Joseph C . Porter Joseph Chrisman Porter was a Confederate officer in the American Civil War , a key leader in the guerrilla campaigns in northern Missouri , and a figure of controversy . The main source for his history , Joseph A . Mudd ( see below ) is clearly an apologist ; his opponents take a less charitable view of him , and his chief adversary , Union Colonel John McNeil , regarded him simply as a bushwacker and traitor , though his service under General John S . Marmaduke in the Springfield campaign ( " Marmaduke ' s First Raid " ) and following clearly shows he was regarded as a regular officer by the Confederacy . Early life . Joseph C . Porter was born in Jessamine County , Kentucky , to James and Rebecca Chrisman Porter . The family moved to Marion County , Missouri , in 1828 or 1829 , where Porter attended Marion College in Philadelphia , Missouri , and was a member of the Presbyterian Church . About 1844 , Porter married Mary Ann E . Marshall ( d . DeWitt , AR “ about two years after the war closed , ” according to Porter ’ s sister ) . They subsequently moved to Knox County , remaining there until 1857 , when they moved to Lewis County , and settled five miles east of Newark . Family members assert that only one photograph of Porter was known to exist , and it was destroyed when his home was burned by Union soldiers . Porter had strong Southern sympathies , and was subject to harassment by pro - Union neighbors , since he lived in an area where loyalties were sharply divided . His brother , James William Porter ( b . 1827 , m . Carolina Marshall , sister to Joseph ’ s wife Mary Ann , 1853 ) , was also a Confederate officer and Joseph ' s trusted subordinate , reaching the rank of major . The brothers went to California during the Gold Rush of 1849 , then returned to Missouri and farming together before the war . Civil War . The Porter brothers enrolled with Colonel Martin E . Green ’ s Missouri State Guard regiment and participated in the attack on the union Home Guard at Athens ; and they later participated in the Confederate attack on Lexington , September 1861 . Joseph Porter had no prior military experience , but proved to be a natural leader and was elected a lieutenant colonel ( an official commission would come later ) in the Missouri State Guard . Following his participation in the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862 , Porter returned home on the orders of General Sterling Price , to raise recruits throughout northeast Missouri . His duties included the establishment of supply drops , weapons , caches and a network of pro - Southern informants . Throughout Porter ’ s brief military career , his status as a regular army officer was not fully recognized by his adversaries , particularly Colonel John McNeil . Those serving behind Union lines were not recognized as legal combatants and were threatened with execution if captured . Though most of his activities were guerrilla operations or harassment , a few battles were fought . On June 17 , 1862 , near Warren or New Market , in Warren Township , Marion County with 43 mounted men , he captured four men of the Union regiment he found there . The prisoners ' weapons and horses taken , then they were paroled on their oath not to take up arms against the Confederacy until exchanged . Cherry Grove . Moving northward through the western part of Marion , the eastern portion of Knox , and the western border of Lewis counties , Porter approached Sulphur Springs , near Colony , in Knox County . Along his route he collected perhaps 200 recruits . From Sulphur Springs he moved north , threatened the Union Home Guards at Memphis , picked up additional recruits in Scotland County , and moved westward into Schuyler County to get a company known to be there under Captain Bill Dunn . Union forces under Colonel Henry S . Lipscomb and others responded with a march on Colony . They overtook Porter at Cherry Grove , in the northeastern part of Schuyler County , near the Iowa line , where , with a superior force , they attacked and defeated him , routing his forces and driving them southward . Losses on both sides were minor . Porter retreated rapidly , pursued by Lipscomb , until his forces dispersed at a point about 10 miles west of Newark . Porter , with perhaps 75 men , remained in the vicinity of his home for some days , gathering recruits all the time , and getting ready to strike again . Memphis . On Sunday , July 13 , Porter approached Memphis , Missouri in four converging columns totalling 125 – 169 men and captured it with little or no resistance . They first raided the Federal armory , seizing about a hundred muskets with cartridge boxes and ammunition , and several uniforms ( Mudd , see below , was among those who would wear the Union uniform , as he claimed , for its superior comfort in the heat , a fact which would later draw friendly fire and aggravate the view of Porter ’ s troops as bushwhacker s , neither obeying nor protected by the rules of war ) . They rounded up all adult males , who were taken to the court house to swear not to divulge any information about the raiders for forty - eight hours . Porter freed all militiamen or suspected militiamen to await parole , a fact