Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-07-16

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arms and equipments, and that if NOV
ed to Keokuk their presence there
would render our position perfectly
safe. He at once gave me the follow.
ing:
Headquarters Western Department,
st. Louis, Mo-, July 80, 1861.
Col Cyrus Bussey. Sir: You will
order the Fifth Iowa regiment, Col.
Worthington, and the Sixth Iowa, Col.
Mcdowell, to proceed Immediately on
to Keokuk. Col. Worthington will
take command, and Immediately on
his arrival at Keokuk will report to
Brig. Gen. Pope, commanding North
Missouri.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
j. G.. Fremont,
Major General Commanding.
Immediately telegraphed this order
to Col Worthington and left that night
for keokuk, much pleased with the re-
suit of my days work.
Immediately on the arrival of these
troops in Keokuk they were ordered
to st. Louis. owing to the invasion Of
Missouri by a large force under Gen.
Stirling Price.
| During my several visits to Keokuk
| Col. Moore sent his officers to me for
arms and ammunition. l had lot of
powder which belonged to the state, a
part of which with some lead | gave
him, and promised to supply him with
arms If l succeeded in procuring any.
On my arrival at Bloomfield on the
lst day of August, heard reports that
the rebel forces in the northern border
were expressed that they would come
into our state. My messenger had not
returned causing me to feel that there
was no immediate danger That night,
ed up, and upon opening the door
found the man had sent to Missouri
who Informed me that Gen. Martin
Green with force of 1900 rebels
then shoeing their horses-would start
within two or three days to make an
attack at some place in Iowa. arrang-
ed for conveyance that night, and
left Bloomfield the next morning at
O'Clock and rode thirty miles to Sum-
NIT, where at 8 o'clock | took train
for keokuk arriving there at noon At
ter notifying the railroad officials that
their road and depots were in danger,
went to the office of Samuel F. Miller
late justice of the U. S. supreme court
then prominent lawyer, to confer
with him about the defence of the city
and had been there but short time,
when John Givin, late superintendent
of the Iowa division of the Rock Is
land railway, then ticket agent at Keo-
kuk, came to me with a bill of lading
for one thousand stand of arms and
equipments which had just arrived on
a train from Burlington These guns
were shipped by the war department
at Washington, D. c., consigned to
Council Bluffs, Iowa, via Hannibal,
Mo-, to arm the 4th Iowa infantry,
commanded by Col. c. NJ. Dodge.
at once decided to seize these arms
and use them to arm the people for
their protection. l realized the great
responsibility l was about to assume.
knew very well that no representa-
tons | or any one else could make
would bring an order to take them. I
gave the railroad company written in
structions to deliver the guns to me,
and to hold train in readiness to
take me and the arms out on the road
as soon as l could arrange to leave.
The fifty thousand rounds of ammuni-
ton which | had secured from Gen.
Fremont were of the same caliber as
the guns so that now had guns and
ammunition, and felt that could place
the people on the border in position to
defend themselves.
| left keokuk the same afternoon
with eight hundred guns About two
| hundred of these went to arm Col.
Moore's men at Athens. The parties
| receiving them were Captain James C..
Best and Lieutenant w. F. Harl Of
Memphis, Mo-, who had a company of
one hundred and thirty-five men at
Athens. D. K. Turk took forty guns
and Joseph Bayless and A. Anderson
sixty guns. with ammunition. All these
were for use at Athens. At Farming
ton, four miles beyond Athens, | left
one hundred guns for Capt. o. H. P.
Scott, and at Summit two hundred
guns for Capt. Mayne's company, and
for Henry G. Caldwell (now Judge OF
the United States circuit court) who
was then a prominent lawyer at Keo-
sauqua, to arm another company.
| arrived at Ottumwa about seven
O'Clock that night, with the remain
ing guns; hired wagons with which to
haul them to Bloomfield; travelled all
night and arrived there at daylight.
Arms were furnished to Capt. Trim
ble's company, and other companies
We're organized for temporary service,
one of them by George Duffield.
Feeling that these forces would be
able to protect the town, left Bloom
field the next morning, the 4th of Au-
gust, at 4 o'clock, for Summit, to take
the train for Keokuk. When about
! half way to that poinnt ] met a mes
senger riding as fast as his horse could
go to bring me the information that
the rebels in large force had appeared
before Athens. Col. Moore had been
notified of the approach of the enemy
by refugees, and was prepared to re-
ceive them. He telegraphed to Keokuk
for re-inforcements, and sent messen-
gers to Pennington and other points
/ for aid.
On my arrival opposite Athens, be-
4 fore 10 o'clock, heavy firing between
Green's forces and Col. Moores home
guards was then going on. The enc