A HISTORY
Southern Missouri and
Northern ArKansas
Being an Account of the Early Settlements,
the Civil War, the Ku-Klux, and
Times of Peace.
By William MonKs
West Plains, Mo.
West Plains Journal Co.
West Plains, Mo.
19O7
\ X*\
Copyright
t>y
William MonKs
Introduction.
Now the author was born in the state of Alabama, in
Jackson county, on the north side of the Tennessee River,
near Hunts ville. He was the son of James Monks and
Nancy Monks. The father of James Monks came over
from Ireland during the Revolutionary War and served in
that war until the independence of the United States was
acknowledged. Afterwards he married a lady of English
descent and settled down in the State of South Carolina.
His father died when he was but an infant. His mother
removed to the state of Tennessee, being left with five chil
dren, James being the youngest. Growing up to manhood
in that state, he removed to the north part of the state of
Alabama and there married Nancy Graham, who was a
daughter of Jesse Graham. They were originally from the
state of Virginia.
James Monks enlisted in the United States Army and
served in the Indian war that was known as the Seminole
war, in the state of Florida. After his term of service had
expired he returned home and sold his farm and had a flat-
boat built and placed in the Tennessee River near Gunters
Landing, with the intention of moving to the state of Flor
ida. Taking his brother-in-law, a Mr. Phillips, on the
boat with him, they went down the river by Decatur, were
piloted through the Mussell Shoals, and at the foot of the
shoals at what is known as Tuscumbia, the writer remem
bers seeing a part of the Cherokee Indians that were being
removed from the state of Alabama to their present location.
384935
The writer can remember seeing the Cherokee Indians be
fore they were removed from the state of Alabama.
On reaching Southern Illinois, eight miles from Padu-
cah, my father landed his boat and looked over the country
and came to the conclusion that that country was good
enough, and located in what was then Pope County. After
wards they cropped a piece off of Pope and a piece off of
Johnson, and created anew county and named it Massack,
after the old government fort, and located the count} 7 seat,
named Metropolis. My father resided nine years in that
state, then sold out and started to move to the state of
Texas. On arriving in Fulton county, Arkansas, he con
cluded to locate in that county.
Soon after his arrival, in the latter part of June or July,
1844, the writer was employed to carry the United States
mail from Salem, the county seat of Fulton County, to
Rockbridge, then the county seat of Ozark county, Mis
souri. My father and mother taught me to be loyal to my
government from my earliest remembrance, and I don t
think that two persons more honest than they ever lived.
They taught me from my earliest recollection to be honest
and upright, and I have tried, and believe I have lived up
to their teaching to the very letter; and no man or woman
before the war, during the war, nor since the war, can say
anything else and tell the truth. Religiously, my father
and mother were Baptists, and I believe that they were
Christians.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
In the year 1844 father sold out and in May started
to move to the state of Texas ; crossed the Mississippi
river at Green s old ferry, came by the way of Jackson,
Missouri, and traveled the old military road made by the
government troops in removing the Cherokee Indians from
the state of Alabama to their present location only road
leading west and in July of the same year (learning that it
was very dangerous for a man to take his family into the state
of Texas on account of the Indians), he concluded to locate
in Fulton county, Arkansas, purchased an improvement
and located on what is known as Bennett s river, about 25
miles from where West Plains is now located. The fam
ily at that time consisted of six persons, to -wit: father,
mother and four sons, the author then being in his fifteenth
year; father, being a farmer by occupation, went to work
on the farm. The country at that time was very sparsely
settled. The settlements were confined to the creeks and
rivers, where were found plenty of water and springs. No
place at that time was thought worth settling unless it had
a spring upon it. The vegetation was luxuriant, the broom
sedge and blue stem growing as high as a man s head and
he upon an ordinary horse. The table lands, which were
thought at that time to be worthless, had very little timber
growing on them, but were not prairie. There were what
were known as post oak runners and other brush growing
on the table lands, but the grass turf was very heavy and
in the spring of the year the grass would soon cover the
sprouts and the stranger would have taken all of the table
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
lands, except where it was interspersed with groves, to have
been prairie. The country settled up some of the settle
ments being 15 miles apart yet the early settlers thought
nothing of neighboring and assisting each other as neigh
bors for the distance of 15 miles. At that time Fulton
county contained all of the present territory that now in
cludes Baxter, Fulton and a part of Sharp counties; and
but a short time previous to the organization of Fulton, all
of the territory that now embraces Fulton, Baxter and Sharp ;
Izard belonged to Independence county and Batesville was
the county seat. My father located about five miles from
the state line.
Ozark county, in Missouri, joined Fulton county on
the state line and all of the territory that now comprises
Ozark, Douglas and the west half of Howell, belonged to
Ozark county and Rockbridge,its county seat, being located
on Bryan s Fork of the North Fork, about 50 miles from
the state line. Oregon county contained all the territory
that now comprises Oregon, Shannon, and the east end of
Howell ; and a short time previous all of the territory that
now comprises Ripley, Oregon, Carter and Shannon be
longed to Ripley county ; and all of the territory that now
comprises Texas, Dent, Wright and Crawford counties be
longed to Crawford county. The country at that time
abounded in millions of deer, turkeys, bears, wolves and
small animals. I remember as my father was moving west
and after he had crossed White Water near what was known
as Bullinger s old mill, that we could see the deer feeding
on the hills in great herds like cattle, and wild turkeys were
in abundance. Wild meat was so plentiful that the settlers
chiefly subsisted upon the flesh of wild animals until they
could grow some tame stock, such as hogs and cattle. This
country then was almost a "land of honey." Bees abound
ed in great number and men hunted them for the profit
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS
they derived from the beeswax. There was no such thing
known as a bee moth.
Honeydew fell in such quantities as to completely kill
the tops of the grass where it was open. I have known
young turkeys, after they were, large enough for use, to
have their wings so gummed with honeydew that they
could not fly out of the way of a dog have known lots of
them to be caught with dogs when they wanted to use
them. There was no question in regard to there being
honey when you cut a bee tree, if the hollow and space in
the tree were sufficient and the bees had had time to fill it.
I have known bee trees being cut that had 8 and 10 feet of
solid comb that was candied and grained. When my father
first located, beeswax, peltry and fur skins almost consti
tuted the currency of the country. I remember that a short
time after my father located, a gentleman came to my fath
er s house and wanted to buy a horse and offered to pay
him in beeswax and peltry, and as I had been accustomed
to paper currency in the state of Illinois, I asked my father
what kind of money peltry was. He laughed and remarked,
"Well son, it is not money at all; it is deer skins." A
man thought nothing of buying a horse or a yoke of oxen,
or to make any other common debt on the promise of dis
charging the same in beeswax and peltry in one month s
time.
The immigration consisted mostly of farmers and
mechanics. A.mong the mechanics were coopers who would
make large hogsheads for the purpose of holding the honey
after it was separated from the bees wax, and a man then had
his choice to to use either candied honey or fresh honey. I
knew whole hogsheads that were full of candied honey.
When men would make a contract to deliver any amount or
number of pounds of beeswax, and within a given time,
especially in the fall of the year, they would either take a
10 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
yoke of cattle or two horses and a wagon and with their
guns and camp equipage go out from the settlements into
what was then termed the wilderness, and burn bee comb.
In a short time the bees would be working so strong to the
bait that they could scarcely course them. In the morning
they would hunt deer, take off pelts until the deer would
lie down, then they would hunt bees and mark the trees
until the deer would get up to feed in the afternoon, when
they would again resume their hunt for deer. After they
had found a sufficient number of bee trees and marked
them, the morning following they would go out and kill
nothing but large deer;caseskin them until they had a suffi
cient number of hides to contain the honey that they expect
ed to take from the trees, take the hides to the camp, tie a
knot in the fore legs of the hide, take dressed buckskin and
a big awl, roll the hide of the neck in about three folds,
run two rows of stitches, draw it tight, then go to their
wagons with ridgepole and hooks already prepared, knot
the hind legs of the skins, hang them over the hooks, take
their tub, a knife and spoon, proceed to the trees, stop their
team a sufficient distance from the tree to prevent the bees
from stinging the animals, cut the tree, take out the hon
ey, place it in the tub, and when the tub was filled carry it
to the wagon where the hides were prepared, empty their
tubs into the deer skins, return again to another tree and
continue cutting until the hides were all filled with honey ;
then they would return home, take the hides from the hooks
on the ridge pole on the wagon, hang them on hooks prepar
ed for the purpose in the smokehouse and then the men s
work was done.
The labor of the women then commenced. They would
proceed to separate the honey from the beeswax, pour
ing the honey into hogsheads, kegs or barrels prepared for
it, and running the beeswax into cakes ready for the mar-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 11
ket, while the men were stretching and drying the deer
skins. As soon as the deerskins were dried and the honey
was separated from the beeswax, they were ready for the
market and took their place as currency, while the flesh of
the deer, sometimes, when bread was scarce, took the place
of both bread and meat, with a change, whenever the appe
tite called for it, to turkey and other wild game.
At night they would hunt for fur animals, such as rac
coon, fox and mink, and stretch their hides; a first-class
raccoon hide would sell for 40 to 50 cents; fox, 25 and 30
cents; mink, from 65 to 75c. I have often known the peo
ple to pay their taxes, when the collector came around,
with fur skins, such as raccoon and fox. The collector
would take the hides right at the house and give them a
clear receipt for their taxes, both state and county. I have
seen collectors leading a horse for the purpose of carry
ing his fur skins. I have seen the horse completely cov
ered with fur skins, so you could see no part of him but
his head and his hoofs and tail one could not have told
there was a horse beneath the load unless he had known it.
The people then had many advantages that they are de
prived of now, in the way of wild meat, abundance of hon-
cy and fine range. A man could raise all the stock in the
way of horses and cattle that he could possibly look after;
the only expense was salting and caring for them didn t
have to feed, \vinter nor summer, except the horses in use
and the cows used for milking purposes. While, on the
otherhand, they labored under a great many disadvantages,
in the way of schools and churches. During the residence
of my father in the state of Illinois, we had a very good
common school system, and we had three months of school
every fall. My father being a farmer, sent me only the
three months term in the fall. I had acquired a limited
education before his removal to Arkansas, yet he was in-
12 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
terested in giving his children an education. At that time
there were no free schools, only subscription schools ; teach
ers gererally were incompetent and employed through fa
voritism, and not upon their qualifications to teach. In a
year or two after my father located, the settlement got to-
.gether and located a school -house site, took their teams,
hauled round logs, built them into walls, made a dirt floor,
cut out a large window in the side, split a tree and made a
writing desk, split small trees, hewed them and made
benches for seats, cut a hole in one end of the house, erect
ed a wooden chimney, what was then known as a stick and
clay chimney, chinked and daubed the cracks, made a
clapboard roof, hung the door with wooden hinges, then
the house was considered ready for the school and had the
name of teaching a three-months subscription school; and
yery often half of the pupils were better scholars than the
teachers. All they gained in their education was by atten
tion to study. As the country improved in population, the
people improved in the erection of school -houses and
church -houses and constructed, in place of the round log
school -house and dirt floor, hewed log school -houses with
puncheon floors, stick and clay chimneys.
Those pioneer settlers took a great interest in each
other s welfare, and the different settlements met together
from a distance of 15 to 40 miles and adopted rules and
customs binding each other to aid and assist in helping any
person who met with any misfortune in the way of sickness,
death or other causes that might occur, and I must say
that there was more charity and real religion practiced
among those pioneer settlers, although many of them were
looked upon as being crude and unlettered. There was a
great deal of sickness along the streams, especially chills
and fever. Immigrants came in, generally in sufficient
numbers to form a settlement; and I have know r n them,
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 13
very often, after they had located and opened out 10 to 15
acres and put it in cultivation and broke the ground and
planted their corn, for the whole family to be taken down
at one time with chills and fever, not able even to help
each other or administer to their wants. As soon as the
information reached the other settlements for a distance of
15 miles or more, the different settlements would set a day
to meet at the place with their horses, plows, hoes, wagons,
etc.; also provisions, such as bread -stuff and salt. On
meeting, they would ascertain the condition of the family
or families and learn what they needed in the way of pro
vision, medicine, nursing, etc. ; they would then and there
agree that the different settlements should divide up the
time, set the day for each one to furnish waiters to wait
upon them in their sickness, such medicine as -they need
ed, provisions and everything that was necessary to render
comfort, and in the morning before breakfast they would
go out and kill a deer and as many turkeys as they needed,
dress them, prepare them for the cook, who had been
brought with them, go into the field after breakfast, plow
and hoe the corn, clean out the garden, leave the families in
charge of nurses and return again to their respective set
tlements. Those families, as soon as they were well, not
being acquainted with the customs and rules, would meet
them and inquire as to what amount they owed them for
what they had done for them during their sickness. They
would be readily informed, "Nothing. You are not ac
quainted with our rules and customs. Now, we have obli
gated and pledged ourselves together not to let any sick or
other disabled person suffer for the want of necessary at
tention, and the only thing we require of you is, if any
other person should move into the country and locate, and
should be taken down and confined through sickness or
any other cause, that you help in furnishing such aid and
14 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
necessaries as they may need until they are able to again
take care of themselves." Now, I have just remarked that
there was more real charity and religion practiced among
pioneers than there is in the present day. The people then
all appeared to be interested in bettering the condition of
society.
As soon as it was possible, the different settlements
erected church -houses built of hewed timber, floored with
puncheons, hewed seats, size of house generally from 18 by
20 to 22 by 25 feet, chinked and daubed. The churches or
denominations then were Baptists and Methodists. There
didn t appear to be any antagonism or hatred existing be
tween the denominations ; the doors were thrown wide open
for any minister that might travel through and they all
turned out, and you heard nothing said then in regard to
"my church" or "your church," They appeared to rec
ognize the fact that it was the Lord s church and that they
were the Lord s people. In going to church, sometimes
from 1 to 10 miles, they would see flocks of turkeys and
herds of wild deer, both going and coming. As soon as
the crops were laid by, they would agree among the differ
ent settlements as to where a campmeeting should be held;
they would then erect camps or huts, make boards to
cover them, erect an arbor, fill the center of it with straw,
and to the distance of 25 to 35 miles they would all turn
out, irrespective of denomination, and all appeared to enjoy
themselves, and the love of Christ appeared to dwell in each
heart, and they appeared to be proud of the privilege of
meeting each other and worshiping together. If any
member belonging to either of the denominations defrauded,
or in any way wronged his brother, he was at once waited
upon and requested to make reparation to his brother and
acknowledge to his brother and to the church, or he was
withdrawn from or turned out of the church. The immi-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 15
gration was chiefly from the Middle States, some from the
Southern States and very few from the Northeastern States.
They were frugal, energetic, honest, intelligent and indus
trious. As the country increased in population, the facili
ties of bc^h schools and churches improved.
The customs and habits were entirely different from
those existing now ; the wearing apparel was entirely home
made ; they would raise their cotton, pick it out with their
ringers or a hand gin, women would spin their warp, spin
their filling, get their different colors from different barks
for men s wear; the women used indigo and copperas for
the main colors in manufacturing the cloth for dresses,
wound their stripes on a stick and then wove it into cloth ;
you could scarcely visit a house but what you would see a
loom, big spinning-wheel and little wheel; sometimes you
would see three or four wheels at one house. They made
both their every day and Sunday wear ; the women appeared
to take great pride in seeing who could weave the nicest
piece of cloth, make it into a dress, make cloth and make it
into what was known as Virginia bonnets, and the men
tanned their own leather, made shoes for the whole family.
When the women were dressed completely in their home
spun they appeared to enjoy themselves, in church, in com
pany or any other gathering, and felt just as independent
and proud as the king upon his throne; they appeared to
meet each other and greet each other and all appeared to
realize the fact that they were human and they had but one
superior and that was God. The women spun the warp,
spun the wool, wove it into cloth, procured the different
barks from the woods and dyed it, the general color being
brown, made it with their own hands into coats, pants, un
dershirts ; made overshirts out of homespun cotton and the
\vhole suit was home-made, and very often a cap, made
either of the raccoon or a fox, was worn on the head.
16 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
When men met each other at any public gathering they
appeared to be proud of meeting each other ; appeared to
realize the fact that they were all American citizens and
human, bound together by the ties of love and affection, and
the highest ambition appeared to be to make each other
happy and help one another in time of need.
I don t believe there was as much dissipation by par
taking of intoxicants, or other wickedness, as exists to-day
among the same number of persons. It is true that then
any man who was able to purchase a little still and had a
spring could erect his own still house and make his own
whiskey without paying any tax or duty upon the same, and
anyone of his neighbors who wanted a gallon of whiskey
could carry a bushel of corn to the still -house and get a
gallon of whiskey in exchange for it. And if men became
drunk on the whiskey it did not appear to make them wild
and crazy as the whiskey of to-day does.
Men then, as well as now, would have disagreements
and fall out and fight, but the custom that prevailed among
that class would not tolerate nor allow a man to use weap
ons, and if two men had a disagreement, one of them being
a large, stout man physically, the other being a small man,
not equal in strength if they were together in a public
place and the large one would challenge the weaker to fight
him, before he could hardly open his mouth, some man
present who considered himself to be his equal in physical
strength, would just say to him "now then, if you want to
fight, that man is not your equal, but I am; get your second
and walk out and I will do the fighting for this other man."
I have, on different occasions, seen the large man who was
challenging the weaker for a fight reply to the challenge and
say, "My friend, I have nothing against you; this other
man hasn t treated me right," or set out some other reason
that he ought to whip him; the man in reply would say, "I
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 17
don t want to hear another word from you in regard to
wanting to fight this other man, and if I do you have got
me to fight." Very often I have seen the man shut his
mouth and turn away and say nt thing more. On the
other hand, I have heard a man say to another, "If you
want to fight, I am your man; the other man is unable to
fight you, and in an instant the other would reply.
"Well, sir, I am your man; just as leave fight you as
anybody else." They would select their seconds, take a
drink of whiskey together, enter into an agreement that
whenever the seconds said either one was whipped, that
they were to abide by it, unless they found out before, their
seconds did that they were whipped, and if so, they would
manifest it by holloing "enough," when the other person
was to stop at once and inflict no more injury. I have oft
en seen them fight until they were both as bloody as butch
ers and in the end the seconds would have to hollo for one
or the other. As soon as they were separated they would
go to the same pool or place where there was water and
wash themselves, and walk arm-in-arm, laughing and talk
ing and drinking together and remark, "We are now fast
friends and we have settled the matter as to which was the
best man." And if a man would produce a weapon on
either side his own friends would turn against him and he
would be forced to put it up at once. Men then appeared
to be governed by that higher inspiration, that a man
should not use anything that would permanently disable or
take the life of his fellow-man; but if one man became
pregnant with fight or desire to maim his fellow-man, in
order that he should not be disappointed, some man would
readily volunteer, who believed that he was his equal
physically, and deliver him of all his fighting propensities.
18 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Dow Bryant and a Gallon of Whisky
I will here relate an instance that I well remember. A
man by the name of Bridges lived just above where Bak-
ersficld is now located, owned a little mill at the same place
where they still continue the work of the mill just above
Bakersfield. The mill ground from twelve to fifteen bush
els per day; most of us carried our sacks on horseback,
and ground b}^ turns. Bridges had employed a man by the
name of Math Shipman to run the mill. He w r as a small
man weighing only about 135 pounds, and there was a
man by the name of Dow Bryant, lately from the state of
Tennessee, quite a large man, weighing 225 pounds, who
delighted in fighing under the old style, and claimed that
he had whipped two of the best men in Tennessee at the
same time. Shipman had made some statement that re
flected upon Bryant; so Bryant procured a gallon of whis
key, and, Liking two men with him, went from Bennett s
river over to the mill and informed Shipman of what he
had heard he had said in regard to him, and said to Ship
man that if he had said it and didn t take it back, he would
have to whip him, and the only thing he hated about it
would be the whipping of as little a man as he was. Ship -
man replied that he need not take that matter into consid
eration, and that his father had always taught him that if
he told anything and it was the truth, not to take it back
under any consideration, and that what he had said was
true; and as to his whipping him, his father had always
taught him never to admit anything until he knew it was
true; and "I have my doubts about you being able to whip
me; but if you will get your second ready, as soon as the
corn that is in the hopper is ground out and I refill the
hopper I will get my second and we will go out into the
mill yard so you can test it." They accordingly got their
seconds, went into the mill yard, formed a ring, and when
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 19
the word was given by the seconds, they went together.
Shipman bit every finger on the right hand and three fin
gers on the left hand to the bone; and Bryant s friends,
seeing he was going to be whipped, proposed parting them.
Bryant returned home, and when his neighbors would
meet him with his fingers all bound up, they would say,
"Hello there! What s the matter?" His reply would be,
"I went over into the wilderness and got hold of a wild
cat, and it like to have eaten me up before I could get
loose from it." He would further say that Shipman
was all mouth, and that he could not put his hands any
where about his head unless he got them in his mouth.
I will give another instance touching the same man
(Bryant). He went over to Salem during circuit court.
The sheriff of the county was a man by the name of Dick
Benton, quite a small man, and the constable of the town
ship was named Moore and a very small man. Bryant was
drinking some, and wanted to fight as usual, and became
noisy. The judge ordered the constable to arrest him ;
but when Bryant saw the constable coming, he backed be
hind an old building, and ordered the constable not to
rush upon him. When the constable came in reach, he
knocked him down, came walking around, and remarked
that no tickey officer could arrest him. The judge then
ordered the sheriff to arrest him. When the sheriff came
within reach, he knocked him down, came walking back,
and remarked, "I thought they understood me when I told
them that a tickey set of officers could not arrest me."
During the time the father-in-law of the sheriff had come
out. Bryant walked up to him, and with a d said:
I want to know what you are doing here." Without any
more words being passed, the sheriff s father-in-law knock
ed Bryant down, jumped onto him, but he holloed, and
they took him off Bryant straightened himself up right
20 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
into his face again and remarked, "I have told a lie, I am
not whipped." Without any more words he knocked him
down again and gave him a considerable pelting. Bryant
holloed again, and after they had taken him off, he
straightened up and walked off about ten steps distant,
turned around, and remarked, "I have told a lie, I am not
whipped ; but I am not going to say it within reach of that
old man any more." On the same day some nipn knocked
him down, taking a common clapboard, hit him three licks
while he was running on all fours, then got a piece of
chalk and wrote on it, "Dow s board," and nailed it up
on the corner of the square.
The drinking class for years used all manner of
language and obscenity in the streets, and even in the
hearing of the court. There was a man b} 7 the name of
Neeley who became a candidate for circuit judge, and one
of the main reasons he urged for his election was that, if
elected, he would punish all offenders of the public peace,
and force all persons to respect the court, and he would
discharge the duties with some dignity and respect for
himself and the people. Shortly after he was elected and
during his first court, a man by the name of Smith, who
lived just north of Salem on the South Fork, and who had
worked for his election, came into the court room after the
court was in session, walked around to the judge, took
him by the hand and remarked, "Judge, I want to con
gratulate you on your success, and I hope things will
change." The judge turned to the clerk and remarked,
"Mr. Clerk, assess a fine of five dollars against Mr.
Smith." Smith soon retired from the court room and de
clared that Neeley was a tyrant, and that if he had his vote
back he would not support him. In the afternoon the
judge ordered the sheriff to bring Mr. Smith into the court
room and said to him, "Mr Smith, you were a warm
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 21
friend of mine in my canvass, worked for my election, and
no doubt contributed much to my success. Now I don t
want to disappoint you in any promises that I made during
the canvass, but after court is convened and the judge on
the bench, it is contempt in any gentleman to come up and
take -him by the hand and congratulate him on his success ;
and now 1 hope that you, with all others of my frienls, and
those who are not, will support and protect me in enforc
ing the dignity of the court." Mr. Smith at once became
pacified, and said that the judge was right.
We remember another instance that occurred during
the same court There was a young lawyer, who came
into court, wearing a very fine pair of boots, and, standing
on his feet, he would occasionally raise onto his toes, and
you could hear his boots creak all over the court room.
The judge turned to him and remarked, "Mr., what did
those boots cost you?" The lawyer quickly replied, "Ten
dollars, sir." The judge remarked to him, "I think you
got the boots too cheap. I think they ought to be worth
twenty dollars. Mr. Clerk, assess a fine of ten dollars
against this man."
On the next day a man by the name of Cage Hogan, a
man who was widely known, in company \vith others, got
on the public square, near the saloon, and began to curse
and swear, and use all manner of obscenity. The judge
ordered the sheriff to go down and see who w r as making
the disturbance. The sheriff went out to the place and
stated to the crowd that the judge had ordered him to see
who was creating that disturbance, and to arrest the party.
Hogan remarked, with an oath, "You go back and tell the
old judge that it is Cage Hogan, and that I suppose he has
heard of me before, and I don t allow sheriffs to arrest me
until I get ready." The sheriff came back and reported to
the court, and the judge made an order for him to proceed
22 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
at once and arrest Mr. Hogan and all others that he might
find acting in a boistersous manner, and if necessary to
take the power of the county, and if he didn t immediate
ly bring him into the court room he would assess a fine
against him of $100. The sheriff returned and informed
Mr. Hogan of what the court had said, and that he would
be bound to arrest him and take him by force if he didn t
go without it. Hogan remarked that if it would be any
pleasure and consolation to the old tyrant he was the man
who could go into the court room. When he came into
the court room, the sheriff said, "Here is Mr. Hogan."
Mr. Hogan remarked, with an oath, "I am here, judge,
and I would like to know what you want." The judge re
plied that there were some parties creating a disturbance in
the hearing of the court and that he had ordered them ar
rested and brought in. "Do you know who the parties
are?" Hogan, with an oath, replied, "I am the man;
and, judge, I want you to understand that I am a horse,
and if you hain t become acquainted with old Cage Ho
gan, you will." The judge remarked to him that they had
a stable and that was the place for horses, and that he
would assess a fine of $50 against him, and ordered the
sheriff to take him to jail until it was paid. Hogan, re
marking, "I always carry the money to pay my way, and
you need not put yourself to any trouble to have the sher
iff carry me to jail," pulled out his pocket book, took out
$50, and said, w r ith an oath, "Here is the mone3 r , and I
want you to understand that I am no jail bird, and you
can t stick me in your old jail." The judge then said,
"Mr. Hogan seems to have plenty of money; Mr. Clerk
assess another $50 fine against him." At that Hogan ap
peared to hesitate and reflect, and, pulling out a quart bot
tle of whiskey from his pocket, started to approach the
judge, who was on the bench, saying with an oath, "Here,
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 23
judge, lets drink together and be friends and stop this
foolishness." The judge turned to the clerk and said:
"Mr. Clerk, assess another fine of $50 against him," and
ordered the sheriff to take him forthwith to jail and keep
him there until further orders, for he considered him an
unlawful horse, and he did not think it safe for society
for him to run at large. The sheriff, with a consider
able posse, carried him to the jail, and with considerable
trouble put him in and shut him up. He remained in jail
two days, and at the evening session of the second day the
sheriff came into court and said that Mr. Hogan was very
desirous of seeing the court. The court then ordered him
brought in. On his being brought in, the court asked him
if he still thought he was a horse. Hogan replied, "No,
sir; I am not anything now but Cage Hogan." The judge
said: "As you have now arrived at the conclusion that you
are human and not animal, are you willing to respect the
laws of your land and the dignity of this court?" Hogan
replied: "I am, judge, with all my heart." The judge
then said to him, "What about that money of yours ; are
you able to pay the $150 fine?" Hogan said, "No, judge,
I don t feel like I could pay $150 this evening; I don t
feel as rich and as brave as I did when you first brought
me into court, and I want } r ou to be as lenient with me as
possible." The court said, "Mr. Hogan, if you will prom
ise me that you will neither disturb the dignity of this
court nor incite others to do so, I will remit all of your
fine except $50." Mr. Hogan then and there paid the $50
fine and w r as released. From that time up to the end of
his term there never was any disturbance of any nature in
the hearing of the court, and if you went into the court
room everything was so quiet that you could almost hear a
pin drop.
24 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
The Tutt and Evert War.
My memory is that it was in the year 1846 that an in
cident occurred in Marion county that I will now relate.
It was known as the Tutt and Evert war. They were once
fast friends. They met in Yellville, the county seat, and
while there one of the Everts purchased a set of silver
spoons at the store of one of the Tutts. Afterwards a mis
understanding grew up between them as to the payment
for the spoons, which led them into a fight. Afterwards,
which was often, when they would meet in Vellvilie, they
would hardly ever get away without some fighting taking
place between the parties. There was a large gathering
and a public demonstration to take place within a few
weeks. The Tutts declared, backed by the Kings, that if
the Everts came into town that day they would kill them
outright. Both parties came in early in the day, heavily
armed. After coming under the influence of intoxicants to
some extent, Evert went into the public square and stated
what he had heard from the Tutts, and said that if they,
the Tutts and Kings, were ready for the conflict, there
never was a better time than then, and that they, the Ev
erts, were fully ready. Both parties, in short range, opened
fire. One of the Kings shot Simm P^vert during the fight,
supposed to be through the heart. One of the Kings, just
previous to the shooting of Evert, had been shot through
the hips and so disabled that he could not stand upon his
feet. After Simm Evert had received the wound, he
turned around, and, within a few steps of the wounded
King, picked up a large stone, raised it in both hands,
and, stepping up to King, came down on King s head with
the stone with all the force possible, completely crushing
King s head. Then, turning around and walking about
three steps, he remarked, I am a dead man," and fell to
the ground and expired within a few minutes. When the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 25
smoke cleared away and the fighting ceased, an examina
tion showed that there were eight or ten left dead on the
ground. The stoutest men afterwards went to the stone,
but there wasn t one of them that could raise it from the
ground. The surviving Kings made arrangements and at
tempted to leave the country. At that time the sheriff of
the county was a man by the name of Mooney. A writ
was placed in his hands and he arrested them. Shortly af
ter the arrest, the Everts and their friends came upon the
sheriff and his posse and demanded the prisoners. The
sheriff gave them up, and they were all shot. The sheriff
then appealed to the governor for aid; he sent the militia,
who aided the sheriff in the arrest of the Everts, a man by
the name of Stratton, and some others of their friends.
The governor ordered them to be taken to Lawrence coun
ty and placed in the Lawrence county jail at Smithville,
the county seat of that county. I saw the .militia in charge
of the prisoners pass my father s house on their way to
Smithville.
In about ten da} r s after they were put in prison, late
one evening, strange men commenced dropping into the
town, who were unknown to the citizens, until they reach
ed to about the number of sixty -five. Somewhere near
midnight they paraded the streets, and the jail being a log
jail, they prepared levers and pried it up and let the pris
oners all out, and they all left together, Evert, Stratton,
and their friends proceeding directly to Texas. After their
families had reached them and everything had quieted
down, they sent in and notified Hamp Tutt, whom they
charged with being the inciter and leader in bringing on
the original trouble, that if he would "hull out" and leave
the state they would not kill him. Tutt was a man of con
siderable wealth and declared he would not leave the state.
He at once hired a. young doctor, who claimed to be a very
26 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
brave man, to act as his body guard, and kept himself very
close to the town for about the space of two years. One
day, however, he declared that he was going to take a ride
out on the main public road for his health. lie, in com
pany with the young doctor, then rode out about one mile.
On returning, not more than a quarter of a mile from the
town, after they had passed the place where they were
concealed, they, (the Everts) discharged a volley. Two
balls entered the back of Tutt, and his horse made but a
few r leaps when he fell to the ground. The young doctor
ran for dear life, reached the town, and gave the alarm.
Parties immediately went out to the place, but found that
Tutt was dead. On examining the place where the par
ties had lain in ambush, they found that they had lain
there for months watching for the opportunity. So ended
the Tutt and Evert war.
Indians Chase a Sheriff Ten Miles.
Now the author will relate another incident that oc
curred in Marion count}^, Arkansas, in the early settling of
this country. There was a large relation of the Coker
family who lived in that county. One of the Cokers raised
two families, one by a white woman and the other by an
Indian woman. The Indian family, after they had grown
up and become men, resided a part of the time in the Na
tion, where the mother lived, and a part of the time they
remained in Marion county where their father and Bother
relatives lived. They were very dangerous men when
drinking, and the whole country feared them. The}^ had
been in different troubles, and had killed three or four
men, and if the authorities attempted to arrest them, they
defied them, and would go to the Nation and remain
awhile. There was a deputy sheriff in the county by the
name of Stinnett, who claimed to be very brave, who said
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 27
he would arrest them if he found their whereabouts. The
Cokers learned what Stinnett had said, and that the war
rant for their arrest was in his possession, so they got some
good tow strings and vowed that whenever they met him
they would arrest him and take him to Yellville and put
him in jail. A short time afterwards they met him in the
public road. As soon as Stinnett recognized them,
and having heard of the threats they had made, he
wheeled his horse and put spurs to him. They drew their
revolvers and put spurs to their horses in pursuit, com
manding him to halt. But Stinnett spurred his horse the
harder. They pursued him a distance of about ten miles;
but Stinnett s horse proved to be the best, and he made
his escape. They again returned to the Nation.
The good people, generally, of the county were terror
ized and afraid to raise their voices against them, and it
became a question as to whether they had a man in the
county who had the courage to attempt their arrest. They
made it a question in the next election, to elect a man that
would make the arrest, if such a man could be found in the
county. There was a man living in the county by the
name of Brown, who was a cousin of the Cokers, and he
told the people that if they would elect him, he would ar
rest them or they would kill him. He was elected by a
large majority, and, after he had qualified, took charge of
the office. The first time the Cokers came into the settle
ment, he summoned two men, thought to be brave, who
pledged themselves that if it became necessary they would
die for him. He then went to the house of one of the
Coker family where the Cokers were staying, and on his
arrival found the two Coker brothers sitting in chairs in
the yard. He was within some thirty feet of them before
they saw him. Their guns were sitting near them, and
they seized them; but before they could present them
28 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Brown had his revolver cocked and leveled at one of their
heads, and told him not to attempt to raise his gun or he
would kill him. Coker turned his back to him with his
gun on his shoulder, secretly cocked it, and leveled it upon
Brown as near as possible without taking it from his shoul
der and fired, missing his aim. About the same time
Brown discharged his revolver at Coker and made a slight
scalp wound. The other Coker threw his gun upon Brown
and fired, killing him instantly. The two men who were
acting as a posse for the sheriff turned and fled, leaving
Brown lying dead on the ground. After the shooting the
Cokers fled to the Nation and remained there.
The author will now relate another incident that oc
curred in the same county. For years the Cokers and Ho-
gans had been intimate friends, and drank, gambled, and
horseraced together a great deal. There came up a troub
le between Coker and one of his brothers-in-law, and one
evening Coker, in company with Hogan, went to the house
of this brother-in-law. Both had been drinking. Coker
swore that he would ride onto the porch of his brother -in
law, and made the attempt. His brother-in-law caught
the horse by the bridle and warned him not to ride onto
porch, and that if he did he would kill him. Coker drew
his revolver, spurred his horse, but as he entered the porch
his brother-in-law shot him dead. Coker being a cousin
of the Indian Cokers, they charged Hogan with inducing
him, while drinking, to go to his brother-in-law s house,
so as to give him a chance to kill him, and that Hogan s
life should pay the penalty. Shortly afterwards Hogan
was traveling on an old trail that led along the bluff of
White river. The river here made a bend in horseshoe
shape, following the bluff all around. The Cokers learned
that Hogan was going to pass through this gap, and they
lay in wait for him, cutting off all avenues of escape possi-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 29
ble so he would be forced into the horseshoe for his escape.
When he came in sight they raised the Indian warwhoop,
and drew their revolvers. Hogan looked around and saw
that his pursuers were in about a hundred yards of him.
He saw his predicament, as for a quarter of a mile he con
fronted the bluff, and that there was only one avenue of
escape. He went to the edge of the precipice and looked
over. There, under the bluff, lay the deep, blue waters
of White river, 150 feet below. Again he turned his eyes
toward his pursuers. He knew it meant death if they
caught him; so he made the fearful leap over the bluff,
striking the water where it was about twenty-five feet deep.
Hogan was a wicked man and cursed a great deal. He
swore it didn t take him long to reach the water, but that
he thought considerable time intervened from the time he
struck the water until he reached the top again. He swam
to the bank which was but a few feet distant. His pursu
ers came to the precipice, looked over, and said that they
had made Hogan do something they had intended to do,
and that was, to take his own life, as they supposed no hu
man being could make the leap and live. After cutting
his saddle and bridle to pieces, they turned his horse loose,
and reported that Hogan was killed. Hogan traveled
around under the bluff for about two miles, made his way
home, wound up his business, sold his farm, and moved
into Fulton county, Arkansas, which ended the trouble be
tween them.
The author will relate another incident that occurred
in Marion county, Arkanas. There was a widow residing
in that county, who was left with a family of children,
among them a boy about twelve years of age. Her horse
ran away, and she sent her boy in pursuit of it. After he
had found it and was returning home, leading the horse,
Hogan and one of his friends met him in the road. They
30 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
had both been drinking, and seeing the boy, concluded to
have some fun out of him. Hogan, with an oath, said,
"What are you doing with my horse?" The boy replied,
"It is not your horse, it is mother s horse." Hogan
sprang off his horse, and, thinking to scare the boy and
have some fun with him, said: "Here, you know it s my
horse; give him up." The boy pulled a barlow knife out
of his pocket, and, opening it, said, "You attempt to come
near me, and I will stick this knife into you." Hogan
stepped up to him and said, "You little rascal, would you
attempt to cut me with a knife?" The boy, without any
further words, made a stroke at him with the knife, and
the blade entered his body near the left breast. Hogan
declared afterward that he jumped about ten feet high.
He turned to his friend and remarked: "I believe our fun
with the little bugger has caused my death, or at least a
serious wound." He went to a physician, had the wound
probed, and found the knife had penetrated a rib and
reached the inside. The physician informed him that had
it passed between the ribs it would have killed him in
stantly. Hogan remarked to the boy, after he stabbed
him, "My son, you are made out of the right kind of
stuff. I had no intention of hurting you or taking your
mother s horse from you, I merely wanted to have some
fun; but I see I have struck the wr.ong boy this time. Go
on and take your horse to your mother."
The author will refer to another incident that occurred
in Howell county, Missouri. In the year 1860 there was a
man who resided in West Plains by the name of Jack Mc-
Daniel, who was a blacksmith by trade. This same Ho
gan came to town, soon became under the influence of
whiskey, went down to McDaniel s shop with a horse, and
ordered him to shoe him. McDaniel had two other horses
in the shop at the time to be shod, and said to Hogan that
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 31
as soon as he had shod those two horses, he would shoe
his. Hogan said, "I am in a hurry, and I want you to
shoe mine now." McDaniel told him that he could not
shoe his horse until he had shod the other two horses.
Hogan said, "If you don t shoe him at once, I will whip
you." McDaniel then pulled a barlow knife out of his
pocket, and, opening it, said: "Yes; and if you fool with
me, I will cut your throat from ear to ear." At this re
mark, Hogan moved right up to him and said, "Just smell
of my neck." McDaniel struck at him with the knife,
and the blade entered just under the ear, cutting to the
bone all the way around into the mouth. Hogan went to a
physician in West Plains and had the wound dressed. He
then went to a glass, looked in, and said that he had lived
a long time, been in many tight places, but he had never
had such a mouth as he had now, and remarked, "My
mouth looks as if it was spread from ear to ear."
The people then generally gave their time to growing
stock, especially horses and cattle, as hogs and sheep had
to be kept close around the farms and penned of a night, es
pecially the pigs, on account of wolves and other wild ani
mals. I have known the wolves to kill 2 and 3 year old
cattle. Farmers fed their corn chiefly to cattle, horses and
mules They always commanded fair prices. Cattle, at the
age of four years and upwards were driven to Jacksonport,
Arkansas and from there shipped to New Orleans. Horses
and mules were driven to Louisiana, Mississippi and some
to the Southern part of Arkansas and there put upon the
market. Prices generally ranging from $75 to $150. All
of our groceries were purchased in New Orleans, shipped
to Jacksonport, from there they were conveyed by wagons.
Our dry goods were mostly purchased at L/ynn Creek, Mis
souri and brought through by wagon, but in the early set
tling of the country they hauled dry goods all the way
32 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
from St. Louis except what were brought into the country
by peddlers. The peddlers would go to St. Louis on horse
back with one and sometimes two led horses, buy the
goods, pack them, place them on their horses and peddle
all the way from St. Louis and still further west and take in
exchange all kinds of fur skins.