noted by champions of his character . Citizens expressed their sympathies variously ; Porter gave safe passage to a physician , an admitted supporter of the Union , who was anxious to return to his seriously ill wife . A verbally abusive woman was threatened with a pistol by one of Porter ’ s troops , perhaps as a bluff ; Mudd intervened to prevent bloodshed . Porter ’ s troops entered the courthouse and destroyed all indictments for horse - theft ; the act is variously understood as simple lawlessness , intervention on behalf of criminal associates , or interference with politically motivated , fraudulent charges . At Memphis , a key incident occurred which would darken Porter ’ s reputation , and which his detractors see as part of a consistent behavioral pattern which put him and his men beyond the norms of warfare . According to the " History of Shelby County , ” which is generally sympathetic to Porter , “ Most conceded that Col . Porter ’ s purpose for capturing Memphis , MO . was to seize Dr . Wm . Aylward , a prominent Union man of the community . ” Aylward was captured during the day by Captain Tom Stacy ' s men and confined to a house . After rousing him overnight and removing him , ostensibly to see Porter , guards claimed that he escaped . However , witnesses reported hearing the sounds of a strangling , and his body was found the next day , with marks consistent with hanging or strangulation . At Memphis , Porter had been joined by Tom Stacy , generally regarded as a genuine bushwhacker – even the sympathetic Mudd says of him “ if one of his men were captured and killed he murdered the man who did it if he could catch him , or , failing him , the nearest man he could catch to the one who did it . ” Stacy ' s company was called " the chain gang " by the other members of Porter ' s command . Supporters of Porter attribute the murder of Aylward to Stacy ( who would be mortally wounded at Vassar Hill . ) However , a Union gentleman who came to inquire about Aylward and a captured officer before the discovery of the body stated that when he asked Porter about Aylward , the response was , " He is where he will never disturb anybody else . " Vassar Hill . Union Col . ( later General ) John McNeil pursued Porter , who planned an ambush with perhaps 125 men according to participant Mudd ( though Federal estimates of Porter ' s strength ran from 400 to 600 men ) . The battle is called “ Vassar Hill ” in the History of Scotland County ; Porter himself called it “ Oak Ridge , ” and Federal forces called it “ Pierce ’ s Mill , ” after a location 1 . 5 miles northwest of the battlefield . A detachment of three companies ( C , H , I ) , about 300 men of Merrill ’ s Horse , under Major John Y . Clopper , was dispatched by McNeil from Newark against Porter , and attacked him at 2 p . m . on Friday , July 18 , on the south fork of the Middle Fabius River , ten miles southwest of Memphis . Porter ' s men were concealed in brush and stayed low when the Federals stopped to fire prior to each charge . Porter ' s men held their fire until the range was very short , increasing the lethality of the volley . Clopper was in the Federal front , and out of 21 men of his advance guard , all but one were killed and wounded . The Federals made at least seven mounted charges according to Mudd , doing little but adding to the body count . A battalion of roughly 100 men of the 11th Missouri State Militia Cavalry under Major Rogers arrived and dismounted . While Clopper claimed to have driven the enemy from the field after this , Mudd indicates that the Federals instead fell back and ended the engagement leaving Porter in possession of the field until he withdrew . Clopper ' s reputation suffered as a result of his poor tactics . Before the final charge one company officer angrily asked , " Why don ' t you dismount those men and stop murdering them ? " Union casualties were about 24 killed and mortally wounded ( 10 from Merrill ' s Horse and 14 from the 11th MSM Cavalry ) , and perhaps 59 wounded ( 24 from Merrill ' s Horse , and 35 from the 11th MSM Cavalry . ) Porter ' s loss was as little as three killed and five wounded according to Mudd , or six killed , three mortally wounded , and 10 wounded left on the field according to the Shelby County History . The Union dead were originally buried on the Jacob Maggard farm , which served as a temporary hospital . After the fight , Porter moved westward a few miles , then south through Paulville , in the eastern part of Adair County ; thence south - east into Knox County , passing through Novelty , four miles east of Locust Hill , at noon on Saturday , July 19 , having fought a battle and made a march of sixty - five miles in less than twenty - four hours . Florida . July 22 : Detachments of F & G Companies ( 60 men total ) of 3rd Iowa Volunteer Cavalry under Major Henry Clay Caldwell encountered Porter with 300 rebels at Florida in Monroe County , Missouri . The detachment fought outnumbered for one hour and fell back upon the post of Paris , Missouri , with 22 wounded and 2 captured . Santa Fe . July 24 : Major Caldwell and 100 men of his 3rd Iowa Volunteer Cavalry pursued Porter and his 400 men into dense brush near Botts ’ farm , near