Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-12
QUANTRELL'S RAID.
His Threatened Visit to ottumwa
in 1862.
STORY OF ANOTHER GUERILLA SCARE
DIR. G. O. Warden, of This City. and j.
N. Barker, of Kirkvillc, Tell of Fears
OF Ottumwa People in the Fall
of 1862.

fOttumwa People I'm the Fall
of 1862.
The average citizen of Ottumwa has
heard that at one time during the
progress of the civil war it was re-
ported through this section of the
country that Quantrell aud his raiders
We're headed this way and that the res
idents of this city were in mortal fear
that the report was true. Ottumwa at
that time was village of about 1000
people, mostly old men, women, boys
and girls. Nearly all of the able-bod-
led men had enlisted in the army and
the home guard that was marshaled to
repel the invaders was not fit for SER
vice even according to the loose army
regulations existing at that time. OF
tumwa gave no promise of her mag
niticent future. The means of trans
portation was by river Stern wheel
steamers ploughed the Des Moines
river, the main artery of commerce for
this section of country. Business
houses and hotels were built of logs.
Agency was big town and Ottumwa
took second place in the matter of
commercial enterprise.
In the early fall of 1862 just after
| the city had been almost entirely de-
populated by the, enlistment of nearly
everyone able to bear arms in the
army, that was hurrying 40 the front
to fight with Grant and Sherman, ca,
ger to participate in the anticipated
fsiege of Vicksburg, the alarm was
sounded that Quantrell was coming.
The Confederate guerilla who spared
neither man, woman nor child, SO the
report said would surely raid the town
and every one was apprehensiye for
the safety OF his life and yaluab Ies. A
company OF men was raised near Kirk
willie and came riding into town to re-
pei the reported invasion. j. N. Bark
er, of Kirkville, remembers the occur
jrence and was a member of the COM
pany. 'sWe had heard. that Quantrell
was coming" said Mr.. Barker the 9th
er day, II forget the day and month
but it was in the fall of 1862. We got
the report in the evening and by 2
| o'clock the next morning we had
eighty men in the saddle each armed
with shot gun, rifle. or whatever sort
of fire arm he possessed. A few
hours later we lacked but few of our
quota of 100 men. We rode down to
3Ottumwa under the leadership of Jed
Barnes, who still lives here, believe.
/ 1t was reported that Quantrell was not
very far away and we rode over to
what is now South Ottumwa. Guam
trell was not to be seen and after wait
ing some time for the gentleman to
perform according to schedule, we
suddenly remembered that we were
hungry and came back to the city for
4 something to eat. took dinner in a
log hotel on Main street that was sit
uated somewhere between Court and
| Green, but / cannot now recall it's ex-
| act location. 1 remember / had some
trouble with a man in the hotel whose
name 1 do not care to tell because he
is still living. 1t was in regard to the
cause of the war and some insulting
remarks he made about Abraham Lin
coin. On the spur of the moment ]
reached for my gun and / verify believe
would have shot him had it not been
for the interference of bystanders. But
that is only incidental to the main
i event. Quahtrell did not come and we
disbanded; but the uneasy feeling oc.
Icasioned by the reports did not subside
for some time.'
DIR. c. G. Warden.
mo. ] do not remember anything of
the scare about Quantrell's proposed
Iraid through this section. am get
ting along in years and my memory is
not as good as it was in former years
i I do remember of q scare we had along
about 1862, however, but my recollec.
ton is that the leader of the guerrillas
was not Quantrell but some other man
whose name I cannot now recall. Any.
way had the principal general store
in the place and consequently had the
principal stock of powder and buck
shot which dealt out to the men who
were to defend the town. 1t happen
ed this way: Ex-Governor Drake
father was engaged in the mercantile
/ business in Draliesville, which is pref
/ ty close TO the Missouri line. 1t wa!
reported that this guerilla I spoke O.
was headed toward Drakesville ant
Ex-Governor brakes father came pos
haste to Ottumwa with his money Il
deposit it in w. B. Bonni
fields bank with instructions to sent
/ it ON to Burlington for safe keeping
Burlington is farther north and it wa
! thought that perhaps the raider
would not stop at Drakesville bu
. come on to Ottumwa, and hence it wa
, argued Burlington was the safer place
This occasioned scare in the tow
and after the powder and shot ha,
been dealt out men patrolled the rive
bank one whole night awaiting the ar
rival of the enemy. 1t is needless t
add that they never came but the re
port had some foundation. They ha,
Operated close to the Missouri line an.
my recollection is that they crosse
the river at Keokuk and menaced tn
people Of that place although / do no
recollect whether or not they did an
damage"
| DR.. Warden was the first physical
to locate in Wapello county and the in
| lcidents leading up to it are interesting
j While living in Greensburg, Ind, i
: the year 1S43, he determined to take