I have seen peddlers with one horse still loaded with
goods and the other covered with fur skins, and I have
seen them again after they had disposed of all their goods
with all three horses completely covered with fur skins and
sometimes so heavily loaded that the peddler would either
be walking and leading or driving.
Money was scarce but the people spent very little
money, were not in debt and lived much better and easier
than they do now. Their counties were out debt and the
county warrants were always at par.
When my father first located here, there were about four
or five settlers in all of the territory that now belongs to
Howell County; there were but three men that resided upon
what is known as the middle bayou, William McCarty and
his sons, Green and Willis.
In about three years after my father settled here, Mc-
Carties sold out and located on the bayou above Bakers -
field. In 1844 there was a man by the name of Thomas
Hall who resided about 10 miles southwest of West Plains,
a man by the name of Cyrus Newberry resided about 10
miles from where West Plains now is, and a man by the
name of Braudwaters resided near where Moody is now lo
cated.
There was not a settlement in all the territory that
now includes Howell valley. There had been a settlement,
by a man who was a hunter, made at what is now termed
the town spring at West Plains who had cleared five or
six acres, but had left it. All the valleys in Howell conn-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS
ty were considered worthless on account of there being no
water.
When the country commenced settling, there was no
attention paid to congressional lines. As they settled on
the streams, they would make conditional lines blaze
across the bottom until they would strike the table-lands;
and the next men who might come in and settle would
blaze his conditional line across, and for years there was
but little land entered. Men only sold their improvements,
and there was a fixed law, or custom, that prevailed among
them that no man should enter the land and take another
man s improvements without paying him for them. A few
such instances occurred to my knowledge. The man was
at once waited upon, and informed of the rules and cus
toms of the country; and besides the rules and customs, it
was not right nor honest to take a man s labor without
paying him for it; and that it was the intention and pur
pose of the people to see that justice was done every man;
and he was therefore notified to proceed to the late owner
of the improvements and pay him the value of the improve
ments; and if they couldn t agree upon the value, sub
mit it to two disinterested neighbors; and if they couldn t
agree let the third man be brought in, which finding would
be final. In every instance if the man who had made the
entry failed to comply with the terms, he was at once noti
fied that his absence from the settlement and a speedy de
parture from the country would be satisfactory to the set
tlement; and that if he failed to comply, he would have to
submit to the punishments that would be inflicted upon
him. If the improvements, which were alwaj 7 s reasonable,
were paid for, the party would move off, blaze out another
claim, and go to work to improve it; but if he didn t re
ceive pay for his improvements, he remained on the land
and the other fellow s whereabouts would soon be un-
34 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
known; and when the land was sold for taxes, the man
owning the improvements would buy it in by paying- the
amount of taxes and costs without an opposing bid.
When my father first located in this country, a large
portion of the territory had never been sectionized. What
was known as the old survey, including range seven and a
part of range eight (now in this county) formed a part of
the old survey. Congress passed a law graduating the
price of land according to the length of time it had been
upon the market. The government price was $1.25 per
acre. The first reduction was twenty -five cents upon the
acre; then they reduced the purchase price every few r
years until all the land included in the old survey went
down to a bit an acre. The graduation law allowed each
man to take up 320 acres by making actual settlement and
cultivating it. But the land speculators took advantage of
the law and hired men to go upon the land and make a few
brush -heaps, and in the name of some man apply for the
entry, until all of the graduated lands were taken up, and
there was not a bone fide settler who had complied with
the law in one out of eveiy hundred.
Most of the land in Howell, Gunters, Peace, and
Hutton valleys, and the land where West Plains is now
situated, were entered at a bit per acre. After the entries,
the valley lands commenced settling rapidly. When the
time came to procure a patent to the land, speculators went
to Washington and engineered a bill through Congress to
allow the parties to prove up without making proof of act
ual settlement, and in that way fraudulently obtained pat
ents to two -thirds of all the land ^above referred to. The
next thing, the speculators went East, sold their lands (or
mortgaged them) by representing that all of the table lands
were bottom lands and covered with walnut, hackberry,
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 35
box elder, and other bottom growths. They let the mort
gages all be foreclosed.
The merchants, who procured title to the lands, sent
out agents to examine the land, who went back and report
ed that the lands w r ere valueless and were not worth the tax
es and refused to pa} 7 taxes on them. With some few ex
ceptions the lands were offered time and again for taxes,
would not sell for the amount of the taxes and thousands
of acres remained in that condition until a short time be
fore the building of the Kansas City & Memphis railroad.
All of the table lands were looked upon by the people as
being entirely worthless and fit for nothing but range.
My father in the year 1849 sold out and removed from
Bennett s river, Fulton count}-, to the North Fork of White
river, in Fulton County but two miles from the State line,
dividing Missouri and Arkansas. In the year 1852 father
took the winter fever, died and was buried in the ceme
tery, three miles above the State line, known as the Tever-
bauch cemetery.
In the j ear 1854 my mother and one brother died with
the bloody flux, leaving three sons of the family, William,
the oldest one living, F. M. and James I. Monks. The
author was married on the 10th day of April 1853 to Mar
tha A. Rice, a daughter of Thomas and Nancy Rice. He
continued to reside upon the old homestead and was a far
mer by occupation. The country commenced settling up
rapidly. All the land on the streams was settled, with very
few exceptions, with a frugal and intelligent class of peo
ple, mostly from the middle states. In the year 1856 How-
ell county was created by taking a part of the territory of
Ozark and a part of the territory of Oregon, to-wit: Ran
ges 7 and 8 arc! a small part of 9 were taken from Oregon
county and the remainder of 9 and 10 was taken from
Ozark county. Andrew V. Taber, Johnson (and the
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
name of the other commissioner we have forgotten at the
present time) proceeded to locate the county seat and pur
chased 40 acres near the West Plains spring and laid it out
into lots, got the county seat near the center, as a suffi
cient amount of water was necessary, taking into considera
tion the town spring and then what was known as theBingi-
man spring. The lots sold rapidly and the town grew be
yond any expectation and the country was improving and
settling up with the town.
In 1858 the author sold out on the North Fork of
White river and moved into Howell county and located 11
miles southwest of West Plains upon sections 2 and 11,
range 9, w r as appointed constable of Benton township and
in the year 1860 was elected constable of Benton township,
commenced reading law in the year 1858. In the year
1860 West Plains was said to be the best, neatest, prettiest
town in South Missouri and contained about 200 inhab
itants; had a neat frame court house in the center
of the square, a first-class hewed log jail, had four first-
class stores (for the country at that time) which kept con
tinually on- hand a general assortment of merchandise, had
two saloons, tan yard and the county was out of debt, with
money in the treasury; a county warrant then was good for
its face value in gold, and the country was prosperous in
every respect. The people generally were fast friends and
their chief interest was to develop the resources of the
country and aid and help each other.
How a Mob Was Prevented
In 1860, a man resided about three miles below West
Plains by the name of Collins Coffey on the farm recently
owned by Thomas Bolin and some men by the name of
Griffiths and Boles (some of them resided in West Plains
and some of them resided in Thomasville, Oregon county)
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 37
and they and Coffey had a falling out with each other and
the enmity between them became very great. So the Grif
fiths, who lived at West Plains went down to Thomasville
and they and the Boles with a few other friends declared
that they would come up to Coffey s and mob him.
The}- went to work and made for themselves a uniform,
procured a bugle, fife and snare drum, procured a hack,
made them a place for a candle and aimed to come up in
the night.
Coffey owned considerable stock among which was a
bull about four years old. The range then was luxuriant
and there was a pond near the side of the road that led
from Thomasville and West Plains and the bull with other
cattle had lain down on the edge of the road about one
mile from Coffey s residence. They armed themselves,
procured their musicians, got into their hack, drawn by
two horses and started off to the scene of action with a
bright light, with a flag flyi ig ail the music play
ing. When they reached the place near where the male
was laying, he rose to his feet, squared himself and fetch
ed a keen bellow 7 as though (although he was animal) he
might have some information as to their mission. They
paid no attention to the action of the bull and on their driv
ing witlr n about ten feet of him he made a desperate lunge
forward ; they supposed that he intended to gore the horses,
but missed his aim, struck the hack near the coupling, broke
the coupling pole and turned head over heels, and fell
right between tbe liDrses. The horses became frightened,
made a desperate lunge to extricate themselves, and the
bull at the same time was scuffling to extricate himself.
Both horses fell, the bull and horses were all piled into a
heap, grunting and scuffling. The occupants of the hack
were all piled out in a heap, almost in an instant, and be
fore they could extricate themselves and get onto their feet
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN .MISSOURI
the bull had gotten up and was moving in the direction of
his master s house bellowing every step as if to sa} T , "I
dare you to come any further/ As soon as the posse got
to their feet, having prepared, before they started, with
plenty of whiskey, and being pretty well filled at the time
of the occurence, Boles got to his feet, drew his pistol,
cocked it and swore he could whip any bull he ever saw,
especially a one horned Coffey bull.
The hack was almost demolished and the occupants
considerably bruised, both horses crippled, and after con
sultation, they concluded that as the Coffey bull had proved
so successful they had better abandon their trip and retreat
"in good order " to Thomasville, leaving their horses
hitched by the roadside and the shattered hack piled up at
one side of the road.
The next morning they sent out a team and brought
the horses and hack back to Thomasville, and they were
wiser and perhaps better men, as they never ^again attempt
ed to mob Coffey.
The strange feature about this matter is that the bull
was never known to be cross before this occasion, when
his master was to be mobbed.
The society of the country had increased with the
population, and school houses and churches were erected
all over the country, nice farms were opened up, the dwel
lings changed from round log to hewed log and frame, the
people all manifested a great deal of interest in schools and
churches and the general development of the country.
Religion and Politics.
The prominent religious denominations from 1849 to
1860 consisted chiefly of Methodists, Baptists and the
Christian order ; but all appeared to recognize each other
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 39
as Christians and would very often work together, as they
had in the early pioneer days.
Everything had the appearance of pointing to the day
when Hovvell county would become the garden spot of
South Missouri.
Politically, the country was largely Democratic. In
political campaigns the Whig and Democratic candi
dates would canvass the country together, and while on the
stump speaking they would assail each other s platforms in
most bitter terms. After the speaking was over they would
go to the same hotel or boarding place and laugh and talk
together as though they belonged to the same political par
ty, and after the election was over the successful party
would be recognized by the people as the officers of the
whole people. You would see no partisan line drawn by
the different courts between political parties, but the ap
pointments of all local officers were made according to the
qualifications of the man and not as to what part} 7 he be
longed. The author, having been born and raised by
Democratic parents, was a Democrat and acted with the
Democratic party, his first vote for president having been
cast for James Buchanan. In I860 a great political ques
tion of the nation began to be agitated and a very bitter
feeling was manifested from the stump between the Repub
lican and Democratic parties.
After the Democratic party divided and the bolters
nominated Breckenridge for president, the author took part
in the canvas and was a strong advocate of Stephen A.
Douglas, the regular nominee of the Democratic party, and
at the election cast his vote for Stephen A. Douglas for
president.
40 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
MISSOURI AND THE CIVIL WAR.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United
States. Soon after the election they began to discuss the
question of seceding from the Government. The author
again took the field in opposition to secession, and delivered
a number of speeches.
In a short time the people that had been the closest of
friends and trusted a neighbor with the most sacred thing
they possessed became bitter enemies and arrayed them
selves against one another and as the discussion of the great
question of war continued to grow more bitter the people
appeared to allign themselves for and against secession.
The people soon grew so bitter that they often talked of
fighting each other.
Before the firing on Ft. Sumpter and after several of
the states had actually seceded the Union sentiment pre
vailed so strongly in the state of Missouri that Clabourn
Jackson, the then acting Governor, was compelled to order
an election in the state of Missouri to settle the matter by a
vote, of the people as to whether Missouri should secede or
remain in the Union. The author then took the stump and
advocated that the state remain in the Union and manifest
her loyalty to the preservation of the Union. In this cam
paign the feeling of the war grew more bitter. The result,
however, of the election was that the state remained in the
Union. In the mean time, Ft. Sumpter had been fired up
on by the rebels.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 41
Clabe Jackson, the Governor, appeared to he deter
mined upon the state seceding either by fair or foul means.
Without regarding- a majority vote of the people of the
state, Clabe Jackson, the then acting Governor, issued his
proclamation convening the Legislature in extra session for
the purpose of passing ordinances of secession.
At that time Gen. Frost was in the command of the
militia and some state troops stationed in St. Louis Barracks
but he was in heart and sympathy a rebel. Everything ap
peared to have been greased and prepared for the occasion.
As the Governor had the whole machinery of the state
completely under his control he believed that it would be
an easy matter for the legislature to pass ordinances of se
cession and carry the state out of the Union, but the Gov
ernment authorities at Washington learned of the critical
condition and deep laid scheme of the Governor to carry
the state out of the Union and at once ordered Capt. Lyons
of the Regular Army, (who afterward became General of
the volunteer forces and fought the battle at Wilson Creek,
Missouri) to come to St. Louis; be, being a captain in the
Regular Army, outranked Gen. Frost, took possession of
the troops, arms and amunitions, etc., reorganized and rap
idly increased the army by volunteers.
On information reaching Gen. Lyons that the legisla
ture had been convened in extra session he at once took his
available troops and left St. Louis with the intention of
surrounding the Capitol and taking the members of both
houses, the Governor, with all his state officers, prisoners;
when the Governor learned that the Government troops were
enroute for Jefferson City and their purpose, he ordered the
bridge to be burned across the Gasconade river near its
mouth, on what was then known as the North Pacific R. R.
This delayed the troops for several hours. On their ap
proach to Jefferson City the Governor and state officers and
42 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN ."MISSOURI
the members of both houses of the legislature and all the
troops that had been ordered to the Capital by the Governor
retreated to Boonville, Missouri.
I heard our representative in a speech delivered a
short time afterwards, say they came so near getting him
while lie he was getting out of Jefferson City that he lost
his umbrella. Lyons pursued them and at Boonville they
made a stand and on Lyon s arrival with his troops he
attacked them and they fought for a short time. They
again retreated, went into the extreme west part of the
state to a place known as Lone Jack. There they made
a stand again, Lyons still pursuing. He again attacked
then at Lone Jack and after a short fight they retreated
again into the State of Arkansas, and there Governor
Jackson convened the legislature and they passed ordi
nances of secession declaring the vState of .Missouri out of
the Union and that she was attached to the compact form
ing the Confederate States.
General Lyon returned to St. Louis, increasing his
force considerably, several regiments being attached to his
command from other states. The government ordered him
to prepare his troops and move west to Springfield.
The terminus of the South Missouri Pacific R. R., at
that time was at Rolla, Missouri. While Lyon was mass
ing his troops and preparing to march to Springfield the
most intense excitement prevailed in the entire State of
Missouri.
A Big Confederate Meeting at West Plains.
The Confederate authorities at once commenced re
cruiting for the Confederate service and the Confederate
recruiting officers published a public meeting at West
Plains about the first or tenth of July and while the Con
federate authorities were moving, the union or loyal ele-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 43
ment of the country was not idle, but was watching; every
move, openly and secretly preparing for the conflict.
A few days before the meeting was to be held at West
Plains the Confederates sent to the pinery and procured
a long pine pole, hoisted it at the corner of Durham s store
at the northwest corner of the public square and swung
to the breeze the stars and bars. At the same time, or
near the same time, the Union men sent to the pinery
and procured a pole. They hoisted it on the northeast
corner of East Main street by the corner of McGinty s
store where the S. J. Langston Mercantile Co. , building
now stands and swung to the breeze the stars and stripes.
It was freely published throughout the county by the
Rebels that if any Union man attempted to open his mouth
on that day he would be shot as full of holes as a sifter
bottom. There was a beautiful grove then growing just
east of the branch on East Main street running from the
town spring. Large preparations were made by the Rebels
for the occasion. It was published that there would be
leading Confederates from all over the state and different
other states to speak on that day and one of the main
features of the day would be recruiting for Confederate
service. A big speaker s stand was erected with hundreds
of seats. When the day arrived the town was crowded
with people and the friends of both parties were armed
and appeared to be ready for the conflict. The stars and
bars attracted a great deal of attention, being the first
flag that had ever been seen by the people that antagoniz
ed the stars and stripes and threatened to destroy the
United States Government.
There was soon a number of determined men gathered
under each flag. A number of their prominent speakers
w r ere on hand, among them Judge Price, of Springfield,
known as "Wild Bill" Price. They readily took in the
44 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
situation and saw that a conflict was imminent, and
as they were not read y for it they met together in
council and agreed that their men should not bring on
the conflict on that day. Quite a number of the parties
prepared themselves at the speaker s stand. When differ
ent speakers were introduced to address the people, many
of the men would sit,. either with their guns in their hands
or with their guns near to them, and the most firey and
extreme speeches were made that I ever heard.
The author well remembers the speecli of Judge Wil
liam Price. He told them that the lopeared Dutch had
reached Rolla, Missouri, the terminus of the railroad, and
that they were complete heathens ; that Abraham Lincoln
had given the state of Missouri to them, if they would send
enough lopeared Dutch to conquer the state, and that to
his knowledge they had gone out into the country and
taken men s wives and daughters and brought them into
the camps, and that he saw them, in the presence of the
mothers, run bayonets through their infant children and
hoist them up and carry them around on their bayonets;
that Abraham Lincoln had offered a reward for all of the
preachers that were in favor of the South. He bursted
into tears and asked the question, " I want to know who
the man is, and the color of his hair, that won t enlist in
the interest of his home, his wife, his children and every -
thing that is sacred and good, to drive out lopeared Dutch,
a certain class of Hessians, from our land." He urged
them to come forward and place their names upon the rolls.
Nearly all the preachers present placed their names on the
recruiting list first.
The excitement grew still more bitter. In the after
noon they began to threaten openly that the stars and
stripes should be hauled down; that no flag should be al
lowed to float in West Plains that countenances and toler-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 45
ates heathen in our land. The Union men declared that
the stars and stripes should not be lowered unless it was
done over their dead bodies. Quite a number of Union
men had assembled under the flag-. The Union men were
led by a man named Captain Lyle. He had been warned
and cautioned by his friends not to open his mouth, for the
reason that he would be shot full of holes. Late in the
evening there was a lull in the speaking. The author
walked up into the speaker s stand, called the attention of
the people, saw a number of rifles grasped in their hands,
and announced to them that they had been sitting all day
listening to Confederate speeches, but on the next Satur
day, if they would meet him at Black s store, about ten
miles west of West Plains, they could hear Union speeches
and the constitution of the United States would be read ;
thanked the crowd and stepped down. Quite a number of
guns were raised in the hands of parties and a shower of
groans and hisses, and remarks openly from a number that
"We ought to shoot his black heart out now."
It appeared for a while that it would be impossible to
evade a conflict of arms. A number of orders being sent
to the Union men to draw down their flag or they would
fire on it and the men who supported it, an answer was re
turned that the rebels were requested to draw down their
flag as it was a stranger in the land and unless they lower
ed their flag the stars and stripes wouldn t be lowered an
inch, unless it was done over their dead bodies. At last a
proposition came that they would agree for the sake of
averting bloodshed to commence lowering both flags at the
same time which proposition was accepted ; so wound up
that day s proceedings.
On the Saturday following, the author, with several
other Union speakers, met at Black s store where there
were several rebel captains and lieutenants. The author
46 II I STORY OF SOUTH ERX MISSOURI
made a speech in favor of remaining in the Union and
stated that the attempt to secede by some of the states
would eventually result in sad disaster, besides bringing
untold suffering upon the people. Several other Union
speeches were made after which the author read the con
stitution of the United States and urged that all lovers of
republican form of government would comply with the de
mand of the supreme law of the land and, if necessary, sacri
fice property and life in defence of the same ; so ended that
day s proceedings.
McBride Establishes Military Law.
As the organization of the confederates proceeded the}-
still grew more bitter against the Union men and declared,
by meeting and passing resolutions, that every Union man
should show his colors in favor of the South or be hung as
high as Hamen. In the meantime the Union men had se
cretly organized and met together, to take into considera
tion as to the time when they should act.
The prevailing sentiment was, that the} should remain
dormant and let the rebels shed the first blood, while the
minority thought the time had come for action, and that
they ought to act before the rebels crippled them and tied
them up in such a manner that, when the time did come,
they would be entirely helpless and at their merc3 r .
McBride, who had been elected judge of the 18th Ju
dicial circuit, which included Howell county, whose home
was in Texas county, was made Brigadier General of the
Confederate forces and commenced organizing and massing
his troops. On the arrival of the federal troops at Roll a,
Missouri, he became fearful that they would attack him,
rout him and destroy his forces, so he concluded to inarch
south to West Plains and make his headquarters at that
place until he could organize his forces and prepare for
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 47
marching west, where he intended to join the forces of Gen.
Sterling Price and Gen. McCullough who then were mas
sing their forces to march on Springfield, Missouri, to at
tack the federal forces who were then stationed at Spring
field under the command of Gen. L,yon and Gen. Seigle.
On his arrival at West Plains he opened up headquarters,
issued his proclamation that all Union men or any men
that were unfriendly to the Confederate cause should come
in and take the oath and the civil law was declared to be
suspended and the military law completely in force.
Then was when the dark day and trouble began to
hang over the Union people. As soon as it was known
that the civil law was suspended little bunches of rebels or
ganized all over the country and also in the state of Arkan
sas. In a short time after Gen. McBride s arrival in West
Plains a man who was a door neighbor to the author came
into his field where he was cutting wheat, asked him if he
had seen the order of McBride. My answer was "No."
He remarked, "Well, he has made a general order, re
quiring all Union men, especially those who have been
open and active in behalf of the Union, to come in and take
the oath, and unless they do the} are going to hang them
as high as Hamen." The author replied to him that he
was a Union man and he knew it; he had been open and
outspoken for the Union and had voted for McBride when
he was elected Judge, but now he thought he was acting
outside of the law and humanity.
I had neither violated the law of my land nor harmed
any man and I did nt consider that McBride had any right
to order me to take an oath to take up arms against my
country or support those who had taken up arms. If this
did become a general war, I thought they were making a
blunder, for the Government, or the lopeared Dutch, as
they termed them, would have the advantage in the way of
48 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
transporting forage and commissaries and aniunitions of
war, while the Confederates would have to rely mostly for
their resources upon the county ; that I was a peace officer
and while I was a strong Union man was nt taking up arms
and I thought that those who wanted to fight, if there had
to be a fight, should go out into the open, fields, and not
force the war onto non-combatants, and that the country
would suffer enough at best. Now you know I am a Un
ion man, and I know that you are in favor of the Confed
erate cause, and I think this is the course that ought to be
pursued at the present time. The Confederates are in
control of the country, and they will come around and say
they mnst have forage for the support of the army, and ask
you if you know of any Union men; you could tell them,
"My neighbor right here is a Union man, but he is not
disposed to take up arms and go into the fight; take as lit
tle from him as you can possibly do with, and as little from
myself; in return, if this war goes on, and the Federal au
thorities extend their jurisdiction, they would be out hunt
ing rebels for the purpose of getting forage and commissa
ries, and I could say to them that my neighbor here is a
rebel but take just as little as possible from him, and as
little as possible from me, as we are going to have a hard
time to get through the war any way. B-ut if you pur
sue the policy you say has been adopted by the Confeder
ates, you will force all non-combatants into arms or drive
them from the country and completely depopulate it." He
burst into a big laugh and remarked, "Your promises are
like a broken stick, you will never see the lopeared Dutch
in this country." I said to him, "My friend, if this war
goes on, before the end of it you will see what you call
lopeared Dutch as thick as blackbirds;" and we separated.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 49
General Lyons Drives Rebels from Rolla.
About June 10, 1851, the rebels were having a big
meeting at Rolla, Phelps county, Missouri, for the purpose
of recruiting. General Lyons at St. Louis, learned of the
meeting, and at once placed quite a force in the cars,
well armed and closed them up so they would not be de
tected and started for Rolla with the intention of capturing
the whole outfit.
On the day set for the rebel meeting, quite a number
of them had assembled and a certain young lawyer was
delivering an address, telling them that one southern man
could whip five lopeared Dutch and all they wanted was
just an opportunity; in the meantime Lyon s forces had
reached Dillon, the next station east of Rolla about five
miles distant. There the forces were taken from the cars
and divided, some marching southwest and the others
northwest, making a flank movement for the purpose of
surrounding the whole place. While they were march
ing some person, who was a rebel, went with all the speed
possible and informed the meeting that the Dutch were
right upon them; that the woods were full, of them and to
get out of there as quick as possible, if they wanted to
save the : r lives.
The lawyer who was addressing them sprang from the
speakers stand and holloing at the top of his voice as he
went, "Get away from here, the Dutch are upon us." It
was said that the lawyer ran so fast that if a glass of water
had been sat upon his coat tail it would not have spilled.
They scattered to the woods in all directions. The Ped
al force came in ; but their birds had all flown and left the
citizens who had remained to tell the sad tale.
The rebel forces at once retreated to Salem, Missouri,
where they again concentrated their force. The Federal
scout, in a few days followed them to Salem, and there
50 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
again routed them and they retreated directly to West
Plains, joining the command of McBride at that place.
The rebels, hurriedly, concentrated their forces from all
the south and southeastern counties of Missouri and from
the northern counties of Arkansas.
General McBride made an order to gather all the arms,
amunitions, and horses that were fit for the service, as
speedily as possible and the report was put in circulation
that he had given the county over to the leading rebels,
who resided in it, whose action, whatever they did touch
ing the Union men, would be indorsed and carried out by
General McBride. The leading rebels of the county at
once sent out word that they were going to take all the
arms, amunition and available horses from the Union men
and that McBride required each and every one of them to
report and take the oath at once, and if they failed to coni-
pl} r with said order, speedy action would be taken against
them.
They would either be arrested, imprisoned or forced
into the Confederate army to fight and their leaders would
be hung.
On the issuing of the said order the wildest excitement
prevailed among the Union men. They immediately met
for the purpose of consultation as to what their final action
would be. There were divers opinions among them ; some
of them were for acting at once; others (and a majority of
them) were in favor of waiting until the rebels shed the
first blood. Those who refused to report and take the oath
had to place themselves in hiding at once. The rebels
made a general move to raid, harass and capture the Union
men. Then real danger confronted a man who claimed to
be a Union man. The rebels had made a general amnesty,
upon the condition that they would join the Confederate
army and become loyal to the Confederate States. About
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 51
two -thirds of the men who had been open and avowed
Union men saw the danger that confronted them, and
joined the Confederate army and claimed that they would
be loyal to its cause. The remainder of the Union men
were disarmed at once, except those who kept themselves
concealed in the mountains and hills.
After they had completely disarmed them and forced
many of them to join the Confederate service, had taken
most of their horses, cattle and hogs for the use of the
army, the leading rebels in the county claimed that they
had organized for the purpose of ridding the country of all
Union men who had refused to join the Confederate forces ;
that when McBride moved west he was going to leave the
whole matter in their hands, and they intended to string up
the Union men to limbs and shoot them, so they would
soon be rid of the class of men who were friends of the
lopeared Dutch and were nigger lovers.
The Testing of Loyal Hearts.
Small bunches of rebel troops came in from Arkansas
and joined the bands that were raiding the country, and
the Union men were hunted like wild beasts. Then set in
the darkest day that ever any class of patriots, true to their
government, had to confront.
The author remembers well when the Union men
would meet together, that they took the proposition made
by McBride into consideration, and it was discussed pro
and con. Some men would say, "While I am a Union
man and for the government, all that I have in the world
is here in Howell county; my little home, my property
and, above all, my wife and children. They have prom
ised us protection provided we will join the rebel army.
Had we not better accept the proposition and wait for re
sults?" Others would arise, with tears dripping from their
52 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
eyes, and remark that this state of affairs is hard indeed.
"Can I afford to abandon my wife and children that I love
so well and leave them unprotected in the midst of an open
state of war, at the mercy of a mad and distracted people,
who are thirsting for the loyal blood of the nation, and be
alienated from them, perhaps, never more to see them ? "
Others would arise and remark that "We have seen this
danger coming for months and we are satisfied that the
worst has not come, and I know that I love my wife, my
family, my little children, as I love my own heart; I love
to meet them around my fireside and enjoy their sweet
company, and I have delighted in laboring to furnish them
food and raiment and shelter while they were growing into
manhood and womanhood, but I have read and heard read
that my highest duty was to God and my second duty w r as
to my country; and the organic law of the nation requires
at my hands that whenever it becomes necessary to pre
serve my government, that I owe to it my life, my honor
and the welfare of my family ; and the trying ordeal is now
at hand and I don t know what the final result will be if I
am forced away from my family, I know they will be left
at the mercy of an intolerant and unrelenting enemy, but
I now and here lay my life, my family, my property and
my future happiness upon the altar of my country, and let
come what will, weal or woe, I intend, with all my feeble
effort, to defend the stars and stripes, and stand up openly
and courageously in defense of and for the preservation of
the Union." That proposition prevailed and was unani
mously adopted by the Union men.
At this time there was no government aid in reach of
these loyal hearts, that were controlled by nothing but love
of country. Uncle Sam could do nothing for them. They
were completely surrounded in an enemy s country, and
while they (the men), with what arms they had preserved,
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 53
could by strategy evade the arrest and slaughter of them
selves, their families were completely at the mercy of a mad
and howling mob, thirsting for the blood of Union men.
While the loyal men in the North were enlisting in the
interest of their country, Uncle Sam paid them $13.00 per
month, clothed them, and their families were left in the
care of friends; they knew nothing about the war, except
what they read ; but not so with the Union men who were
surrounded in an enemy s country. They, without a sin
gle word of protection or comfort from the government for
themselves or their families, but their love and devotion to
their country led them to furnish themselves, to leave their
families as best the} 7 could, at the mere} 7 of a howling mob,
for the defense of their country.
Rebels Defeated in Douglas County.
The loyal men in Douglas county and the north part
of the county of Ozark \vere in the ascendency. A rebel
force organized from the county of Howell, Missouri, arid
Fulton county, Arkansas, wanting to have some fun hunt
ing Union men, learned that on Bryant s Fork on the north
fork of White river in Ozark county there w r as a bunch of
Union men. So they armed and equipped themselves,
furnished themselves ropes, and marched to hunt the place
these men were said to be. The Union men hearing of
their intention hurriedly prepared a temporary barricade
around the house, and about sixty of them gathered to
gether with their squirrel rifles in readiness to repel the at
tack in case it was made. The rebel scout consisted of
two hundred and fifty men.
Early in the morning reliable information reached the
Union men that the rebel forces were well under way and
would reach them some time in the afternoon. One of the
Union men, who had always borne the reputation of being
54 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
a brave man and would fight anything, became impatient
as the time drew near that they were to be attacked. He
had been a great hunter and was considered a first-class
shot, and he remarked to the Union men, "I can t wait for
the rebels to attack us, I want to get a shot at one so bad
with Old Betsy (his gun). I know of a bald knob, about
a quarter of a mile from here, where the rebel force is
bound to pass. I am going there; place yourselves in
waiting, and when you hear Old Betsey belch, you may
know there is one dead rebel, and be certain that they are
coming." In about an hour after the man referred to had
left, the rebel advance came in sight, but they never heard
"Old Betsy" belch. They vigorously attacked the Union
men inside their fortifications, and after fighting for about
an hour, they retreated, leaving one man dead upon the
field and one wounded. The Union men received no in
jury whatever. They became very uneasy in regard to
their friend and Old Betsy," supposing he had fallen into
the hands of the enemy and they had used the rope on
him. Search was made all along the line of march of the
rebels for the missing man, but no information could be
learned of his whereabouts. However, in about one week,
news came from Douglas county that their friend and "Old
Betsy" arrived safely at another rendezvous of Union men
in Douglas county, about forty miles distant, and reported
that the Union men had had a fight with the rebels, and
they were all captured or killed, with the exception of him
self, and he had made his escape after the fight.
Just before McBride broke camps to march west to
join Gen. Price and Gen. McCullough, he made a general
order that they arrest and seize ever} 7 Union man possible,
and after he left the country, that the committee who had
been organized to take charge of the count} 7 , would at once
exterminate every Union man who had failed to take the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 55
oath or to join the Confederate army, giving them full
power as to what disposition they would make of them.
Rebels Capture Col. MonKs.
On the 7th of July, 1861, one of my neighbors came
to me and informed me that the time had come that every
Union man had to show his colors and unless they report
ed and took the oath or joined the Confederate army, they
would hang as high as Haman. While the Union men
were on their guard and watching their movements, once in
a while they would slip in home to see how the family was
getting along. My family at that time consisted of a wife
and four children, three girls and one boy. My wife had
never been accustomed to staying alone and I came in
home late on the evening of the 7th, thinking that I would
leave the next morning before daylight. Sometime after
the family had retired, not far from 11 o clock in the night,
I was awakened by a rapping on the door. My wife, sus
pecting who the parties were, answered them, and demand
ed to know what was wanted ; one of them, who claimed to
be an orderly sergeant, remarked that he wanted to know
if Monks was at home. She replied that he was not. A
man by the name of William Biffle, whom the author had
been acquainted with for years, replied, "He is here, I
know, for I coursed him into this house late yesterday even
ing." The author at once arose to his feet and remarked,
"I am here, what is wanted?" A man by the name of
Garrett Weaver, who claimed to be an orderly sergeant
and in charge of the squad, also a neighbor to the au
thor said, "I have been ordered by Gen. McBride to arrest
you, bring you in and make you take the oath." I owned
at that time a first -class rifle and there was also another
rifle gun in the house. I took my gun into my hands
and my wife took hold of the other gun. I told them that
56 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
a general order had gone forth, so I was informed, that they
wanted to hang all the leading Union men and "if that is
your intention I will die before I surrender." Weaver re
plied they were not going to hang me, but they were just
going to take me to McBride- to take the oath and I should
be protected. Upon those terms I agreed to surrender,
made a light in the house and found that the house was stir-
sounded by a posse of twenty -five rebels. As soon as the
light was made, a part of them rushed into the house, took
my gun and jerked the one my wife had in her hand out
of her posession, almost throwing her tn the floor, began a
general search of the house for other arms and such things
as they said the army needed.
As soon as I dressed, they ordered me to move. They
didn t even give me time to say good-bye to my wife, nor
to imprint a kiss upon the cheeks of my loving children.
Closely surrounding me, they marched me about 2 50 yards,
came to their horses, where two more of their posse guard
ed the horses, they having dismounted, to approach the
house on foot so they might not be heard.
"Billy, You Ought Not to be So Saucy."
When within a few feet of the horses the author was
halted. It was just starlight. I noticed a man by the
name of Wilburn Baker, a man with whom the author had
been acquainted from a boy, go to the horn of one of the
saddles, lift therefrom a coiled rope and move toward the
author. The author quickly arrived at the conclusion that
the time had come to enforce the order of hanging. Baker
ordered the author seized by the arms, drew them be
hind him and securely tied him. The author asked, just
as they had completed the tying, "What do you mean?
Are you going to cage me?" Baker replied, "Billy, you
ought not to be so saucy, for you don t know the danger
58 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
you are in." I was at once ordered placed on a horse.
One of the posse rode up to my side and placed the other
end of the rope around his body and the posse moved west.
A short time before daylight they arrived at the house of
William Nicks, who was a rebel lieutenant. They dis
mounted and took the author into the house. There ap
peared to be a general rejoicing among them. Nicks said,
"You have got him, have you? We had become uneasy
about you, and thought it might have been possible that he
had his Union forces around him and that you had met
with disaster; but I feel satisfied that we have now captured
the leader and the counselor of the Union forces and the
remainder will be easily extinguished." Gen. McBride in
the meantime, being uneasy for fear the Federal troops
would attack him, had removed his forces from West Plains
to the south part of Howell county, camping at what was
known as the Flag pond.
I was closely guarded until da3 light. McBride s forces
had broken camp at the Flag pond on the morning
of July 8th and were marching west with the intention of
joining the forces of Gen. Price and Gen. McCullough, who
were then moving in the direction of Springfield, Missouri,
with the intention of attacking the Federal forces at that
place, commanded by Gen. Lyon and Gen. Siegel. Very
early on the morning of the 8th the party started in a south
west direction, with the author closel} 7 guarded. Oh
coming near the head of Bennett s river, Fulton county,
Arkansas, the posse commenced cheering and remarked :
"Listen! Do you hear the drums and the fife? That is
Gen. McBride s command moving west to kill them lop-
eared Dutch that you Union men have brought into the
state of Missouri. Do you know what we are going to
do with such men as you are? Those of you that we don t
hang, the first fight that we get into with the lop-eared
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 59
Dutch, we will make breastworks out of to keep the
bullets off of good men."
About one mile further we came in sight of the mov
ing column. We rode along the line, when there was gen
eral cheering until we reached a company that was organ
ized in Oregon county and commanded by Capt. Simpson.
Simpson said, "Why have you brought a Union man in
here alive! If my company had possession of him, he
could not live ten minutes."
We soon reached a company commanded by Capt.
Forshee which was organized in this county to whom the
whole posse that made the arrest, belonged. The author
was w r ell acquainted with all of them and over half of them
resided in the same settlement and were his neighbors.
On reaching the company Captain Forshee walked out of
the line and remarked to them "Why have you brought
him in here alive?" Some of the posse remarked, that
he had been a neighbor and they had all been friends up to
the war and they hated to kill him. Forshee said "When
I saw him at West Plains at the speaking when he got up
and contended that there was a union and the government
ought to be preserved, I wanted to shoot his black heart
out of him and I feel the same way yet."
The author w r as kept in close confinement and on the
night of the 8th the command went into camp near what
is known as the old Steve Thompson farm. The author,
with several other prisoners, was placed in the guard house
and orders were given that he be closely guarded.
After they had taken their suppers, men that the
author had been acquainted with from his boyhood, and
men who had been acquainted \vith his relatives, came to
the guard house in considerable numbers and remarked,
"Hello, Monks?" "I never expected to see you under
arrest." "What have you been doing that they have ar-
60 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
rested you? I thought you was a good Democrat." "Have
you left your party." "The Democratic part} 7 is in favor of
the South." The author replied to them that when they
thought he was a good Democrat they were right. But that
he was not a slave to party and that he held country higher
than party and if Democracy meant secession and mullifica-
tion, that was one part of the principals of Democracy that
he had never learned; that true Democracy, as understood
by the author, taught every man that in case his country
was invaded either externally or internally that he owed
his honor and property in the support of it and for those
reasons he was for the preservation of the Union at all
ha/ards. vSome remarked that "We ought to hang him
right now without waiting any longer" Others remarked
that "We have been acquainted with his people both
on his mother s and father s side and they were all south
ern people and Democrats and they are all of them, al
most, in favor of the South. It is strange indeed to see
the course that he has taken. The author remarked that
"There were always some shabby sheep in a flock and I
suppose from your reasoning that lam one of them."
They all retired, the officers giving orders that the most
vigilant watch be kept over the prisoner. After he had
retired a gentleman by the name of Joseph Teverbaugh
who resided in Ozark county, a merchant and the owner
of about twenty negroes, who had been well acquainted
with the author from his boyhood, brought up the conver
sation as to what disposition they thought ought to be
made of the author. The author could easly hear all the
conversation inside of the guard line Many opinions were
expressed. Quite a number said, "Hang him outright."
That was the onl} r way to get shut of the Union men, to
make short work of it, and forever rid the country of that
element.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 61
Others said that appeared to be too harsh, that they
were in favor of taking him to Little Rock ard confining
him in the penitentiary until the war was over, for it would
n t take but a short time to rid the country of the lopeared
Dutch and those who \vere friends to them. Others re
marked that "that would be too easy for a man who was in
favor of the lopeared Dutch; that we are in favor of taking
all like him right into the army and making them fight and
if they won t fight, the first engagement we get into, pile
them up and make breastworks out of them, so that they
will catch bullets off of good men." At this juncture Tev-
erbaugh remarked, "I have been acquainted with Billy from
a boy and you never can force him to fight against w r hat he
believes to be right," that he was a good boy and since he
has grown up to be a man he has been an honorable and
straightforward man and quite an active man politically and
my advice would be to confine him in the State Penitentiary
until the war is over, for I tell you now if he ever gains his
liberty you are going to have him to fight."
Sold as a Beef Cow.
On the morning of the 9th they broke camp and marched
near the mouth of Bennett s river and went into camp at
what was then known as Talbert s mill. A short time after
we had been in camp Capt. Forshee, who had charge of the
prisoners, came to the guard house and the author request
ed him that he be allowed to take the oath and return
home, as his wife and children were almost scared to death
owing to the reports that were currently circulated all
through the country, his wife would believe they had hung
him. The captain replied that they were not going to al
low him to take the oath. They had plenty of proof against
him, that he had been communicating to the lopeared Dutch
and as soon as they had formed a junction with Price and
62 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
McCullough he would be tried as a spy. He gave orders
to the guard to see that he was kept in close confinement,
and about 11 o clock in the night as near as the author can
guess, it being starlight, the Captain came down to the
guard house in company with one of his men, Frank Mor
rison.
