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Biographical
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Major-General John S. Bowen was born in
Georgia in 1829.
He was appointed to the United States military academy in 1848 and on graduation was promoted to brevet second-lieutenant, July 1, 1853.
Being assigned to the Mounted Rifles, he served at the Carlisle cavalry school, and on the frontier, with promotion to second-lieutenant on July 20, 1854.
He resigned his commission on the 1st of May, 1856, and became an architect in
Savannah, Ga., continuing to gratify his military tastes as lieutenant-colonel of
Georgia militia.
He removed to
St. Louis, Mo., in 1857, where he also followed the business of an architect.
From 1859 to 1861 he was captain in the
Missouri militia.
He was adjutant to
General Frost during his expedition to the
Kansas border in search of
Montgomery, a prominent character in the
Kansas troubles.
When the civil war began he commanded the Second regiment of
Frost's brigade.
He was acting chief-of-staff to
Frost when Camp Jackson was captured by
General Lyon.
Going to
Memphis, Tenn., and into the southeastern part of
Missouri, he raised the First Missouri regiment of infantry, of which he was commissioned colonel on June 11, 1861.
He was assigned to the army of
General Polk at
Columbus, Ky., and acted as brigade commander under that officer's command.
When in the spring of 1862
Albert Sidney Johnston and
Beauregard were concentrating their armies for an attack upon
Grant,
Bowen, who on March 14th had received
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his commission as brigadier-general, was assigned to the division of
John C. Breckinridge.
In the first day's
battle at Shiloh he was wounded.
General Beauregard, in his official report of the battle thus speaks: ‘
Brig.-Gens. B. R. Johnson and
Bowen, most meritorious officers, were also severely wounded in the first combat, but it is hoped will soon be able to return to duty with their brigades.’
When in 1863
Grant crossed the
Mississippi and landed at
Bruinsburg,
General Bowen, though fearfully outnumbered, threw himself in his path and with the utmost courage and determination, resisted his advance.
After a patriotic sacrifice he was forced back upon the main army under
Pemberton.
On the 25th of May he was rewarded for his brave work at
Port Gibson by the commission of major-general in the army of the
Confederate States.
He fought with distinction in the other battles outside of
Vicksburg, and in all the fighting and suffering of the long siege he and his men had their full share.
At the fall of the city he was paroled, and went to
Raymond, Miss., where he died from sickness contracted during the siege, July 16, 1863.
There were two
John B. Clarks; the father, brigadier-general of the Missouri State Guard; the son, a brigadier-general of the
Confederate States army.
The elder
Clark was born in
Madison county, Ky., April 17, 1812.
He removed to
Missouri with his father in 1818, and was admitted to the bar in 1824.
He began the practice of law at
Fayette, Mo., and was clerk of
Howard county courts from 1824 to 1834.
In the
Black Hawk war of 1832 he commanded a body of
Missouri volunteer cavalry, and during the war was twice wounded.
In 1848 he was made major-general of the
Missouri militia, From 1850 to 1851 he was a member of the legislature; also headed a force to drive the Mormons out of
Missouri.
In 1857 he was elected to Congress as a Democrat to fill a vacancy and served until
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1861.
At the beginning of the war he was appointed brigadier-general by
Governor Jackson, and commanded a force of the Missouri State Guard until he was disabled at
Springfield.
After his recovery he was elected to the first Confederate Congress.
He afterwards served as Confederate senator from
Missouri until the end of the war, when he resumed his law practice at
Fayette, where he resided at the time of his death, October 29, 1895.
His son
John Bulloch Clark, Jr., was born at
Fayette, January 14, 11831.
After attending the preparatory schools he entered the Missouri university where he spent two years, then studying at the Harvard law school, where he graduated in 1854. Seven years later the great event which broke into the peaceful pursuits of so many men aroused young
Clark to a new and stirring life.
Being the son of such a father, he could but be profoundly moved by the sentiment which so quickly made of the whole
South a great military camp.
A resistless desire to serve their country in the tented field seized upon almost the entire body of the high spirited young men of the
South.
They felt that the rights and liberties of their States and the property of the citizens were imperilled, and they were not only ready but eager to buckle on their armor for the defense of home and native land.
So the younger
Clark gave up his law practice and entered the
Missouri infantry as a lieutenant.
He was soon made captain of one of the companies of the Sixth Missouri regiment.
On the 5th of July, at the battle of
Carthage, he was ranking as major and acted a gallant part.
His regiment was also conspicuous at
Springfield.
In 1862 he had risen to the position of colonel, and as such commanded a brigade at
Pea Ridge.
In this battle both he and his men won a reputation for gallantry which they maintained throughout the war.
General Hindman, in his report of operations in
Missouri and
Arkansas, mentioned in terms of highest commendation
Col. John B. Clark, Jr. After he had long been acting with ability
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in command of a brigade, on March 8, 1864, he was commissioned by the Confederate government as brigadier-general.
He served with honor in company with such dashing leaders as
Marmaduke and
Shelby.
After the war he returned to his home and resumed the practice of law. He served his State in Congress from 1873 to 1883 and on December 4, 1883, was chosen clerk of the House of Representatives.
Brigadier-General Francis Marion Cockrell, who during an important era of the war had the distinction of commanding the
Missouri brigade of the army of Mississippi, and since then has for nearly a quartercen-tury represented
Missouri in the United States Senate, was born in
Johnson county, October 1, 1834.
