Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-11
THE FIRST BATTLE.
ACTIVE BEGINNING OF CIVIL
WAR HOSTILITY IN DISPUTE.
MONROE CITY, NO., MAKES CLAIM
History Teaches Bull Run But Other
Claimants Come Forth-L.ty Clerk
w. R. Warren Champion for Phil
lippi, Va.

w. R. Warren, city clerks authority
for the statement that the first battle
of the civil war was fought at Phil
lippi, Virginia, June 2, 1861. Mr.. War
rem fought in this battle on the union
side, and N. S. Polling, also of this city,
was engaged under the confederate
| flag. History teaches that the first bat.
tie of the civil war was fought at Bull
Run, July 81, 1861. but the st. Louis
Globe-Democrat has still another
claimant for the honors, as is seen in
the following article appearing in a
recent issue:
| ut is customary for the teacher of
United states history to inform her
pupils that the first battle Of the civil
war occurred at Bull Run on July 81,
1861, and it seems strange that in all
| these years no Missouri voice has been
raised in protest against this false die
| tum.
AT Fort Sumter much good ammuni.
ton was shot away, but it seems
4 strange that Major Anderson finally
surrendered because he was not fond
Of a diet of pork. At Monroe City, al
most two weeks before the battle OF
Bull Run, there was bona fide battle
which lasted two whole days-and one
man was killed.
| Appealed to Lincoln.
''At the spring convention the union
vote had outweighed the secessionist
and compromise of so-called neu
trality in the heart of the governor;
and the thorn in his side, the menace
of his plans, was the Hannibal and
Saint Joseph railroad, the road that
had been built with Boston capital and
was operated almost wholly by Ger
mans, all of whom were loyal to the
union. When word reached John w
4 Brooks, the president of the road, that
Claib Jackson was going to tear up
| the Yankee railroad, he appealed to
! President Lincoln for military protec
/ ton. In response to this appeal the
| President ordered Colonel R. F. Smith
with the 18th Illinois infantry to cross
the river and do sentinel duty along
| the railroad.
THE strategic point for northern
| Missouri was an almost impregnable
been mastering his recruits and his
camp was already about 600 strong
On the 7th Of July General Lyon order.
ed Colonel Smith to march upon Har.
ris and break up the camp.
"The plans of the campaign were
faultless, with one exception. The
colonel neglected to order fair weather
and it rained. The soldiers did moi
q, mind the booming of the cloud guns
That seemed quite appropriate. 1t was
the drenching rain that rendered their
4 spanking new uniforms all soggy that
1 somehow took the romance out of the
/ situation and made them wish, as they
crawled out of the box cars at Monroe
! that they had remained at home.
/ Ambushed.
j Next morning the sun shone out
4 clear and hot, and as soon as breakfast
was over the momentous march was
begun. AS the soldiers were making
their way through narrow defile in
the Swinkey hills an unseen foe open
ed fire on them at shore range. A few
4 took down their muskets and fired g
! counter salute into the ambuscade OF
thick timber and underbursh. There
was scurrying among the bushes, and
4 Captain Grigsby's force of fifty gueril
las fed through the woods like hero
of frightened deer, for one of theil
number had been mortaily wounded.
This little adventure served tc
warn Colonel Smith that he was
marching into what he termed 'veri
table death trap and he determined to
get out before more damage was done
1t was already almost four o'clock, sc
1T was deemd best to go into camp fol
the night. Not until then did it dawr
upon the commander that he had left
his trainload of supplies and ammuni
ton at Monroe, with not so much as {
i policeman to guard it. And the clout
of smoke that presently enveloped the
heavens made plain the fact that there
was something doing at Monroe. The
loss to the federal cause through the
destruction of the station, train anc
supplies was about $4,000; but tht
loss was really much greater than this
a loss that was not to be estimated il
cold figures, the loss of pride, prestige
and dinner. Colonel Smith had il
him the making of successful com
mander, and it required just such ar
i experience as this to put him on hi.
mettle.
/ The Yankees "Treed."
| "As soon as the scene of the recent
'confiagration, as he fondly termed
it. was reached, he set his men tc
work picking up bolt pins and nuts
from among the ruins of the train
This helped them to realize that they
had burned their fingers and the
scraps of metal could be used instead
Of orthodox artillery ammunition. Their
he took possession of the seminary
/ hvildino +;