Santa Fe , Missouri . Porter fled and was pursued into Callaway County , Missouri . The Second Battalion suffered one killed and ten wounded . Moore ’ s Mill . July 28 : Union forces under Colonel ( later General ) Odon Guitar engaged Porter near Moore ' s Mill ( now the village of Calwood ) in Callaway County . The Union losses were 19 killed , 21 wounded . Guerrilla losses were 36 - 60 killed , 100 wounded . This was one of Porter ’ s most aggressive actions , involving a daring charge and disabling the Federal artillery , until forced to retreat by the arrival of Union reinforcements and the exhaustion of his ammunition . Newark . August 1 : McNeil had dispatched Lair to Newark . Porter headed westward from Midway , putting his brother Jim Porter in charge of one column , himself at the head of another , approaching the town from east and south simultaneously , and closing the trap on the completely surprised federals at 5 p . m . on July 31 . Porter forced a company of 75 Federals to take refuge in a brick schoolhouse ; when they refused terms , he had a loaded haywagon fired and threatened to run it into the building . The Federals surrendered , were paroled and permitted to keep their sidearms . The Federal loss in the Newark fight was 4 killed , 6 wounded , and 72 prisoners . The Confederate loss was reported at from 10 to 20 killed , and 30 severely wounded . Union soldiers were treated well , but the Union - sympathizing storekeepers had their businesses gutted , and citizens were subjected to abuse . Some claim this was in spite of Porter ’ s orders , and claimed that he bore his old neighbors no malice , while others view this action as Porter ’ s revenge for previous ill - treatment . Despite the victory at Newark , the high casualties on the winning side , attributed to chaotic advance and undisciplined exposure of Porter ' s troops to hostile fire , suggest growing disorder in his ranks . From here , records of his activities — and even the degree to which he can be said to have a unified command — are unclear . Various forces with varying degrees of official relation to Porter ’ s command are credited with capturing Paris and Canton , and with bringing in new supplies and recruits . Porter ’ s numbers had swelled to a size likely to be unmanageable , particularly considering the lack of trained officers and that not more than a quarter of his 2000 or so troops had regulation equipment . Perhaps another quarter had squirrel - guns or shotguns , while the rest no arms at all . Porter ’ s objective was now to get south to Arkansas with his recruits , in order that they might be properly trained and equipped . Kirksville . August 6 , 1862 At Kirksville , Porter made a serious mistake in engaging Union forces under Col . John McNeil , whom he knew to have cannon – perhaps in overconfidence , as a result of his sharpshooters ’ ability to pick off the Federal artillerymen at Santa Fe . Traveling light had been Porter ’ s great advantage - - “ His troops lived off the country , and every man was his own quartermaster and commissary , ” in contrast to the elaborate baggage and supply trains of McNeil ( “ History of Shelby County ” ) . Here Porter suffered unequivocal defeat , from which he would not recover . Dispersal of Forces . At Clem ' s Mills , five miles west of Kirksville , Porter crossed the Chariton River , seeking to link up with Col . John A . Poindexter in Chariton County , known to have 1 , 200 or 1 , 500 recruits ; their combined forces would be able to force a passage of the Missouri River at Glasgow or Brunswick , and open a line to the Confederacy . Three miles north of Stockton ( now New Cambria ) , in western Macon County , Porter encountered 250 men of the First Missouri State Militia , under Lieut . Col . Alexander Woolfolk , coming up to unite with McNeil . There was a brief fight at Panther Creek , Friday , August 8 . Porter was turned from his course and retreated toward the northeast , away from his intended line of march and ultimate goal . The next day , Col . James McFerran , of the First Missouri State Militia , joined Woolfolk with 250 more men and took command . He caught up with Porter at Walnut Creek , in Adair County and drove him eastward to the Chariton . At See ' s Ford , where he recrossed the Chariton , Porter set up an ambush on the east bank with 125 men . Porter ’ s forces opened fire at short range . Only two Federals were killed outright and 15 wounded , but the action seemed to have caused McFerran to break off pursuit . Porter passed on to Wilsonville , in the south - east part of Adair . Here , a mass desertion took place among his discouraged troops ; in a few hours , 500 had drifted away . Capture of Palmyra and the Allsman Incident . Porter wandered around the wilderness , his desertion - diminished troops feeding off the land , although there were some new recruits as well . On Friday , September 12 , Porter , with 400 men , captured Palmyra , with 20 of its garrison , and held the place two hours , losing one man killed and one wounded . One Union citizen was killed and three Federals wounded . Porter ’ s objectives were to liberate Confederates held in the jail there , and to draw Federal forces away from