The author was lying on the ground pretending to be
asleep. The Captain came inside of the guard, called out,
"Monks, are you asleep?" The author raised up in a sit
ting position and said, "Captain what is wanted" ? The
Captain remarked, "I want you to go up to my camp fire,"
which was aboot 75 yards distance from the guard house.
The author said, "Captain, this is a strange time of night to
comedown and order me to your camp fire." He said;
"Not another word out of you, rise to your feet." He
ordered Morrison to step behind him with the same gun
that he had recently taken from the author and cock it and
"if he makes a crooked step from here up to the camp fire
shoot him through." The author heard Morrison cock
the gun and about half way between the guard house and
the camp fire the Captain remarked to the author, "Do you
know Kasinger?" The author, suspecting that he was
going to be delivered to a mob, said "I know him very
well; we have grown up together from boys." The Cap
tain said, "I thought he was a mighty nice man. I have
sold you to him for a beef cow." The author remarked
there was but one thing he was sorry for; that if he had
known he was going to be delivered to a mob he never
would have surrendered and had some satisfaction for his
life. The Captain said, "I thought I was doing mighty
well to sell a black Republican or a Union man for a beef
cow where we have as many good men to feed, as we have
here."
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 63
His camp fire was under a gum tree with a large top.
The fires had all died down, it being in July and nothing
but the stars were giving the light. On coming within
two or three feet of the tree the Captain ordered the author
to halt. He and Morrison walked about ten paces
and said, "I have brought you np here to liberate you.
We have got plenty of good men here to feed without feed
ing men who are friends to the lopeared Dutch." The
author replied to the Captain ,"you may think you are deal
ing with a fool. I have neither violated the civil nor mili
tary law; have demanded a trial and you refuse to give it
tome. You can t bring me up here at this time of night
and pretend to turn me loose for the purpose of escaping the
responsibility of an officer and deliver me into the hands
of a mob. "
The Confederate Army or Hell.
The author was satisfied that he could then see a
bunch of men standing in readiness. The Captain replied,
Sit down or you will be shot in half a minute." The
author sat down and leaned against the tree. He had on
strong summer clothing, wearing an alpaca vest and coat.
In an instant, about twenty -five men, led by Kasinger, and
a man by the name of William Sap, approached the author;
Kasinger, holding a rope in his hand with a noose in it,
walked up to the author, held the noose of the rope
above his head and said, "Monks, you have half a minute
to say you will join the army and fight, or go to hell, just
which you please." The author replied that it was said
that "hell was a hot place," but he had never been there,
and that he had always been counted a truthful man until
he had been arrested, and since his arrest he had been
asked divers questions of the whereabouts of the lopeared
Dutch, and that he had told them in every instance he
64 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
knew nothing of them and had been cursed for a liar. "If
I was to say that I would join the army and fight, I might
have a cowardly set of legs and they might carry me away ;
and in the next place, I am a Union man, first, last and all
the time. I suppose your intention is to hang me, and
there is only one thing I am sorry for, and that is that I
ever surrendered ; but there is one consolation left, when
you kill me you won t kill them all, and you will meet
plenty of them that won t be disarmed as I am now."
Kasinger replied, "No damn foolishness, we mean
business," and made an attempt to drop the noose over my
head, which was warded off with my arms.
At this juncture the author appealed to the Captain for
protection from the mob, saying that he was a prisoner,
unarmed and helpless, and if he suffered him to be mur
dered by a mob his blood would be upon the Captain s
head. No reply being made by the Captain, all cf the par
ties being considerably under the influence of whiskey, vSap
raised his left hand, pushed Kasinger back and remarked,
"I have been shooting and wounding some of these black
Republicans who are friends of the lopeared Dutch, but I
intend to shoot the balance of them dead." At the same
time he drew a pistol from his right-hand pocket, cocked
it, stooped over, ran his fingers under the author s cloth
ing, gave them a twist and commenced punching him around
the chest with the muzzle of the revolver, and after, as the
author thought, he had punched him some fifty or sixty
times with the revolver, the author said to him, "William
Sap, there is no question but that your intentions are to
kill me, and you want to torture me to death. You know
that if I was armed and on equal footing with you, you
would not do this." He made a quick jerk with his left
hand, intending to jerk the author upon his face, remark
ing to the Captain at the same time, "Captain, you prom-
66 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
ised him to us and we are going to take him." The auth
or, with all force possible, leant against the tree, Sap s
hold broke loose, tearing off all the buttons that were 011
the vest and coat.
The author again appealed to the Captain for protec
tion from the mob. The Captain then remarked to Sap ,
"Hold on for a moment, I w r ill take a vote of my company
as to whether we will hang him or not." The company at
that time was lying on the ground, most of them appar
ently asleep. The Captain called out aloud to his com
pany, "Gentlemen, I am going now to take a vote of my
company as to whether we will hang Monks or not. All
in favor of it vote, aye; all opposed, no." He then took
the affirmative vote and the negative vote. They appear
ed, to the author, to be almost evenly divided. Sap again
remarked to the Captain "You promised him to us, we
have bought him and paid for him and he is ours."
The author again appealed to the Captain for pro
tection. The Captain replied to Sap, "He claims pro
tection and as I am an officer and he a prisoner I reckon
we had better keep him until we reach McCullough and
Price and then we will try him for a spy and there is plen
ty of evidence against him to prove that he has been
writing to the lop-eared Dutch and after he is conv : cted
will turn him over and you men can take charge of him."
At this juncture a brother in -law of the Captain said,
"Captain, I have one request to make of you. I want
you to take Monks in the morning and tie him hard and
fast, with his face to a tree, and let me shoot with a rest
sixty yards and show you how I can spoil a black Repub
lican s pate." The Captain replied, "As soon as he is
convicted you can have the gratification of shooting him
just as often as you please."
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 67
The Captain and Morrison again took charge of the
author, carried him back and delivered him to the guard
with instructions to the guard to be diligent in keep -
ing him closely confined so that he would have no pos
sible chance of escape. On the morning of the 10th we
broke camp and went into camp that night just beyond
where Mountain Home now stands. Dr. Kmmons, of West
Plains, who was a strong Union man and who afterwards
became captain in the 6th Missouri Cavalry, attempted to
go through to the Federal forces but was pursued by the
rebels, captured somewhere in Texas county and brought
back to the camp. He was also a prisoner at the same time ;
but being a master mason, was paroled to the limits of the
camp and on the night of the 10th made his escape and
got through to the Federal lines, enlisted and was made
captain. Of him we will speak later.
In Camp at Yellville.
On July 11 th they broke camp and reached Yellville,
Marion county, and on the 13th reached Carrolton, a small
town in Arkansas, and went into camp. The author well
remembers the spring. It ran out of the steep, rocky gulch
and the branch ran a little south of west and a beautiful
grove of timber surrounded the spring. The prisoners were
marched down within a few feet of the spring and there
placed under guard. As usual, the abuse that had been
continually heaped upon the prisoners during the march was
renewed and in a short time a man who was said to be from
one of the counties north of Rolla, Mo., commenced making
a speech and inciting and encouraging the soldiers to mob
the prisoners at once; that he had disguised himself and en
tered the camps of the lop-eared Dutch at Rolla, and that to
his own personal knowledge they had men s wives and
68 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
daughters inside of their camps, committing all manner of
offenses possible, and that they were heathens; didn t re
semble American people at all and that he would not guard
nor feed any man who was a friend to them; that they
ought to be killed outright.
The men who enlisted in the Confederate army from
Howell and adjoining counties, before starting, went to the
blacksmith shops and had them large butcher knives
made ; made a belt and scabbard and buckled them around
them, and said that they were going to scalp lop-eard Dutch.
In a short time the tenor of the aboved mentioned speech
had incited over 400 men and it had become necessary to
double the guard. The grove of timber was filled with
men and boys looking over, expecting to see the prisoners
mobbed every minute. There was a man who drew his
pistol, others drew knives and made differerent attempts
to break lines and mob the prisoners. The man in posses
sion of the pistol declared that he intended to shoot them.
He was on an elevated place and they called him "Red,"
and there were three or four men holding him to prevent
his firing. The author remarked to him that: "The time
will soon come when you will meet men who are not dis
armed. You had better save your bravery until you meet
them, and my opinion is that you won t need any man to
hold you then." Just about this time on the north side of
the spring the land dropped toward the spring, on a de
scent of about 45 degrees the author heard the voice of a
man ordering the guard to "open the lines and let these
ladies come in." The author at once arose to his feet and
spoke out in an audible voice to the guard to give away and
let the ladies come in and see a Northern monkey exhibited,
that the monkeys grew a great deal larger in the north than
they did in the south. At this juncture it appeared to take
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 69
one more man to hold Red who said that he would kill
the saucy scoundrel if it took him a week to do it."
When the posse came in we saw that the ladies were
accompanied by eight or ten Confederate officers with
about fifteen ladies. All the ladies carried small Confed
erate flags, the first ones that the author had ever seen. On
coming very close to the prisoners they halted and one of
the officers remarked., "These are the Union men that are
friends to the lop-eared Dutch. Coulden t you tie the knot
upon them to hang them?" I think almost everyone spoke
out and said "we could." After heaping other epithets
and abuse upon the prisoners they and the officers retired
outside of the line. The speaker was still talking, urging
and insisting that the prisioners should be mobbed at once,
that they should not be permitted to live.
At about this stage of the proceedings a man s voice
was heard on top of the bank saying, "Men, I believe
your intentions are to kill these prisoners. You have all
started out to fight and you don t know how soon you
might be taken prisoner and you would not like to be treat
ed in any such manner; I know Billy, (referring to the
author) and all you have against him is the political side
that he has taken and I order the orderly sergeant to double
the guard around the prisoners so there w y ill be no possible
chance for the mob to get through, and move with the
prisoners south to a large hewed log house and place the
prisoners therein, and place a guard around the walls and
suffer no man to approach the house without an order
from the officers."
As the prisoner began to move, the excited soldiers,
who were wanting to mob them, brought out an Indian yell,
and it appeared to the author he could almost feel the
ground shake. After they were put into the houses,
among the prisoners were some who were deserters.
70 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
the author whispered to the Union men and told them to
lie down close to them so that they could not distinguish
from the outside one from another. The author was in
formed by Maj. William Kelley, of the Confederate army,
who resides at Rolla, Phelps county, Missouri, at the pres
ent time, that he was the officer who made the order to
remove the prisoners into the house and place a heavy
guard around them to prevent their being mobbed. This
ended the excitement for the evening.
The author had always been a believer in the reali
ties of religion. About one -tenth of the officers appeared
to be Baptist and Methodist preachers, and frequently
when they would go into camp would call a large number
of the men together and very often take the prisoners and
place them near by under a heavy guard, and then con
vene religious services. They always took for a text some
subject in the Bible and the author remembers well of the
taking of the subjects in the book of Joshua, where
Joshua was comanded to pass around the fortifications of
the enemy and blow the ram s horn and the fortifications
fell, and, the God of Joshua was the same God that ex
isted to-day and there was no question but that God was
on the side of the South and all they had to do was to
have faith and move on, attack the lopeared Dutch and
God was sure to deliver them into their hands.
The author could not help but add, in his own mind,
that when the attack is made that God set the earth to
shaking and all around where the lopeard Dutch are stand
ing that the earth will open and swallow them up just
leave their heads above the surface ; so that those Con -
federates who were so furious could take their big knives
and scalp the Dutch as they had said on divers occasions
they intended to do.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 71
Makes His Escape.
The author was determined to make his escape when
ever the opportunity offered ; and he could learn all about
the whereabouts of the Federal soldiers from the excited
Confederate scouts who would ride along- the lines and say
that the lopeared Dutch were as thick as rats at Springfield,
Missouri, moving around in every direction and they
might be attacked at any time and General McBride was
looking every day to be attacked by the Federal forces to
cut off his forming a junction with Generals Price and
McCullough.
In about four or five days they reached Berryville, near
where the Eureka Springs are, and went into camp just
west of Berryville right at the spurs of the Boston moun
tain. The prisoners were placed in the guard house near a
little creek that was then dry. Captain Forshee s com
pany went into camp next to the company comanded by
Captain Galloway of Howell county. As the weather was
very hot and dry and the author had been marched bare
footed (one of his shoes having worn out) until his feet
were badly blistered, he was lying down, feigning sickness.
The guard has become a little careless. Just about sundown
heavy thunder set in in the west. The clouds continued to
increase, the elements grew very dark. In the mean time
they had put out a chain guard all around the encamp
ment and said guard was about thirty steps from guard
house. The low lands were all bottom, covered with
heavy timber and a large oak had fallen across the creek
and reached from bank to bank and the bark had all slip
ped off. About thirty feet from the top of the tree the foot
of a steep mountain set in. The guard fire was about sixty
yards south of the guardhouse. The clouds soon came
up and a heavy rain set in, with terrific thunder and light-
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
ning, and as the army had temporary tents the guards all
crawled in under the tents and left the author by the fire.
The rain soon quenched the fire.
The chain guard were walking up and down the dry
creek and they met at the log referred to. The author
thought now was his time to make his escape, if ever ; know
ing that he would have to have a shoe, slipped to one of the
tents, got hold of a shoe, and then the thought struck him
that he would like to have a revolver, but on further ex
amination found their revolvers to be placed in such a posi
tion that it was impossible to get one without waking the
men. He then slipped to the butt of the log and heard the
guard meet at the log and turn again on their beat. He at
once crossed on the log on the other side, walked into the
the brush, reached the foot of the mountain about twenty
steps distant and halted. Everything appeared to be quiet,
the release around the guard fire were singing, whooping
and holloing.
The author then took the mountain which was about
one quarter of a mile high, and it always has appeared to
the author that he crossed the log and went up the moun-
ain as light as a cat. On reaching the top, still raining
heavily, the thought came into his mind that "I am once
more a free man, but I am in an enemy s country, without
friends," and at once determined in my mind to reach
Springfield, Missouri, if possible. I sat down, pulled on
the shoe that I had taken and it just fitted without a sock;
I then procured a dead stick for the purpose of holding
before me as I traveled for fear I would walk off of some
steep cliff or bluff, as it was very mountaineous.
Having the guard fire for a criterion I moved north
west, soon struck the leading road west that the army was
marching on, traveled the road for about one mile, came
onto the pickets, surrounded the pickets, struck the road
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 73
again, traveled all night until just gray day, directly west
or nearly so. A slow rain continued all night. As soon
as it became light enough to see I found myself in a coun
try completely covered with pine timber. I turned square
from the road, went about 350 yards up to the top of a
high knob, found about one quarter of an acre level bench.
A large pine had turned out by the roots and the hole w r as
partially filled with old leaves. The author always had
been afraid of a snake but the time had come when he had
more fear of a man than a snake, so he rolled himself
down into the hole in the leaves and at the time had be
come chilled with the steady rain. About 9 or 10 o clock,
as well as the author could guess, he heard the beat of the
drum which told that the army \vas marching on the same
road that he had traveled in the night. In a short time
the army passed where the author w r as lying in the sink.
The author could have raised himself up and have seen the
procession pass but he had seen them just as often as he
wanted to and he remained still. Late in the evening a
company of about 65 men passed. The author was inform
ed afterwards that they had been detailed to make search
for the prisoner, with orders if they found him, to shoot
him at once. The author was further informed by Confed
erates who belonged to the command that as soon next
morning as it was reported that the author had made his
escape that the chain guard declared that no man could
have passed between them and they were satisfied that
the author was still inside of the lines.
They at once made a large detail and commenced
searching. There were quite a large number of box elders
with very heavy, bushy tops. They said every single tree,
every drift and possible place of hiding, was examined.
Orders were at once issued by the commander, who sent
word back to the home of the author, that he had made his
74 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
escape and to watch for him and as soon as he came in home
to arrest him and either shoot him or hang him at once.
In the afternoon of the same day it cleared off and just
as soon as dark came, the author was determined to try to
reach Springfield, being in a strange country and knowing
that if he was re-captured it would be certain death. He
knew somewhere about the distance he had traveled west.
He located the north star which he used as his pilot or guide
and set out for Springfield, having no arms of any kind, not
even a pocket knife and had become very hungry. He came
to a slippery-elm tree, took a rock, knocked off some of the
bark, ate it and proceeded on his journey, traveling all
night. When gray day appeared again, he went to a hick
ory grub, broke the grub off with a rock, cut the top off
with a sharp edged rock, to be used for a weapon, placed
himself in hiding, remained all day. As soon as night came,
again he proceeded on his journey, traveled no roads except
when they run in direction of the north star. On the sec
ond morning he went into a small cave surrounded by a
thicket, about 10 o clock in the day he found that he was
near enough to some rebel command to hear the drilling.
As soon as dark came on he proceeded on his journey.
The nights were dark and only star light until the after part
of the night. He went near a spring house, but when he
got to it, there wasn t a drop of milk in it. He passed
through an Irish potato patch, grabbled two or three small
Irish potatoes and ate them; passed through a wheat field,
rubbed out some dry wheat in his hand, ate that; ate a few
leaves off of a cabbage. On the third morning, went into
hiding, remained until the darkness came again and re
sumed the journey.
On the morning of the 4th at daylight I had reached an
old trace, pulled off my clothes and wrung them and put
them on again as the dew was very heavy and every morn-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 75
ing my clothes would be wet. I went about 30 or 40 yards
from the old trace and thought to myself, if I saw any per
son passing that was not armed, that I would approach
and learn where I was. Hadn t been there more than
a half hour when I heard a wagon coming. As soon as the
wagon came in sight I saw that there was a lady driving,
accompanied by a small girl and boy, I got up and moved
into the road, walked on, and met the wagon, spoke to the
lady. She stopped the wagon and I asked her if she would
be kind enough to tell me where I was, that I had got lost,
traveled all night and didn t know where I was. She told
the author that he was in Stone county, Missouri, and
asked him where he was from. I told her that I was from
the state of Arkansas. She wanted to know if there was
much excitement there. I told her that there was; that
men were enlisting and going into the Confederate service
and the people were generally excited over the prospect of
war. I asked her if there was any excitement in this coun
try. She replied that there was that the rebels a day or
two ago had run in, on White River, and killed four Union
men and drove out about 40 head of cattle and "that s why
I am going out here in this wagon. My husband belongs
to the home guards and has come in home on a furlough
and is afraid to knock around the place for fear he will be
waylaid and shot by the rebels."
I then asked her if she would allow me to ask her a
civil question. She replied that she would. I asked her
what her politics were, and she told me that she was a
Union woman. I told her, then, that I would tell her the
truth; that the rebels had had me prisoner and that I had
made my escape from them and had been traveling only in
the night time; that this was the fourth morning since I
had made my escape, and I asked her how far it was to the
house ; that she was the first person I had spoken to since
76 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
I had made my escape. She said it was about 350 yards
around the point, to go on down to the house, and as soon
as she got some light wood she would be back. I went to
the house, halloed at the fence, a man came to the door
and invited me in. I walked in, and at orce I began to
look for arms, and to my great delight I saw a Springfield
musket lying in the gun rack, with a cartridge box with
the letters U. S. on it. O! the thrill of joy that passed
through my mind. I had often heard the old adage quoted,
that "a friend in need is a friend indeed," but had never
before realized its full meaning. In a short time the lady
returned. She went to work cooking, soon had me some
thing to eat, but I had almost lost my appetite, having
fasted so long.
After I ate something and while she was preparing
provisions to carry with me the man told me there was
but one place that we could cross White river without
being placed in great danger of being captured by the
rebels, for they were patroling up and down the river
every day. I told him I never had attempted to travel
a foot in daylight since I had made my escape. He told
me he thought if we could get safely across the river, he
knew of an old trace that led across the mountains
and intersected Taney county and as soon as we reached
that settlement they all belonged to home guards and a
man would be in no danger in making himself known.
The woman baked enough biscuit and tied up bacon
and red onions with them, the author thought, to have
lasted a hungry man three days, for him to carry with
him and we at once, after taking leave of the good
woman followed by her best wishes that I would get
through to the Federal lines safely, started for White river,
about two miles distant. Just before reaching the river
he left the author standing in the road, went into the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 77
house near by and soon came out with two other men in
company with him. On reaching the river where there
was a canoe tied to the bank they stepped aside by them
selves, held a short consultation ; then all got into the canoe,
carried me across the river, piloted me across the river
bottom to where the old trace left the bottom; there we
separated, they hoping that I would get through to the
Federal lines safely. They didn t think there was any
danger in traveling in daylight, because there wasn t a
single settlement for the entire distance of 25 miles.
The author traveled on until dark had overtaken him.
The moon gave no light until the after part of the night.
The author laid down by the side of the road, took a nap,
after the moon came up preceded on his journey and in
about two miles came to a house. Hallooing at the gate, a
lady came to the door and said: "Come in." They ap
peared to have a very savage dog. I remarked to the
lady that I believed the dog would bite me and noticed at
the same time that she stood off to one side of the door.
She remarked: "Go in; that dog will not bite you."
As I stepped into the door I was confronted by a man
standing in the middle of the floor in his night clothes
with his old Springfield musket cocked and presented and
he called out, "Halt!" The author halted, of course, and
the next remark was, "Who are you and where is the bal
ance of your crowd?" The author replied : "There is no
balance of them and there is not much of myself left. The
Confederates have had me prisoner and I have made my
escape from them and I am now trying to reach Spring
field, Missouri."
The man ordered his wife to strike a light, and after
viewing the author critically, placed his Springfield musket
near the bed and invited the author to take a seat, while
he dressed himself. Being not more than two hours until
78 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
daylight, his wife asked me to go to bed and rest. I told
her that I wasn t fit to lie in bed; that I had lain on the
ground like a hog ever since I had been arrested. She
said that it didnt matter how dirty a Union man was, he
was welcome to sleep in her bed, and to lie down and she
would proceed at once to get breakfast ; that there were
some refugee wagons, about two miles distant, making their
way to Springfield, and that she would have me up in time
to reach them. Accordingly, after eating breakfast before
daylight, and starting with the purpose to reach the w.agons
before they broke camp, the man remarked to the author.
"My captain lives just this side of where the wagons are
camped and I know he would love to see you and learn about
the movements of the rebels."
When we got to the house, he hallooed and the captain
came out, asked the author his name, where he lived and
when he was taken prisoner. The author gave him his
name and place of residence, and on learning that he was
from Howell county, asked him if he was acquainted with
a man by the name of Washington Galloway. The author
informed him that he was well acquainted with him. He
inquired as to which side he was on, the Confederate or
Union. The author informed him that he was on the rebel
side and was a captain commanding one of the rebel com
panies; that I saw him and had had a conversation with
him on the evening before I made my escape. He said,
"He is an own brother of mine. My name is Jesse Gallo
way;" and the tears ran from his eyes like a whipped
child. He said, "Get down; you are not in a condition to
travel any further at the present time." He gave me a
change of clothing and had my clothes washed and sent me
through to Springfield by one of his men on horseback.
About three weeks after I left him the rebels slipped
up near his house, lay in ambush, and when he came out
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS
into the yard they shot him to death while he was holding
an innocent child in his arms.
Arrives at Springfield.
On reaching Springfield, I was conducted directly to
the head quarters of Gen. Lyon, gave him all the informa
tion in my possession and told him I had been entirely
stripped, had no means with me for support and I would
like to join the army. He remarked to me, "I don t want
you to join the army; we intend to move south next
spring and you are one of the men that will be in great de
mand. We have a position for you and the Government
will pay you good wages."
A short time after I arrived I met a man by the name
of Percy, a lawyer, who resided at West Plains, a bitter
rebel, who was in there as a spy. I was alone and there
were very few persons that I was acquainted with living in
Springfield. Percy had been posing as a Union man and
offered that if I would go with him, he would carry
me safely through home; tried to get me to agree to go out
side the lines with him after dark, but knowing that he
was a bitter rebel and had been taking an active part in
the rebel movement I discarded him as quick as possible.
In a day or two Benjamin Alsup, who resided on Hutton
Valley, Howell county, happened to meet him in town,
and he being acquainted in and about Springfield, had him
arrested at once. A man by the name of Moore, who
was a strong Union man, lived about two miles from
Springfield on the W T ilson creek road took me home with
him for the purpose of resting up. He was the owner of a
fine dapple gray gelding four years old. He made Gen.
Lyon a present of him. About five days before the Wilson
Creek battle it was reported that the Rebels were on Cane
creek, west of Springfield, in considerable force. Gen.
80 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Lyon moved out with a considerable force, riding the same
horse, but on seeing the federal forces approaching they
retreated. On the 8th day of August the rebels appeared
in large force, being commanded by Gen. Price and Gen.
McCullough.
General Lyon Killed at Wilson Creek.
Gen. Lyon sent out scouts with glasses for the pur
pose, it possible, of ascertaining their number. The reb
els had gone into camp about ten miles from Springfield,
with the avowed purpose of attacking Gen. Lyon the next
day at Springfield, and as the scouts were not able with
their glasses to see the largest force of rebels, which was
encamped around a point out of sight, reported as to
what they thought the number was. Lyon and Siegel
came to the conclusion that by strategy they could easily
whip them, so on the morning of the 10th, about midnight,
they broke camp at Springfield, taking all of their available
men. The morning being very foggy and misty, they eas
ily surrounded the pickets and took them prisoners without
the firing of a gun, then drew up and fired the artillery
into them before they knew they were there.
So the memorable fight known as the battle of Wilson
Creek was begun. Gen. Lyon rode the horse above re
ferred to at the time he fell on the battlefield. Both the
Confederate and Union side were founding all their future
hopes upon the result of that battle, as to settling the ques
tion in Missouri. The author heard the artillery all day.
Late in the evening word came to the Union men that Gen.
Lyon had been killed and that the Federal army was re
treating in the direction of Rolla, Missouri, and that all the
Union men and the home guard would fall in and meet
them at once. O! the scene that followed. Men would
hurriedly ride around, meet their wives and children, tell
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 81
them that the battle was lost and they were then retreating
and they had only time to come around and bid them good
bye, and to do the best they could; that they didn t know
that they would ever be permitted to see them again. We
could hear the wife and children crying and sending up
the most pitiful petitions to God to have mercy.
Everything on the Union side appeared to be dark,
although it was a drawn battle and the rebels commenced
retreating at the same time, and retreated about twenty -
five miles west, but on learning that the Federal troops
were retreating, they faced about, taking possession of the
battle-ground and all of the southern and w r estern portion of
the state; and then the rebels, being encouraged by the
late victory, determined to rid the country of all Union
men at once.
About that time about 350 men mostly from Oregon
county commanded by two very prominent men, made a
scout into Ozark county, Missouri. On reaching the North
fork of White river they went into camp at what was known
as Jesse James mill. The owner, a man of about 55 or 60
years of age, as gocd a man as resided in Ozark coun
ty, was charged with grinding grain for Union men and their
families; at the time he, and a man by the name of Brown,
were cutting sawlogs about two miles from home in the
pinery. They went out and arrested them, arrested an old
man by the name of Russell and several others, carried them
to a man s house, who was a Union man, and had fled to
prevent arrest. They took Brown and James abont 300
yards from the house, procured a rope, hunted a long limb
of a tree, rolled a big rock up to the first rope where it was
tied to the limb, placed the noose around James neck,
stood him on the rock, rolled the rock from under him and
left him swinging, rolled the rock to the next rope, stood
Brown on it, placed the noose around his neck, rolled the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 83
rock out and left Brown swinging in the air, went to the
third rope, placed Russell on the rock, and just as they
aimed to adjust the noose, word came that the home guards
and Federals were right upon them in considerable force.
They fled, leaving Russell standing upon the rock and both
Brown and James dangling in the air.
Their Wives and Other Women Bury Them.
Every Union man now having fled in fear of his life,
the next day the wives of Brown and James, with the help
of a few other women, buried them as best they could.
They dug graves underneath the swinging bodies, laid bed
clothing in the graves and cut them loose. The bodies fell
into the coffinless graves and the earth was replac
ed. So the author is satisfied that the bones of these men
still remain in the lonely earth underneath where they met
their untimely death with no charge against them except
that they had been feeding Union men, with no one to bury
them but their wives and a few other women who aided.
Some of the men who were in the scout and present
when the hanging was done are still living in the counties
of Howell and Oregon.
A General Jackson Soldier Shot Down.
A short time after this hanging there was a man by the
name of Rhodes, who resided on the head of Bennett s
Bayou in Howell county. He was about eighty years of age
and had been a soldier under General Jackson. His head
was perfectly white and he was very feeble. When he
heard of the hanging of Brown and James he said openly
that there was no civil war in that, and that the men who
did it were guilty of murder.
Some two weeks from the date of the hanging of Brown
and James, about twenty -five men, hearing of what he
had said, organized themselves and commanded by Dr.
84 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Nunly and William Sapp, proceeded to the house of
Rhodes, where he and his aged wife resided alone, called
him out and told him they wanted him to go with them.
His aged wife came out, and being acquainted with a part
of the men, and knowing that they had participated in the
hanging and shooting of a number of Union men, talked
with them and asked: "You are not going to hurt my old
man?" They said: "We just want him to go a piece
with us over here." Ordering the old man to come along,
they went over to a point about one quarter from the house
and informed him of what he had said. There they shot
him, cut his ears off and his heart out. Dr. Nunly re
marked that he was going to take the heart home with
him, pickle it and keep it so people could see how a black
republican s heart looked.
They left him lying on the ground, proceeded directly
to Joseph Spears , who resided about six miles west of town
on the Yellville road, declaring that they were going to treat
him the same way. They reached his house about two hours
in the night, all full of whiskey. When they arrived there
Spears was sick in bed. They dismounted, came in, or
dered their suppers and their horses fed. Spears at that
time owned a negro man, and he ordered him to put up the
horses and feed them, and his wife to get them supper.
After supper, they concluded to remain until morning.
During the night they became sober, and concluded, since
Spears owned a "nigger," that it could not be possible
that he was a Union man, and the reports that they had
heard that he was a Union man might be untrue, and they
would let him alone until they could investigate further.
In the meantime, Rhodes not having returned home,
and not a single Union man left in the country that Mrs.
Rhodes could get to look after him, and -having heard
when they reached Joseph Spears that the old man was
86 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
not with them, although very feeble, she still continued the
search ; on the second day, about fifty yards from the road
and about a quarter of a mile from home, while she was
looking for him, she heard hogs squealing and grunting as
though they were eating something. Sfe proceeded to the
place and found the hogs Were just about to commence eat
ing the remains of her husband. The Union men having
fled, she notified some of the neighbors, and the women
came in and helped dress the body and buried him the best
they could; and neither at the taking down or burial of
Brown and James and the burial of the old man Rhodes did
a single rebel put in an appearance.
There never was a man arrested by the Confederate
authorities, or a single word of condemnation uttered, but
as far as could be heard there was general approval. It was
said that the means used were desperate, but that was the
only way to get rid of the men and strike terror to them so
they could neither give aid nor countenance to the lop-
eared Dutch.
Benjamin Alsup Taken to Little Rock.
In a few days following they proceeded to arrest Ben
jamin Alsup, residing in Hutton Valley, who was a strong
Union man, took him to Little Rock, placed him in the
state penitentiary, and kept him there until after Little
Rock fell into the hands of the Federals, when they ex
changed him with other prisoners. While they had him in
prison they worked him in a bark mill by the side of an
old mule, with a strap around his breast and two leather
hand holds. He pulled so much in the mill that his little
finger was calloused and he almost entirly lost the use of it.
After they had hung, shot, captured and driven
from the country all of the Union men, they called a public
meeting for the purpose of taking into consideration what
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 87
should be done with the families of the Union men, which
meeting had a number of preachers in it. After discussing
the premises, they arrived at the conclusion that if they
let the families of the Union men, who had escaped and
gone into the Federal lines, remain, they would return and
bring in the lop-eared Dutch. They didn t believe that
both parties could ever live together, and as they now had
the country completely rid of the Union men, they would
force their families to leave. They at once appointed men,
among whom were several preachers, to go to each one of
the Union families and notify them that they would not be
allowed to remain; because if they let them stay, their men
would be trying to come back, and they didn t believe both,
parties could live together. They stated at the same time
that they were really sorry for the women and children , but
nobody w r as to blame but their husbands and sons, who
had cast their lot with the lop-eared Dutch. Also, as they
had taken up arms against the Confederate states, all the
property they had, both real and personal, was subject to
confiscation and belonged to the Confederate authorities ;
but they would allow them to take enough of the property
to carry them inside of the lines of the lop-eared Dutch,
where they supposed their men were and where they then
could care for them.
Loyal Women Driven From Their Homes.
They said they might have a reasonable time to make
preparations to leave the country, and if they didn t leave,
they would be forced to do so, if they had to arrest them
and carry them out.
The wildest excitement then prevailed among the
women and children. They had no men to transact their
business and make preparations to leave. Little had they
thought, while they were chasing, arresting, hanging and
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
shooting their men, that they, too, would become victims
of the rebel hatred and be forced to leave house and home,
not knowing where their men were or whether they were
dead or alive. All they knew of their whereabouts was,
that those who escaped arrest had left their homes, aiming
to reach the nearest Federal lines.
Women were at once dispatched to reach the nearest
Federal lines, if possible, and inform them of the Confed
erate order, and procure help to take them out. Their
homes and houses were being continuall} r raided by small
bands of Confederates roaming over the country, claiming
that they were hunting Union men, taking all classes of
property that they might see proper to take, without any
restraint whatever.
When the Union men heard that an order had been
made requiring their families to leave, not thinking that a
thing of that kind would ever occur, having left them with
comfortable homes and plenty to eat, the wildest consterna
tion reigned amongst them.
The Federal authorities were willing to give them aid,
but were placed in such a condition that they needed every
man in the field, and for that reason couldn t give them
any help in getting out. The women had to speedily fit
up as best they could, close their doors and start for the
Federal lines, leaving the most of their property in the
hands of the rebels. The rebels proceeded at once to take
possession of and occupy most of the homes.
The suffering that followed the women and children is
indescribable. They had to drive their own teams, take
care "of the little ones, travel through the storms, exposed
to it all without a man to help them, nor could they hear a
single word of comfort spoken by husband, son or friend.
On reaching the Federal lines, all vacant houses and places
of shelter were soon filled, and they were known and styled
90 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
as refugees. Many of them went into soldier huts, where
the soldiers had wintered and covered the tops of their huts
with earth. They had to leave home with a small amount
of rations, and on the road the rebels would stop them and
make them divide up the little they had started with, and
reaching the Federal lines they would be almost destitute
of food and many of them very scantily clothed.
They would at once commence inquiring for their hus
bands and sons. Numbers of them never found them, as
they had been captured, killed and imprisoned while
attempting to reach the Federal lines. O! The untold
misery that then confronted them! After they had trav
eled and half starved and suffered from cold and exposure,
promising themselves that when they reached the Federal
lines they would again meet their loved ones who could
again care for them, they were doomed to disappointment,
in a large number of instances.
Those who did meet their husbands and sons were also
disappointed ; they had either joined the service or been
employed by the government as guides and scouts, and the
small amount of pay they received from the government,
wouldn t provide food and raiment for their families. They
were compelled to still be absent from their families,
although they were suffering greatly for all of the
necessaries of life and for clothing and shelter. The
women s task of caring for and looking after the family and
the little ones was just as great after they had reached the
Federal lines as before. The government ordered that
wherever aid could be given, rations should be issued to the
families, and while the government did all it could in this
way, it was not able to furnish shelter and houses for their
comfort. Winter came on and they underwent untold suf
fering; disease set in from exposure, besides the contagious
diseases of smallpox and measles, and hundreds of them
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 91
died for want of proper attention, while their men were in
the lines of the service of the government.
Here let the author speak a word in behalf of the de
votion and patriotism manifested by those loyal women who
had given their husbands and their sous to be placed upon
the altar of the country, and sacrificed their homes and
their firesides, had become exiles and wanderers, without
home or shelter, had undergone untold suffering, had faced
disease and death, had seen the little ones die, calling for
papa, shivering with cold, suffering with hunger all for
the love of their country. Yet when they would see the
Federal troops move by, with the stars and stripes un
furled, they would cheer the boys in blue as they would
pass, and urge them to save the country they loved so well
and had made so many sacrifices for and were still willing
to suffer and wrestle with all the ills that a desperate war
had brought upon the country, and wanted to live to once
more be returned to their own hearthstones and be permit
ted to live under their own vine and fig tree, where no man
dare molest them or make them afraid, to again enjoy all
the sweet comforts of life.
We revere and honor every Federal soldier who enlisted
in the interest of his country from the Northern States,
where they knew nothing about war except what they read,
their families being left in comfortable circumstances,
with plenty to eat and wear and friends to speak works of
comfort to them, while their husbands and sons had gone to
the front and were willing to sacrifice themselves on the
alter of their country, if it became necessary. But O! the
comparison between the sacrifices made by the loyal ele
ment in those portions of the country where they were
completely surrounded by the enemy.
Those who were willing to lay upon the alter of their
country, their fathers and sons, their wives and children,
92 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
their property and their sacred honor in support of the
government they loved so well, with no protection from
the government; no arms, amunitions, rations, clothing or
pay from the government, was thought of for a moment.
The only question that prompted, ruled and controlled them
was their patriotism to their God and their country. When
we come to compare the sacrifices, privations, suffering
and services between the two classes of loyalists the first
referred to, sink into insignificance.
O ! never let us forget to honor and revere patriotism
and sacrifices that were made by the loyal men and women
that were surrounded in the enemy s country and continu
al fighting without and within. Their husbands and
sons were shot and hung and imprisoned all over this
country, whose bodies never were even honored
with a burial. Orders being made by the rebels that they
should not be buried ; but yet they live and speak in
thunder tones to the living. I^et us plead with the living
to revere and honor the stars and stripes that were main
tained and supported by the blood and lives and sacrifices
of the loyal men and women of the South.
After the rebels had completely driven all the loyal
element out of the country and had but one political party
left they exclaimed, " Now the means that we have been
forced to use are very harsh but the line has been drawn and
all of the parties who are giving aid and comfort to the lop-
eard Dutch are all outside of the Confederate line and we
will never be troubled with them and the lopeared Dutch
any more."
The author went back in retreat with General Siegel,
after the Wilson Creek battle. On reaching Rolla, Mis
souri, Siegel went into quarters for the winter. The author
was almost worn out with exposure and traveling, and as
General Siegel informed him that there would be no ad-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 93
vance made south until the spring of 1862, and as his fam
ily had been left in comfortable circumstances, with plenty
to eat and wear, and he, being acquainted with some men
by the name of Cope, who lived near Jerseyville in Jersey
county, Illinois, went to that place, remained a month, and
being taken sick with lung fever, came very near dying.
He told his friends where he was staying that if he died, he
would die dissatisfied ; that he wanted to live and be able
to move with the Federal command in the spring of 1862
when it moved south. After he had partially recovered he
learned that a Mr. Cope, who was living neighbor to
him at the time of his arrest and capture, had moved
into Randolph county, Illinois. He visited the fam
ily at once, hoping to hear from his family at home, and
remained there about a month. His wife, among many
others, being notified to leave, had been informed that the
author had made his escape, reached Springfield, and had
gone back with Siegel in his retreat to Rolla. She was
permitted to dispose of just enough of the property, at the
rebels own prices, to enable her to move, the family con
sisting of herself and five small children. She was follow
ed on the road and her wagons searched for arms, and
the rebels threatened to take her to Little Rock, Arkansas,
but to enable her to reach Rolla, Missouri, she posed as
the wife of a rebel who had gone into the Confederate ser
vice, and said she was trying to reach her father, who re
sided near Rolla. By making that impression, her wagons
were not disturbed any more. On reaching Rolla, she
went to Colonel Phelps, who was afterwards governor of
the state, and inquired if he knew anything of the where
abouts of the author. He informed her that he had no
knowledge of his whereabouts at that time, but he
would take her name, place an advertisement of her arrival
94 HISTORY OE SOUTHERN MISSOURI
at Rolla, in the paper, and if he was alive it might reach
him.
Every house and cabin was full, it being in the dead
of winter, and a deep snow upon the ground, but through
the aid and assistance of one Cyrus Newberry, who had
escaped through the lines in Ho well county, she procured
a shelter about three miles north of Rolla, which was very
uncomfortable ; her clothes were partially frozen on her at
that time. In a short time the advertisement reached the
author in Randolph county, Illinois. He at once set out
for Rolla, Missouri, to meet his family. The house that
she had first got into was used by her but a short time, and
she had been forced to go into one of the huts that had
lately been occupied by the soldiers and had been made
vacant by their moving west to Springfield.
