The National tribune., 1898-10-20
EHRLY SERVICE.
Lively Times in Missouri at the Outbreak
of the War

Lively Times in Missouri at the outbreal
| of tho War.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: | enlisted
at Cincinnati, O., In October, 1860, unde
an assumed name, as / was too young 70
the army, and my parents would neve
have consented for me to enlist, and wa
assigned to detachment destined for th
4th u. S. Art, stationed on what was ther
considered the Far Western frontier
| There were $50 of us, aud we proceeded
from Newport, KY, to Jefferson Barracks
Mo-, in January, 1861. About that time
the rumbliDgs of the mighty events which
followed during the four. succeeding year:
were just beginning to besheard.
To me it meant nothing l was anxious
to see what would be the result. But the
several old soldiers who belonged to ON
of them had seen hard fighting in the
Mexican war and on Indian campaigns, we
would gather around then. during the long
evenings between reveille and tattoo to listen
to their tales of war. I often wondered
how it would feel to he in an actual battle,
and If a bullet wound would hurt much.
One night, l think, in the middle Of
February, the Acting First Sergeant Of our
detachment, Henry Heseeok. afterwards a
valiant officer in the Is. Mo. Art, came
through the quarters at Jefferson Barracks,
and selected 40 men to march Immediately
to st. Louis Arsenal
In less than half an hour the squad was
under way, and before daylight all hands
were safely within the Arsenal walls. What
did it mean? To me nothing. But u others
it meant that serious trouble was at hand.
military organization known in st. Louis as
Minute Men threatened to seize the Arsenal,
with its abundant fstores and munitions OF
war
Before our arrival the Arsenal had been
garrisoned by dttaehihent of about 10 or
10 men Of the Ordnance Corps, under COM
mand Of old Maj liacher. The Original
40 Thieves, " rs they afterwards came 30 be
known, not on account of their dishonesty =
as the worst that could be urged against any
Of them was that they would escape over the
Arsenal wall and trade their clothing for
canteens of whisky,-WCre soon after rein
forced by the other1 0 recruits from Jefferson
Barracks, and by Go. Il, I'd u. s.. commanded
by Capt (afterwariis Gen Nathaniel Lyon
Soon afterwards came Go, +, ID L.. S. Art,
commanded by Capt. James Totten, who
had turned over the Arsenal at Little Rock.
Ark, to the State, AUTHORITIES by order of
Buchanan's Secretary OF WaE
After the arrival OF their reinforcements,
st. Louis Arsenal was considered secure from
any attack from the Minute Men, and thus we
awaited events which soon came. Fort Sum-
ter was fired upon, and $1,000 volunteers
were called out. Frank T. Blair and Gen
Lyon combined and captured the Missouri
State troops at Camp Jackson, and by
coupe d efet got control of the State Gov
efilibent of Missouri after the ordinance of
secession had been passed
They proceeded up the Missouri River and
took possession of the Capital, and tue only
resistance met was by small force at Boon
vile, which was easily routed. Gov. Jack
son and his rebel Legislature abandoned JEFF
ferson City, and started out On southwark
tonr, and did not stop until they crossed into
Arkansas
More than 20 years later the writer stopped
at a small town in northern Arkansas, and
upon being told that Gov. c. F. Jackson had
died there, and was buried in the village
l was impelled by curiosity TO
see the spot where were laid TO rest the re-
mains of one who had played so important
q part III Missouri's history in the early days
Of the civil war. ! coaid not help feeling
sad when | came to a neglected grave, over
grown with weeds, and only distinguished
from many others by the name on the simple
tombstone, &C. j. Jackson, Governor of
Missouri" The place and date Of birth and |
date Of death were omitted. Alas! to |
what hase uses may we return"
After the fight at BoonviIIe, and Frank
Blair having arranged State Government
1t Jefferson City to his satisfaction, a cam
paign was organized to eXpel the rebels from
The State We proceeded towards SPRING
field, stopping two or three times to reorgan-
ize, and On one of these stops /, with some
10 or ID others, were assigned to Battery
I, 2d L. s. Art, which afterwards gained
considerable fame as Totten's Battery at
Wilson's Creek on the 10th of August, 1861.
And as fine a body of young men as ever
wore Uncle Sans uniform
The officers, Merchant and Deering, resigned |
md entered the Confederate service. Can't.
Totten alone remained true. Many of the |
men were of Southern birth, and many were
the inducements offered individual members
of Battery L to Join secession, and, to their |
honor and credit not one proved false to his |
Jag Later during the war individual mem
bers OF the battery could be found in almost |
every brigade OF the Western army, filling |
positions from Colonels down to Second |
Blair's old regiment, the 1st Mo-, was,
after the battle Of Wilson's Creek, changed to |
4 regiment of light artillery, and the wonder
Iul efficiency of some Of its batteries at |
Vicasburg and elsewhere can be attributed |
10 the fact that such men as L. ID. Immell.
Dan Hudson, Washman, Day,