MSM troops and not the active PEMM troops in Henry County.)

As to Robert A. Paxton, I need to lay some background first, in order to fit what happened to Paxton into what was happening at that time. That will help fill in the information gaps I have on this. I will bow out for now in order to verify information about Paxton's prison escape, and come back in later today.

Please excuse my coming and going. I retired from 42 years of federal service yesterday (mostly in the Dept. of Defense), and my wife is calling for me to start packing up my office for our pending move to a house we are purchasing from our niece in central Missouri over the next few months.

Until later, Bruce