On the arrival of the author, O! the horror and the
joy that were intermingled ! I was proud to once more
meet my wife and children, but in a moment the thought
would pass through my mind, "I left you in a comfortable
home, with plenty to eat, and now to see you here in this
dug-out, suffering for food and shelter! O! the war,
the horrible war ! What is it that men won t do?" I set
out at once to procure a comfortable shelter for my fam
ily and to get in readiness to move south with the army.
Gen. Curtis, then in command of the western department,
was preparing to make a general move south. I was em
ployed by the government as a guide, receiving $1.50 per
day, with rations and clothing.
Establishing a Federal Post at West Plains.
The army soon broke camp and moved southward. On
arriving at West Plains, the Federal army located a post
there. Capt. McNulty, of the First Illinois cavalry, who
had been wounded in a battle with Gen. Mulligan, was made
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 95
Provost Marshal. The author was at once detailed and
placed in the Provost Marshal s office as assistant, as he was
well acquainted with all of the people in the surrounding
country. The Provost Marshal would order the author to
be seated in a conspicuous place in the office, and as a gen
eral order had gone forth from Curtis requiring all rebels
and rebel sympathizers to come in and take the oath, and
as hundreds of them were daily coming into the office for
that purpose, the Provost Marshal ordered the author to
watch every person who entered the office and whenever
any person entered who had been taking an active part in
committing depredations, just to put his hand upon his
forehead and move it down over his face, and he would
order them to the guard house for further examination,
without any further words being said at the time.
Many of the rebels who were taking the oath couldn t
see how he could draw a line between the different persons;
let some take the oath and be released at once, and others
ordered to the guard house without a word being spoken.
Among the persons who came in and took the oath and
were released, was the man who was present at the time
Capt. Forshee attempted to deliver the author to the mob,
who asked the Captain at the time to tie the author with
his face to a tree, and let him shoot him in the back of the
head, to show him how he could spoil a black Republican s
pate.
The author remembers one incident that occurred dur
ing the stay at West Plains. A man named Lusk, who was
constable of Howell township, and resided in West Plains,
was a strong Union man at the beginning of the war; when
the general order was made that every man who had been
a Union man had to join the Confederate service and show
his colors or be hung, Lusk enlisted in the Confederate
army and went out with McBride s command.
96 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Three or four days after the capture of the author by
the rebels, Lusk came up to him in a braggadocio manner
and sa} T s, "You ought to have your black heart shot out of
you." Lusk hacl taken the oath and been released before
the author reached West Plains. The author met him in
West Plains and remarked to him: "Hallo, Lusk! How
are you getting along? And what are you doing here?"
He replied that he had taken the oath ; that he was tired of
fighting. The author asked him if he felt like he did when
he wanted to shoot his black heart out. Lusk replied :
"Captain, I am sorry for what I did, and Captain Emmons
so maltreated me the other day that I could scarcely sit in
my saddle." The author remarked to him: "I will just
give your face three good slaps with my hand." After
giving him three raps, the author let him pass.
Lusk Sees Some Lopeared Dutch.
Soon meeting Captain Emmons, who belonged to the
6th Missouri Cavalry, had asked him what the trouble was
between him and Lusk. He said that while he was
prsoner Lusk came to him with his big knife belted
around him, and said that he was just equal to ten lopear-
ed Dutch and he had that knife for the purpose of taking
ten Dutch scalps before he returned home, and otherwise
abused him for being a Union man and a friend to the
Dutch.
On the arrival of the troops in West Plains he inquir
ed of the citizens if Lusk had returned home. Thej^ in
formed him that he had and was residing on Spring Creek,
about six miles from town. About half of Emmons com
pany were Germans. He went immediately to his com
pany, ordered the Orderly Sargeant to make detail of ten
men and he wanted them all to be Germans. He ordered
them to be mounted and ready for a scout at once. Tak-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 97
ing charge of them in person he proceeded to the house of
Lusk, about six miles west of West Plains at the head of
Spring Creek, rode up to the house and holloed. Lusk
immediately came out into the yard and recognized Dr.
Emmons and said "O! Doctor! Is that you? I am proud
to see you." The Doctor said to him, I am proud to see you,
too." The Doctor at once informed him of what he had
said to him when he was a prisoner in regard to being
equal to ten lopeared Dutchmen and how he had his knife
prepared to take that number of scalps before he came
back home, and wanted to know if he got the scalps be
fore he came home. Lusk replied that if he killed a single
Dutchmen he didn t know it ancl that he got ail of the
fighting that he wanted, didn t want to fight any more.
The Doctor wanted to know if he ever saw any lop-
eard Dutch and Lusk replied that he "didn t know that he
had." The Doctor replied, "I have selected, ten of the
smallest sized of the full stock and I want you to :: step over,
the fence and view them." He then ordered the.. scouts- to
dismount and form in line. Lusk told the. Doctor he
didn t want anything to do with them whatever. After
they had formed, a line the-; Doctor made him step fn front ,
and view them ; asked him what he thought of them. -, He
said "They are good looking men." The .Doctor said to
him, If you didn t get the chance when you were out in
the service to fight ten of them/ and you say you didn t
get any scalps, I have brought these ten clown and intend
that you shall fight them." Lusk pleaded with the Doctor
that he didn t want to fight them and for God s sake not to
let them hurt him.", -. Emmons- said to him "Why Lusk!
you said you were equal rotten of them and intended to
bring back ten of their scalps and there will be nothing
now unfair about this fight. I intend to give you a fair
98 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
show." He ordered Lusk to get his horse and get onto it
and get ready to march.
There were some four -foot clapboards stacked up near
Lusk s house, and Emmons ordered six of the Germans to
get a board apiece. They were all soon mounted and mov
ing toward West Plains, soon coming to a "horsen" log.
Emrnons ordered them to dismount and form a line, plac
ing the men about ten paces from Lusk, then said to Lusk,
^Now, prepare yourself, and if you can whip these ten lop-
eared Dutch I will let you go back home and give you a
chromo." Lusk pleaded pitifully to not let the Dutch
abuse him. Emmons ordered the six who had the clap
boards to move one pace in the rear, leaving four of the
number to attack Lusk; he then ordered the four men
to seize Lusk, take him to the "horsen" log and take
down his clothes. Two of them were to take him by the
hands and two by the legs and buck him tight against the
log; if they succeeded, the six would proceed, one at a
time, and strike him three licks across that part of the body
that he generally used for sitting on.
He then turned to Lusk, saying, "Prepare to meet
them ; if you are a better man than they are, down them
and pile them up." At the command of Capt. Emmons,
the four men advanced on Lusk, who did not attempt to
move, seized him by the arms, led him to the log, bucked
him over it, two holding him by the arms and two by the
legs, ordered the six men to advance, one at a time, strike
three licks with the flat side of the board, march on a few
paces and give room for the next.
After the performance had been completely carried out
as commanded, the Captain declared that he could have
heard Lusk holloing a mile distant every time the clap
board hit him.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 99
After he had received the boarding, Emmons said that
Lusk s setter was blistered where the boards had hit him,
and that he never saw ten Germans enjoy themselves as
much in his life. He then asked Lusk, in their presence,
how he felt now in regard to righting lopeared Dutch.
Lusk declared that he had nothing against the Dutch and
that he never would want to fight another one as long as
he lived, and he hoped that Dr. Emmons would not
let them do him any more harm. He dressed himself, they
were all mounted, formed a line, and Lusk was brought
into West Plains and took the oath, under the promise that
he never would fight another lop-eared Dutchman.
Goes to Washington City.
After the post was discontinued at West Plains, the
author was again ordered back to Rolla. The state had
made a proposition to the Federal authorities that if the
government would arm, feed and clothe the troops, it could
place a number of regiments of state troops in the service,
and they would be able to send some of their regular troops
to the front. A delegation was appointed by the state to
visit Washington City, wait upon the President and see
what the government could do for the state. The author
was appointed as one of the delegates, and on the night
following the departure of the delegation for Washington
City, a rebel scout appeared at the house where the auth
or s family was living and demanded the author. His wife
replied that he was not at home, that he was one of the
delegation that had left that morning for Washington City.
She distinctly heard one man remark: I expect that is
so, for there was a delegation left this morning for Wash
ington City." The house wasn t more than a quarter of a
mile from the picket posts.
100 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
After parleying for some little time, they left the house,
marched west about a mile, where some refugees were lo
cated in a house, and demanded their surrender. The house
was full of women and children, there being also one boy
and two men, to- wit: Peter Shriver and a man named
Johnson. They ordered the doors opened; the inmates
refused; then the rebels knocked down the door, and fired
a volley right into the house. Shriver and Johnson being
armed, returned the fire, killed one of the rebels on the
spot, and fleeing through the rear part of the house, made
their escape. The rebels killed one boy and severely
wounded a girl and young Johnson, and retreated south,
leaving their comrade dead.
It was learned afterwards that most of the scout
were men from Ho\vell county who had learned that the
author had placed his family just outside of the Federal
lines and had marched all the way there, with the avowed
purpose of capturing the author and either shooting or
hanging him.
On arrival of the delegation at Washington City they
organized the delegation and made Chas. D. Drake their
spokesman. He was afterwards elected to the United
States Senate. Soon after the arrival President Lincoln
informed us that he would be prepared to meet the dele
gation in a large hall ,11 ear the mansion, at which time and
place he desired to be introduced to the whole delegation.
When the delegation entered the hall the President and
his secretary were seated together.
The Delegation Meets the President.
The delegation entered the hall in a single file. Chas.
D. Drake approached the President and when within a few
feet oOhe President and secretary, they arose to their
feet and as the delegation marched by each one was intro-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 101
duced to them. Afterwards they were seated, and the
petition and address of the people of the State of Mis
souri was delivered in an audible voice by Chas. D.
Drake. In the opening of the address wa addressed the
President and called ourselves his friends.
As soon as the address was read the President rose to
his feet and proceeded to deliver an address to the delega
tion and the author never will forget the impression that
was made upon his mind in a part of that address. He
said: "You should not address me as your friend; I am
the President of the whole people and nation and while
I am President, I expect to try to enforce the law against
all violators of law and in the interest of the whole people
of the nation; but if I have any friends in Missouri I sus
pect you men compose a part of them. I listened to your
petition and offers, which make me proud for the patriot
ism that you manifest, in offering your services to your
country in the darkest hour of her peril and I would be
glad if the government was able to grant every request
that you have made. The government at the present
time is not in a condition to furnish clothing and com
missaries for the number of men that you propose to put
in the field, but the government will furnish all the arms
that they can possibly spare, amunitions and commissaries
and authorize the state to organize and put in the field any
number of state troops, not to exceed sixty regiments.
He said he would do all in his power to feed them but in
the present condition of the government the state would
have to pay them.
The delegation returned and informed the state of
what promises the government had made and at once went
tc organizing and putting state troops into the field. The
author was commissioned as lieutenant of Company H. and
the regiment was ordered into acttve service for the period
102 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
of sixty days. At the expiration of the term of service, the
government ordered that a company of scouts be organiz
ed and that the author be made Captain of the company,
to receive first lieutenant s pay and be clothed and fed by
the goverment, be ordered on duty at once and placed
under the direct command of Captain Murphy, who was
then commanding the post at Houston.
The company scarcely saw an idle day, it was kept
continuously scouting and fighting. The counties of
Texas, Dent, Wright, Crawford, LaClede and Phelps,
outside of the post, being completely under the
control of the rebels. Not a single Union man nor his
family could remain at home outside of the post.
Incidents of 18-63.
In the fall of 1863, Colonel Livingston, who was act
ing in the capacity of Brigadier General, was ordered to
proceed to Batesville, Arkansas, and there erect a post.
The author was transferred, by order of the government,
and made chief of scouts receiving Captain s pay and or
dered to move with the command of Colonel Livingston
and be under his command and control until further
orders. On or about December 15, 1863, Colonel Living
ston, who was Colonel of the 1st Nebraska regiment and
the llth Missouri Cavalry regiment, broke camp at Rolla,
and marched in the direction of Batesville, Arkansas.
Colonel Livingston, on leaving Rolla, issued a general
order and sent the same in all directions, that all rebels,
or "bushwhackers," who were captured wearing Federal
uniform, would be courtmartialed and shot; or all per
sons who were captured in robbing or plundering houses
would be court-martialed and shot.
On our arrival at West Plains the advance of the com
mand captured three Confederates dressed in Federal uni-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 103
forms, near what was known as the Johnson farm. One of
them broke from custody and escaped ; the other two were
court-martialed and shot, while the command was camped
at West Plains. After those men were shot, some of the
Confederates, dressed in Federal uniforms, came inside the
Federal lines, while in camp at West Plains, just after dark,
and took nine black cavalry horses from the line and made
their escape. The soldiers saw them take the horses, but
thought it was their own men taking them to water.
The command, breaking camp at West Plains, marched
in the direction of Batesville, passed through Salem, Ark.,
and on Big Strawberry encountered the rebels and had quite
an engagement. The weather was quite cold. I remem
ber that after the fighting ceased, some of the soldiers had
been fighting with their revolvers, and their hands had be
come so benumbed that they had lost the use of their fing
ers, and couldn t return their revolvers to their scabbards,
and the revolvers had to be taken from their hands ; the
hands of some of them were badly frost-bitten.
The command again renewed its march for Batesville.
Small bands of bushwhackers and rebels kept up a contin
uous fire everyday on the advance, and committed depre
dations by pillaging; claiming they were Federal forces,
most of them being dressed in Federal uniforms. The pil
laging grew so annoying that Col. Livingston, just before
breaking camp, divided the advance into two columns,
marching from a mile to two and a half miles apart. Late
in the afternoon, one w 7 ing came onto a number of those ir
regular Confederates, or bushwhackers, robbing the house
of a Union woman whose husband was in the Federal army.
Nearly all of them were dressed in Federal uniforms, claim
ing to the woman to be Federal soldiers. They had all
dismounted and gone into the house to plunder it, except
their captain, Elliott, whom they had left on guard. The
104 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
road came around in a short bend and concealed the ap
proach of the Federals until they were within a hundred
yards of the house. There was a large gate in front of the
house. The woman was standing in the yard about ten
steps from the gate. She saw the troops coming before
they were discovered by the captain, and supposed them
to be of the same command. They were all cavalry. As
soon as they saw the captain, they put spurs to their
horses, and with revolvers in hand, charged upon them.
The captain gave the alarm, and fled as rapidly as possible
on horseback, a part of the Federals in hot pursuit after
him.
Every avenue of escape was cut off from those who
were in the house, and they were forced to retreat through
a ten -acre open field, before they could reach the timber.
The woman of the house, seeing them flee, knew at once
that they didn t belong to the same command. While the
Federals were approaching the gate at full speed, she ran
to it and threw it open, so that they would not be checked
in their pursuit. They overtook them about two -thirds of
the way across the field, as the rebels were cut off from
their horses and were on foot. Three of the rebels were
killed, and three taken prisoners. They had everything in
their possession bed clothing, domestic, knives and forks,
and even axes, that they had been taking from Confederates
as well as from Unionists ; also a number of women s dresses.
All of the dresses were given to the woman whose house they
were robbing at the time of their capture. The soldiers
had a fine time after they reached camp, by turning the
domestic into new towels.
Just after supper, the author was notified to appear at
the provost marshal s office, to see whether or not he could
identify the prisoners. On his appearing and entering into
conversation with the prisoners and inquiring their names,
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 105
one claimed to be named Smith, another Taylor and the
other Johnson. One of them lisped a little when talking.
The author soon recognized one of them and said to him :
"Your name is not Smith. You had just as well give your
proper name, for I know you." The Provost Marshal
asked him if he knew the author. He hesitated to answer.
On the Provost Marshal urging him to answer, he said:
"I ought to know him, as he was one of my near neighbors
when the war commenced. My name is Calvin Hawkins. "
The author replied, "That is correct," and turning to the
other prisoner for a second look, recognized him. He re
marked, "Taylor is not your proper name." The Provost
Mashal asked him if he knew the author. He hesitatingly
replied that he did. His proper name was then demanded,
which he gave as Jacob Bridges. The other was a boy
named Hankins, 13 years of age.
Court Martialed and Shot.
The Provost Marshal asked them if they had ever read
or heard of the general order that had been issued by Col.
Livingston. They replied that they had. He said to
them: "You have violated the order in every particular;
you are wearing Federal uniforms, and have been caught
robbing and pillaging citizens houses. Tonight your cases
will be submitted to a court martial, except the boy s. He
then ordered the author to take them to a room and inform
them that they would certainly be convicted by the court
martial, and the only way they could escape death would
be to give the rendezvous and names of all irregular troops
in their knowledge, and agree to pilot a scout to the differ
ent places of resort.
The author informed them of what the Provost Mar
shal had said, and further informed them that Col. Living
ston, then acting in the capacity of Brigadier General,
106 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
would have the only power to commute their sentences,
after they were convicted. They refused to give any in
formation that would aid the authorities in capturing the
different irregular roving bands. The author bade them
good-bye, told them he was sorry for them, that they were
in a bad condition, but had brought it upon themselves and
each of them had better prepare for death, for they were
certain to be court-martialed that night. He then left the
prisoners, the guard taking charge of them. The court-
martial convened that night ; charges and specifications
were preferred before the Judge Advocate of violating both
orders. They were accordingly convicted, and the next
morning, before we broke camp, the author saw the detail
that had been selected to execute them ; saw the pris -
oners under guard moving out to the place selected for the
execution, heard the discharge of the guns, and soon
learned that they both had been shot. Somewhere on the
head of Big Strawberry, in Izard county, the boy s mother
came to us, and he was turned over to her.
The command broke camp and proceeded on the way
towards Batesville, with more or less skirmishing with the
rebels every day; and on the 25th of December, 1863, we
had come to within about three miles of Batesville, Inde
pendence county, the rebels in considerable force then
being in possession of the city. They had a strong picket
about a quarter of a mile from the main city, leading right
down Poke bayou. Another road turned to the right and
entered the lower part of the city. The commander halted
and threw out a considerable force in advance. The author
was placed right in the front of the advance, with orders to
charge the pickets, and on their retreat, to charge the en
emy, and if they found them in too strong a force to fall
back on the main command.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 107
The rebel ladies had procured a large hall in the city,
situated upon High street, leading west through the city.
They were all dressed in gray, and had any amount of egg
nog and other delicious drinks in the hall and all through
the public parts of the city. A large number of the Con
federate soldiers were in the hall dancing, a number of
them belonging to Col. Freeman s command. On reaching
the rebel pickets, they fired, and the commander ordered a
charge with revolver and saber, and we followed close upon
their heels. On reaching the city, the firing became pro
miscuous. The rebels retreated south, a number of them
retreating in the direction of White river, and swam the
river with their horses, while many of them abandoned
their horses and swam the river. One part of the rebel
command filed to the right, thinking that it was a Federal
scout, and attempted to retreat upon the lower road. The
Federals saw them coming, and knew from their actions
that they were retreating. They at once deployed two lines
in front of the command, one on each side of the road. Be
fore the rebels found out their real condition they were
completely into the trap, and they surrendered without
the firing of a gun.
How Received by the Batesville Ladies.
After the fighting had subsided, the author, with a
part of the command, rode up High street to the hall where
they had just been dancing. There must have been as
many as two hundred and fifty or three hundred ladies in
the hall and on the roof . Some of the boys dismounted,
went up into the hall and drank some of their eggnog,
although there were strict orders against it.
The main command reached the east end of High
street, marching in a solid column of two, with a brass band
and drums and fifes playing, and striking up the tune of
108 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
" Yankee Doodle," they came marching down High street,
in the direction of the hall. The women began to use the
strongest epithets possible in their vocabulary against the
Union soldiers, calling them "nigger lovers," "lopeared
Dutch," "thieves" and "murderers." The author spoke
to them saying, "You are mistaken. These men are gen
tlemen, sent here by the government to establish a military
post, and if you treat them nicely you will receive the same
kind of treatment."
About this time the front of the command had moved
up to the hall. At once a number of the ladies began to
make mouths at them and spit over the banisters toward
them, calling them vile names. The soldiers then began
to hallo at the top of their voices: "O, yonder is my
Dixie girl, the one that I marched away from the north to
greet." "God bless their little souls, ain t they sweet;
sugar wouldn t melt in their mouths." l am going to get
my bandbox and cage up one of the sweet little morsels and
take her home for a pet."
The voices of the soldiers completely drowned the
hearing of anything the women were saying. In a little
while the women hushed. As the column was passing by,
one of the women remarked, "I believe that gentleman
gave us good advice ; I think we had better stop our abuse
and we will be treated better." We marched down to the
west end of High street, marched across to the next main
street, then the head of the column turned east again up
Main street, and striking up the tune of "Hail, Columbia,
My Happy Land," marched up to the east end of Main
street, and ordered a guard placed around the whole town,
to prevent the escape of the rebel soldiers that were con
cealed in the town. The author never saw as much con
fusion as there was there, for a short time, among the citi
zens, especially the women. Some were laughing, some
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 109
w^re abusing the soldiers, some crying, and some cursing.
After things had quieted down the soldiers went into
camp. Colonel Livingston began to hunt suitable build
ings for his head quarters and for an office for the Provost
Marshall and Judge Advocate. It became a fixed fact
with the citizens of the city that the Federals were going
to locate a permanent post at that place.
While they were in pursuit of the rebels the author
remembered an incident that attracted his attention.
There were four or five negro men standing upon the street
corner and one of the officers holloed out to the negroes;
"Which way did the rebels go?" On one corner of the
street there was a bunch of rebel citizens standing and as
soon as the corner was turned and they were out of sight
of the rebel citizens they answered the officer, "Massa,
we don t know which way the rebels went; one of them
dodged around the corner in an instant, and in alow tone
of voice, and with a motion of his hand, said, "Massa dey
went right dat way," almost in an instant came back
around the corner and said in hearing of the rebel citizens
"Massa, I declare I don t know trie way dem rebels went."
The next morning Livingston issued a general order
for all persons who claimed protection from the Federal
army to come in and report and take the oath. The author
remembers an incident that occurred on the evening of the
fight. There had been two or three men killed just across
the brige and they placed a guard there with orders to let
no person eross it without a pass. Shortly after dark
a young lady who had secreted around her w T aist under
her clothes, two pistols, a belt and scabbard which be
longed to a Confederate soldier, just after dark" came to
the bridge and wanted to cross. The sargeant of the guard
ask her if she had a pass, to which she replied that she
had not. He informed her that he could not let her go
110 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
over. Among the guards was an Irshman and the young
lady remarked to the sargeaut that "it was very hard"
that she "had a relative that was killed just across the
bridge and she wanted to go over and see him and that a
woman couldn t do any harm and they might let her go
over without a pass."
The Irshman sprang to his feet and remarked "Be
Jasus, women can do a divil of a sight of harm, can con
vey more information, can carry more intelligence through
the lines to the rebels than twenty men and there are so
many of our officers, if she happens to be good looking,
would let her pass through. The sargeant believing
that she was a near relative of one of the men that was
killed a short distance from the bridge, let her pass over,
and that night she delivered the pistols to the Confederate
soldiers. She afterwards admitted this when she was ar
rested for refusing to take the oath.
If You Will Grease and Butter Him.
Shedeclared that she "wouldn t swallow old Lincoln."
and the commander ordered all persona who refused to take
the oath, either men or women, arrested and sent to
Little Rock. When she found that she had to take the
oath or go to Little Rock, she said to them that "if they
would grease and butter the oath she would try to swallow
it." Afterwards she became very intimate with one of the
young Federals, married him and when the command
broke up left the post, left the country and went with him.
The author remained there all that winter, being in
active service almost every day, capturing some of the
worst men that there were in the country. In a short
time after the post was located the west side of the river
was all in the control of the rebels. The rebels began to
boast and brag that those Northern Yankees could stay
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 111
around the open field and around cities but whenever they
crossed the river they would show them just how rebel
bullets would fly. Colonel Freeman s head quarters were
near the head of Silamore creek, they would get on the
mountains, on each side (as the Yankees knew nothing
about mountains) and roll rocks down on them and what
they didn t kill with rocks and bullets would be glad to
get back across the river to Batesville.
There were no ferry boats on the river, they had all
been sunk or run out by the rebels.
The weather was very cold. White river froze over
solid. The old residents there said it was the first time
they ever knew of the river freezing over solid. The ice
was so thick that it would hold the weight of horses and
wagons. Col. Livingston ordered lumber hauled and laid
the planks flat on the ice. He then sent some men who
resided in Nebraska when at home, to make a test. They
reported that the ice was safe for a command to pass over.
The commander at once organized a force, crossed the
river on the ice, and took up the line of march for the pur
pose of attacking Freeman s forces, which were distant
about ten or twelve miles. As soon as the rebel forces
found that they were moving up Silamore creek in the di
rection of Freeman s headquarters, they placed men on the
hills on each side of the creek, and as soon as the Federal
forces came within reach, they opened fire, and commenced
rolling stones. The commander halted, deployed skirmish
ers, ordered them to fall back, march on foot and flank the
rebels, while they would continue the march up the creek
and attract their attention until they would have them com
pletely flanked, and then close in on them. While the
main force moved up the creek slowly, under almost con
tinuous fire, all at once a general fire opened up on both
sides of the hills. I never before saw rebels running and
112 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
dodging in all directions, trying to make their escape, as
they did then. A number of them were killed and wound
ed, and the others taken prisoners. The remainder got
down from the hills, wiser men, and made a hasty retreat
up the creek. Upon the Federal column reaching the
headquarters of Freeman, it was so unexpected that he had
to retreat, leaving all his camp equipage, his trunk and
clothing, and about $5,000 in Confederate money.
They retreated in an almost northerly direction. Our
force returned to Batesville. The scouts, with a small
force of troops, were sent up White river to find where the
line of march of the rebels was. They found that they had
crossed White river near the mouth of the north fork and
were moving in the direction of Pocahontas. There had
been two Federal companies detailed and sent out north
east in the direction of Spring river-, v Freeman s command
surrou ndecl them and made prisoners of one of the compa
nies. The other company, conitiianded- by Capt. Majors,
made a charge on the lines and cut their way through.
Reinforcements were at once dispatched in the direction
of the moving columns of rebels. In the meantime, the
rebels had reached Pocahontas, oi i Blatk* river, and had
effected a crossing onto the east side of Black river, except
the rear guard, which were in their boat about miidway of
the river, when the Federal forces reached the west side of
the river. They fired on the parties in the boat, wounding
some of them, but they succeeded in reaching the bank,
and turned their boat loose. - "A strong line of rebels was
drawn up on the east bank of Black river, and opened fire
on the Federal forces on the west side. After considerable
firing, both sides ceased. -The rebels appeared to move
east; "the Federal forces again" countermarched and re
turned to 4 Bstesville. "
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 113
The country on the west side of White river was still
under the control of a strong force of rebels commanded by
Col. Weatherford and three or four other Confederate com
manders. About three weeks after their return, an order
was issued for two wagon trains with six mule teams and a
detail of two companies, to escort it. The train moved
out, for the purpose of getting corn and other forage, about
fifteen miles distant on White river. After they had ar
rived at their destination and were loading their wagons, a
large force of rebels surrounded them, charged on them,
and made prisoners of about half of the escort. The Fed
eral captain, who belonged to one of the llth Missouri
companies, surrendered, handed his pistol, about half
shot out, to a rebel soldier, who turned his own pistol
on him and shot him dead. The scouts who escaped cap
ture, retreated with all possible haste to Batesville.
In the meantime, the rebel forces cut the wagons
down, piled them in heaps and set them on fire; while the
mules, with all their gear and breeching on were put into
White river arid swam across to the other side. As soon
as the news reached headquarters, a force was speedily
organized, and started on a forced march. Upon reaching
the scene of action the rebels were all safely across on
the other side of the river, harness and wagons were just
about completely burned up. No chance of any boats to
cross the river and the river being full, they counter
marched and returned to Batesville again.
The whole whiter was taken up in scouting and
fighting small bands of rebels. Sometime in the latter
part of the winter the commissaries and forage were be
coming scarce and the nearest Federal post down White
river was at Duvall s bluff. The commander called on
the author, who was Captain of scouts, for a detail of two
men who could procure a canoe and try, if possible, to
114 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
reach Dtivall s Bluff and inform the Federal authorities
there of the conditions of the post. The author detailed a
man by the name of Johardy Ware and a man by the
name of Simon Mason. They were to procure a canoe
and travel in the night, drawing it, when daylight came,
into thick brush, and in that way, if possible, reach the
Federal post. They succeeded in reaching the post and
in a short time commissaries and provisions, with forage,
were forwarded up the river on two small transports, with
a number of troops to force its passage up the river. Some
time in the latter part of the winter the boats reached
Batesville and supplied all of the wants and short rations
of the soldiers and again made everything merry and
happy.
Give an Oyster Supper
In April, 1864, the author had promised to return to
Rolla for the purpose of aiding and recruiting a regiment,
known as the 16th Missouri Cavalry Volunteer. He in
formed the commander and asked for his recommendation
which was granted. He wanted to know when I wanted to
start so that he could make preparations to send me around
by water. The author informed him that he intended to
march through by land. The commander thought it was
a thing impossible, that scouting bands of rebels had pos
session of the country, from a short distance outside of
Batesville almost to Rolla, Missouri. The commander
and Provost Marshall gave the author an innovation, made
an oyster supper for him and his company of scouts, said
they w r ere loath to give them up, that they had performed
so much valuable service, and he didn t know where he
could get any other men to take their places.
After taking leave of the officers and soldiers, the auth
or took a small flag, fastened upon a staff, fastenened it to
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 115
the browband of the bridle and remarked to the officers
as he bid them good bye, that the stars and stripes should
float from Batesville to Rolla or the author would die in
the attempt. The company then set out for Rolla, Mis
souri. Colonel Woods of the llth Missouri cavalry had
been on detached service and Lieutenant Colonel Stevens
had been commanding the regiment. He had received
orders to join his regiment at Batesville, Arkansas, and,
with a considerable force of men, reached the state line
about 12 o clock, and came in sight of the command.
They saw our company approaching, at once drew up
in line of battle, and as many of the rebels had procured
Federal uniforms, both parties sent out couriers to ascertain
who the forces were. On learning that both sides were
Federals, we marched up and went into camp with them.
The author was immediately taken to Col. Wood s head
quarters. He informed him that he had camped near West
Plains the night before, and that the bushwhackers had kept
up a continuous fire until after they got a considerable dis
tance down South Fork ; and he believed it impossible for
as small a force as I had to reach Rolla without great dis
aster and perhaps annihilation. He said that the author
and his company of scouts were the very men he wanted,
and offered to increase his salary to $7.00 per day if he
would go back with him and remain with his command.
The author told him that he was honor bound to return to
Missouri and assist in organizing a regiment of cavalry for
the United States service, and if the bushwhackers didn t
keep clear, he would give some of them a furlough before
he reached Rolla.
After dinner Woods broke camp and moved in the
direction of Batesville, and we in the direction of Rolla.
Near where the last firing was done they had arrested a
man named Craws, who really was a Union man, and the
116 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
author had been well acquainted with him before the war
commenced, but Woods soldiers could with difficulty be
restrained from shooting him. On my informing the Col
onel that I was well acquainted with the man and that there
was no harm in him, he agreed to turn him over to the
author and let him bring him back home with him. After
we had started, Craws inf( rmed the author that he
knew the parties who had been firing on the Federal troops ;
that their headquarters were about two miles from where he
then resided ; and that he was satisfied from the last firing
he had heard, that they had turned off from the main road
and gone up what was called the Newberry hollow. After
passing the old Newberry farm, they had a plain trail that
turned to the right and led directly to the camp. They
were commanded by two men named Hawkins and Yates.
On reaching his house he agreed to continue with us
to the road he thought they had gone, and then return
home. I think he was the happiest man I ever saw when
he found he had been turned over to my care, believing
that Woods command intended to shoot him.
On reaching the road, we found a fresh rebel trail
leading right up the creek; we moved on until near the
Newberry residence, which we had been informed by Craws
was occupied by Hawkins wife. We turned from the road
and halted, and the author, with two or three of his men,
being familiar with the country, reached a high point from
which we could distinctly see one horse standing at the
door. Supposing the rebel scouts were all there, we went
back to the company, moved cautiously toward the house,
and gave orders to charge upon them as soon as our ap
proach was discovered. On coming within fifty yards of
the house, which was unenclosed, a woman stepped outside
the door, looked toward us, and then wheeled for the house,
and we charged. Hawkins horse was hitched to a half
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 117
of a horse shoe driven in at the side of the door, the bridle
rein looped over it, his halter rein being already tied over
the saddle horn. The author had ordered all to charge
with pistols in hand. As Hawkins reached the door and
made an attempt to take his bridle rein, he saw that it was
impossible. The author demanding his surrender, he at
tempted to draw his pistol and had it half way out of its
holster and cocked, when the author fired upon him. He
fell back, still holding his pistol. The author, supposing
more of the enemy were inside the house, dismounted, and
rushing to the door, demanded the surrender of every per
son that might be in the house. As the author entered the
door, he heard Hawkins, still holding his pistol, remark:
"Monks, you have killed me." The author replied
that that was what he intended to do, and he must let go
of that pistol or he would be shot again. He took his hand
loose from the pistol and in a short time was dead. His
wife asked the author to lay him out, which request was
complied with.
We mounted and again took the rebel trail and by
this time it had grown so dark that we lost it and went on
to the residence of Captain Howard, dismounted, fed our
horses and got our supper.
Captain Howard afterwards informed the author that
he had just been home and started back to the rebel camp
and heard the horses feet, stepped behind a tree and that
we passed within fifteen feet of him; said if it hadn t been
dark we would have been certain to have found the rebel
camp ; that that day some one of the rebel soldiers had
killed a deer, stretched the skin and had it hanging up and
the camp wasn t more than two hundred yards from the
main road. After we ate our suppers and fed our horses
we again resumed our march and reached Rolla, Missouri,
on the second day afterwards.
118 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Another Meeting With Captain Forshee
In the spring of 1863 General Davidson was ordered
to move from Rolla, Missouri, directly south to little
Rock. On breaking camp and marching in the direction of
West Plains the author, with his company of scouts,
was ordered to report to him for service. On reaching
West Plains he went into camp. West Plains and vi
cinity were completely covered with tents and troops.
All of the hills adjoining West Plains were literally cover
ed with tents, Davidson s headquarters being inside of the
town. The author being sent out on a scout, came to the
home of a man named Barnett residing in Gunter s Valley
and not being able to reach town, went into camp near
Barnett s. In a short time Barnett came in home. He had
been a lieutenant in the company where the author was
prisoner. He informed the author that he had been to
Thomasville Mill and that Captain Forshee, who lived
about one mile below, had also returned with him.
The author at once placed a guard around Barnett s
house (Barnett being the father-in-law of the Captain) de
tailed two men to accompany him, prepared, mounted, and
started to the residence of Forshee fully determined to kill
him. The author instructed his men that if Forshee remain
ed in the house and didn t attempt to run, to play off and
tell him that they belonged to Colonel Woods, a Confed
erate officer on White river. The author then being
clothed in Federal uniform and having but a limited ac
quaintance with Forshee before the war did not think that
he would recognize him. On reaching the house we repaired
to the door, hallooed, and his wife invited us in. The
author had his pistol under the cape of his coat still de
termined upon killing him. On entering the house, found
him in bed with one of his children, his wife did not have
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 119
the supper on the table. The author asked him if
he had ever been in the Confederate service; he an
swered that he had, went out in the six months pro
visional Confederate service; didn t stay his time out,
resigned and came home. The author asked him if they
had taken any prisoners while they were in service ; he
hesitated a moment and replied that they did. The au
thor asked him if he remembered the names of any of
them ; he said he remembered the names of two of them
well. The author asked him if he knew w r hat became of
them; he said that Black enlisted in the Confederate
service, served his time out and then substituted him
self and \vas now in the eastern Confederate army ; he
again hesitated. The author asked him if he knew what
became of the other man; he said that he didn t; that he
made his escape from the Confederate army and he had
heard that he was a captain in the Northern army. The
author said \vith an oath "How would you like to see
him;" he replied "l would not like to see him very well."
The author then said, with an oath, "I am here, look at me
and see whether you think I am worth a beef cow or not."
At this his \vife sprang between him and the author and he
said to the author, "Captain, there ain t one man out of
ninety -nine but what would kill me for the treatment you
received while a prisoner but I have always thought that if
I ever met you and you would give me the time to explain
the cause of it, you wouldn t kill me, and I want to live
to raise my children."
The thought passed through the mind of the author
that he could not kill him in the lap of his family ; but he
would take him to Barnett s house where he had some
more prisoners and on the next day he w r ould kill him on
the way ; ordered him to get out of that bed ; Forshee
again appealed and said that he would like to know
120 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
whether the author was going to kill him or not; that he
wanted to live to raise his children. The author replied
to him with an oath that "you ought to have thought of
these things when you was pulling me away from the
bosom of my family, never gave me time to bid them good-
by; get out of that bed." There was about a six months
old child in the cradle. He slid out of the bed, kneeled
down by the cradle, and was in the act of praying, his
wife still standing close b3^. The author ordered him
to get up; that it was too late to pray after the devil came;
that I had been appointed by the devil to send him up at
once and lie had the coals hot and ready to receive him
and that I didn t want to disappoint the devil. He arose
to his feet and again asked the author if he was going to
kill him; said he wanted t ire to give ire tl:e whole truth
of the matter; went on to say Hawkins, vSapp, Kaiser and
others were the cause of all the mistreatment, but would
aclinic that he done wrong in agreeing to deliver the author
to them for the purpose of having him mobbed and for
abusing him, himself.
His wife had hot coffee on the table and she asked that
he be allowed to sit down, saying that she wanted to see
him sup coffee once more. The author told her that they
never gave him time to bid his wife good-bye, let alone to
sup coffee with her. After taking a few sups of coffee, the
author said that he couldn t fool any longer with him ; that
he must strike a line and move out. His wife said that she
was going with him, but her husband told her she had no
business going, as it was then snowing and the ground was
considerably frozen. The author told her that if she was
determined to go, the boys could take her and the children
behind them, but the Captain would have to walk right in
front of the author, and if he made a crooked step from
there until he reached Barnett s, he would shoot him
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 121
through. The boys took his wife and children on the
horses, and the author started the Captain in front of him.
He had thought that he would be compelled to shoot him
on the way, but he could not shoot him in the presence of
his family ; so he thought he would take him to the guard
house and keep him until morning, and then on the
way to West Plains he would make a pretext to kill
him, for he thought he must kill him.
In the morning, after breakfast, we broke camp and
moved in the direction of West Plains. The author had
now become cool, and while he believed he ought to kill
him for what he had done, he could not afford to shoot, or
cause a prisoner to be shot, while he was in his charge; so
on reaching West Plains, the prisoner was turned over to
the guard house.
The morning following was very cool, and the ground
was covered with snow. Gen. Davidson had ordered out
a large scout for the purpose of marching towards Bates -
ville and White river, to feel the strength of the enemy, and
the author s company composed a part of the detail. After
the command was mounted and waiting for orders to move,
the sergeant of the guard came out and inquired if there was
a Captain Monks in that command. The Colonel informed
him that there was. He said there was a prisoner in the
guard house who wanted to see him. The author got per
mission to ride to the guard house, and on reaching the
door, who should meet him but Capt. Forshee, who told the
author that he had almost frozen the night before, and
wanted to know if the author couldn t loan him a blanket.
He was told that he was the last man who should ask the
author for the use of a blanket. Forshee replied: "That s
so, Captain; but I believe that you are a good man, and
don t want to see a man, while he is a prisoner, suffer from
cold." The author asked him if they had any gray backs
122 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
in the guard house. He said he had none on himself, but
didn t know in what condition the others were.
The author had two new government blankets that he
had paid $5 apiece for a short time previous, on the back
of his saddle. He told Forshee that he didn t know as he
would need them both until he had gotten back from the
scout, and would loan him a blanket until he returned.
Forshee replied: "I will never forget the favor." The
author handed him one of the blankets, and immediately
started on the scout. WhUe the scout was south recon-
noitering with the enemy, Gen. Davidson received orders
from headquarters countermanding the order to march to
Ivittle Rock by land, and that he would march his forces to
Ironton, Missouri, and there await further orders. He at
once broke camp and resumed his march in the direction
of Ironton, carrying the prisoners with him, with orders for
the scout on its return to move up and overtake him, as
they were all cavalry. So the author never saw Capt.
