The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-05-30


twenty four pound brass howitzer. I'D
2. Kellam was its adjutant
It was this company that marched SO
bravelv from Topeka in citizens clothes,
armed by the government to meet "Pap"
Price and show him few samples of
Kansas grit and what it could do.
Part of Prices men under General
Shelby were known to be on the road to
Kansas by way of the Big Blue. 1t was
to be the part of the Kansas men to stop
him if possible or at least to hold him
until General Pleasauton could arrive by
forced marches
This last they did, though 1t cost Shaw
nee county nearly thirty brave men,
twenty four of whom were killed out
right in the ba tile.
On the forenoon of the 22nd, Colonel
Veale halted his command in a narrow
lane between two big rail fences beside
what was known as the Mockbee farm.
On this farm was barn and an orchard
and beside the orchard the battery of
twenty eight mon and the one cannon
under command of Captain Burns was
LETT G. G. Gage was No. 2 in the bat
terv Veale and his cavalry then went
south across the Big Blue to reconnoi-
ter.
Soon after two o'clock the company
started to return to the camp a mile
north of the Blue. Hardly had they
emerged from the creek wood than a
messenger hurried up and reported,
.There is firing on the hill" The march
was increased. 1t was not long until
the company could see Captain Burns
and his men with the gun close to the
stone stable.
"They have corralled our battery"
yelled Col Veale in dismay, and the
march became a fast trot The men
loaded their pieces as they approached
the battery,
Gen. Shelby's advance had fred upon
the battery. A glance showed that Burns
had lost no time in getting his howitzer
into position and returning the fire.
There was an open field to the right
and the fence was Immediately broken
down and the Kansans formed in battle
line there. The rebels formed opposite
in many times the numbers of the Kan
sans
Col. Veale called to Captain Burns to
"give them grape" and Burns needle d
no second order. His men worked fast
with the piece aed though the column OF
rebels was already advancing he sent a
load of canister into their midst that
scattered them quickly enough and left
many dead.
The rebels then rallied and charged in
a gallop up the narrow lane. Burns was
mister stopped them once more and
forced them back. The enemy was now
scattering out and endeavoring TO sur
round the little band.
The militia was not idle under Col.
Veale but it was very short time that
they were crushed from their places by
a terrific charge of more than ten times
their number.
At the cannon Ross Burns held the
crnund oIoOo HE boftorv had oil boOO
killed, wounded or taken prisoners, but
he kept up the fight alone and more
than one rebel felt his pistol bullet 1t
was not until he was stunned by blow
from a rebel musket that he was taken.
Then it was that Shelby in person
shielded his life and made him prisoner
of honor.
Jackman's brigade was the blood
thirsty faction of the rebel forces and
would undoubtedly have killed every
Kansas prisoner in the lane if Shelby
| had let them.
The names of the twenty four killed
in that battle are craven on the monu-
ment unveiled here today.
The wounded were Lieut. Col. H. NJ.
Greene. Capt. S. ..B. Miles, Capt II. E. Bush,
Lieut. W. A belong, Privates John P.
Greer, John A. Ward, Brock Crawford.
John Keiser, Isaac Bickel, John Prater,
H. VI
ard, John Thompson, Martin Dreck and
James Morris; at the battery, Capt. Ross
Burns, W. I. Thompson, John Branner
and John Ward
Among the prisoners were Lieut. Col.
John w. Brown, A. D. c., Lieut. Hiram
! Ward, Privates g. II. Woods, Frank
Dawson. G. G. Howard, VIM. Flanders,
Oscar Mcconnell, F. NJ. Fletcher, Nelson
Young, Simon Shaefsr, ]. S. Stansfeld,
E. b. Williams, Levi Williams, James
Warren, G. G. Gage. c. G. Fallansbe,
John Link, r Fitzgerald, Fred
Mackey, James Anderson, A. H. Hol-
man, E Pape and Jacob Klein, all of To-
peka.
John Reed, Osborn Naylor, ]. T. Gage,
Alfred Quiet, John Keiser, R B. Hoe
back, William Marx, James B. Taylor,
A. G. Miller, G. B. Mckee, John Kempt
Robert Kempt, 8. j. Reader. J. w. c.
Clark, Eph johnson, John p Majors,
Isaac Bickel, David Vaughn, James
land, Sergt. George Duncan. J. II. Glenn,
George Fix, Henry Fix, Wallace True,
L. T. Cook, Samuel Blandon, Granger
| Wood, David Stevens. Jerome Stahl, Eli
Snyder, James Russell, Baxter Ingrund,
W. S. Hubbard, H. M. Demming, John
Robinson, John 8. Markham, Samuel
Kosier, Horace Linn and Elias Williams.
Although the battle occurred on Satur-
day afternoon neither the rebels nor the
prisoners had anything to eat by Wednes-
day and on that day G. G. Gage, DR..
Huntoon and two or three others made
their escape to Fort Scott and finally re-
joined Col. Veale's command that had
escaped capture.
The twenty-four dead were first buried
at Wyandotte but a few months after
ward were reinforced in Topeka in the
plat on which the monument was today
erected.
PICTURE OF THE BATTLE.
S. j. Reader, North of Topeka, Has a
Painting of the Battle of the Blue. -
S. ]. Reader, who lives north of To