the Missouri River , so as to open it to southward crossing by rebels seeking to join Confederate units . The Confederates carried away an elderly Union citizen named Andrew Allsman . The fate of Allsman remains something of a mystery , and there is disagreement as well about his character and his legitimacy as a target ( see Palmyra Massacre ) . Porter quickly abandoned Palmyra to McNeil , and another period of wandering ensued , in the general direction of his own home near Newark . There were further desertions , and a number of bands of organized rebels refused to place themselves under Porter ’ s command , clearly indicating that he had lost public confidence . At Whaley ’ s Mill , his men were definitively scattered , almost without a fight . Death . After his rout by McNeil at Whaley ' s Mill , and the dispersion of his troops at Bragg ' s school house , Col . Porter kept himself hidden for a few days . He abandoned the idea of raising a militarily significant force , and entered Shelby County on a line of march to the South with fewer than 100 men remaining . He made his way safely through Monroe , Audrain , Callaway and Boone counties , and crossed the Missouri River in a skiff , continuing into Arkansas . Here he organized , from the men who had accompanied him and others whom he found in Arkansas , a regiment of Missouri Confederate cavalry . From Pocahontas , Arkansas , in the latter part of December , 1862 , as acting brigadier , he moved with his command and the battalions of Cols . Colton Greene and J . Q . A . Burbridge , to cooperate with Gen . John S . Marmaduke in his attack on Springfield . Through a mistake of Gen . Marmaduke , Col . Porter ' s command did not participate in this attack . It moved on a line far to the east . After the expedition had failed , the commands of Marmaduke and Porter united east of Marshfield , and started to retreat into Arkansas . At the Battle of Hartville , in Wright Country on January 11 , 1863 , a small Federal force was encountered and defeated , although at severe loss to the Confederates , who had many valuable officers killed and mortally wounded . Among the latter was Colonel Porter , commanding a brigade , shot from his horse with wounds to the leg from an artillery shell . In Oates ' s account , ( 118 - 119 ) , Porter died an hour later . According to Mudd , however , Porter was shot from his horse with wounds to the leg and the hand while leading a charge ; in this account , Porter managed to accompany the army on a difficult trek into Arkansas , arriving at Camp Sallado on January 20 , and at Batesville January 25 , where he died from his wounds on February 18 , 1863 . The early date is refuted by Porter ' s own report , dated February 3 , referencing the journey after the battle , as well as eyewitness Major G . W . C . Bennett ’ s reference to “ Porter ’ s column ” on the march several days after and dozens of miles away from the battle , and finally by Marmaduke ’ s noting Porter among the wounded , in contrast to the listing of officers killed ; additional near - contemporary sources also affirm Porter ' s survival of the journey to Arkansas . The January 11 date seems to originate with General Fitz Henry Warren , who reported as fact the speculation that a burial observed by a recently paroled Lieutenant Brown was that of Porter . The location of Col . Porter ' s grave remains unknown . Oral traditions suggest that he was at some point buried on the farm of his cousin Ezekiel Porter ( said to be a volunteer ambulance driver during the war ) , just north of Hartville , in what is now known as Porter ' s Cemetery , near Competition , Missouri . Legacy and Evaluation . Porter is credited variously with five and nine children , only two of whom were living at the time of Mudd ’ s book , his daughter , Mrs . O . M . White , and his son , Joseph I . Porter of Stuttgart , AR , who wrote : “ I know but little about the war and have been trying to forget what I do know about it . I hope never to read a history of it . ” Porter ’ s character is hard to estimate : clearly he possessed considerable personal courage , but was also a prudent tactician , often declining battle when he could not choose his ground and when he thought the potential for casualties disproportionate to projected gains . Declining the option to pursue the retreating Union force at Santa Fe , Mudd has him say ” I can ’ t see that anything would be accomplished by pursuing the enemy . We might give them a drive and kill a dozen of them and we might lose a man or two , and I wouldn ’ t give them one of my men for a dozen dead federals unless to gain some particular purpose . ” A number of atrocities are attributed to him , but the partisanship of accounts makes it difficult to ascertain his responsibility for the killings of Dr . Aylward , Andrew Allsman , James Dye at Kirksville , a wounded Federal at Botts ' Farm , and others , though it must be concluded that he failed to communicate the unacceptability of such actions to his subordinates . There is reliable eyewitness testimony to his intervening to prevent the lynching of two captured Federals in retaliation for the execution of a Confederate prisoner at the Battle of Florida .