Forshee nor his blanket any more, but was informed that
he was parolled at Ironton, took the oath, returned to Ore
gon county, and died shortly after the close of the war.
Upon the return of the scout to West Plains, a part of
the command that belonged to Gen. Davidson s forces
moved on after the army, while the author, with two com
panies, remained in West Plains about half a day for the
purpose of resting up. While in West Plains a rebel that
the author was well acquainted with, came to him and told
him he had better be getting out of West Plains, fora force
of five hundred rebels was liable to come into West Plains
at any moment. The author pretended to become consid-
ably alarmed, and reported that he was going to march
directly to Rolla with the two companies then under his
command. After marching about fifteen miles in the direc
tion of Rolla, he made a flank movement, marched into the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 123
corner of Douglass county, was there reinforced, and the
next day marched directly to the west end of Howell county.
The rebels, believing that the Federal troops had all left the
county, came in in small bunches from all over the coun
ty. The author made a forced march and reached the west
end of the county about dark, turned directly toward West
Plains, took the rebels completely by surprise, had a num
ber of skirmishes with them, reaching West Plains with
more rebel prisoners than he had men of his own. On the
next day we turned in the direction of Rolla, and by forced
march reached Texas county. On the next morning we
reached the Federal post at Houston, in Texas county,
and turned over the prisoners, among whom were several
prominent officers. Capt. Nicks was one of them. On
the night of his capture the author said to him: "it ap
pears to me that it is about the same time of night that they
brought me prisoner to your house." He answered: "I
declare I believe it is." After the rebels found the small
number of the force that had made the scout, they de
clared that it was a shame to let Monks run right into the
very heart of the rebels and carry out more prisoners than
he had men.
Murdering Federal Soldiers.
Some time in June, 1863, a rebel scout and a Federal
scout had a fight about twenty miles northwest of Rolla.
The rebels were forced to abandon a number of wagons and
mules, and the Federals, owing to the emergency that con
fronted them at the time, did not wish to be encumbered
with them, so they employed a farmer to keep the mules in
his pasture until the government should send for them.
The Federal scouts from Rolla and Jefferson City would
meet occasionally while scouting. On the scout s arrival
at Rolla, another scout composed of about one company of
124 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Federals was sent out to bring in the wagons and teams.
Just before reaching the place where the wagons and teams
had been left, they saw a command of about two hundred
and fifty men, all dressed in Federal uniforms, and they at
once took them to be a Federal scout from Jefferson City.
On approaching each other, they passed the army salute,
and marched right down the Federal line; they, being un
suspecting, believed them to be Federal troops. As soon
as they were in position each man had his man covered
with a pistol. The rebel scout outnumbering the Federal
scout more than two to one, they demanded their surrender.
The Federals, seeing their condition, at once surrendered.
They were marched about a quarter of a mile, near where
the wagons and teams were left, dismounted and went into
camp, as the rebels claimed, for dinner. Several citizens
were present. They marched the Federal company to
gether, surrounded them in a hollow square, brought some
old ragged clothing, and ordered them to strip. After they
were all stripped completely naked, and while some were
attempting to put on the old clothing, all their uniforms
having been removed a short distance from them, at a cer
tain signal the rebels fired a deadly volley into them. Then
followed one of the most desperate scenes ever witnessed by
the eye of man. The men saw their doom, and those who
were not killed by the first volley rushed at the rebels,
caught them, tried to wrest their arms from them, and a
desperate struggle took place; men wrestling, as it were,
for their very lives.
A number of the Federals had their throats cut with
knives. After the rebels had completed the slaughter and
hadn t left a man alive to tell the tale, they ate their dinner,
and taking the mules and wagons, moved southwest with
them. The citizens at once reported the affair to the com
mander of the post at Rolla.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 125
The men who were killed belonged to an Iowa regi
ment, and the author believes it was the 3rd Iowa, but will
not be positive. A strong detail was made and sent at once
to the scene of the late tragedy, with wagons and teams to
bring the dead back to Rclla. On their arrival with them,
it was the most horrible scene that the author ever looked
upon. After they were buried, the regiment to which they
belonged declared and avowed that they intended to take
the same number of rebel lives. The commander, knowing
their determination, and being satisfied that they would
carry it into effect if the opportunity offered, transferred
them to another part of the country.
A Rebel Raid.
Some time in the fall of 1863 the Federal authorities
at Rolla learned that the rebels were organizing a strong
force in Arkansas, for the purpose of making a raid into
Missouri. The rebels were under the command of Gen.
Burbrage. The author, being still the commander of the
scouts, was ordered to take one man and go south, for the
purpose of learning, if possible, the movements of the
rebels. The author left Rolla, came by way of Houston,
where there was a post, thence to Hutton Valley, where
there was living a man named Andy Smith, who was a
Union man, but had made the rebels believe he was in
favor of the south. The author approached Smith s house
after dark, got something to eat and to feed his horses,
and learned from Smith that the rebels were about pre
pared to make the raid into Missouri. On the next day the
author was informed by Smith that Burbrage was then
moving with his full force in the direction of Missouri.
The author at once started, intending to reach the nearest
Federal force, which was in Douglas county. In the
meantime, Gen. Burbrage, with his whole force, reached
126 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
the Missouri line, leaving West Plains a little to the right,
taking an old trace that ran on the divide between the
waters of the North fork of White river and of Eleven
Points river, this being afterwards known as "the old
Burbrage trail." The author, expecting they would march
by way of West Plains and on through Hutton Valley,
thought he would be able to keep ahead of them and make
his report; but owing to their marching an entirely differ
ent route, the author crossed their trail. He found that a
large force of men had just passed and he, in company with
a man named Long, examined the horse tracks, found that
the shoes contained three nails in each side, and knew at
once that it must be Burbrage s command. They had
passed not more than three hours before this time. Mak
ing a forced march, the author and Long followed on the
same trail, and soon came to a house, holloed, and a lady
coming out, we inquired how far the command was ahead.
The lady informed us that they hadn t been gone more than
three hours and she exclaimed: "Hurrah for Gen. Bur
brage and his brave men! The Yankees and lop-eared
Dutch are goin to ketch it now, and they intend to clean
them out of the country!" We then became satisfied as
to whose command it was, and their destination. We rode
on about two hundred yards from the house, turned to the
left, and started with all possible speed, intending, if pos
sible, to go around them and get the word in ahead of
them. On striking the road at the head of the North Fork
of White river, we looked ahead of us about a hundred
yards and saw twenty -five men, about fifty yards from the
road, all in citizen s dress, wearing white hat bands.
The state had ordered all the state militia to wear white
hat bands, so that they might be designated from the
rebels. The author remarked to Long: "I guess the
men are militia, but we will ride slowly along the road and
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 127
pass them, for fear they are rebels." They remained still
on their horses until after we had passed them, then
they moved forward and came riding up and halted us. and
wanted to know who we were. The author told them his
name was Williams and Long told them his name was
Tucker. They asked us if we had ever heard of the Al-
sups, and we told them w r e had. Then they wanted to
know where we were going. We told them we \vere going
into Arkansas, near Yellville; that a general order had
been made in the state of Missouri that all able-bodied men
must come and enroll their names and those who \vere not
in the state service would have to be taxed ; that we didn t
want to fight nor pay a tax to support those who were
fighting. They ordered us to dismount, surrounded us,
with cocked pistols, and ordered us to crawl out of our
clothes and give up our arms. W r e commenced to strip.
Long had on a very fine pair of boots, for which he had
just paid $5.00, and while the author didn t know at what
moment they would be shot, he could not help but be
tickled at the conduct of Long when they ordered him to
take off his boots. He crossed his legs and commenced
pulling, with the remark : "My boots are tight." The
pistols were cocked and presented right on him, not more
than six feet away, and they told him to hurry up or they
would shoot his brains out. While he was pulling at his
boots he appeared to be looking right down the muzzles of
the revolvers. As soon as he had pulled off his boots and
pitched them over, they remarked: "Hell, a right brand
new pair of socks on. Pull them off quick and throw them
over." A part of these men were dressed in the dirtiest,
most ragged clothes the author had ever seen old wool
hats, with strings tied under their chins, old shoes with
the toes worn out, and old socks that were mostly legs ;
but claiming all the time to be militia. They ordered us to
128 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
get into their oil clothes and shoes, and placed their old
hats upon us. Our clothing and hats all being new, the
author thought that was one of the hardest things they had
ordered him to do; that he was just as apt to get out of
the garments as to get into them. After we were dressed
in their old clothing, one of them asked: . "What did you
say your name was?" lyong replied, "Tucker." One
that was standing a little back came running up with his
pistol cocked, and remarked that if he was a certain Tucker
(naming the Tucker) : "I am going to kill him right
here." Another of the number said: "Hold on, this man
is not the Tucker that you are thinking of." Then their
leader said, with an oath: "We belong to Gen. Bur-
bra^e s command. He is just ahead. Do you want us to
take you up to headquarters?" W T e told him we had heard
of Gen. Burbrage, and expected that he was a good man,
so if they wanted to take us to his headquarters all right:
but we did not want to fall into the hands of the militia, as
we wanted to get through to Yellville while Gen. Burbrage
was- in the country. One of the men looked at the horses
we were riding and remarked: "Let s take the horses.
We have orders to take all horses that are fit for the ser
vice." Another said the horses were rather small for the
service, and as we would have a great deal of water to cross
between there and Yellville, it would be a pity to make us
wade it. Then their leader remarked: "We are Confed
erate soldiers, out fighting for our country, and you men
are too damned cowardly to fight. We have got to have
clothing, and as we suppose you are good southern men,
when you get to Yellville you can \vork for more clothes."
They then ordered us to take the road and move on, and
tell the Alsups that the country was full of rebels.
We mounted our horses and rode away, feeling happy
on account of our escape. They remained in the road and
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 129
watched us until we were out of their sight. The author
looked over at Long s feet and saw his toes sticking out of
his old shoes; could see his naked skin in sevenal places
through his raiment. He hardly looked natural didn t
look like the same man. We hadn t gone more than a
mile until we struck a farm and a road leading between the
farm on one side and the bluff and river on the other, and
looking in front, saw about fifteen men coming. The
author said to Long: "What shall we do? Shall we at
tempt to run, or had we better pass them?" We concluded
that it was impossible to get away by running; the only
chance left being to try to pass through them without
being recognized.
We rode up to meet them, and they halted us and
wanted to know where we were going. We told them we
were going to Marion county, Arkansas, near Yellville.
They asked us our names and we again gave the names of
Williams and Tucker. A man named Charley Durham
who had resided at West Plains and had met me several
times, rode up near us and asked me; "What did you say
your name was?" I replied, "Williams." He asked:
"Did you ever live down here about the state line?" I
told him I never did, but I might have had relatives who
lived on the state line. He said: "I am satisfied that I
have seen you somewhere." One of the crowd asked us
if we had met about twenty-five soldiers just ahead, and
when we informed them that we had, they remarked:
"Bully for the boys; we had better be moving on or we
will be late." They moved on, and we continued down
the road. As soon as we were out of sight I said to Long;
"We will not risk our chances in passing any more of
them; there are too many men down here that are ac
quainted with us. If it hadn t been for my old clothes,
Charley Durham would have recognized me beyond a
130 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
doubt." We then left the road and took to the woods,
reaching the Federal forces about midnight. They had not
heard a thing regarding the approach of the rebels. They
hurriedly began to gather in all the forces, and at once set
out to find, if possible, the destination of Gen. Burbrage.
It was learned that he had completely cut us off from reach
ing either Houston or Rolla. On the next day the Federal
farces met Gen. Burbrage at Hearstville, Wright county,
Missouri, and there fought a battle with him. The com
mander of the post at Houston, who was in command of
the Federals, was killed on the first fire from the artillery
of Gen. Burbrage. Col McDonald, during the engage
ment, was shot dead at the head of the town spring.
Burbrage retreated on the same route that he had come up
on. His command was separated into several divisions, to
get food.
Long and I had been furnishrd clothes and arms.
Capt. Alsup being in command, moved near the road that
leads down Fox Creek, saw a rebel scout moving down Fox
Creek, composed of a part of the same men we had met the
day before. Capt. Alsup said he thought that by striking
the road and taking the rebels by surprise we could rout
them. On marching about a mile we came in sight of
them, dismounted for dinner at the house of a man
named Ferris. I proposed to Capt. Alsup that we charge
then. He thought it might be too dangerous; that they
would have the benefit of the house, and might outnumber
us, and we would be compelled to retreat and might be cut
off from our horses. He ordered us to dismount, fromed a
line, left men to hoU the horses, and on moving about ten
steps, the rebel picket, who was placed just outside of the
line, discovered us. They opened fire from each side of the
house, and along a picket fence which enclosed the house.
We returned the fire. The first volley that was fired, a
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 131
ball passed near my ear, and wounded the horse that I
was riding. The firing- continued for some time. We had
them cut off from their horses, unless they came outside
and faced the continual firing. One man attempted to
leave the house and reach his horse, but about ten feet from
the door he received a wound in the face and fell to the
ground. In a moment he arose to his feet, and he and sev
eral others again retreated into the house. The firing con
tinued for fifteen or twenty minutes, when the rebels re
treated on foot, by taking advantage of the house, except
one man, who reached his horse, cut the halter, sprang
into the saddle, turned his horse down the lane, leaning
close to the horn of the saddle, put spurs and made his es
cape. In the meantime the wounded man attempted to
make his escape by taking advantage of the house and re
treating. Capt. Alsup, when he saw the rebels were re
treating, ordered a charge. The wounded man was again
wounded, and fell to the ground, helpless. All the other
rebels reached the woods, and made their escape.
Farris, the man who owned the house where the rebels
were stopping, received a serious wound in the breast.
They left sixteen horses with their rigs, saddle -riders filled
with new clothing, in our possession. Gen. Burbrage re
treated from the state, and the author reported to his com
mand at Rolla.
Rescuing Union Families.
In the fall of 1862 some of the Union men whose fam
ilies were still residing in Ozark and Howell counties went
to the Federal post and were promised arms and ammuni
tion in order to return and try to get their families out, as
it had become almost impossible for their families to get
through alone, on account of being robbed. About fifty of
them procured arms and started for Howell county, from the
132 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
outpost of the Federal authorities. They marched at night
and lay by in the day, and on reaching the western part of
Howell county, informed their families to get ready to move,
still keeping themselves in hiding. About twenty families
prepare:! for moving, and had assembled on the bayou, near
where Friend s old mill was located. Just about the time
they were ready to start, a bunch of rebels came up and
opened fire on them. They returned the fire and held the
rebels at a distance while they moved all their wagons up
close together, and started in the direction of Ozark county.
One of the men who had come. to assist in the escort be
came excite:! upon the first fire from the rebels and ran,
never stopping until he reached the Federal lines. The re
mainder of the men bravely repelled the rebels, while their
families kept their teams steadily moving. On reaching
the big North Fork of White River, and while the families
in their wagons were in mid-stream, the rebels reached the
bluff and opened fire on them. The Union men vigorously
returned the fire. They all reached the opposite side of
the river without one of their number being killed; some of
the women and children had received slight wounds, but
nothing serious. The rebels still continued to fire upon
them until they reached the northern part of Ozark county,
when further pursuit was abandoned, and about twenty
families were enabled to reach the Federal lines. In a
short time the Union men attempted to again reach their
homes, for the purpose of helping destitute families to get
out. They traveled only at night, keeping themselves con
cealed in day time. In this way they reached Fulton
county, Arkansas, when the rebels found out that some of
the Union men were in the country. The rebel forces at
once became so strong that the Federals had to retreat
without getting any of their families, passing back through
the western part of Howell county, over into Ozark, and
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 133
went into camp on the head of Lick Creek. Shortly after
they got into camp the rebels slipped up on them and
opened fire, mortally wounding a man named Fox and
slightly wounding several others. They had to scatter at
once to avoid being captured, and when they reached the
Federal lines they were almost worn out. At this time all
of the Federal posts had numbers of refugee families sta
tioned near them, entirely destitute of food and raiment,
and relying entirely for their preservation upon the small
amount of help they received from the government.
General Price s Raid.
Upon my return from Batesvflle, Arkansas, in the
spring of 1864, I commenced recruiting for the 16th Mis
souri Cavalry Volunteers, the most of the regiment being
composed of men who had been in the state service. The
required number to form the regiment was soon procured,
and the regiment was organized, electing for their Colonel,
John Mahan. The author was elected Captain of Co. K.
The regiment was at once placed in active service, being
quartered at Springfield, Missouri, up to the time of Gen.
Price s raid. Then the regiment was divided, one half of
it being sent in pursuit of Price. The other half, which
was known as the second battalion, was placed under my
command and held at Springfield, it being expected that
Gen. Price would change his line of march and attack the
city. As soon as the fact was ascertained that Price was
marching north and west of Springfield, orders were made
to send every available man that could be spared from the
post. Among the troops sent out was the author s battal
ion. We were ordered on a forced march in the direction
of Utony, for the purpose of cutting off Price s retreat. We
reached Utony about 10 o clock at night, where they had a
strong Federal garrison. Two thousand rebels of Price s
134 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
command had just marched across the road before we
reached the garrison, and gone into camp in sight of the
town. Strong pickets were thrown out on each side.
About daylight the Federal forces broke camp and moved
on the rebel camp, soon coming in sight of the rebel forces,
and fire was opened on both sides. The rebels commenced
retreating, the Federals pursuing, and continuous firing and
fighting was kept up until we came near the Arkansas line.
A number of rebel prisoners were taken, besides some of
their commissary wagons falling into the possession of the
Federals. The Federal commander then ordered a retreat
back to Springfield. Price s forces- had torn up all the
railroads as they passed over them, cutting off all supplies,
and the soldiers and prisoners had been placed on quarter
rations. The prisoners, numbering about three hundred
and fifty, were ordered to be taken to Rolla, Missouri.
After the first day s march from Springfield they met a
Federal train carrying commissaries to Springfield and
other western points. The men being then on quarter ra
tions, the Colonel took possession of some of the commis
saries and issued them to the soldiers and prisoners, for
which he was afterward arrested and court-martialed. Oh
reaching Lebanon, Missouri, I saw the quartermaster haul
in about five or six loads of shucked corn, which was dis
tributed to the soldiers and prisoners. I well remember
that while they were distributing the corn to the prisoners,
a general rush, which appeared to be almost uncontrollable,
was made around the wagon. The corn w r as thrown out
on the ground among them, they picked it up in their arms,
and at once retired to their carnp fires, so that they might
parch and eat it. After leaving Lebanon, the prisoners
were all placed in charge of the author. He remembers
one rebel prisoner who had on a fine dress coat, with a
bullet hole right in the center of the back, and the soldiers
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 135
had to be watched closely to prevent them from shooting
him, as the} believed it to be a coat that had been taken
from the body of some Union man, after he had been shot.
On reaching Rolla, the author turned over all the pris
oners to the commander of the post, and they were sent
directly to Rock Island, there to be held as prisoners until
such time as they might be exchanged. I again returned
to Springfield and reported to my regiment. A short time
thereafter, the loyal men of the counties of Howell, Dent,
Texas, Phelps, Ozark and Douglas, in Missouri, and of
Fulton, Izard and Independence counties, in Arkansas,
with a number of the officers and soldiers, including the
commander at Rolla, petitioned Gen. Schofield, who was
then in command of the western district, to have the author
detached from his regiment, then at Springfield, and sent
south of Rolla to some convenient place, and given com
mand of a post, as it was almost impossible t3 send com
missaries through from Rolla to Springfield, on what was
known as the wire road, on account of the roving bands of
rebels, who had complete control of the country, a short
distance from the military post.
Capt. Monks Establishes a Post at Licking.
Gen. Schofield at once made an order that Capt. Monks
be detached from his regiment and report at Rolla, with his
company, for farther orders. Gen. Sanborn, then in com
mand at Springfield, informed the author of his final des
tination; that on reaching Rolla, he would be ordered by
Gen. Schofield to Licking, Missouri, to establish a post.
It soon leaked out, ad the rebels swore openly that if
he established a post at Licking or at any other southern
point, they would soon drive the post into the ground and
annihilate him and his men. I went to Gen. Sanborn and
requested that he send a telegram to Gen. Schofield, and
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
ask him to countermand that part of the order that required
Capt. Monks to report at Rolla for further orders, and order
him to move directly from Springfield to Licking. The
General hesitated for sometime, as to whether it would be
good policy, owing to the large numbers of rebels in the
country through which I had to pass. He didn t believe
that I would be able to reach Licking with the one com
pany, but he finally decided that if I was willing to risk it,
he would ask Gen. Schofield to change his order. On Gen.
Schofield s receiving the telegram, he made an order that I
be detached from my regiment, be furnished two company
wagons, be well supplied with arms, and proceed directly
to Licking. On reaching Licking I was to report by courier
to headquarters for further orders; and in obedience to said
order, two company wagons, with tents, comissaries, arms
and ammunition were at once furnished, and I set out for
Licking, Texas county; passed Hartville, the county seat
of Wright county, and struck the waters of Big Piney.
There was considerable snow on the ground at the time. I
took the rebels by complete surprise. While they were
expecting me from Rolla to Licking, I struck them from
the direction they least expected. On reaching Piney, I
encountered a rebel force of about sixty men. We had a
fight, two or three rebels were killed, and the rest retreated
south. From that time until we reached Licking, we had
more or less fighting every day. We would strike trails of
rebels in the snow, where there appeared to be over one
hundred men, but they were so sure that it was a large
scout from Springfield that they did not take time to ascer
tain, but retreated south at once. On reaching Licking, I
sent a dispatch to Gen. Schofield, telling of my arrival,
and immediately received orders to establish a post and
erect a stockade fort, and to issue such orders as I believed
would rid the country of those irregular bands of rebels and
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 137
bushwhackers and protect all in their person and property,
especially the loyal men. I immediately selected a frame
building for my headquarters, with an office near by for the
man acting as provost marshal ; issued my order requiring
all persons who claimed protection from the Federal authori
ties to come in and take the oath, and bring with them
axes, shovels, picks and spades, with their teams, for
the purpose of erecting a stockade fort. And further
setting out in said order, requiring all persons who
knew of any irregular bands of rebels or bushwhack
ers roaming or passing through the .country, to report
them at once; and if they failed to report them, they
would be taken as bushwhackers and treated as such. In
a short time I had erected a complete stockade fort with
port -holes, and room enough inside to place all the cavalry
horses in case of an attack by the rebels. I had these or
ders printed and sent out all over the country. In a short
time, a man who had been known to be a rebel, but had
stayed at home unmolested, but who had been giving aid
and comfort to the rebels, came into the office and said:
"Captain, I want to see you in your private room." On
entering the room he said : "I have read that order of
yours. You don t intend to enforce it, do you, Captain?"
I said to him that I did or I wouldn t have made it; that
the rebels and I could not both stay in that country. He
said to me, "Captain, of all the post commanders we have
had here, there never was one of them issued such an or
der as that. You know if I were to report those rebel
bands they would kill me." I replied, "Very well; you
have read my order, and I have said to you and all others
that if you fail to report them I will kill you ; and you say
if you do report them, they will kill you; now, if you are
more afraid of them than you are of me, you will have to
risk the consequences; for, by the eternal God! if you fail
138 HISTORY OK SOUTHERN MISSOURI
to report them, I have said to you that I would treat you
as a bushwhacker, and you well know how I treat them."
He dropped his head for a few minutes, then raised it and
said: "Well, it is mighty hard. Captain." I replied that
there were a great many hard things now ; asked him
where all of his Union neighbors \vere. He said that they
had been forced to leave their homes and were around the
Federal posts for the reason that they claimed to be Union
men. I told him that "a lot of you rebels have lain here
in the country and made more money than you ever made
before in your lives, and at the same time you have been
giving aid, comfort and encouragement to all of these ir
regular bands giving them all the information that they
wanted, so that they might know just when to make their
raids, and now I propose to break it up and stop it, unless
they are able to rout me and drive me away. The govern
ment proposes to protect all of you who will come in and
take the oath and comply with every requirement set out
in the order. All I ask of you men is to give me informa
tion of these irregular rebel bands and their whereabouts,
and you can again return home and your information will
be kept a secret; but this much you are required to do."
In a short time a large number of them had come in and
enrolled their names, took the oath and went to work on
the fort like heroes.
Occasionally one would come in and say "Captain, I
want to procure a pass for me and my family through the
Federal lines; I want to leave." I would ask him;
"What s the matter now? You have stayed here all
through the war, up to the present time, and now I have
come among you, and offered to protect every one of you
who will take the oath and comply with orders." He
would reply with a long sigh, "Yes, Captain but that
order that you have made." I would ask him "what
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 139
order." "You require all citizens, especially we people who
have been rebels, and stayed at home, to report all of the
roving bands of rebels and bushwhackers ; if we don t do it,
you will treat us like bushwhackers ; if we were to report
them, they would kill us." I said, "Now, you must chose
between the two powers ; and if you are more afraid of the
rebels than you are of me, you will have to risk your
chances. You say if you report them, the} 7 will kill you.
Now, by the Eternal, I am determined to enforce every
thing that I have set out in that order. This day you
must settle in your own mind whom you will obey. As
soon as the first roving bands of rebels and guerrillas
reached the country for the purpose of raiding the wire
road between Rolla and Springfield, the night never was
too dark but that this same class of men would come in
and report them. I would at once make a detail, send
these men right out with them. As soon as they would
get near to the rebels, they would dismiss these men and
let them go home.
The rebels, for several years, had been sending out a
large scout from North Arkansas and the border counties
of Missouri and when they would reach Texas and Pulaski
counties they would divide into small squads and travel the
by-ways and ridges; on reaching the wire road they would
then concentrate and lay in wait until the wagon trains and
noncombatants who were merchants, were moving through
from Rolla to Springfield under the protection of an es
cort ; and all at once they would make a charge upon them
from their hiding places, rout the escort, capture the train
and all others that might be in company with it, cut the
mules loose from the wagon, take all the goods that was
not cumberson, especially coffee, sugar, salt and dry
goods, place them on the backs of the mules, travel a
short distance, divide up again into small parties, take
140 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
byways and mountains, travel fifteen or twenty miles, go
into camp; on reaching the counties of Oregon and Shan
non, Fulton and L,awrence, of Arkansas, they would con
centrate their forces, go into camp, eat, drink, and be
merry. As soon as their supplies would run short, they
would make another scout of a similar nature. The
commanders of the post, as soon as they would attack the
trains, would order out a scout to pursue them. They
would strike their trail and follow them a short distance
to where they would separate and take to the mountains.
They would abandon the -pursuit, return and swear
that the country wasn t worth protecting. In that w r ay
they completely outgenerald the Federal forces and held
complete possession of the country almost in sight of the
post.
On one occasion, when the weather was very cold and
bleak, I knew of their capturing some of the Federal sol
diers within one mile of the fort, kept them until the cold
est part of the night, just before day, stripped them naked,
turned them loose, and they were compelled to travel a
mile before they could reach a fire, and they were almost
frostbitten. Every Union man was driven away from his
home and moved his family to different posts.
The author had declared that he and the rebels could
not both remain in the country together ; that he would
either rout them or they would have to rout him, and for
that reason every man that remained in the country would
have to aid him in the work. So, in every instance, when
he would send a force in pursuit of those raiding bands, he
would order the scout to follow them, and when they di
vided to still continue pursuit of the most visible trail, and
when they came in sight to not take time to count noses,
but charge them and pursue them until they were com
pletely annihilated. They would go into camp and move
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 141
at their leisure, but not so when my scouts got in pursuit
of them. In a number of instances they would overtake
them from twenty to twenty -five miles from the ware road,
in camp, having a jolly good time, and the first intimation
they would have would be the boys in blue charging in
amongst them, shooting right and left, and they would
scatter in all directions.
It was but a short time until they remarked to some of
the rebel sympathizers that they had never seen such a
change in the movements of the Federal scouts ; that they
used to consider themselves safe from a Federal scout as
soon as they left the main road and divided into small
squads; but now they w r ere in as much danger in the most
secluded spot in the mountains as they w r ere in the traveled
roads; therefore, their commanders would have to change
their tactics in regard to the scouts, and abandon that part
of the country, as almost every scout that thej^ had made
to the wire road had proved disastrous since "Old Monks"
had been placed in command of the post. In a short time,
the Union men, who had been driven from the country,
began to return and go onto their farms, and about five
months after I had been placed in command of the post,
the civil authorities came and held circuit court, Judge
Waddle, of Springfield, then being circuit judge.
Skirmishes with the Rebels.
Some time in the summer, Col. Freeman, who was
commanding the rebels in northeastern Arkansas, whose
headquarters were near the Spring River mill, made a raid
and threatened to capture the Federal forces that were then
at the Lacking post. I soon gained information of his in
tention, made every preparation to repel the attack, also
informed the commander at Rolla of the intended raid.
Col. Freeman, accompanied by other rebel commanders,
142 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
concentrated all of the available rebel force then at his com
mand, raided the country, came within about five miles of
the post, learned that reinforcements had been sent to the
post, countermarched and retreated to his headquarters near
the head of Spring river.
A regiment of Federal troops, known as the Fifteenth
Veterans, was sent as a reinforcement, with a part of the
Fifth Missouri State Militia that was then stationed at Sa
lem, with orders to remain at the post. I received orders
to organize all of the available troops and pursue the rebel
forces, and, if possible, to reach the Spring River mill, in
Fulton county, Arkansas, and destroy the mill, which
Freeman was using at that time for grinding meal. The
Federal force composing the scout, aggregating about three
hundred and fifty men, moved from the post at Licking.
The author divided his forces, ordering one wing of them
to move through Spring Valley, in Texas county; the other
wing to ni -ve directly in the direction of Thomasville, with
orders to form a junction about seven miles from Thomas
ville, where there was a rebel force stationed. On reach
ing the Wallace farm, in Oregon county, we came onto a
force of rebe s. commanded by James Jamison, who had
met for the purpose of receiving ammunition which had
been smuggled through from Ironton. After an engage
ment, the rebels fled, leaving one man dead; James Jami
son received a flesh wound in the thigh. The Federal
force which had been ordered through Spring Valley had
had an engagement near the head of the valley, which had
delayed them. The plans of the author had been frustrated
by coming in contact with the rebels sooner than he ex
pected. As they had retreated in the direction of Thomas
ville, where the main force was said to be stationed, I con
tinued my march, and in about one mile came onto a rebel
camp, w T here the rebels had cabins erected for quarters;
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 143
here another spirited engagement took place, the rebels
retreating in the direction of Thomasville, the Federal
forces still pursuing.
Just above Thomasville the command encountered a
strong picket force, fired upon the command, intending to
halt it, but being satisfied that there was a trap laid I order
ed a charge. The picket force retreated to the left, up a
steep hill, and at once the whole rebel force opened fire
from the side of the mountain; the bullets flew just above
our heads like hail, one ball passing through my hat.
We still continued the charge and on reaching the top of
the hill, routed the whole rebel force and they again re
treated. The author marched into Thomasville, selected
his camping ground inside of Captain Olds barn lot, giv
ing us the advantage of the barn, in case we were attacked
by a superior rebel force. I at once dispatched a forage
train with strong escort to gather in all the forage
possible, as it was very scarce in the country. After we
had been in camp about an hour I inquired of Captain
Olds if he knew of any corn. He said he did not. In
about a half hour my attention was called by one of
the captains pointing to a large smokehouse, and on
looking, saw the soldiers taking down any amount of
first-class corn. I informed the captain that Captain
Olds had claimed that he had no corn ; to take the quarter
master and let him place a guard over the corn, to
see that it was not wasted, and that it was properly
apportioned. In a short time the author saw Captain
Olds coming. He went to one of the other captains
and inquired who the commander was. He was in
formed that it was Capt. Monks He came to the author
laughing and remarked: "You found my corn, did
you? I told you that I had none; I had to secrete
it in that butlding to keep it so that the rebels
144 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
could not find it." I just remarked to Captain Olds:
"You needn t try to hide anything from these lop-
eard Dutch, for I don t care where you put it .they will
find it." The men who discovered the corn were all
Germans and belonged to a German company. He asked
us to feed just as sparingly as possible and leave him a
part of the corn, which we did. He then attempted to
warn the author of his danger and asked him if- he
intended to camp there for the night; said that Colonel
Freeman had over one thousand men which he could con
centrate within five or six hours and that he would
cut the author s command all to pieces. The author
replied to the captain that that was his business, that Free
man had come up on the scout and claimed that he was
wanting a fight ; the author prepared for him and expected
to accommodate him but he changed his notion and re
treated, devastating the country as he went, and now the
author was hunting him and his forces and wanted to fight.
If he came up that night and attacked the author s com
mand that it would save any more trouble hunting him.
Just about that time the author saw the other part of
the command approaching and called the attention of
Captain Olds and asked him if he thought that was a part
of Freeman s command. After looking a few minutes he
said to the author: "They are Federal troops." I
asked him if he thought we would be able to remain there
until morning? He said that he thought we would and
invited me to come into his house and eat supper. While
at supper asked if we intended to march any further south.
The author informed him that if his information was cor
rect in regard to Freeman s forces we were about as
far away from home as we ought to get and that we had
better move back in the direction of the post. The author
ordered the command to be ready to march by early day-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 145
light, next morning broke camp and moved in the direc
tion of Spring river. On reaching the head of Warm
fork of Spring river, we encountered another rebel force;
had a short engagement, and they again retreated. On
reaching the head of Spring river about the middle of the
afternoon, we again met a rebel force; after consider
able firing they retreated.
The author moved up near the mill and went into
camp. The mill was grinding corn with quite a lot of
corn on hand, but the miller left and retreated with the
rebels. The author soon placed a substitute in his place
and the boys had a fine time baking corn cakes.
After supper, some of the men had just retired to rest,
when the rebels again made a fierce attack ; after fighting
for twenty or twenty -five minutes they retreated a short
distance and went into camp, the river dividing the two
forces. During the night the two pickets would dare each
other to cross the river. During the night there came a
heavy rain and made the Warm fork of Spring river swim
ming; there was no way to cross except on the mill dam.
The next morning about daylight the author ordered
them to take the millstones and break them up and destroy
the machinery so it would be impossible to grind; dis
mounted about one hundred men, placed them in hiding
and marched away a short distance, thinking the rebels
would cross over and we would surprise and capture them.
But on seeing the Federals break camp and marching up
on the west side of the river, they broke camp and marched
up on the east side of the river. The author then mounted
his men and marched up the Warm fork to where he effect
ed a crossing, marched about ten miles, went into camp for
the purpose of getting breakfast. Just after breakfast, the
author noticed the advance of a rebel force march out on
another road; as soon as they discovered that the Federals
146 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
were in camp, they fell back and the author at once
mounted his men. On the other road, as there was a con
siderable hill that hid them from sight, he formed his men
in two lines in a V; detailed a strong advance force, or
dered them to move onto the rebels and charge them, and
in case they found that they were too strong, to retreat
back between the lines for the purpose of drawing the rebel
forces in betw r een the lines. After a fierce conflict, lasting
but a few minutes, the rebels again retreated, leaving a
rebel Major dead upon the ground. We then marched into
Thomasville and had another running fight with the rebels,
went into camp and the next morning marched back in the
direction of the post at Licking, reaching the post about 10
o clock that night. The author again took command at
the post and the Fifteenth Veterans returned to Rolla.
Ridding the Country of Bushwhackers.
It soon became very rare to hear of a rebel scout north
of the mountain. Both rebel and Union men who claimed
protection by the Federal authorities began to repair and
improve their farms again. During the time that the
author was in command of the post, which continued up to
the time that peace was made, his command had routed
and completely driven from the country all irregular and
roving bands of rebels and bushwhackers and had had
numbers of small engagements in which there had been
from eighty to ninety of the most desperate class of men
that ever lived, killed, which was shown in the adjutant
general s report. After they had been driven out of the
county, they located in the counties of Oregon, Shannon
and Dent, and at once commenced pillaging and robbing
all classes of citizens, irrespective of their political adher
ence. Col. Freeman sent a courier through the lines with
a dispatch, stating the condition of affairs, and asking that
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 147
an armistice be entered into between Col, Freeman s scouts
and the scouts which might be sent out from the post, with
an understanding that they were going to aid each other in
routing and driving out these irregular bands.
While engaged in that work they were not to fire on
each other, but to co-operate. The author was to enter
into the agreement if it could be effected. Col. Freeman
sent Capt. Cook into Oregon and Shannon counties to lo
cate those roving guerrilla bands, and in some way, un
known to either Col. Freeman or myself, they gained the
information, and while Capt. Cook was in Oregon county
locating them, they waylaid him and killed him. Col.
Freeman, realizing the fact that they had come into posses
sion of the whole scheme, came to the conclusion that we
had better abandon the agreement. He organized scouts
and captured and shot some of the most desperate char
acters that were leaders, \vhile the author kept a vigilant
watch to keep them from crossing over into Texas or ad
joining counties. At the time peace was made, it was ad
mitted by the law-abiding people, irrespective of party,
that the command of Col. Monks had completely rid the
country of all irregular bands of rebels and had made it
safe, in a short time after he had taken command of the
post, for forage trains and all other classes of citizens to
pass on the wire road from Rolla to Springfield unmolested,
and that very often they passed through without an escort.
Battle at Mammoth Spring.
Col. Wood, commanding the Sixth Missouri cavalry,
left Rolla on the 7th day of March, 1862, with about two
hundred and fifty men, for the purpose of making a scout
south into the counties of Oregon and Howell and Fulton
county, Arkansas, to ascertain the strength of the rebel
forces in that portion of the country; reached Licking and
148 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
went into camp. The next morning he broke camp and
marched to Jack s fork, in Shannon county, and on the
morning of the 9th marched to Thomasville ; on the 10th
he marched to Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. On reaching
Mammoth Spring they learned that there was a rebel force
in camp on the south fork of Spring river, just below Sa
lem, and on the morning of the llth they broke camp and
marched upon the rebels. On reaching the rebel encamp
ment they found they had cut timber and blockaded the
road, so that it was impossible to reach the forces, except
on foot. In coming within a few hundred yards of the
rebels, lying concealed behind the timbers, they opened
fire upon the advance of the Federal forces. The Federal
forces had two small pieces of artillery that they unlimber-
ed and brought into use. The rebels having no artillery,
were soon dislodged from the first line of works, and they
stubbornly fell back about one quarter of a mile, and went
in behind the second fortifications that had been hurriedly
erected. After fighting for an hour and a half or two hours
the Federal force being greatly outnumbered, and the re
bels having themselves so obstucted, Col. Woods saw that
it was useless to further continue the fight and retreated.
On the next night he reached Howell Valley just below
West Plains and went into camp and on the morning of
the 13th they broke camp and marched in the direction of
Houston, Missouri, reaching Houston sometime after night.
The Federal loss in the battle referred to was seven killed
and wounded. The Confederate loss was said to be
twenty -five or thirty killed and wounded. Colonels Cole-
man and Woodside were commanding the Confederates.
Col. Woods being in command of the post at Houston,
learning that there was considerable of a rebel force, stand
ing at West Plains, Missouri, under the command of Cole-
man and others, organized a scout and on the 24th day of
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 149
February, 1862, broke camp and marched in the direction
of West Plains, for the purpose of attacking the rebel for
ces stationed at that place, taking two small mounted
howitzers strapped on mules, made a forced march, and in
the early part of the day on the 25th reached West Plains.
West Plains had a frame court house in the center of the
square where the present court house is located. The road at
that time led due north where Washington avenue is located
until it struck the hill ; also there was a road which led east
where East main street is now located and on passing what
was known as the Thomas Howell farm, turned directly
north in the direction of Gunters Valley. The rebels had
a strong picket throw r n out on both roads ; a part of the
rebel command was quartered in the court house. Woods
being advised of the condition of the rebels and where
they were all quartered, supposing that ihey would take
advantage of the court house when the attack was made,
selected a high position where the road first struck the
hill, planted his artillery, divided his forces and made a
flank movement, ordered them to strike the lower road and
advance on the pickets and as soon as they were fired up
on, to charge them, while he would remain with the other
part of the force in readiness to dislodge them with his ar
tillery in case they used the court house as a fortification.
On the advance coming in sight of the rebel pickets, they
fired and retreated with the Federal forces pursuing. The
rebel forces at once rallied their forces and took possession
of the courthouse. As soon as Col. Woods saw them file
into the house he leveled his cannon and fired a shell which
struck the house near its center and passed clear through ;
that was the first artillery that the rebel command ever had
heard. They filed out of the house faster than they went
into it ; then Col. Woods moved with his forces directly upon
the forces near the court house when a generel engage-
150 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
ment ensued. The rebels retreated west on the road near
where West Main street is now located and a running fight
was continued for about one mile, when Woods abandoned
the pursuit, marched back into West Plains, and again re
turned to Houston. The losses on both sides were light,
several, however, being killed or wounded.
"Uncle Tommy" and His Crutches.
I will relate an incident which occurred during the fight.
Old "Uncle Tommy" Howell as he was familiarly known,
resided just below the town spring a short distance from the
road; he had a sister living with him who was an old maid,
and was known as "Aunt Polly". Howell being one
among the early settlers of Howell Valley, had taken an
active part in organizing Howell county, which took its
name from him and he had been once representative of the
county. The author heard him relate the circumstance in
a speech delivered in West Plains after the war was over.
He said when the fight came up that he was sitting on his
front porch : all at once he heard firing commance, and
heard horses feet and saw the rebel pickets coming on full
gallop horseback, with the Federals close onto them with
pistols in hand firing on them ; he had been afflicted with
rheumatism for years and one of his legs was drawn crook
ed and he hadn t attempted to walk without a crutch for
several years ; when he saw the men coming and the others
shooting at them, he supposed that every shot was killing
a man ; he said they came right by his door and he never
became excited while they were psssing ; as soon rs they
got near the court house they then made a stand, where it
appeared to him that there were thousands of shots being
exchanged every minute. They had all passed his house
and he was sitting there unmolested, when his sister, who
was known as "Aunt Polly" ran out on the porch and
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 151
cried out at the top of her voice "Lord a massy, Uncle
Tommy, run for your life; you have been a public man and
they will kill you, sure." He said it so excited him
that he sprang to his feet. All below his house the valley
was covered with hazel brush and snow was lying on the
ground. He first looked toward where the firing was
going on and said "My God! they certainly have got
them very near all killed in this time" for he was under
the impression that every shot killed a man. He started
southwest from his house, ran about a quarter of a mile,
jumped over behind a log; he had hardly gotten still w r hen
he imagined he heard the horses feet of the Federals in pur
suit of him; he raised up and looked, could not see any
person, so ran about another quarter, jumped over behind
another log and as soon as he got still, the first thought
came into his mind that they were still in pursuit, for he
could hear the horses feet, but on reflecting a moment he
found that it was his heart beating ; he said he could still
hear the firing and he thought they intended to kill them
all before they quit. He had a son-in-law by the name of
Hardin Brown living on the Warm fork of Spring river,
about twenty miles distant, and he started on foot and
never stopped traveling until he reached his house. On
reaching the house, his daughter asked him how, in the
name of God, he ever got there without his crutches. He
said that was the first time that he had thought of his
crutches. He began to notice his legs and the crooked leg
was just as straight as the well leg. He said that it com
pletely cured him of his rheumatism and he had the use of
that leg just the same as he ever did the other leg, and
never used a crutch afterwards. After the war he removed
to Oregon county and was elected to the legislature, and
died a member of the legislature.
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Disposing of Union Men.
In the spring of 1862 there was a man by the name
of Mawhinney, living about six miles below West Plains,
in Howell valley, a Union man, but who had taken no part
either way, except to express an opinion. About fifteen
men belonging to a rebel scout went to his house, called
for their dinners, some of them had him shoe their horses,
and after they had their horses shod and got their dinner,
they told him that they wanted him to go with them. His
wife said to them "It ain t possible that after you have
been treated as kindly as you have been you are going to
take Mr. Mawhinney prisoner; you men certainly
will not hurt him." They made no reply, carried him
about one half mile from his home, shot him off of
his horse, took the horse and went on, leaving the
body on the side of the road. His wife with what other
help she could get brought him in and had him buried.
About two weeks afterwards, in the spring of 1862,
there was a man by the name of Bacon who lived near West
Plains, who has some relatives living in this county at the
present time. He was a Union man but had taken no part
either way, except to express himself openly in favor of
the Union. There came a scout of about twenty men and
arrested him, started west with him in the direction of
South Fork, and on reaching the vicinity where Homeland
is located, left the road a short distance, shot him off of his
horse. Went on to a house about one mile distant, called
for their dinner. The woman in preparing dinner fried
some bacon ; after they were seated at the table she passed
the bacon to them ; several of them remarked that they
didn t want any, that they had had some bacon, but had
just disposed of it a sort time before they reached the house.
After Bacon had laid where he fell dead for two or three
days he was found and being considerably decomposed a
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 153
hole was dug" and the body placed into it and covered up,
where his dust remains until the present day.
Union Supplies Captured by Rebels.
In the spring of 1862, the department commander re
established the military post at Springfield. All of the
commissaries and forage had to be conveyed from Rolla to
Springfield, as the terminus of the railroad was at Rolla,
by wagon trains, a distance of one hundred and twenty
miles. It required a large escort of soldiers to guard the
trains to prevent the rebels from capturing them. All of
the country south of the wire road was in possession of
the rebels. There was scarcely a wagon train that passed
on the road without being attacked by the rebels. They
made their attacks generally on the front and rear of
the trains, and before the wagon masters could corral the
trains, they would capture some of the wagons, make the
teamsters drive into the woods, cut the mules loose from
the wagons, take sacks of coffee, salt, sugar and other
commissaries, tie them on the backs of the mules, divide
into small bunches and retreat into the hills. Very often
the escort would have to send back to Rolla for reinforce
ments. The train would be tied up from twelve to fifteen
hours before it could move on. It became a mystery to
the Federal commanders how the Confederates could con
centrate a force of men numbering from fifty to three hun
dred, and the first intimation the escort would have, they,
the rebels, would come out of the brush at some secluded
spot, yelling, \vhooping and shooting, and charge upon the
wagon train. They would generally capture more or less
of the loaded wagons with the above results, and it became
a question with the military authorities at Rolla and Spring
field how to capture or rout these bands, and as to how
they managed to keep that number of men near to the wire
154 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
road and yet the Federals were unable to discover their
hiding places.
About the 15th day of August, the department com
mander ordered Capt. Murphy to take five hundred men
and two pieces of artillery and move south from Rolla ; to
go as far south as he thought it would be safe, without
placing his men so far inside of the Confederate lines that
they might be captured; and, if possible, to learn the rebel
movements and location of their troops. Capt. Murphy
broke camp at Rolla and moved south about fifteen miles,
was fired on by the rebels from the brush, marched about
twenty-five miles, went into camp; on the next morning
resumed the march, hadn t marched more than five miles
until they were fired on from the brush ; they were fired
on four or five times that day, and went into camp near
Thomasville. The next day he threw out skirmish lines
on each side of his command, and resumed the march down
the Warm fork of Spring river. There was more or less
skirmishing all clay. He camped on the Warm fork and
the next morning marched over to the Myatt,. where we
had quite a skirmish. The rebels again retreated in the
direction of the Spring River mill, where they were said to
have a thousand men.
Here the command countermarched back to Rolla,
having captured fifty or sixty prisoners ; the Federals had
a few men w r ounded.
In the spring of 1862, the Federal troops advanced
on Springfield from Rolla. The rebels retreated west and
the Federals again established a military post at Spring
field. The rebels continued to retreat west until they
reached Prairie Grove, where they concentrated their
forces and the memorable battle of that name was fought,
the Federal troops being victorious. The Confederates re
treated from the state.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 155
The military post at Springfield being over one hundred
miles west of Rolla, the terminus of the South Pacific rail
road, three-fourths of the distance being in possession of
the rebels, all the forage and commissaries had to be con
veyed by wagon train. The main rebel forces having been
driven from the state, and all of the country south of the
wire road, -w 7 ith few exceptions, being in possession of the
rebels, the Union men with their families having been
driven from their homes. The leading Confederate officers
met and held a council of war and decided to change their
tactics. The first thing was ^to place two or three hun
dred well-armed Confederate soldiers south of and near
the wire road leading from Rolla to Springfield, and so
harass the wagon trains that the government wouldn t be
able to get forage and commissaries through to Springfield,
and thus force the Federals to abandon the post. In fur
therance of this move, they ordered their soldiers to be
taken near to the line of the road and divided into squads
of from five to twenty -five men, conceal their arms and
claim to be private citizens, live off the country and be so
arranged that when a wagon train was about to leave Rolla,
they could be called together on short notice ; and \vhen
they wanted to make a more extensive raid, Confederate
soldiers from as far south as the head of Spring river would
march up and meet them and make a general raid.
The government had considerable trouble to learn the
hiding places of these men, but they finally got officers who
were acquainted with the country and men who were bona
fide citizens, and knew who were citizens and who were
not, and broke up their hiding places and drove them fur
ther south. It was learned that a part of this Confederate
force was composed of men who claimed to be citizens
when they \vere not making their raids.
156 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Bravery of Captain Alsup.
In the summer of 1863, the Federal authorities estab
lished a military post at Clark s mill, in Douglas county,
Missouri, on Bryant s fork of White river, erected a post
and stationed some Illinois troops under the command of a
Colonel, with Capt. Alsup s company, which was composed
entirely of Douglas county citizens, in all about two hun
dred and fifty or three hundred men. Gen. Joe Shelby, a
Confederate, with about five hundred troops, made a forced
march from Arkansas and during the night time surround
ed the fort, and the next morning had his artillery in read
iness to open fire. He ordered a complete surrender of the
garrison. The captain of the fort asked for a few minutes
to consider the matter; at the expiration of the time, the
Colonel in command agreed to surrender, stack up the
guns and side arms in the fort, march his men outside and
make an unconditional surrender. When the commander
of the fort ordered his men and officers to stack their arms
and inarch out, Capt. Lock Alsup and his company refused,
and being cavalry, ordered his men to arm themselves and
be ready to move whenever he ordered. While the com
mander of the fort was having the remainder of the garri
son stack their arms, Capt. Alsup and his company made a
bold dash for liberty, came out of the fort shooting right
and left, took the rebels by surprise, broke the rebel line,
went through, being mounted on good horses, retreated up
Bryant s fork with the rebels in pursuit. While going
through an old field that had grown up to burrs about as
high as a man s head, Fritz Krause, father of the assistant
postmaster at West Plains, was thrown from his horse,
rolled under the burrs, the rebels passed by and never saw
him. He laid in the burrs until dark, then made his es
cape and rejoined his company at Springfield. The reb
els pursued them for about two miles, then returned to their
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 157
command. Gen. Shelby paroled the prisoners, and such
things as he could not carry with him he destroyed, the
fort being burned. He resumed his march in the direction
of Springfield and was reinforced by about five hundred
troops. During this time, Capt. Alsup and his men had
reached Springfield and, strange to say, hadn t lost a man;
had a few slightly wounded. Gen. Brown, who was in
command of the post at Springfield, was said to be a
brother-in-law of Gen. Shelby, and on Shelby s arrival at
Springfield he demanded the surrender of the garrison.
The Federal troops held a consultation and concluded to
fight. After a brief engagement, Gen. Shelby drew his
troops off and moved north ; there were several killed and
wounded on both sides. Gen. Brown s arm was broken
by a piece from a shell. Gen. Shelby continued his raid
towards the Missouri river, had several small engagements
and then retreated from the state. Capt. Alsup and his
brave men should be held in memory by all comrades, es
pecially by the loyal people of Douglas and Ozark counties,
for their heroic action in charging through the rebel lines
and making their escape after the post commander had at
tempted to deliver them into the hands of trie rebels.
The fort at Clark s mill was never rebuilt. Capt. Al
sup and the loyal men of Douglas and Ozark counties and
part of Wright county built a temporary fort near the cen
ter of Douglas county, and old and young organized them
selves into companies and armed themselves. With the
help of Capt. Alsup s company, they appointed a few of their
men as scouts, while the others worked in their fields.
The scouts were out night and day along the state line and
if a rebel scout attempted to raid the counties, notice was
given all along the line and the men were all up in arms
and ready to meet the raiders. It reminds one of reading
the history of the early settlements along the Indian bor-
158 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
der. The settlers would build forts and put out sentinels;
if the Indians were seen advancing, word was given and
the families would hurry to the fort and the men arm them
selves to drive the invaders back. So this organization,
with some assistance from the post at Springfield, held
Douglas and a part of Ozark and Wright counties during
the remainder of the Civil War, and after the war was
over, Douglas county gained the title of "Old L,c>3 r al Doug
las County." These old soldiers and comrades are fast
falling and very soon there will be none left to tell of the
heroisms and sacrifices they made for the country they
loved. Will these comrades and their sons and daughters
be so ungrateful that they will let their heroism and sacri
fices die with them and be forgotten, never to be written in
history? The answer will be no, a thousand times no.
The history of their heroism and sacrifices shall be written
and go down to their children and their children s children,
and may "Old Glory" ever wave over the country that they
love so well and for which tht-y made so many sacrifices.
Bushwhacking in Howell County.
The writer wants to say that there was not a Union
man nor a single Union family left at home, from Batesville,
Ark. to Rolla, Mo., a distance of two-hundred miles. The
writer especially wants to speak for Howell Count} , Mo.
The rebels took quite a number of Union men from their
homes and shot them, some of them being old men. I
will name a few of them that were shot: Morton R. Langs -
ton, the father of T. J. and S. J. Langston, while he was
hauling wood; Jeff Langston, one of the firm of Langston
Bros, was riding on the wood at the time his father was
shot. I asked a leading rebel after the war, why they shot
Langston. His reply was: "Pie talked too much." Shot
Mawhinney, Ea?on and a number of others. Now I want
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 159
to say right here, notwithstanding the treatment the Union
men received from the rebels, not a single Confederate
was ever taken from his home and shot or otherwise in
jured during the whole Civil War and no truthful Confed
erate will say to the contrary. There never was but one
Confederate hurt after being taken prisoner in Howell
County and he wasn t a citizen of Howell County; was
said to be a north Missouri bushwhacker, charged with
being one of the parties that shot old Mr. Langston, Maw-
hinney and Bacon. A Federal scout in the year 1864
captured him below West Plains and the next morning
they hung him to a smoke-house rafter. Notwithstand
ing a few of the friends of the bushwackers will tell to
strangers that the writer shot a man in this county, by
the name of Hawkins, in the lap of his family, which is a
positive lie ; the facts are these ; Hawkins was one of the
worst bushwhackers and murderers that ever lived in
Howell County and was commanding a company of bush
wackers at the time he was shot. A short time before
he was shot he had captured one of his cousins, by the
name of Washington Hawkins, a Federal soldier, and taken
from him a fine mare with his saddle and rig complete.
In the spring of 1864, a battalion of the llth Mis
souri Cavalry, commanded by Col. Woods, had been
ordered to report to Col. Livingston at Batesville, Ark.
The writer had been ordered to report at Rolla, Mo., with
his command. Col. Woods had camped near West Plains
the previous night, the next morning resumed his march
towards Batesville; after he had passed West Plains a few
miles, Hawkins and his bushwhackers fired on them from
the brush and they continued to fire on them every few
miles for sixteen miles. Our force met the force of Col.
Woods at the state line where Col. Woods informed me
how they had been firing upon his men all morning. He
160 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
had taken a man prisoner by the name of William Krause,
whom he turned over to me. Both forces resumed the
march, he in the direction of Batesville, Ark., and I in the
direction of Rolla, Mo. The prisoner told the writer that
he knew the parties who had been firing on Col. Woods
command; that they had a camp by a pond in a secluded
place, and were commanded by Hawkins and Yates; that
it was about four miles almost west. I told Krause if he
would place me on trail he could then go home. He
did so and I then released him. Krause said there were
about fifty rebels in the command.
We trailed them about two miles and came in sight
of a house that belonged to old Mr. Newberry, a Union
man. He and his family had been run off from home.
I saw a horse hitched to the side of the door, and suppos
ed there were more inside of the house ; there was a skirt
of timber that enabled us to get within about sixty yards of
the house. I ordered my men, when we reached a given
point, to charge upon the house, dismount and reach the
wall of the house and demand the surrender of all persons
that might be within. We were about fifteen feet from
the door when Hawkins came out and attempted to mount
his horse. The author demanded his surrender, but he
drew his pistol to fire, the author having his pistol already
in hand and presented, fired on him; the author was sit
ting in his saddle when he fired on him.
The men examined the house and found he was the
only man in it. The horse he was riding was the one he
had taken from his cousin, Washington Hawkins, a short
time previous, with a government rig complete. Washing
ton Hawkins resided at Bakersfield, Mo., and got his horse
and rig again. We took the trail again, but dark came on us
and we lost it. These are the facts surrounding the whole
case, the killing of Hawkins, one of the worst bandits and
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 161
guerrillas that ever roamed through South Missouri and led
the worst band of men in the state. I had previously taken
him prisoner and he took the oath of allegiance, went
right back and joined his com man :1 and, if possible, he
was worse than before. I must say that there are few men
in Howell county that claim to be Confederates, who
tell strangers that Monks shot Hawkins down in the lap
of his family and that he, Hawkins, was a good man.
The writer wants to say that no truthful Confederate will
tell any such a thing; they will tell you that Hawkins
was a bad man. Ask such Confederates as Capt. Howard,
Mark Cooper, Judge Dryer, John L,edsinger, Harvey
Kelow, Daniel Galloway, P. N. Gulley and a number of
others, if Hawkins was a good man.
The writer wants to say that he don t believe all the
Confederates were in favor of killing and driving out
tlie families of Union men, but the most bitter element
got in power and being backed by the order of Gen.
McBride, to force all the Union men to ioin the Con
federate service, or hang them, those Confederates who
were opposed to such treatment were afraid to open
their mouths for fear they would receive the same treat
ment. You don t hear these same men, that talked about
Monks shooting Hawkins, say a word about Hawkins
and his bushwhackers shooting Union men all over Howell
county. There never were but t\vo houses burned in
Howell county by the Union men during the Civil war,
and houses owned by these men had been previously
burned by the Confederates. The town of West Plains
was burned by the Confederates to keep the Federals
from holding a post at West Plains.
The writer wants to say that on his return after the
war, in the spring of 1866, he met the rebels, both those that
had been officers and soldiers, and never spoke a harsh
162 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
word to them, asked them if they thought both parties
could now live together; their answer was, that they
thought they could. All that they asked was that
they be protected. The writer assured them that both
Federal and Confederates would be protected by the civil
laws and all they would be asked to do would be to aid
in a strict enforcement of civil laws, which they readily
promised to do. The Union men who had returned to
their homes and the late Confederates joined together
and went to building and repairing old church houses and
school -houses and soon were found worshiping together
in the same church and sending their children to the
same school -houses and the old ties that had existed be
fore the war were being re -united. The country appear
ed to be prosperous and the old war spirit appeared to
be fast dying out among the people.
I suppose the writer holds more commissions than
any other man in the state, both military and civil and
there never was a charge preferred against the writer of any
failure to discharge his duties by the government or
state. While in the military service thousands of dol
lars passed through the hands of the writer for forage
and commissaries and ordinance stores and clothing,
every dollar was accounted for and all contraband prop
erty was turned over to the government. I never con
verted, to my own private use, five cents of any man s
property or money, before or after the war, in the war,
nor since the war.
The writer is now residing within about twenty-five
miles of where his father located in the year 1844 and
there are several persons yet living that have been in
timately acquainted with the writer since his boyhood up
to the present time, namely James Kellett, Sr., Marion
Kellett, present county treasury of Howell county, Wash-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 163
ington Hawkins of Bakersfield, Mo., and quite a number
of others that have been acquainted with the writer
from forty to fifty years. The writer wants to say right
here that he is not ashamed of anything he did before
the war, in the war, nor since the war, and on his re
turn home to Howell county on meeting the late rebels;
he never spoke a harsh word to one of them, but re
ceived them kindly and said to them that the civil laws
should be strictly enforced against all alike, Confeder
ate and Federal.
In the year 1861, sometime in the month of September,
after the Federals retreated from Springfield, Mo. and the
Confederates had taken possession of Springfield, there was
one Capt. Brixey who was captain of a conipany of home
guards residing in the edge of Webster County, Mo. ; soon
after the Confederates took possession of the post, they
ordered a captain belonging to a Texas regiment to detail
one company and proceed to the residence of Capt. Brixey
and arrest him. Capt. Brixey having no notice of the
approach of the scouts, he and one of his men were sitting
in the house; the first they knew they had a line within
thirty yards of his door, hailed them and presented their
guns and demanded their surrender. Capt. Brixey said,
"The- you say." Both parties fired on each other
about the same time, the man with Brixey fell dead,
Brixey shot and kil ed the Confederate captain and wound
ed one or two other Confederates ; -he retreated through his
house and into his orchard and made his escape; one of
his arms was broken by the shot from the rebels from
which he entirely recovered and lived many years after
wards, and has a son residing in this county at the present
time.
164 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Colonel Freeman s Second Raid.
Sometime in the Spring of 1862 Col. Freeman, not be
ing satisfied with his first raid on the Federal troops at
Salem, planned the second raid to attack the troops then
stationed at Salem, Missouri; he organized his scout and
compelled one Robert Bolin, who now resides in Howell
County, to pilot him through the lines, as he, Bolin, had
lived near Salem before the war. On reaching Salem, Col.
Freeman halted his troops and planned his attack.
The Federal troops had no knowledge of the approach
of any rebel forces ; they were in squads around Salem.
Freeman divided his forces and gave them a countersign
and selected a spot near a deep ditch in the road and in
structed them, if they were defeated and got scattered to
concentrate at that ditch which was beyond the Federal
lines a distance of some miles; on reaching the ditch
they were to remain until they all were collected. After
the first ones reached the place, it being dark, if they saw
others approaching they would halt them and demand the
countersign, and if they couldn t give it they were to fire on
them without any further delay, knowing they were ene
mies. On reaching the public square they encountered a
bunch of the Federal troops in a building; fired on them,
wounded a few, a man by the name of Jacob Shoffler now
residing in Kowell County was in the house at the time,
and they cut his clothes in about twenty different places
with bullets and never drew blood; Maj. Santee was com
manding, with one other officer. After they had rallied,
all being in disorder, Maj. Santee ordered a charge on the
rebels. Armed with an old pistol he met Col. Freeman of
the Confederate side. Freeman had i list shot out; Maj.
Santee ordered his surrender. Col Freeman started to
run, Maj Santee in close pursuit, snapped his old pistol,
which failed to fire. He then threw the pistol at Col.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 165
Freeman, struck him somewhere betwen the shoulders,
drew his sabre, and still continued the pursuit. There
was a creek near by and a stone fence had been built along
the side of it ; the creek had been frozen over and a skiff
of snow on it at the time. Just as Freeman reached the
stone fence Maj. Santee made a thrust at him with his
sabre, inflicting a slight wound; about that time, for the
purpose of escaping, Col. Freeman sprang over the stone
fence and lit into the creek. Maj. Santee, being on
horseback, could not pursue any further. The rebels by
this time were scattered in all directions, started to retreat.
It being very dark, the first ones fifty or sixty in number
reached the ditch, halted to wait for the remainder of them
to collect. In a shjrt time about thirty or forty more of
them appeared in sight, retreating with considerable speed ;
they were halted, the countersign demanded. They had
become so excited in the fight they had forgotten the
countersign and failed to give it. So those who arrived
first opened fire and wounded several of them, scattering
them to the woods. They failed to concentrate until they
had retreated south about 30 miles where they learned of
the mistake they had made and that they had fired upon
their own men. Maj. Santee being of the opinion that he
had seriously wounded Freeman with his sabre, concluded
to investigate. On reaching the stone fence where he made
his leap they looked over into the creek on the ice and
(Col. Freinan being a large man) it looked like a large ox
had been thrown over from the hole that he made in the
ice. The} saw that he had crossed the creek and reached
the other side and and saw no signs of blood. In the en
gagement there were about five or six wounded and killed.
In the summer of 1863 there was a Federal scout or
ganized at Springfield, commanded by Col. Holland. It
was ordered to move by way of Douglas county, get rein-
166 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
forcements then stationed at the fort, and from there march
through the county of Ozark. They entered the county of
Fulton, Ark., where they had several small engagements.
After considerable fighting and capturing a number of pris
oners, they returned to Springfield; loss, killed and
wounded, very small.
In the fall of 1863, Col. Tracy, with a force of rebels,
made a raid from Fulton county, marched up through
Ozark county, and on reaching the Union settlement in
Douglas county, he shot and killed nearly every man he
captured, robbed houses, took everything in the house and
out of doors, and burned the houses as he went. After
raiding and pillaging a number of houses, he came to a
house where a Union man by the name of Mahan and one
by the name of McCarty were working in the blacksmith
shop, with their arms near them. They were members of
the home guard. The rebels demanded the surrender of
the two men, and as it was generally believed that if a man
surrendered to those irregular forces that it was sure death,
they refused to surrender. When the forces of Col. Tracy
commenced firing through the cracks of the shop, the men
returned the fire. Mahan killed one rebel, and they
wounded two or three others. The rebels shot McCarty
down, shooting him eight or ten times after he fell, knocked
the door down and rushed upon Mahan. disarmed him, took
him prisoner and then continued their retreat. After reach
ing Fulton county, near the bayou, they took Mahan into
the woods, stripped him naked and shot him, leaving his
body lying on the ground unburied. Strange to say, in
regard to McCarty, after he had been shot eight or ten
times and left for dead, he recovered from the wounds and
became hearty and stout.
Some time in the early part of the spring of 1864, a
man by the name of Mahan deserted from the llth Missouri
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 167
cavalry, stationed at Batesville, and on reaching Howell
county, about two miles from where Valley Star school
house is now located, a bunch of bushwhackers command-,
ed by B. F. Hawkins and Thomas Yates captured him,
took him into the woods a short distance, stripped him
naked and shot him, leaving his body lying on the ground,
unburied. After he had lain there nearly a week, a man
now residing in Howell county took a hoe and shovel and
raked up some rocks and pitched them upon the decom
posed body and threw a few shovels of dirt on him. As it
was but a short distance from the road, the stench from the
decomposing body was offensive to persons who trav
eled by.
Col. Monks Enforces the Civil Law.
In the month of July, 1865, the author was ordered to
declare the civil law in force in the counties of Texas, Dent,
Shannon, Oregon, Howell, Ozark and Douglas and report
to his regiment again at Springfield for the purpose of being
discharged. Trie long-looked -for and final result of the
war had come with victory couched upon every man who
had borne his flag to the breeze of his country, and to those
who had lain themselves on the altar of their country and
died that it might live.
There was general rejoicing among the loyal people,
that there was not a foot of territory on American soil but
where the stars and stripes once more floated unmolested,
either by foreign or domestic enemies, and while the Con
federates had fought manfully for what they conceived to
be right, and had laid many of their sons on the altar and
sacrificed them to a cause that they believed to be right,
yet a large majority of them rejoiced when they learned
that the cruel war was over. Although their cause was
forever lost, yet the country that they had loved so well
and the flag still floated and invited them back as erring sons.
168 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
The 16th regiment, with a large number of other reg
iments, was discharged at Springfield. Then a scene en
sued that Americans had never witnessed before ; the blue
and the grey began to meet and greet each other as friends
and seemed to forget that just a few months previous they
had been meeting each other armed, for the purpose of
slaying one another. A general amnesty proclamation had
been granted by Gen. Grant to all the rebels who had sur
rendered. Their officers and commanders should discharge
them and they should be allowed to retain their side arms
for their own protection and return home for the purpose
of again building up and establishing their homes; again
meet their wives, their children, fathers and mothers,
neighbors and friends, and once more be united in all the
ties of love; to again reinstate churches, and instead of
studying and practicing the art of war, they should beat
their swords into pruning hooks and aid in establishing and
building up society and good government.
But, lo! one of the most sad and heartrending scenes
confronted many Confederates and Federals on returning to
the places where they had once had happy homes and
sweet families, they were not found. During the terrible
war, many of the loved ones that they had left behind had
been called from time to eternity. The home had disap
peared and nothing was left but the soil; all of the im
provements being entirely destroyed. But they, with the
courage of heroes, gathered the fragments of their families,
went to work improving and building houses, refencing
their farms, recreating church houses and school houses,
and in a short time the men who had lately been enemies
and borne arms against each other, were again neighbors
and friends, associating together, sending their children to
the same school, becoming members of the same church;
all experienced the difference between a civil war and peace
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 169
and fraternity. Many of them expressed themselves that
they had read of civil wars, but never realized the effect of
civil war until after they had passed through the present
one; but they could not understand why they called it
"civil" war, for if there was anything civil about the war
they never experienced that part of it.
The author s family had been residing at Rolla during
most of the time of the war. He commenced making prep
arations to return to his home in Howell county in the fall
of 1865. He began to organize an immigration party of
men who wanted to locate in Howell county and a number
of men who had left their homes in that county. Just a
short time before the parties were ready to leave Rolla for
Howell county, he was met by several men who asked:
Why, Monks, ain t you afraid to go back to Howell coun
ty? You have fought the rebels so bitterly and contested
every inch of ground during the whole war, and some of
them hate you so badly, that I would be afraid that they
would kill me." the author replied that he felt like Gen.
Putnam, when the British attempted to bribe him and said
that the colonies never could succeed in gaining their in
dependence, and that he had better return and renew his
allegience to the Crown. The General s reply was, "D n
a man that is not for his country." Now, my reply to you
is, that I have forfeited almost all of my means and shat
tered the happiness of my family in contending and fight
ing for the preservation of the government; besides, my
self and family have been exiled and banished from our
home, and if the rebels had succeeded, all would have been
gone. But now the government has been victorious in
crushing the rebellion, liberty and protection have been once
more guaranteed to every citizen, high or low, rich or poor,
and, in the language of Gen. Putnam, I say, "D n a man
that is afraid to go back and enjoy the fruits of his victory. "
170 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Within a few days about twenty- five families left Rolla
for West Plains, and on arriving at West Plains, went
into camp. There was not a single building left in West
Plains, as the Confederates had burned the whole town in
time of the war, with the exception of one store building,
which was burned by the Federal troops. The Confeder
ates object in burning the town was to prevent the Feder
als from establishing a post. The author procured some
clapboards, built an addition to an old stable about two
hundred yards south of where James livery stable is now
located.
Soon after WH had reached West Plains and gone into
camp, Capt. Howard, Capt. Nicks and a number of other
rebels who were residing in the county, came in, met the
author and said to him: "Captain. I am proud to meet
you." The author replied, "I am proud to meet you.
What do think now in regard to the two parties living to
gether?" They said that they were satisfied that both par
ties could live together, that all they wanted was protection.
The author remarked that the rebels had been in control of
the country for several years, but the loyal men were go
ing to take charge of it and run it now, and as the loyal
men had been contending for the enforcement of the law
and claimed that every American citizen was entitled to
the protection of the law, the author could promise them
that, if they would fall into line and help enforce the law,
they should receive equal protection with any other class
of citizens; to which they replied that they were willing to
do sp, but there were roving bands of rebels and guerrillas
which had not been subject to the control of the Confeder
ate authorities, and still refused to lay down their arms,
and might yet cause some trouble.
The author was appointed sheriff of Howell county,
W. Z. Buck circuit and county clerk and Peter Lem-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 171
ons, Judge Alsup and - - were appointed county judges.
There had been an old school house about a quarter of a
mile east of West Plains that was still standing. They
met at that school house, organized and set the civil gov
ernment of the county in working order. Soon after, Gov
ernor Fletcher ordered an election and the author was
elected to the state legislature, tendered his resignation as
sheriff, which was accepted and W. D. Mustion was ap
pointed to the vacancy. In a few weeks the author went
to Jefferson City, tendered his credentials and was sworn
in and became a member of the legislature.
Everything, so far as Howell county was concerned,
appeared to move off quietly, while the counties of Oregon
and Shannon, with a few of the border counties, were en
tirely controlled by irregular bands of late rebels, w r ho
openly declared that the civil law should not be enforced
in those counties; that the Confederacy was whipped, but
they were not and they intended to live off the government;
they were armed to the teeth.
During the winter of 1865 and the year 1866, Howell
county settled up faster than ever it had at any period be
fore the w r ar; the men who had homes in it and had been
forced away on account of the war, mostly returned and
commenced to improve their farms. Their houses, out
house and improvements, generally, having been destroyed,
the soil was the only thing left. The town also built up
rapidly and in the }^ear 1866 the inhabitants had increased
to six or eight hundred.
In the fall of 1866 at the general election the author
was re-elected to the legislature and Capt. Alley, who
had been a Confederate all through the war, was elected
to the legislature from Oregon county. The author again
qualified and was present in the legislature during the
whole time, when the great question was brought up be-
172 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
fore the legislature, as to what disposition the State would
make of the first liens held by by the state on the differ
ent railroads for aid that had been given to the railroad
corporations in the way of state bonds in 1850. In 1855
the state issued her bonds, delivered them to the com
panies and they went east and put them upon the market
in New York and Boston to procure money to construct
roads, and the bonds with all the accruring interest, were
due the state.
Then for the first time the author learned that many
of the men who had been selected to represent the peo
ple s interest in the State Legislature, failed to discharge
the duties that their constituents had imposed upon them,
betrayed their trust, and, through money, were entirely
controlled in the interest of the railroad corporations. The
author believing that it was one among the greatest duties
that were imposed upon men of a representative govern
ment, to strictly contend and do all in his power to enact
legislation in the interest of the people, therefore took a
strong stand in favor of closing out all of the state liens
against the different roads, held by the state. During the
session of the winter of 1866 what was then known as the
South Missouri Pacific, which terminated at Rolla, Mis
souri, was ordered to be closed out and the road declared
forfeited. A resolution passed through both houses of the
legislature ordering the Governor to seize it, and that said
road be run by the state. la the meantime the Governor
was to aclverstise and sell it. The Governor by authority
of law advertised it and sold it for $550, 000. Sometime in
April the legislature adjourned, to meet in an adjourned
session in December, 1867. The author returned home.
The immigration into the country rapidly increas
ing, prosperity appeared to be on every side; people had
plenty of money, good crops, wheat was worth $1 to $1.50
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 173
per bushel, stock of all kinds brought first-class prices,
peace so far as Howell county was concerned, prosperity
and the bettering of the condition of society were moving
hand in hand, and the author felt thankful that the war
was over.
Outlaw Rule in Oregon and Shannon.
In the fall of 1867, the counties of Oregon and Shan
non, were still controlled by those roving bands of outlaws
who ruled the counties with an iron hand. A despotism,
unequalled at any stage of the war, existed there. There
was a public gathering in the fall of 1867 in Thomasville.
Col. Jamison, one of the leaders of these outlawed
bands rode into town at the head of about fifty men, well
armed, shot two men s brains out, paraded the streets and
swore that any man that attempted to enforce the civil law
against them, would fare the same; rode out unmolested
and there was not a single attempt made by the civil auth
orities to arrest one of them. In a few days Jamison with
some of his men rode into town and a man by the name of
Philip Arbogast, the father -in- law of Mr Hill, one of the
firm of Hill-Whitmire Mercantile Co., now doing busi-
in West Plains, who had been a Confederate all
through the war, remarked in the hearing of Jamison,
that the war was over, and he believed that the civil law
ought to be enforced. Jamison at once dismounted, cock
ed his pistol, approached Arbogast and comenced punch
ing him with the muzzle of it until he inflicted some wounds
remarking to him that if he ever heard of him uttering a
word again in favor of the civil law being enforced that he
would hunt him up and shoot his brains out.
Some time previous to that occurrence, two men who
had been discharged from the Federal army and had once
resided in Oregon county, came into the county to look at
174 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
their old homes. Col. Jamison, with about forty men, ar
rested them, took them to the house of the sheriff, inform
ed the sheriff that no "Feds could ever reside in Oregon
county, and no damn Black Republicans could ever cast a
vote at any election that was held in the county; that they
were going to make an example of the men, that others
might take warning; that they were going to take them out
far enough away that their stench would not annoy good
Confederates. Accordingly, they started from the house,
took them about one-half mile, stripped them naked, shot
them to pieces, returned to the sheriff s house with the
clothing, which was the uniform they had worn in the ser
vice, horse and mule and saddles which they had been rid
ing; gave the mule to the sheriff, took the horse with
them, published what they had done, and said that those
men shouldn t be buried and that if any Confederate buried
them, they would share the same fate.
Capt. Alley, who had been a Confederate all through
the war, but was an honest man and wanted to see the law
enforced, in formed Governor Fletcher of the condition of
the county. Governor Fletcher at once appointed him an
enrolling officer, ordering him to enroll and organize the
count} 7 into militia companies, to form a posse -comitatus to
aid the sheriff in enforcing the law. As sood as he received
his commission, he rode into the different townships, put
up his notices requesting the people to. meet him for the
purpose of enrolling. Jamison, with about forty men, rode
into the township where his first meeting was to be, posted
another written notice on the same tree, the purport of
which w 7 as that if Capt. Alley, the old, white-headed
scoundrel, appeared on the day to carry out the orders of
the Governor, he would meet him and shoot his old head
off his shoulders. Allej", being satisfied that he would
carry out his threat, went to the place before daylight and.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 175
concealed himself nearby. About 10 o clock on the day
appointed, Jamison and about forty followers came charg
ing in on their horses, revolvers in hand, cursing and de
claring that they would like to see the old white-headed
scoundrel put in an appearance so they could make an ex
ample of him; that they didn t intend to let any man en
force the law against them. As soon as they retired Alley
returned home and wrote to the Governor again, stating
the acts, conduct and threats that Jamison had openly
made, and that troops would have to be sent into the coun
ties to aid him and others in organizing, so the civil law
could be enforced. He asked the Governor to appoint
Capt. Monks to command the troops which he m ight ssnd.
The author received a letter from the Governor in
forming him of the condition ; also stated in the letter that
while Howell county was peaceable and law abiding,
that her citizens were not safe, by any means, while such
a desperate bind of outlaws were right at their very door,
bidding defiance to the civil law, committing all manner of
crimes from murder down and begging the author to con
sent to his being appointed Major of State troops; that he
would make an order for the author to organize the men
in the county of Howell and include Howell county in his
order, delcaring them to be under martial law especially
when it had been requested by Capt. Alley, who had been
a life -long Confederate. The author took the matter
under advisement, and as Jamison, with his band of men,
had threatened time and again to raid Howell county and
kill the author with other Union men, he decided to give
his consent to the Governor, wrote him while he reluctantly
would consent to accept the appointment he had thought
that he had discharged his duty in the late war and would
not be required to take part in any further military opera
tion.
176 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Colonel Monks Commissioned by the Governor.
The governor at once appointed and commissioned the
author Major of state troops and ordered him to at once
proceed and organize a company of militia, and at the same
time sent one hundred Springfield rifles and one hundred
rounds of amunition for each gun. And soon as it was
organized, he was to proceed to Oregon county, for the
purpose of aiding and supporting Captain Alley who had
been appointed enrolling officer of Oregon county, to en
roll and form companies for the purpose of aiding the
sheriff in enforcing the civil law. He was to pursue, ar
rest and drive out those roving bands of murderers from
the counties of Oregon, Shannon and Dent. The author
at once organized a company in Ho well county, com
posed of men who had been in the Confederate and Fed
eral service. On Jamison and others in Oregon county
learning that the author had been appointed Major and that
he was organizing, and the state was arming the men
with orders to enter the counties of Oregon, Shannon
and Dent to drive out the murdering bands and aid
Captain Alley in organizing a posse comitatus to aid the
sheriff in enforcing the civil law, they publicly declared
that "old Monks might get into Oregon county but that
he would never get out alive.
At that time there was a secret order in the counties of
Oregon and Shannon known as the Sons of Liberty. The
author was informed that on a certain night they w r ould
hold a meeting on Warm .fork of Spring river. The auth
or made a forced march and, on reaching the place where
they had assembled, surrounded the house and took all the
inmates prisoners, among them being the sheriff of the
county and a few other prominent men. The next morn
ing Capt. Alley met the author, put up his notices order
ing every man to come in and enroll his name. The auth-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 177
or remained over the next day near the place, got in pos
session of their papers, with a secret oath placed upon
them, and the [aims and objects, binding themselves to
gether to prevent the enforcement of the civil law, and fur
ther binding themselves to capture or take property from
any man who had been in the Federal army, and, when it
became necessary to enforce it, to shoot men down. They
claimed to have lawyers connected with it, so that if they
should be arrested they were to make a pretense of a trial
and allow no man to go onto the jury except those who be
longed to the order.
Capt. Greer, who had been a Captain in the Confeder
ate service all through the war, and afterwards was elected
to the state legislature, remarked that, "I can soon tell
whether those grips, obligations and oaths were in the or
ganization known as the Sons of Liberty;" said that "Old
Uncle Dickey" Boles, a short time previous, came to him
and informed him that the Sons of Liberty were going to
hold a meeting in a big sink on the mountain and they
wanted him to come and join it; that he was looked upon
as a business man and he didn t know anything about what
was going on right at his door ; that if he would come and
join it, in a few years he would be a rich man. Capt.
Greer said he replied to him, "Uncle Dickey, I have al
ways been an honest man and have worked hard, and if a
man can get rich in two or three years by joining that or
der, there must be something dishonest in it." Old Un
cle Dickey replied: "You won t be in a bit of danger in
joining it, for we are so organized that the civil law can t
reach us." Capt. Greer said he had a son-in-law who was
requested, at the same time he was, to attend the meeting,
and that after the meeting he saw him and asked him what
kind of an organization it was. He said his brother-in-law
told him, "I dare not tell you; I took the bitterest oath
178 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
that I have ever taken iu my life not to reveal the workings
of the order on penalty of death. But I will tell you
enough; Captain, I know that you are an honest man and
that that organization is a damn jay-hawking institution,
and you want nothing to do with it." Captain Greer at
once sent for his brother -in la\v; he came, and the signs,
grips and by-laws that were captured at the place of the
meeting w re submitted to him and he said he believed they
were word for word thp same, and contained the very same
oath that the} 7 swore him to on the night that he went to
their meeting.
The author was informed that Jamison was then lying
in wait on the road that led from Warm Fork to Frederick
Fork township, the next place where Alley had notified
them to meet, waiting for the author to pass with his men,
so that he might nre on them from the brush. Then the
hardest ta.sk confronted the author that he ever had had to
meet, to study out a plan to prevent Jamison firing on his
men from the bush as he marched by. He held four men
as prisoners, whom he knew were Jamison s right-hand
bow r ers ; he had just been informed that Jamison had a spy
then on the ground to learn the time the author would
break camp and move in the direction of Fredericks Fork.
He ordered a wagon brought up with three spring seats,
took the four prisoners and set them in the two front seats,
ti^d a small rope around their bodies and around each seat,
with two guards in the back seat; then arrested Jamison s
spy, informed him what his business was, which he admit
ted and said that Jamison was lying in wait to learn what
time I would move out, and that he intended to fire on me
as soon as I came within reach. I took him to the wagon
and asked him if he was acquainted with the prisoners.
He said that he was. } "Well," said I, "I am going to re
lease you and I want you to go and tell Jamison that, just
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 179
as certain as he fires from the brush and kills one of my
men, I will retaliate by killing these four men, whom I
know are his right-hand bowers." The author also wrote
a letter containing the same statement, and sent another
man, who was a Confederate, with Jamison s spy, to see
that the message was delivered.
On reaching Jamison, they delivered the message and
informed him of what I had said, and told him that there
was no possible chance for these men to escape, for there
was a rope tied around each man s body and fastened to
the spring seat, and they were also under a strong guard.
The man who went to carry the dispatch said that after
Jamison read it, he appeared to be in trouble and remarked:
Well, we will have to desist and not fire, for just as cer
tain as we fire on him and kill some of his men, he is sure
to kill our men." One of the prisoners, after he was placed
in the wagon and heard the message sent to Jamison, re
marked to the other prisoners: "We are dead men, for
Jamison is sure to fire on them." We soon broke camp,
and on reaching the place where Jamison had been waiting,
saw the camp fire and where their horses had been tied and
fed, but there was not a man to be seen, neither was there
a gun fired.
On reaching Fredericks Fork township, Capt. Alley
made a speech to the people and said, among other things,
that the counties of Oregon and Shannon had been con
trolled by one of the most desperate class of men that ever
lived. That they had ridden through the country on
horseback, heavily armed, defying the enforcement of the
civil law, intimidating the people, both Federal and Con
federate alike, and committing all manner of crimes, rob
bing and murdering the people and boasting openly that the
damn Confederacy was whipped, but !that they were not
and intended to live off the damn "Feds." Now the war
COL. AND MRS. MONKS AT CLOSE OF WAR.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 181
is over and all good citizens, be they Federal or Confederate,
should be in favor of the enforcement of the civil law. "I
am ordered by the governor of the state to enroll all able-
bodied men in the county to form a posse to aid the sheriff
in enforcing the law in Oregon county ; I am to organize
companies to enforce the civil law. These bushwhackers
and thieves have terrorized this county long enough. The
governor has sent Capt. Monks, a man who is not afraid
of bushwhackers and thieves, into this county to arrest
these bushwhackers, thieves and murderers and bring them
to justice. If the people of this county want the civil law
enforced, they should aid Capt. Monks and his men to
hunt these fellows down and either arrest them or drive
them from the county. Our people have been present and
saw these men commit all manner of crimes, from murder
down to the smallest crime known to the criminal code.
They have done this openly and the people were afraid to
open their mouths or say a word against it, on penalty of
death. I wrote the governor, stating the condition of af
fairs in this county, that neither person nor property were
safe, and to send Capt. Monks to this county. And he has
sent him and we have got the right man in the right
place."
One of the prominent men of Oregon county went to
Jefferson City to see the governor to procure the removal
of the writer and have Col. A. J. Sea appointed in his
place. He said to the governor that Capt. Monks was
arresting some of the best men in Oregon county and had
them prisoners. The governor showed him some of Capt.
Alley s letters that he had written to the governor. The
letters stated among other things that persons and property
were at the mercy of these desperadoes and the county
was being terroized by James Jamison and his men ; that
they were robbing whom they pleased openly ; that a day
182 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
or two before he, Alley, wrote the letter, that Jamison
shot a man s brains out in Thomasville, and dared any
man to say he was in favor of the enforcement of the civil
law, that he would serve him the same way. The gover
nor asked him if those things were true, and he replied that
they were; the governor said to him: "You are a leading
man in that county and a citizen of Thomasville and never a
word have you written to me that such terror and lawless
ness existed in your county." He replied "Governor, I
was afraid to." The governor replied to him, "when I
send a man down there that is not afraid to handle those
men without gloves, then here you come with a howl. Now
I expected when I sent Capt. Monks down there, if he did
his duty, that there would be a howl raised; I am satis
fied that he is doing his duty. I am responsible for his
acts and you men want to get rid of him ; go home and
tell your people to organize companies under Captain Al
ley and aid Captain Monks and his men in arresting and
driving those bushwhackers and bandits out of your coun
try and whenever Captain Monks reports to me that the
person and property of your citizens are secure and that
the civil law is being enforced, he will be removed, and
not before."
They then employed Colonel A. J. Sea as an attorney.
Some time during the night, while we were encamped on
Fredericks Fork, some of the soldiers took the sheriff out
and put a rope around his neck to make him tell where
the bones of two soldiers were, who were murdered by Jam
ison and his men. He admitted that he knew where the
bones of the two Federal soldiers were ; that after they
shot them Jamison gave him the mule and saddle that,
one man was riding ; that he was afraid not to to take them
and promised as soon as the command reached Thomasville
to go and show the bones. On the next morning after our
184 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
arrival at Thomasville I procured a big box and placed it
in a wagon and brought the sheriff from the guard house
and set him on a box under a strong guard. About that
time Colonel A. J. Sea came up and asked what we
were going to do with that man. I told him "That
is my business ; when you was in the military service
did you inform the civilians of your object and aims?
You are a civilian now and I will give you five minutes
to get outside of the lines or you will go into the guard
house." He took me at my word and left at once.
The sheriff piloted the scout to the bones of the
men that had been murdered, and the sheriff , aided by the
scout, picked up the bones and placed them in the box.
On examination it was found that three bullets had
passed through one of the skulls, and the other skull
appeared to have been shot all to pieces. I brought the
bones in and caused them to be buried in a cemetery,
about one mile west of Thomasville.
Captain Alley had completed the organization of two
companies, one commanded by Captain Lasley and the
other by Captain Bledsaw. The companies were mostly
composed of men who had been late Confederates, as
there \vere very few Union men in the country. They
immediately fell in with my soldiers and a vigorous
search was at once made for Jamison and his men. Be
ing aided by men who were thoroughly acquainted with
the county and knew just where to look for Jamison
and his cut-throats, they agreed to keep on Jamison s track
and arrest him and his men if possible, in Oregon county.
I moved my troops up into Shannon county to prevent
Jamison and his men from crossing over into Shannon
and scouted that county to keep them from hiding there.
The Oregon county companies shot and killed some of
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 185
them and arrested others. Jameson and the others left the
county and never have returned to it since.
But they left some of their sypathizers in the county,
and the only weapons left them were their tongues; hav
ing no conscience or principle, and instigated by the wicked
one, they began lying and preferring all manner of charges
against the writer and his men who went into the county
and, by the aid of the law-abiding citizens, drove out and
arrested one ot the worst set of men that ever lived, the
savage not excepted, and restored the civil law, so that
every citizen was secure in person and "property.
The writer informed the governor that a large majority
of the citizens, both Confederate and Federal, had nobly
responded to his call, had organized two companies of mil
itia to aid the sheriff in the enforcement of the civil law;
Jamison and his bushwhackers had either been arrested,
killed or driven from the county, and the strong arm of the
military law was not needed any longer.
On December 25, 1867, the writer was ordered by the
governor to withdraw his forces from the counties that had
been placed under martial law and declare the civil law to
be in full force and effect. I accordingly returned to How-
ell county and disbanded my soldiers.
During my march and stay in the counties of Oregon
and Shannon, it was admitted by all honorable Confeder
ates that I had enforced a strict discipline over my men
and protected all classes of citizens in person and property,
had paid the people for all forage and comissaries that were
required for the soldiers, and had driven out the worst set
of bushwhackers, thieves and murderers that ever lived.
186 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
REMINISCENCES.
Ill the spring of 1866 the loyal men had mostly re
turned to their homes; among them, Benjamin Alsup, who
had been taken prisoner by the rebels in 1861 and confined
in the penitentiary at Little Rock, Ark. He was released
in 1865, when peace was made. There was but one house
left in West Plains, an old school house about one -quarter
of a mile east of the town spring, which was used for a
court house. Judge Van Wormer, who resided at Rolla e
was judge of the circuit court and Mr. Perry was circuit
attorney. A short time after the return of Mr. Alsup, a
public meeting of the loyal men was called, signed by sev
eral loyal men. At the date set the writer was present.
The meeting was called to order and Mr. Alsup was elected
chairman. He stated the object of the meeting, and among
other things said: The rebels have hung, murdered,
imprisoned and driven all the Union men from their homes,
and by the living, they didn t intend that a single rebel
should live inside the limits of Howell county." He was
in favor of giving them ten days notice to leave the coun
ty, and if they were not gone by that time, to shoot them
down wherever found. Someone introduced a resolution
that the rebels be notified to leave with their families inside
of ten days or they would force them to leave. The reso
lution was seconded, I got the floor and spoke as follows:
"If that course is pursued, it will ruin the county; peace
has been made and Gen. Grant has ordered the rebels to
return home and become good citizens. Admitting that
everything Mr. Alsup has said is true and we were to turn
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 187
around and do the same that they did, we would be just as
guilty as they were, and it would be a question of might
and not of right; and I want to say here now, if any man
injures a late rebel, except in self-defense or in defense of
his family or property, I will prosecute him to the bitter
end of the law. Mr. Alsup called another man to the
chair and replied to what I had said, saying: "By the liv
ing, I am surprised at Captain Monks, a man who has been
treated by the rebels as he has, who now gets up here and
says he will defend the rebels ; bv the living, I want Capt.
Monks to understand right here, now, that if any loyal man
kills a rebel and has to leave the country, and has no horse
to ride, I will furnish him a good horse to ride off on; and
hv the living, let him prosecute me ; he will have a sweet
time of it. The next man that took the floor was a Mr.
Hall, who resided about eight miles south of West Plains.
He said: I am just like Uncle Ben; if any loyal man
kills a rebel and has to leave the country, I will furnish
him a good horse to ride off on, arid let Captain Monks
prosecute me if he wants to; I don t think it would be
healthy for him to prosecute me for killing a rebel or help
ing a man who did kill one." The resolution was put to a
vote and lost by a good majority.
Later in the spring, there was a man by the name of
Finley living seven or eight miles south of West Plains ;
the family was composed of husband and wife, both of them
about sixty -five years of age, a daughter of twenty -two
years and a son of about eleven. They had been rebels,
but were very quiet and peaceable citizens; they were re
siding on government land, had good improvements and a
good orchard. There was a man by the name of Freder
ick Baker who had homesteaded the land Mr. Finley was
living on. Baker notified Finley to leave in ten days; ft
not out in that time, they would te killed. Mr. Finley
188 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
wanted pay for his improvements before giving possession.
At the expiration of ten days, very early in the morning
Mrs. Finley went into the lot to milk the cows; Baker
slipped up to the lot and with a Colt s revolver shot the old
lady dead. The daughter saw her mother fall, ran to her,
and he shot her; she fell by the side of her mother. The
old man ran to the door, reached up to get his gun out of
the rack, when Baker placed his pistol against his body and
shot him dead. The pistol was so close to Finley when
discharged that the powder set his clothes on fire. The
boy was the only one of the family left; he ran to the near
est neighbor for help and when they got back to the house
they found the old man and his wife dead and the daughter
shot through the breast, maimed for life. The old man s
clothes were still on fire when the neighbors arrived.
Hall made his words good for he furnished Baker
with a first-class horse, saddle and bridle, to leave the
country on and aided Baker in making his escape. As
soon as the writer learned of the murder he caused an
affidavit to be made and procured a warrant for the arrest
of Baker and had it put into the hands of the sheriff and
did all in his power to cause Baker s arrest, but by the
aid given him by Hall and others he made his escape.
The writer reported the murder to the Governor and the
Governor offered a reward of three hundred dollars for
Baker s body, dead or alive. Baker never was arrested.
The writer was appointed assistant prosecuting attorney
by Mr. Perry, who was Circuit Attorney at that time.
After I qualified I caused an affidavit to be made
against Mr. Hall charging him with being an accessor} " to
the murder before the fact and caused his arrest. I was
at once notified that if I attempted to prosecute Hall I
would meet the same fate as the Finley family. Hall
was arrested, and the day set for his preliminary trial at
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 189
the school -house east of town. On the day set for trial
there were quite a number of persons present ; the writer
appeared, armed with a good pistol, laid it by his side
during the progress of the trial ; it was proven by the state
that he, Hall, was guilty as charged. The justice held
him over to wait the action of the grandjury and ordered
him to enter into a recognizance of two thousand dollars
for his appearance at the next term of the Howell county
circuit court, which he readily filled and was released.
Soon after his release he took the fever and died. Baker
never was captured. It was one among the dirtiest mur
ders that ever was committed in Howell county.
Gen. McBride, before the war, resided in Texas coun
ty, on a farm, and was circuit judge of the 18th judicial
circuit, which included Howell county. He enlisted in the
Confederate army and was placed in command of the Con
federate troops at West Plains. The Union men well re
member his famous order, given in the spring of 1861, that
all Union men join the Confederate service, and if they
didn t join the Confederate army he would hang them as
high as Haman. After his term of service expired, he
moved his family to near Batesville, Ark., where he resided
up to near the close of the war. He was taken sick and
died in the spring of 1866. Some of the friends of the
widow in Texas county sent after her and her family to
bring them back to her farm. Reaching West Plains on
their return, they were out of money and provisions. They
asked the people to help them and a donation was taken up
for her in West Plains ; I donated five dollars to help her
back to her home in Texas county.
After the loyal men had returned to their homes and
the civil law had been fully restored I brought suits by
attachment against the following persons, to -wit : William
Nicks, N. Barnett, for aiding the parties in arresting and
190 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
taking me from my home and abusing me while a prison
er. I attached their real estate which was well improved
and valuable; procured a judgement of $8,000.00 against
said real estate, procured an execution and ordered the
sale of said real estate. Before the time for the sale Bar-
nett and William Nicks came to me and admitted that
Barnett was 1st Lieutenant and Nicks 2nd Lieutenant of
Capt. Forshee s Confederate company, while I was held
prisoner by said company and that I was shamefully and
cruelly treated while a prisoner, but they were sorry for
what they had done and hoped I would forgive them.
Nicks further said to me, that he had saved my life; that
while I was a prisoner, he overheard some of the Confed
erate soldiers agree that on the next night while I was
asleep they would slip up and shoot me in the head,
and he got his blankets and came and slept with me.
I knew that Nicks brought his blanket and slept with me
one night, but did not know why he did it.
Nicks and Barnett further said, "Captain you have
us completely at your mercy ; we believe you are a good
man and we were friends before the war. You have a
judgement against our homes and if you sell them you
will turn us and our families out of doors and leave
us destitute without any homes for our wives and chil
dren." I said, "I know it is hard, for my wife and
children were driven from their homes because they were
loyal to their government; but children shouldn t be held
responsible for the acts of their parents and I will say
to you now that I won t sell your homes, I will giye
them to your wives and children ; we are commanded in
the best book of all books to do good for evil ; you men
can each one pay me a small sum for expenses and I will
satisfy judgement." Barnett paid me $150. Nicks made
a deed to some tax lands and I entered satisfaction on the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 191
judgements. They both said to me that they ever would
be grateful for what I had done for them.
The country began to settle up and the people, irre
spective of past associations, formed new ones, especially
the sons and daughters of those who wore the blue and
the gray, and seemed to forget that they had ever
been enemies. As time sped on these attachments ripened
into love. I had but two daughters living. Nancy E.
Monks, the oldest, married V. P. Renfrow, the son of a
Confederate; the}^ have two children, a son, Charles, and
a daughter, Mattie M., now grown. Mary M. Monks, who
married H. D. Green, whose father, a Confederate colonel,
died in the service. They have five children living and
one dead, one girl and four boys. Their children are Mat-
tie E., now Mattie E. Bugg; Will H. D., Frank, Russell
and Dick. Adeline Turner, whom I had raised, married
Jacob Schoffter, a Union soldier, and has ten children, four
boys and six girls. Abraham Roach, a boy who had made
his home with me since infancy, married Mattie Hunt, a
daughter of Jesse Hunt, a Union soldier, has three children
living, two girls and one boy, Maggie, Frank and Bernice.
I don t believe that there is any person that loves their
children better than I do, and I don t see any difference
between my grandchildren and my own children. I love
my sons-in-law as well as my own children; I love the
girl and boy that I raised, and their families feel as near to
me as my own. They are flesh of our flesh and bone of
our bone, and our highest duty to God and them is to teach
them patriotism and loyalty to their government and that
their first duty is to God and their second duty to their
tountry.
God forbid that we ever have any more civil war.
War is the enemy of good society, degrades the morals of
the people, causes rapine and murder, destroys thousands
FRANK GREEN AND CHARLES RENFROW.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 193
of lives, brings misery and trouble upon the whole people,
creates a government debt that our children will not see
paid, makes friends enemies. God forbid that any more
sectional strife ever may grow up among the people ; may
there be no North, no South, no East, no West, but let it
be a government of the whole people, for the people and
by the people. May the time speedily come when the civ-
ilived nations of the earth will know war no more ; when
the civilized nations meet in an international congress, pass
an international law that all differences between nations
shall be settled by arbitration. May this nation in truth
and in deed become a Christian nation and every man speak
the truth to his neighbor and adopt the Golden Rule, "Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you."
I take pleasure in giving the names of some of the
loyal men who resided in Howell county in 1861, at the
commencement of the Civil war, who stood for the Union
in the dark hour when patriotism and loyalty to country
were tested: John McDaniel, sr., John McDaniel, jr.,
Jonathan Youngblood, George Youngblood, David Nich-
olass, Thomas Wallace, Martin Keel, Thomas Nicholass,
Newton Bond, William Hardcastle, Siras Newberry,
William Newberry, David Henson, John Black, sr.,
Daniel Black, Peter lemons, John Latnons, Solomon
Lamons, Thomas Lamons, Thomas Brisco, Morton Lang-
ston, Stephen Woodward, Seth P. Woodward, Dr. D. D.
Emmons, Alfred Mustion, W. D. Mustion, John Mustion,
Wesley Cordell, Hugh Cordell, William Maroney, Henry
Maroney, Collins Coffey, John Coffey, William Coffey,
John Chapin, Silas Chapin, Benjamin Alsup, Andrew
Smith, Andrew V. Tabor, Josiah Carrico, Josephus Carrico,
John Dent, Esau Fox, Thomas O. Brown, Jacob Shoffler,
Thomas Rice, sr., Thomas Rice, jr., John W. Rice,
Nathaniel Briggs, Captain I/yle, - - Rhodes, Jesse
194 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Hunt, Joseph Spears, James West, Jesse West, Dent
West, Thomas Kelley.
I will give the names of a few of the men of Douglas
county who remained loyal to their country in 1861: Jo
seph Wheat, John Wheat, Ervin King, John Coats, Locke
Alsup, William Alsup, Thomas Alsup, Jack Alsup, Shelt
Alsup, Aaron Collins, William Collins, Toodie Collins,
Doc Huffman, Jariah Huffman, Madison Huffman, Wil
liam Huffman.
I will give the names of a few of the men who resided
in Ozark county, at the commencement of the war, who re
mained loyal to their country in the dark days when it
tried men s souls to be loyal: James Kellet, sr., Marion
Kellett, Washington Hawkins. Jesse James, William James,
Brown, R. R. Gilliland, Nace Turley, Washington
Webster, Dick Webster, Macajar Foster, Jacob Foster,
Henry Saunders, Stephen Saunders, Allan Saunders, Alex
ander Huffman, James Hall, Bennett James.
I would love to have space to tell of the patriotism,
heroism and devotion to their country, besides their good
citizenship, of the men of Howell, Douglas and Ozark
counties, but suffice it to say that there never was the same
number of men, at any time, who made more sacrifices for
the preservation of their country than did these men in its
darkest hour. These patriots are growing old and will
soon be gone and their lips closed in death, and there will
not be one left to tell of their sacrifices and the services
they rendered to their country in its extreme need. History
only will tell of the hardships, privations and service that
they rendered to the government. Will there be no his
tory left to tell of the heroism and devotion to their coun
try in its darkest hour! The answer will come from ten
thousand tongues that their history shall be written and go
down to our children s children, that they may learn of the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 195
heroism, privation and sacrifice that was made by those
brave men and women, that their country might live and
not a star be dropped from its banner. While history is
being written and monuments being erected to the Confed
erate soldiers for heroism, shall we be so ungrateful to the
loyal men and women, after they are dead and gone, and
not tell the rising generation of the heroism and sacrifice
the} 7 have made, that their country might live? The an
swer will come from every loyal heart: No; a thous
and times no; it shall be written and perpetuated for gen
erations not yet born.
196 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Has Known Col. Monks Thirty Years.
I have known William Monks for thirty years or more.
I have been in cour!; with him and a more kind and oblig
ing man I never knew or had dealings with. He is very
considerate in regard to the feelings of others, always wil
ling to help those who need help. In later life he joined
the church and preached; since he began the Christian life,
I have never heard of any conduct that was not in conform
ity to his profession of Christianity. Had he had the
school advantages that others have had, he would have
been a power in the community where he lived.
The writer of this was born in Lancaster county, Penn
sylvania, April first, 1824. His father immigrated west
and landed in Pittsburg in 1837. Then the writer of this
migrated southwest and finally landed in Tennessee. At
Sprii gfield he met Catherine Kbbeit, cr Abbott, as they
now call it, and married her March 20, 1856. She was
born in Reeseville, Kentucky, and is still living, aged 76
years last January. J. B. WINGER,
West Plains, Mo.
MR. AND MRS. J. B. WlNGLR.
198 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Dr. Dixon s Long Acquaintance.
I will state that I came to Howell county in the year
1866 and settled on Hutton Valley near where the town of
Willow Springs now is. The present townsite was then a
small field without a fence and one small log cabin. I fol
lowed the practice of medicine up to the present date. I
was 83 years old the 20th of August, 1906, and the picture I
send you was taken when I was 81 years old. I was
born in McMinn connty, East Tennessee, and remained
there until I was eleven years old when I left there and
have gone through many changes and experiences since
then. I served in the Mexican war. I married near
Louisville, Ky., in 1849. My wife is still living and is
nearly eighty -five years of age and in pretty fair health.
I will state that I have known Col. Wm. Monks and
wife for over forty years and know them to be good and
true people. I will further state that there were said to be
but seventy -eight families in the entire county of Howell ,
and four families in the town of West Plains in May, 1866
and Col. Win. Monks was one of the four. Now I believe
there is a population in West Plains of over 4,000 and there
is room for many more. This is an educational town, fine
colleges and high schools besides quite a number of ward
schools houses, almost entirely built of brick. vSchools
last about nine months in the year.
Respectfully yours,
DR. J. C. B. Dixox,
West Plains, Mo.
DR. J, C. B. D1XON.
200 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
Union Woman Leaves Arkansas for Missouri.
Mrs. Giddens, a widow, before the war resided in Con-
way county, Arkansas. She had two sons, Brad and John,
who were about grown at the commencement of the war.
This was a Union family and these two boys, with others,
kept themselves hid until the Confederates issued a gener
al order to hunt down all Union men and either force them
to join the Confederate army or hang them. The boys at
once saw that they would be arrested and forced into the
Confederate service. They held a consultation with their
mother and decided to try to reach the Federal lines near
Rolla.
Their mother took a couple of wagons with a large
yoke of oxen to each wagon, and loaded them with her
household goods, wearing apparel and provisions to last
them through. In the spring of 1864 they started for
Rolla. The boys traveled at night until they reached Mis
souri, and on reaching Taney county they met some Fed
eral troops and made their \vay to Rolla, where they enlisted
and joined the 16th U. S. Cavalry Volunteers, and were
attached to company K, commanded by Capt. Monks, and
served until peace was made and they were honorably dis
charged at Springfield. Both of them are still living and
are active ministers of the church of Christ.
Their mother aimed to reach Rolla by way of West
Plains, and on reaching Howell county, near what is
known as the Newt Bond farm, the bushwhackers stopped
her wagons and robbed her, and ordered her to exchange
her large cattle for smaller ones and her large wagon for a
202 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
small, light wagon, so that the small cattle could pull it.
Finally, after being stopped several times by the Confeder
ate authorities, she reached Rolla and found that her sons
had enlisted in the Federal army. She saw the stars and
stripes unfurled and it appeared like a complete change of
country. Here she located and remained until her sons
were discharged from the United States service.
SAMUEL B. GIDDENS.
Summerville, Mo.
All Union families were forced to leave Texas county.
The illustration contains the pictures of S. B. Giddens and
wife, who were driven out; also Mrs. Mary Dewett, now
over seventy years of age, who was forced to leave all she
had and flee for her life; Mrs. Stillen Stellman, whose
father went to Rolla and got the Federal soldiers to guard
him while he removed his family.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 203
Union Men Killed in Izard County, Ark.
Moody, Mo., September 26, 1906.
Prior to and when the war of the rebellion broke out
the writer of this article was a citizen of Izard county,
Arkansas; the few loyal people that lived in North Arkan
sas, had a hope that war would be averted and when Ft.
Sumpter was fired upon they realized the awful condition
and consequences of war at their very doors ; those who
favored a dissolution of the states had given notice in no
uncertain way. And when the news was flashed over the
country that there had been a clash of arms, the persecution
of the loyal people began in the South and Central states
by those that favored secession. They organized them
selves into companies and went from house to house noti
fying all those that seemed not to take sides either way,
that the time had come when the sheep and goats had to
be separated. The Union element was arrested and many
were sent to the penitentiary at Little Rock, Arkansas,
from the counties of Izard, Fulton and Independence.
Those people were robbed and plundered as long as there
was anything worth taking and some of them, after they
had got all the Union people had, commenced arresting
and hanging the Union men. They arrested a young man
and placed a halter around his neck to hang him ; he
broke loose from them and he was run one mile before
he was caught; then he was taken to a stooping ash tree
and hung. The writer was creditably informed that a man
who was a prominent member of the Baptist church,
scratched the dirt from under his toes in order that he
204 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
might hang clear of the ground. I have seen the tree he
was hanged on many times.
Another brutal murder was perpetrated upon the
person of Rube Hudson, a Union man who had been run
from home and returned home in the winter of 1865; from
an exposure, he took sick with pneumonia; his wife had
secreted him under the floor near the chimney and fire
place; the news got out that he was at home, the rebels
raided his house; every thing in the way of beds and
what little they had left was turned upside down and
they gave up the hunt and started away; a spell of
coughing came on him, for he was very ill and he was
heard coughing by them and they came back and tore
up the floor and found him; they dragged him out and
took him about one hundred yards from the house ;
there he was beaten and hung to make him tell of
others who might have come with him ; finally he was
hung and shot to death, where the family could hear
him pleading for his life; he made a special appeal to
one of his near neighbors calling his nuns and asking
him to intercede for him and save him. The only con
solation he got was "y u are a goner, Rube; you are
a goner, Rube," he was left hanging for the family to
cut down and bury. He met his death for no other
cause than that of being a staunch Union man.
Another bloodcurdling murder was perpetrated upon
the person of Minor White, for no other cause than that of
being loyal to his country. He was honest and upright in
his dealings with his fellowmen, but he was arrested, taken
to the county seat of Izard county, tried and was released.
Before he started home a friend told him not to go the road
for they would follow him and kill him, he said: "I have
always been free to speak my sentiments; I have done
nothing that I have to slip back home through the woods.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 205
I am going to take the public highway, if I am killed."
He was overtaken about a mile out by the mob that took
him there; he was shot and otherwise mutilated and left
hanging to a tree.
I could mention many things that were done to the
Union men and women in Northern Arkansas that make
me shudder to think of, and if I were to undertake to relate!
all that came under my ow r n observation, and many inci
dents that took place in the counties mentioned that were
related to me by others who are entitled to credit for honor
and truth. There was not a Union family left at home in
the counties above referred to.
lam opposed to war on general principles: first, it
never settles the issue; second, it is always a poor man s
fight and a rich man s fuss; third, if the poor soldier is
fortunate enough to get back alive, the debt is his to pay.
J. M. DIXON.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 207
THE KU-KLUX
The lawless bands that had been roving through the
counties of Howell, Oregon, Shannon and Dent had been
captured, killed or driven out of these counties by the
officers of the law, aided by the militia forces of the state.
All classes of persons and men of every political faith were
secure in their person and property. The civil law was
enforced to the letter and the people generally looked to
the bright future of Missouri.
In the fail of 1868, irf the month of September during
a political campaign that was being made in Howell
county, while a political speaking was going on at Black s
store in Benton township in the southwest part of the
county, a courier came with a dispatch stating that
Captain Simpson Mason, registering officer of Fulton
county, Arkansas, had been shot and killed from ambush,
near the state line adjoining Howell county, by men
who styled themselves Ku-klux, and had ordered all
Union men, and especially the officers of the law, to
keep inside of their doors and to tender their resignations
as such officers or they would fare the same as Mason
had. It was stated that the law-abiding citizens were
without arms and that the Ku-klux were raiding the
whole country ; the whole country was being terrorized
by said men and in God s name asked us to come and
bring men and arms to aid the civil officers to enforce the
law. The writer advised the people to be cool; that if
there was an organization in the state of Arkansas to
208 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
overturn the state government and the loyal people of
said state were helpless, since the rebels at the commence
ment of the Civil war had had no regard for state lines I
thought that, we would have the same right to go down and
help our loyal brethern to enforce the civil law.
A committee of twelve men was selected to say what
action we would take; among the committee were Benja
min Alsup, Rev. Adam Wright, Rev. John Collins, David
Nicholass. Old men were placed on the committee. The
committee retired to deliberate upon the matter, and in a
short time returned and made the following report:
"That we, the loyal people of Howell county, go at once
with all available men and arms." The writer had in his
possession at that time one hundred Springfield rifles, with
one thousand rounds of cartridges for each gun. During
the night and the next day about seventy -five men were
organized into a temporary company and were placed un
der the command of Uncle Benjamin Alsup. On the night
following we made a forced, march reaching the Widow
Pickrum s farm, situated on Bennet s river, in Fulton
county, Arkansas, the next morning. We found Captain
Richardson, with one company of state guards, fortified in
a barn. On our arrival we offered our services to Captain
Richardson, which were readily accepted. They were look
ing for an attack to be made by the Ku-klux at any moment,
as Colonel Tracy was said to be at Jackson Port with three
hundred and fifty well armed Ku-klux.
While waiting for further orders from Governor Clay
ton a vigorous search was commenced for the murderers of
Captain Mason. We soon learned that on the day pre
vious to the murder of Mason he was registering the voters
on the Big North Fork, at what was known as the Cal-
houn mill, and on the next day he was to meet the peo
ple at the Harbor Precinct for registration. And on the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 209
previous night the Kuklux, according to a general move
that was to be made throughout the state, met at Col
onel Tracy s, at the Widow Pickrum farm. Among them
were Colonel Tracy, Dow Bryant, U. R. Bush, and
about forty others; they selected about twenty men to do
the shooting and divided them into three bunches and
erected three blinds, as they did not know which road
Captain Mason might travel. They placed about seven
well armed mnn in each blind, who had been sworn by
the Kuklux and after they had been placed in their
blinds one of the men who did the shooting ^aid, "L-t him
come; I am sure to get him for I can hit an old gobbler s
neck that distance." The blind was erected where the
road made a short curve with very thick brush on the left
side of the road. When Captain Mason and posse had ap
proached within about thirty yards of the blind they fired
a volley, five of the shots taking effect in Mason s body.
Captain Mason fell from his horse and expired in a few
moments. The assassins fled through a thick bottom
growth. Bryant, Bush, and two or three others were ar
rested, charged with being a part of the men who did
the shooting. They were arrested by the state guards, as
the civil officers were afraid to issue a single warrant on
account of the threats of the Kuklux. On an investigation
it was proven that Tracy, Bryant, Bush and about forty
others were present the night before Mason s murder.
And that Bush was the man who remarked after he had
gone into the blind "Let him come. I can get him. I
can hit an old gobbler s neck that far."
In the meantime, the governor had gotten a dispatch
through to Capt. Richardson that the Kuklux in large num
bers were organizing and threatening to attack the state
officers; that he and the state officers were barricaded in
the state house and that he was organizing the state guards
210 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
as fast as possible. Capt. Richardson was ordered to re
cruit every available man and protect the civil officers as
far as possible ; that he had made arrangements to send
arms and ammunition up White river on a boat. I sug
gested to Benjamin Alsup and others who had come down
from Missouri that the only way we could make our acts
legal would be to join the state guards and be mustered
into the state service, to which proposition 1113^ old friend
Alsup objected and remarked: "That s the way with
Monks; he is afraid he will hurt some rebel, contrary to
law. Now, by the living, I came down here to hang some
of these old rebels and murderers to the first limb we come
to, and if we have to join the state guards and wait on the
civil and military law to punish them, they never will be
punished. I am going back to Missouri." About two-
thirds of the men \vlio came down enlisted in the state ser
vice; Alsnp and others returned to Missouri.
As soon as Governor Clayton learned that the writer
had come into the state with men and arms, he sent another
dispatch stating that he and all the law-abiding people of
the state would ever be grateful to him for furnishing men
and arms at a time when they were entirely helpless and at
the mercy of a secret and bloodthirsty enemy, bent on over
throwing the state government ; that if I would remain in
the state with my men and arms he would make me lieuten
ant-colonel of the seventh regiment of state guards.
We were watching the movements of the Kuklux, and
in about eight or ten days after the murder of Capt. Mason,
late one evening, the deputy sheriff of the county came to
headquarters and informed Capt. Richardson that there
were three hundred and fifty Kuklux, well armed, in camp
at Salem, the county seat of Fulton county, and intended
to attack Capt. Richardson before day, the next morning;
they had ordered him, the deputy sheriff, under penalty of
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 211
death, to bring Bush and turn him over to them. A brief
consultation was held by the officers, and being satisfied
that they were not able to meet the force of Kuklux then
marching upon them, it was agreed that the writer should
take the men from Missouri and recruit men for the service
and get all the arms and ammunition that were left at home
and return with all possible speed. In the meantime, they
would retreat to some secluded place and watch the move
ments of the Kuklux. They turned Bush over to the dep
uty sheriff and he started in the direction of Salem, and
Capt. Richardson broke camp and retreated. The deputy
sheriff had not traveled more than two miles when a posse
of armed men met him and demanded Bush, and he, sup
posing that they were a part of the Kuklux command,
turned him over. They took him about two hunred yards
and shot him to death. The next morning, before daylight,
Col. Tracy charged upon the late camp of Capt. Richard
son, but found it had been vacated.
The Kuklux began a regular, organized system of raid
ing the Union men s houses, especially the officers of the
civil law, posting written notices, ordering their resigna
tions ot once, and if they attempted the arrest of any Ku
klux, death would be the penalty. They posted a picture
of a coffin with the notice, at the same time ordering all in
fluential Union men to leave the state at once, under the
penalty of death. In about two weeks the governor or
dered a part of the seventh regiment of state guards to
Fulton county, to be stationed on Bennett s river, and to
complete the organization of the regiment with all possible
speed; Col. Bail was placed in command.
After my return home, I organized three companies,
commanded by Capt. F. M. Monks, Capt. Nicolas and
Capt. Rice. About three days after the regiment reached
Fulton county, the writer rejoined his regiment with three
212 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
companies, one hundred Springfield rifles and one thous
and rounds of cartridges for each gun, and soon completed
the organization of the regiment; he was commissioned
lieutenant -colonel of the regiment.
The governor had sent arms and ammunition up White
river, but the Kuklux captured and sunk the boat with all
the arms and ammunition. The governor said that my ar
rival saved the north part of the state from the control
of the Kuklux, as he would not have been able to procure
arms for months. The regiment began an active cam
paign at once, by which they came into possession of the
intentions, aims, secrets and oaths of the order; found that
the order extended up into Missouri, along the state line.
It was a complete military organization. The intention
was to overturn the state government by intimidating the
civil officers of the state, and with this purpose in view
they procured a human skull and two thigh bones, and
while the member was looking on these bones the follow
ing oath was administered by the grand cyclops :
"We (or I, as the case might be) do solemnly swear
before Almighty God and these witnesses, and looking up
on these human bones, that I will obey and carry into ef
fect every order made by any cyclops or assistant cyclops,
and if I fail to strict ly conform and execute ever} 7 order
made as above required of me, unless I am prevented from
some cause which shall be no fault of mine, or if I shall
give any information to any person or persons except mem
bers of this order, that the doom of all traitors shall be
meted out to me, and that my bones may become as naked
and dry as the bones I am looking upon. And I take this
oath voluntarily, without any mental reservation or evasion
whatever, for the causes set out in said order, so help me
God."
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 213
After the oath had been taken the persons taking said
oath were ready for duty. The intentions and aims of
this organization were to intimidate the civil officers and,
if necessary to the accomplishment of their aims, to kill
and murder all officers of the state by assassination or drive
them from the state. All civil officers of the state were
at once notified to tender their resignations and to cease to
discharge their official duties as peace officers, and if they
failed to comply with said order, death would be the pen
alty The governor and all the state officers received the
same order; all Union men that were influential in the
state were ordered to keep themselves in doors or be driv
en from the state, or be murdered by assassination. The
following words, with pictures of coffins, were attached to
said notices :
"If you fail to comply with this notice, this coffin will
be your final resting place.
The Kuklux organization, having but one object and
aim, to turn the state government over to the control of
the late rebels or Democratic party of the state, was a
complete secret military organization with the most des
perate means to wit: Murder, by assassination whenever
ordered by a cyclops or assistant Cyclops.
A grand cyclops took the place of a colonel. An as
sistant cyclops lieutenant -colonel. An order from one
of these officers to shoot any man was final, from which
there was no appeal ; and men were selected to exe
cute said order by the most des^perate oath known to man
or history. Th?s kind of warfare, being inaugurated
throughout the whole state, with a thorough understand
ing that their organization would revolt against the civil
authorities of the state government, and had the day set
throughout the whole state.
214 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
On the same day that Captain Simson Mason was as
sassinated in Fulton county, Kuklux attempted to assassi
nate Governor Clayton in Little Rock. They were s^en
in considerable numbers near the state capitol, after night,
all wearing masks. They notified the governor, that they
intended to capture and take possession of the state capi
tol by a force, if he did not resign his office as governor;
the danger became so great that he barricaded the state
house, as he had but few state troops. The whole
state was invaded by the Kuklux at the same time and
they commenced raiding the state in bands of from
twenty -five to two hundred and fifty men; all wore
masks and large rubber pouches concealed by a cover.
They visited the Union men and colored men s
houses and raided the whole country generally, proclaim
ing that they were dead rebels who had been shot on
the different battlefields during the civil war and that
they had come back to rid the state of black republi
cans and carpet-baggers.
They would claim that they were very thirsty, that
they never had a drink of water since they had
been killed at the battles of Gettysburg, Corinth, Vicks-
burg, and other big battles. They would call on the
colored people to bring them a bucketful and one of
their number would pour the whole bucketful into his
pouch and called for more water, making the colored
people believe that they drank the water; then they
would give the colored people orders not to be caught
off their plantations, and if so caught, the penalty of
death would be inflicted ; many of the influential colored
people were shot down. The author saw a number of
fresh graves of the colored people that had been shot
by the Kuklux ; saw holes in windows in houses in
towns and villages that had been shot through after night,
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 215
while men were reading, who had been notified to re
sign their offices or stop using their influence in favor
of the enforcement of the civil law 7 .
The author remembers passing some colored people
on the side of the road ; one old colored woman cried out
at the top of her voice "Lawd, massa, massa are you
men hunting dem dar Kuklux? Wi, da told us dat bul
lets wouldn t kill them. I fought we could fight live
men but when it come to fightin dead men, don t know
what to tink about it. Wi dey come to our house, rode
up to de fence called for water; said they hadn t any
water since the battle of Shiloh. Wi, one man drank a
bucketful, and den call for mo. I thought to my soul
that they would never get enuf water. * The author re
plied, "Auntie, when these rebels are killed, they never
get back here ; the bad man keeps them to build fires for
him. These Kuklux are the men that ran away from the
battle of Shiloh and have just crawled out of their dens.
That s why they are masked. 1 The old woman said,
"Dat what I thought bout it." W r hile the Kuklux
were raiding the country the} visited an old darkie s house
and gave him three day s notice to leave the country;
and if he failed to leave they would visit him again and
death would be his penalty. In about three or four day,
twenty -five or thirty Kuklux rode up to his cabin in the
night and called for him; he was armed with an old U. S.
musket ; he fired into the crowd and killed one of the band
and then ran and made his escape.
Part of the regiment received orders to report to Gen
eral Uphan, who was stationed at Cottonplant, on White
river, leaving Captain Richardson in charge of the for
ces in Fulton county and Captain Toney in charge of the
troops in Izard and Sharp counties. The regiment broke
camp and marched by way of Jacksonport and on their
216 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
arrival went into camp on the Wadel farm, two miles be
low Jacksoiiport. The Kuklux had declared that we should
not march through Jacksonport. A brother-in-law of Mr.
Wadel from North Missouri invited the writer to supper;
the writer believing that a trap had been fixed to decoy
him outside of the lines took one lieutenant and a posse
of men and went to his house; on our arrival, we found a
bountiful supper ; had every thing that a hungry man
could wish ; had eggnog served in silver cups with silver
spoons. The residence was about forty -two by twenty
feet; two large rooms with a ten-foot hall between,
with kitchen on west side, fine portico, with about ten
or twelve negro cabins, about sixty to one hundred
feet from the dwelling-house. Just before supper I
noticed eight or ten men come in on foot dressed in gray
clothing. I at once ordered my men to be ready at any
moment and to not let them get the drop on them. Just
about the time that most of my men were through eating
supper, I noticed that some of the men that came in
to the supper table had arms on their persons and noticed
that the negroes were excited. I stepped out at a back
door and just as I entered the hall door I saw the land
lord approaching the room where my men were srated at
the table with a navy pistol cocked in his right hand,
holding it behind his back. Just as he attempted to
open the door where my men were seated at the supper
table, I sprang forward and grabbed his pistol and
wrenched it out of his hand, and said to him. "Don t
you dare to attempt to shoot one of my irien." He turned
around facing me and and said "I went all through the
Civil war and you are the first men that ever disarmed
me." In a moment my men had pistols in hand ready for
action, and I noticed some of the men that came dresseed
in gray had pistols in their pockets. I remarked to them;
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 217
"I came here on an invitation; I am here as a guest, I wish
to treat all persons as gentlemen, especially the landlord
and his family ; but this hostile move made upon the
part of the landlord and the presence of these armed men
shows me that there is something wrong. I ordered,
my men to fall in line and return to the camp. His wife
appeared to be a perfect lad}^ and her husband appeared
to be under the influence of whiskey. He agreed that if
I would release him, he would go into his room and stay
there until my men had all returned to the camp.
After he had gone into his room, I gave his revolver to
his wife on her promising not to give it to him until the
next morning.
I learned from Mr. Wadel s brother-in-law that he
came from northern Missouri at the commencement of the
war and at about the close of the war he married his sister;
that he was a cyclops and came to Fulton county in the
Kuklux raid, and that the men who came that evening were
all Kuklux, that if I had gone gone alone to his supper, I
would have been killed.
The next morning we broke camp and resumed our
march. On the regiment arriving at Cottonplant, Col. Dail
reported to Gen. Upham and we were ordered into camp.
As soon as the citizens of the city learned of my arrival,
they requested Gen. Upham that I be invited to deliver a
speech in the city hall ; that they had heard and read of
Col. Monks and they wanted him to deliver an address to
the people at early candle-light on the present condition of
the state. There were about seven or eight hundred men
stationed at the post. After supper, the adjutant sent an
order by an orderly to detail about fifty men for a patrol
guard ; that the soldiers had broken into the warehouse and
were taking out whiskey and other articles. I ordered the
detail to be made and report at headquarters for further or-
218 HISTORY OK SOUTHERN MISSOURI
ders. Our headquarters were not more than forty yards
from the warehouse. I spoke in an audible voice, "Now,
we claim that our mission as soldiers is to protect persons
and property. I want you to see that your guns and pis
tols are well loaded, and go direct to the warehouse first
and arrest all soldiers that you find in or about the ware
house and take them to the guard -house and there keep
them safe until further orders, and patrol the city closely.
Order all soldiers and officers who have not passes to be
inside of their quarters in thirty minutes, and if you find
any soldiers on the street after thirty minutes, arrest them
and take them to the guard -house; if they resist you, shoot
them; and if you have to shoot, shoot to kill." About
that time some man near the warehouse called out : "Who
in hell are you? This whiskey is Kuklux whiskey, and
we will take what we please." I replied, "if we cannot
enforce discipline over the soldiers, we will go back home
and send others ; you will find out who I am if you wait
until the patrol gets there."
I ordered the officer to sound the reveille. Inside of
thirty minutes every soldier was inside of his quarters.
The citizens said that such a thing had not occurred since
the post had been established. Capt. Sharp was reckless
when drinking ; he had mutinied and the men that were
disposed to be wild had terrorized the people of the city.
Gen. Upham had failed to enforce discipline over Capt.
Sharp and his company. Capt. Sharp had ridden up
and down the streets before the regiment had arrived and
proclaimed, "when Colonel Monks arrives we will clean
all the Kuklux up." The citizens were considerably
frightened on my arrival in August, but after they saw how
completely I enforced discipline everything became quiet,
they appeared to be perfectly secure in person and prop
erty.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 219
On the next night, at early candle light, the large
hall was filled. After being introduced by Gen. Upham, I
spoke in part as follows :
"Gentlemen and fellow citizens of Arkansas: lam
from your sister state, Missouri, and I am very sorry to
find you people in the state of war. War is not very
pleasant ; it has its effects upon society ; demoralizes the
morals of the people, besides the great sacrifice of life and
property. Besides this, it ailenates those who should be
brethern and makes them bitter enemies. Your people may
ask the question, what right have you Missourians to come
down into our state? My first answer will be, Captain
Simpson Mason was but recently assassinated in Fulton
county, near the state line, while in the discharge of his
official duty. At the commencement of the civil war he
was a citizen of Fulton county, Arkansas, and I was a
citizen of Howell county, Missouri. Both of us were un
conditional Union men. Both of us were driven from our
homes and posses of men from your state, regardless of
the state lines, scouted our county, murdering and driv
ing out Union men, women and children and hung
and shot down loyal men. Captain Mason and I met in
the early part of the war of the rebellion and soon become
fast friends. Served together during the war. When
peace was made we determined to go back home. Men
would meet us and say "If you men go back among the
old rebels who hate you so badly they will kill you."
Our reply would be, " Damn a man that is afraid to go
back and enjoy the fruits of his victory." We met
and pledged our sacred honor to each other that if, after
our return to our old homes, either one of us was killed
by the late rebels, the other would do all in his power to
bring the guilty parties to justice. A better and truer
man never lived than Captain Simpson Mason. Each of
MAKING A PLEDGE Col. Win. Monks and Capt. Simpson Mason.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 221
us came back with the olive leaf in his mouth. Now I
don t say that all rebels are Kuklux, but I will say all
Kuklux have been late rebels and have organized
a secret organization, the objects and aims of which are
to overturn the civil government of your state by mur
der and intimidations, through the most vile and des
perate means known to man, the savage not excepted.
Besides your organization extends into the border coun
ties of Missouri and as the rebels thought right to cross
the state line during the Civil W 7 ar, we think it right to
cross it now to help our loyal brethern, and these are the
causes that brought us to } r our state. We don t want
booty. We want to see the civil law enforced, and we
ask your cooperation, and promise you, that all law abiding
citizens, be they Union or rebel, shall be protected in per
son and property during our stay in your state and we in
tend to enforce the very strictest discpline among our
troops. I hope by the cooperation of the people of your
state this unholy war will soon cease." At the conclusion
of the speech they gave three cheers for Missouri troops.
On the third day after our arrival at Cottonplant,
Captain J. B. Nicholas and Captain Sharp s companies
were ordered to be detached from the regiment and placed
under the command of the author and ordered to march at
once and report at Marion, the county seat of Crittenden
county for further orders. On our arrival at Marion we were
ordered to proceed directly to Osceola, the county seat of
Mississippi county, Arkansas and to erect a military post and
issue an order ordering all the persons that were armed to
come in and take the oath. On our arrival at that place to
report the same to the Governor of the state. I issued
the following general order :
"To the people ot the state of Arkansas, especially
the citizens of Mississippi county ; greeting ; whereas a part
222 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
of the people, disregarding their duties as good law-abid
ing citizens, have by and through a secret organization
known as Kuklux revolted against the civil government of
the state of Arkansas and are now armed and attempting
by murder and intimidations to overthrow the civil govern
ment of the state, now therefore, by the authority in me
vested and as commander of said post, do order all persons
who may be in armed hostility to the present government
a id those who may be by act or deed aiding or encourag
ing those who are in arms against the legal constituted
laws of the state to return to their allegiance and aid in
enforcing the civil law. And any person who may be
found from and after this date armed or aiding or abetting
those who are in arms against the civil law of the state
will be promptly arrested and punished to the extent of the
law. WM. MONKS, commanding the post."
When I arrived there was not a single civil officer in
this county. They had either resigned or had kept them
selves indoors. I at once commenced a vigorous campaign
and soon learned that there were two men charged with
being cyclops; one of them resided about thirty miles
down the river on an island; he was charged with killing
eight or ten colored people. I made a detail of about fifty
men and placed them in charge of Captain Sharp and order
ed him to go down and arrest both and bring them up to
headquarters. The second day after the scouts started
they returned by steamboat witli both men, as well as
several other prisoners. After the boat arrived Captain
Sharp came to headquarters and suggested the release of one
of the men as he didn t think he was guilty. I ordered the
prisoners brought to headquarters at once. There was a
man by the name of Edington who resided in Osceola, one
of the wealthiest men in the county; he was well acquaint
ed with one of the men, as he had been sheriff of the coun-
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 223
ty in which he resided and a colonel in the Confederate
army. He asked me to parole him to the limits of the
city and he would go on his bond for one thousand dollars
until said charges could be investigated. In a few days
after he was paroled Mr. Edington came into the office and
informed me that after his arrest and while on the boat
coming up the river Cap. Sharp came to him in the pres
ence of the captain of the steamboat and remarked. "Well,
colonel, you have got a hard man holt of you now; if
you will pay me one hundred and fifty dollars I can use
my influence with Col. Monks and have you released/
The colonel said to Captain Sharp that he didn t have
the money with him. The captain of the steamboat
said to the colonel, I have the money, I will loan it to
you." The colonel paid Captain Sharp one hundred
and fifty dollars. Captain Sharp agreed to have him
released and let him go back on the boat. Mr. Edington
said he had watched all my proceedings since I took com
mand of the post and had become saitisfied that my
highest aim was to protect every person in his person and
property.
I ordered the orderly to arrest the colonel and bring
him to headquarters. I told him that I had been in
formed that after his arrest and while in custody of
Captain Sharp on the steamboat he paid Captain Sharp
one hundred and fifty dollars and Captain Sharp was to
release him and let him return home on the boat. He
admitted that he paid the money and made a full state
ment of all the facts that caused him to pay the money.
I notified Captain Sharp to appear at headquarters at
once. Informed him of what I had just learned, that
while he had the colonel prisoner, coming up on the
steamboat, that he, the prisoner, paid him one hundred
and fifty dollars to procure his release. Captain Sharp
224 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
admitted that it was true; I asked the captain if he had
the money. He said he had. I asked the colonel if he
had a friend that he could pay the money to ; that I could
not pay the money to him, that he might bribe another
one of my officers. He said that I could pa} T the money
to Mr. Edington. Captain Sharp paid the money to Mr.
Edingtonby the order of the colonel. I ordered the colonel
to the guardhouse for bribing my officers. I ordered
Captain Sharp to report at headquarters the next day
at ten oclock. The Captain promptly appeared at the
hour set. We went into the back room of my office
alone. The captain and myself took seats. I said to the
captain, "I am very sorry that this thing occurred; that
you have allowed one of your prisoners to bribe you and
you have betrayed that confidence imposed in you by the
state. It become my painful duty to place you under
arrest and of all crimes known to the criminal calender
the worst is that one of treason. We claim that
we are hunting violaters of the law and if we become
violaters of the law then it will devolve on the state to
place a new set of men in the service so that all violaters
of the law can be arrested and brought to justice. Now
I have been informed that while you composed a part of
the command stationed at Cottonplant under General
Upham you was arrested for disorderly conduct and you
caused your company to mutinize. Now I want to say
to you that I am going to put you under arrest and dis
arm you and I will parole you to the limits of the city
and your first lieutenant will be placed in command of
the company and if you cause your men to mutinize I will
arrest the whole company and send them to Little
Rock."
I ordered the whole company to appear at head
quarters and informed them of what I had done. I then
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 22.5
sent the orderly and brought out the colonel and
paroled him to the limits of the city under one thou
sand dollar bond. I never had a more obedient set of
soldiers in all my service than Ciptain Sharp s company
and they were as true and as brave men as ever lived.
Captain Sharp said he was sorry for what he had done
and I had done my duty and in about one week I return
ed his arms and placed him in command of his com
pany. And during the remainder of service Captain
Sharp discharged every duty with honor to himself and
his state. While I was in command of the post I made a
vigorous campaign. Arrested or drove out all the arm
ed Kuklux and had the civil law fully put in force and
the ministers of the gospel reorganized their churches
and business of all kinds was resumed. Intimidations of
the people, of the civil officers, and of the county by the
Kuklux was a thing of the past. I received orders from
the adjutant general at Little Rock to declare the civil
law enforced in Mississippi county and to report with
my command to the commander of the post at Marion,
Crittendon county, Arkansas, for further orders. My com
mand was conveyed by steamboat to Hopefield and from
Hopefield we marched to Marion.
And in obedience to said orders I issued the fol
lowing order: "To all whom it may concern, especially
to the citizens of Mississippi county, Arkansas, I send
greeting. It affords me great pleasure to say to the peo
ple of Mississippi county that the Kuklux organization is
completely broken up and there is no armed opposition to
the enforcement of the civil law. Therefore, by the pow
er in me vested I declare the civil law from this date in full
force and effect in said county. And I invite all go d
citizens to aid in the enforcement of the civil law.
WM. MONKS, Commander of the post.
226 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
And when the people of the city learned that my com
mand had been ordered to leave the city they at once
presented the writer with a new suit of clothes. And on
the arrival of the boat and while we were loading our
Camp equipage, arms and amunition, about three or four
hundred persons composed of men, women, and children
assembled on the the bank of the river to bid us goodbye.
And as the boat moved out they waved their handker
chiefs and hats and gave three cheers for the soldier boys
and their commanders.
On our arrival at Marion we turned over our guns, am
unition and camp equipage and were ordered by the ad
jutant general to proceed to Jackso-nport for further or
ders and on our arrival at Jacksonport the writer was
ordered to leave his command at Jacksonport and to report
in person to the governor at Little Rock. On my arrival
at Litttle Rock I was informed by the adjutant general
that the governor was dangerously sick and confined to
this room. The legislature of the state being in session I
was invited by both houses to deliver an address to the
legislature. Both bodies met in the lower house. The
writer was introduced by the speaker. Spoke as follows:
"Mr. President of the General Assembly of the State
of Arkansas, it affords me great pleasure to have the
honor of addressing this august body of men assembled in
this hall. Men who have been elected by the people of
the whole state. Men who have the interest of the people
at heart. Men who have the confidence of the people.
Men who are intelligent and know what kind of laws the
people need. Men who are determined to do your whole
duty; men who have the courage, patriotism and love of
country at heart, who have stood by your post while one
of the most secret organizations, known as KuUlux, bound
by one of the most desperate oaths to overturn your state
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 227
government by intimidation and murder of all the civil of
ficers of the state and to kill and murder the loyal citizens
of your state. The intention of said organization was to
overturn the legally constituted laws of the state, but
through the urtiring effort of your governor and his sub
ordinate officers and the loyal people of your state and
the valor and patriotism of your soldiers, this organization
has been completely routed and broken up and the civil law
is again declared to be enforced in your state. Now may
your wisdom as legislators guide you and your successors
in all duties that you may be called upon to perform in the
legislative capacity. And may you always have the in
terest of the whole people at heart. And may all the
laws that may be enacted by this legislature or your suc
cessors be in the interest of the whole people. And mar
patriotism and the love of both state and nation grow in the
hearts of your people and may they become so united that
nothing can sever that cord of love for their state and
nation. May God s blessing guide and direct every one
of your public acts, and go with you to your homes and
families and now that your state is once more at peace and
the civil law is being enforced, and your people are se
cure both in person and property, I therefore will return
to Missouri to the bosom of my family. I bid you all
good bye."
The whole house rose to its feet and gave three cheers
and pressed forward to give the writer a good, parting
handshake.
The governor continued to grow worse. The doc
tors would not admit any person to his sickroom. The
adjutant general informed me that the governor wanted to
see me in person. That I had come to the rescue of
the people with men and arms, when the loyal people
were completely overpowered and saved the northern
228 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
part of the state from the control of the Kuklux. He said
the the governor was well pleased with my services while
in the State ; that even the rebels spoke in the highest
terms in regard to the discipline that I enforced over
my men ; that I had protected the person and property of
both Union and rebel, and that I had given general
satisfaction to all classes of persons that were favorable to
the enforcement of the civil law and that it was the de
sire of the governor to promote me to a brigadier -general for
the valuable services that I had rendered in the state,
and place me in command of the northern district. I
said "You can tell the governor when he gets well that I
was very sorry to find him sick, that it would have been
a pleasure to me to have met him in person. And the
offer that he has made to me to promote me to briga
dier-general for the meritorious services that I have
rendered to the state places me under many obligations to
his honor for thn the high esteem and confidence he im
poses in me, as touching my military service, and as a
private citizen while in this state. And w r hile I thank
kim for his offer to promote me to the rank of brigadier -
general and place me in command of the northern district
of Arkansas, I must decline the offer and return to Mis
souri for I love the people of my state, I love my home and
my desire is to become a private citizen. The only thing
that impelled me to come into your state was to aid the
state in enforcing the civil law and protect your people
from assassination and murder and to do all in my power
to aid in bringing violaters of law to justice. This be
ing accomplished and civil law again being enforced in
every part of the state, my services as a soldier and an
officer not being needed any longer I will ask you
again to give my respects to the governor and will ever
hold his memory sacred, and may God s blessing rest
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 229
upon the people of your state and your chief executive.
So I will bid you good-bye."
I returned to Jacksonport and rejoined my com
mand and marched directly to West Plains. There my
men bid each other goodbye and returned to their
homes, hoping that this thing of war would be over
forever.
On my arrival home I found, to my great surprise, a
new political organization, composed of men who styled
themselves Liberal Republicans, and democrats and rebels;
and through some of the most vicious and unprincipled
rebels, they charged me with being a thief and a mur
derer. My friends came to me and requested that I at
once institute suits of slander against them, for they
knew that it was false from beginning to end. During
the intervening time they had called an indignation
meeting and publicly denounced me as a thief and inur-
d^rer. I instituted a civil suit for slander against all
persons who took part in said indignation meeting. I
also instituted suit against one other man on the same
charge. The county of Howell at that time, especially
the judicial circuit, was presided over by a judge, who
was an extreme democrat. The defence made applica
tion to the judge for a change of venue from this judi
cial circuit; he ordered the change sent to Laclede county,
to the city of Lebanon, before Judge Fian. The defence
then set about taking depositions. I was notified to meet
them in Sharp county at Evening Shade for the purpose of
taking depositions. When we met at Evening Shade
they commenced hunting around for witnesses to prove
their charges, but failed to find a single one. But every
person they interviewed touching the charges declared
that they were false and that Colonel Monks enforced
discipline over his men while he was in their state and
230 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
protected every one in person and property and that
all classes of persons regarded him as being perfectly
honest and a goodmilitary officer; they failed to procure a
single witness at that place. I next was notified to meet
them in Oregon count} , at the court house, for the pur
pose of taking depositions. I accordingly armed myself
with two good navy revolvers and went to Alton, the
county seat of Oregon county; the circuit court being in
session at that time, on my arrival I put up at a boarding
house conducted by Alfred Harris, who still resides in that
county. Circuit court being in session I went into the
court room and remained until recess. Just after recess
the judge came and told me that he had been informed
that a mob then had the court-house surrounded and was
going to mob me whenever I entered the square, and to
remain in the court room for a few minutes and he would
try and have the mob removed ; in eight or ten minutes
the deputy sheriff returned and informed me that the mob
had been removed, and that I could go down and go to
my hotel. As I passed down I saw about fifty or sixty men
in front of the saloons, swearing at the top of their voices
"He fought us during the civil war and he shall not be
allowed to come into this count} and live." After reach
ing the hotel, Mr. Harris with several other friends urged
me not to meet the parties, who were going to take depo
sitions in one of the rooms of the court house, for they
believed the mob would kill me. I laughed and told
them that I reckoned not and that I thought the war was
over and that they couldn t play that game on me, to noti
fy me to meet them to take the depositions and then pre
pare a mob to prevent me from appearing, so that they
would be able to manufacture evidence in the case. And
I would either be present at one o clock, the time I was
notified to meet them, or I would die in the attempt. So
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 231
I appeared promptly atone o clock, the time set, but not
one of the opposite party, either attorney or client put in
an appearance. I remained there until four o clock and
still no appearance had been entered by the defendants or
their attorneys, and I again returned to my hotel, after
circuit court had adjourned for the day.
While we were seated at the table eating si ppe % a
man rapped at the hotel door and called to Mr. Harris, the
landlord, that he wanted to see him privately for a few
moments. Mr. Harris soon returned and remarked to the
writer that he had been ordered to deliver a message; that
he had just been informed that a mob of about one hun
dred men then had the hotel surrounded and the}
would give me ten minutes to get out of town or I would
be shot to death. I replied to Mr. Harris, in the first
place, I am too old to run; and in the second place, if these
bushwhackers have not shed enough innocent blood, they
will have the best opportunity now that they will ever get;.
tell them that I don t intend to leave or run." Mr. Harris-
said that he would deliver the message to the bearer.
There were two Confederates seated at the table,
eating. They said, "What does this mean? We thought
the war was over." They got up and left the table. Af
ter the writer finished his supper, he retired to the sitting
room, which adjoined Mr. Harris library. Mr. Harris
immediately came in and offered to barricade the doors
and windows. I objected. He then remarked that the
mob would shoot in through the windows, that he would
blind the windows. I consented to his putting blinds on
the windows, but that the doors shouldn t be interfered
with. There was but one door entering the sitting r >oni
except the door that came through the library. I took
my seat on a bench where I could reach the knob of the
door with ni3 r left hand and hold my revolver in my right
232 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
hand. Mr. Harris propose! to blow out the lights, to
which I objected. I told him that if the mob came I
wanted the light so that I could see how to shoot. He
then took his seat and entered into conversation. In a
few moments some person took hold of the knob of the
door. I rose to my feet with my revolver cocked, in my
right hand and let the door open just so that one man could
enter at a time. Mr. Maxey, of Howell county, an attor
ney -at -law, had come in to get a book out of the li
brary, not knowing that there was any trouble up. As
he came inside of the room I had my pistol cocked and
presented on his left breast. When I recognized Mr.
Maxey I lowered my pistol and remarked to him, "Your
face has saved your life." Mr. Maxey became very much
excited, walked across the floor once or twice, and in
quired what was up. I informed him of the notice of the
mob and the time that I had been given to leave the
hotel and that the time had then expired, and that when
I heard him take hold of the door, I supposed the mob
was coming. Mr. Maxey remarked that "This thing
will never do, I m going to see if it can t be stopped."
I requested him to say to every person that might be dis-
P ^sed to come into the house to make themselves known
outside of the door before entering the house.
In a short time the circuit judge and deputy sheriff,
with two or three others, came to the door and made them
selves known and came in. The circuit judge said:
"Colonel, I have been informed that you have been noti
fied by a mob to leave the town in ten minutes or you
would be shot to death, and I have come to see if you
wanted a guard." I replied that I didn t. "If these God
damn bushwhackers haven t shed enough innocent blood
and are still bloodthirsty, they will never have a better
opportunity; so just let them come." The judge and
234 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
sheriff and those who came with them left the room. I re
mained in the room until the usual bedtime. I heard them
cursing outside and declare that the) r would take me out
before daylight. I thought of my horse that was in the
stable, a few yards away. I remarked to Mr. Harris that I
was going to the stable to look at my horse. He begged
me not to go out, that I would be shot down. I said to
him that it was a game that two or more could work at.
On reaching the stable, I heard the men quarreling on
the public square. A man by the nani2 of Jones, who had
been a Confederate and then was prosecuting attorney of
the county, and another citizen, who appeared to be lead
ing the mob, were having an altercation. Jones remarked
to the other man that he had never met Col. Monks
until to-day an A that he appeared t> be a perfect
gentleman, that the war was over, and that he had the
same right to come here and transact business as any other
man; to which the other declared, with an oath, that a man
who had fought them through the war shouldn t come
there, and the} intended to take him out and shoot* him
before daylight; and further charged that Jones was not a
good Confederate. Jones then gave him the lie. The
two appeared to be about to come together, but others in
terfered to keep them separated. I returned to the ho tl
and said to Mr. Harris that the seat of war had moved up
onto the square.
Mr. Maxey informed me that just outside of the door
of the hotel he met the mob, and they declared that they
intended to take Monks out and shoot him Ir fore daylight.
He replied to them that they might do it, but they had bet
ter take their stretchers along, for sonr* other persons would
have- to bring some of them out; that he had just been in
the house and in a moment he was confronted by Col.
Monks with a revolver presented at his left breast and the
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 235
very devil was in his eye, and if they entered the room he
would shoot as long as he could move a finger.
When bedtime came, I was placed in an upper room
and locked the door, expecting that if they located my room
they would shoot through the windows. I could still hear
them cursing and threatening to take me out until late in
the night. The next morning everything was quiet. I
went to the stable and took my horse down to the spring to
water; a number of men were standing at the side of the
street, and one said: "Where do you suppose the captain
and his men are?" I remarked to them that they were
just like a pack of wolves ; they were in the brush this
morning, waiting for night to again renew their howling.
There was one, Capt. Wagoner, who resided in t >\vn, who
remarked to me the next morning that lie never was ns
proud of anything in his life; that if they coulJ have scared
me and I had attempted to leave town in the night, they
intended to murder me.
After circuit court convened, I went into court, and at
noon of that day the court adjourned. And I, with a num
ber of others, went to Thomasville, put up at the hotel, had
my horse fed and took supper. While on the road, the
man that led the mob passed me on his way to Thomas
ville, where he resided. The defendants and their att^r-
neys failed to produce a single witness to testify in the
case. I returned home to West Plains.
I was notified to meet them at other places in the coun
try, to take depositions in said cause. The political feel
ing was strong then between the parties, and the)- sent the
suits to a county over a hundred miles distant from where
the suits were instituted: this county, at that time, was
completely controlled by the democratic party.
When the suits came up to be tried, over half of the
jury had been late rebels, yet they failed to introduce a
236 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
single witness to support their charges, and I recovered a
verdict in each case. Judge Fian, who tried the case, said
that he was never so surprised in his life; that he opened
up the floodgates and let them bring in all their evidence
from the beginning of the war up to the time of the trial.
Judge Fian had been a colonel on the Federal side in the
Civil war.
On the account of failure to get any proof the juries
were compelled to give a verdict fn both cases for Col.
Monks, although it was against the will and feeling of
them. It cost the defendants between five and seven
hundred dollars. After the trials, all parties returned to
Howell county. The defendants, after they had procured
a change of venue to Laclede county, boasted openly before
trials, that they were going to beat both cases, that they
had got them into a democratic county. The defendants
being beaten at all points, returned, but not being satis
fied, and being backed by the late bushwhackers and
Kuklux (the most desperate set of men that ever lived,)
at the next term of the Howell county circuit court they
procured the appointment of a special prosecutiong at
torney, who had been a late rebel and selected a jury of
men composed of liberal Republicans and so-called
democrats, with the express purpose of indicting the
writer for killing one of the most desperate bushwhackers
and rebel desperadoes that ever was in South Missouri. The
men who composed the jury knew well that he was killed
in an open hand to hand fight during the Civil war. The
writer soon found out that they were trying to get a bill
of indictment against the writer, so the writer watched the
proceedings of the grand jury. On Saturday the grand
jury came into court and turned in their indictments and
reported to the court that they had no more business.
The court discharged them.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 237
At the same moment the writer asked the court if
there was any bill of indictment preferred against him.
He ran over the indictments and informed the writer that
there was an indictment against him, for murder in the
first degree. The Judge said that he was sorry that I
had called it out for he wanted to go home until Monday.
I told him "Just adjourn your court and go home. The
sheriff is here." I remarked to the jury that they needn t
have put the county to any cost hunting witnesses; if they
had come to me, I could have told them that I killed him
and the only thing that I was sorry for, was that I
hadn t killed a lot more of the bushwhackers. I would
love to ask this jury if they have indicted any of the
bushwhackers and rebels who have hung and murdered
Union men all over Howell county, irrespective of age;
the most of those men were killed at their homes or taken
from their homes and afterwards killed. A part of the
men who did these things are still living in Howell county
and that jury knows it.
The sheriff and the judge stepped out of the court
house and in a few minutes returned, and the judge re
marked "I will turn you over to the sheriff." He then or-
t clered the sheriff to adjourn the court until the next Mon
day. The sheriff remarked to the writer "You can go
where you please and report to the court at ten o clock
next Monday." The writer remarked, in the presence of
the judge and sheriff, "I did not Knew that a man indict
ed for murder in the fir>t degree could be paroled."
The sheriff adjourned the court and he and the judge left
the court house together. When I met a number of my
friends (as there was a political meeting going on that
day) and informed them that I had been indicted and
paroled until next Monday, I couldn t make some of them
believe it.
CAPT. WILL H D. GREEN, GRANDSON. LIhUT. MARK SPRINGER, CO. K.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 239
I appeared at ten o clock the next Monday morning
and before court was convened, Edward Seay, an attorney -
at-law, one among the ablest lawyeis at the bar, a strong
rebel sympathizer, came to the writer and said, "It is a
shame that you have been indicted. It has been done for
political r urpose and I want your consent to file a motion
to quash the indictment." I remarked to him that I
would rather have it tried before a jury of my country so
that I could show the intention and aims of those who
caused said indictments to be procured. He still plead
with me to let him file a motion to quash it, that it would
not cost me one cent. I at last told him to use his own
pleasure in regard to it, so he filed a motion to quash it,
and submitted the motion to the court without any argu
ment, and the court sustained the motion and quashed the
indictment. So ended that charge of murder against the
writer. They saw they were beaten again and their
schemes w r ere again exposed to the whole people and they
fell back sullen and become desperate.
In a short time the writer was informed that they were
threatening to assassinate him and to be continually on the
watch. I put men on their trails. Several attempts were
made to deco}^ the writer into their nets, but they failed.
They then employed one Dr. Beldon, who made an attempt
to sh )ot the author in his own dooryard, but the writer saw
him in time to prevent his shooting, and he left the county
at once. Shortly after, the author was again warned to be
on the watch, that they were still making threats.
There was a man by the name of W. H. McCowen,
who had been a Confederate colonel, living in West Plains.
He was known to be a very dangerous man when drinking
and was an uncompromising rebel. The writer then resided
in the house south of the town spring, known as the West
Plains House, and the street ran within a few feet of the
240 HISTORY OK SOUTH HRN MISSOURI
gate, which opened in o a hall between the house and
kitchen. There was a saloon about forty yards west of the
house, on the same street, run by a man by the name of
Jackson, another uncompromising rebel. This saloon ap
peared to be headquarters for these would-be assassins.
I had just brought my horse from the stable and tied him
by the gate, with the intention of going to my farm. Mrs.
Lasater, who still resides in West Plains, bad just come
over to my house and was there at the time of the shoot
ing. Mrs. McCowen, the wife of Col. McCowen, came to
to my house that morning, came in the back way, and ap
peared to be very much excited, and informed me that cer
tain men were going to assassinate me that morning; that
to her knowledge they had been plotting for three days.
They had been using every inducement, making her hus
band drunk and trying to work him into it. She had shut
him up and locked the doors to keep them away from IK r
husband, but they would raise the windows and come in.
She had done all she could to keep her husband out of it,
and she thought it was her duty to come and let me know
that they had agreed to shoot me that morning. I thanked
her I -.-r the information and said to her that I would ever be
grateful to her. I further said to her that I did not want
to hurt the colonel or any other person, but they must not
come to my house on that kind of business if they didn t
want to get hurt. In a few moments she returned home,
going around the back \vay.
I at once sent to S. P. Woodworth, a merchant who
resided in West Plains and a strong Union man, for his
double-barrelled shotgun. I had two good navy pistols.
He sent me his gun and said it was well loaded with buck
shot and was sure to fire. I advised the women, if they
came, to keep cool and go into the back room so they
would be out of danger. I raised the two front windows of
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS
241
the sitting-room about two or three inches, so I could
shoot under them, keeping a close watch on the saloon.
In about thirty minutes after Mrs. McCowen left, I saw two
of the men leave the saloon and come in the direction of my
house. They came to the gate, opened it and stepped onto
the porch. My wife went to the door and begged them to
leave. One of the men said that he wanted to see the
colonel. He was armed with two first-class pistols, one of
the pistols belonging to Col. McCowen. I cocked both
barrels of my shotgun and stepped out on the porch with
rny gun presented and ordered him to turn around and
leave my premises in one minute. Just at that moment
my youngest daughter, now the wife of Mr. Green, sprang
forward and caught my gun. I said to her; For God s
sake keep away from me." But she stood by my side.
During this time he had passed outside of .the gate and had
gotten behind a tree; had his pistol cocked and presented
at me and in a moment I had him covered with my shotgun.
He would attempt to get sight on me and would dodge his
head back behind the tree. Not knowing where the other
man was, I watched his head and when he attempted to take
sight I fired at his head ; at the crack of the gun he fell. Then
six or seven men commenced jumping out at the door of
the saloon. The first thing I thought of was, "They will
pretend to arrest me and give the mob a chance to shoot
me after I am disarmed." I sprang on my horse and rode
east and in a few moments five or six men came to my
door and asked my wife who shot first. She ordered them to
leave the house. They soon found that one of the would-be
assassins was shot. On an examination it was found that
one of the shot had struck him in the right side of the
forehead, the right side of the brim of his hat was torn
into fragments and the tree had caught a part of the
load. The tree is still standing in the yard. Immediate-
242 HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
ly afterward I sent them word that they had again opend
the ball and I was ready to fight it out. I never saw men
begin to plead for peace as hard in my life. The sheriff
and others would come to me and say: "Colonel, why
didn t you shoot some of those fellows long ago? That is
just what they needed." I asked them why they hadn t
arrested some of the assassins long ago.
When the Union men learned that an attempt had
been made by these would-be assassins to assassinate me
about two hundred and fifty of them headed by such men
as J. F. Reiley, Esau Fox, Andrew V. Tabor, David B.
Nicholass, John B. Nicholass, Josiah Carico, Chas. Long,
J. Youngblood, and Geo. Youngblood rode into town
well armed and publicly notified these assassins and those
who were aiding and abetting them, that if another attempt
was made to assassinate Colonel Monks, or if they did
assassinate him it would take ten of their leaders to pay
the debt and they knew just who they were. On an
investigation, it was proven that on the night before they
attempted the assassination about ten or twelve of these
would-be assassins met together in the town of West
Plains, and one of their leaders set out among other causes
why Colonel Monks would have to be killed ; that they had
tried to scare him away from the country but found they
couldn t scare him and the only way to keep the repub
lican party from going into power again in this county was
to kill Colonel Monks. Some of the men that were pres
ent were hired to do the shooting next morning and paid
the money. They drank a health to each other on the
death of Colonel Monks next morning. The man who
advised and instructed them and paid them a part of the
money is still living in Howell county. This failure
in their attempt to assassinate me and the action taken by
the loyal men appeared to put a quietus on their idea of
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 243
assassination ; if they ever made any further effort the
writer never learned about it. They had been defeated in
every attempt made either to slander or murder me.
I want to say here that I shall ever hold sacred the
memory of Mrs. McCowen, for I owe to her the peser-
vation of my life, and may God s blessing ever follow her
and rest upon her.
The bushwhackers and the Ku-klux element were not
yet satisfied and had but one way to vent their spleen
against me. That was to get right down to hard lying.
Having failed to prove a single one of their charges against
me in the courts they were bent on injuring me and
damaging my character. With no regard for the truth
they would go around secretly and tell strangers who
knew nothing about me that I was a murderer
and a thief. The better element among those who had
been Confederates declared openly that these statements
were false from beginning to end. Many of them have said
that I was an honest man, and that if any one wished to
employ an honest lawyer Monks was the man to go to,
for no one could buy him.
Sometimes I would be informed that a late Confeder
ate would say: "I believe Col. Monks was a good man
and an honest one. But I dislike him because he fought
us so hard during the war." I would reply: "Tell him
that I couldn t please them in any way at the com
mencement of the war; I didn t want to take up
arms. I was an unconditional Union man, and they,
the rebels, came to my home and arrested me, took
me into their command and swore that I should fight; that
they would make me fight and attempted to force me into
the Confederate lines, and when I found that nothing
else would do them but to fight, and I went to fighting,
then they turn about and curse me for fighting."
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI 244
Again I would be informed that some of those per
sons, who had no regard for the truth, would secretly
charge me with being a murderer. In reply I would in
form them that every part of the country where I had per
formed military service was now in the control of the
Democratic party and there was no limitation to the crime
of murder.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 245
Henry Dixon Green.
Henry Dixon Green was born in Henderson county
Ky., in the year 1851. His father, H. D. Green, was a
colonel in the Confederate army, and died while in the
service. In 1876, the younger Green left his native state,
taking Horace Greeley s advice, and went west to grow
up with the country. He located at West Plains, Mo.,
and soon began reading law in the office of Hon. A. H.
Livingston. He was admitted to the bar, and formed a
co-partnership with Mr. Livingston in the practice of law,
which continued for several years. Afterwards he formed
a partnership with Judge B. F. Olden. This firm was for
years the local legal representative for the Kansas City, Fort
Scott and Memphis Railroad Company, now part of the
Frisco System. Mr. Green acted as claim agent for this
railroad, and afterwards had charge of the claim depart
ment of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company for the
territory of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Indian Ter
ritory, but resigned to resume the general practice of law
at West Plains, Mo. He has served as Probate Judge of
Howell county.
Mr. Green was married in 1878 at West Plains to Miss
Mary M. Monks, daughter of Col. Wm. Monks. Mrs.
Green is a strong republican while Mr. Green is a strong
supporter of the principles of the democratic party ; but
their home life is perfect^ peaceful and happy. Five
children have brightened this home, a daughter, now
Mrs. Arch Bugg, and four sons, Will H. D., Frank, Rus-
RUSSELL GREEN AND DIXON GREEN.
AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS 247
sell and Dixon. The children all take their politics from
their mother. The oldest son, Will, has been admitted to
the Howell county bar and is now practicing law with his
father. He is also Captain of Company K, the local mili
tary company of West Plains. The second and third sons
are also members of the company. Frank works and
studies at present in his father s law office, and the other
boys are in school.
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