He was graduated at Chapel Hill college in 1853, and subsequently entered upon the practice of law, in which he has continued for many years with distinguished success.
He entered the service of the Missouri State Guard, for the support of the
Confederacy, in May, 1861, as a private in Company G of
Colonel Hurst's regiment.
He was at once made captain of his company, and served in that rank six months, the period of enlistment.
He then organized a company for the Second Missouri infantry, mustered in as Company H.
At the reorganization of this command in May, 1862, the regimental vote was a tie between him and
Colonel Burbridge for the chief command, and
Burbridge was continued as colonel, and
Cockrell promoted to lieutenant-colonel.
Six weeks later the latter was promoted colonel, the rank he held until after the
siege of Vicksburg.
In command of his company of
Missouri militia he and they fought like veterans under the command of
General Price at the important battles of
Carthage,
Wilson's Creek and the siege of
Lexington, in 1861, and at
Elkhorn Tavern in March, 1862.
With
Price's army he crossed the
Mississippi about the time of the
battle of Shiloh, and after
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that date his military services were mainly rendered east of that river, fighting for the
Confederacy, though his own State had fallen into the hands of the enemy.
He was with the army at
Corinth, and on the retreat to
Tupelo, and in the subsequent aggressive movements fought with
Hebert's division in command of his regiment.
At the October
battle of Corinth, he was painfully wounded by a fragment of shell, but remained in the field and at Hatchie Bridge was distinguished for cool conduct in defending the rear-guard.
In the spring of 1863 he was with his regiment, in
Bowen's brigade, defending the
Grand Gulf region below
Vicksburg, and on the
Louisiana shore, below New Carthage, was in frequent skirmish with
Grant's advance.
April 17th he crossed to the east side, and soon afterward was put in command of the
Missouri brigade, consisting of the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth regiments of infantry, and several Missouri batteries.
During the latter days of April and the first of May at
Grand Gulf and
Port Gibson the gallant
Missourians were under fire of the enemy's ironclads at close range, engaged fearful odds, and held at bay the
Federal advance until almost surrounded, then safely withdrawing.
From Big Black bridge they retired into the
Vicksburg lines, where during a large part of the six weeks siege
Colonel Cockrell and his brigade fought in the trenches, making a stubborn defense against the persistent attacks of the enemy.
In the explosion of one of the mines, he was blown into the air and severely injured.
After the close of this historic siege, made memorable by the heroic endurance of the garrison, he was upon parole until September 13, 1863, when notice of his exchange found him at
Demopolis, Miss., still holding with him his faithful Missourians.
In the meantime he had been promoted to brigadier-general, and in this rank he entered the army of Mississippi, then under the command of
Johnston and later of
Polk, his brigade forming a part of French's
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division.
In March, 1864, all Missourians east of the
Mississippi, not in actual service, were ordered to report to him for assignment to duty.
At this critical juncture, when all the resources of the
Confederacy in the department of the West were being drawn upon to exhaustion to fill up the armies of
Polk and
Johnston,
General Cockrell displayed such staunch allegiance to the cause as to merit the extraordinary honor of the thanks of Congress.
By a joint resolution, approved May 23, 1864, it was resolved, ‘That the thanks of Congress are eminently due, and are hereby tendered, to
Brig.-Gen. F. M. Cockrell, and the officers and soldiers composing the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth regiments of
Missouri infantry, First, Second and Third regiments of
Missouri cavalry, the batteries of
Bledsoe,
Landis,
Guibor,
Walsh,
Dawson and
Barret, and
Woodson's detached company, all in the service of the
Confederacy, east of the
Mississippi river, for the prompt renewal of their pledges of fidelity to the cause of Southern independence for forty years, unless independence and peace, without curtailment of boundaries, shall be sooner secured.’
With these
Missouri troops he moved with
Polk's army to the support of
Johnson against
Sherman, reaching
Kingston, Ga., May 17th, after which
French's division was under fire every day with one exception, until the fall of
Atlanta.
At
Lost Mountain,
General French reported his thanks to
General Cockrell, his officers and men, for their gallant conduct in repulsing the enemy, adding that whatever credit was due for the complete repulse of the
Federal assault in this fierce engagement belonged exclusively to
Cockrell's brigade and part of
Barry's. Soon afterward
General Cockrell was again wounded, but he resumed command August 8th, and was in constant skirmishing on the
Atlanta lines until the evacuation.
After marching, as rear guard of his corps, to the vicinity of
Jonesboro, he was with his brigade under a destructive fire at Lovejoy's Station, and
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made a spirited and successful attack upon the
Federal works south of
Jonesboro, on September 6th, driving three times their own number from strong skirmish works.
In the following winter he participated in the
Tennessee campaign under
General Hood, until the fatal field of
Franklin, when he was one of the twelve Confederate generals killed, wounded or captured.
While gallantly leading his men in the face of a terrific fire, he received three wounds, in one arm and both legs, the bone of one leg being broken.
These injuries prevented his further duty upon the field until the spring of 1865, when in command of a division and the left wing of the Confederate army at
Blakely, before
Mobile, he was captured in the general assault by overwhelming Federal forces, April 9, 1865.
He was sent as a prisoner of war to
Fort Gaines, and paroled six weeks later.
Returning to his home
General Cockrell resumed his life as a lawyer, and took a prominent part in public affairs, though never accepting office until in 1875, when he was elected to the United States Senate as a Democrat to succeed
Carl Schurz.
Since then he has been re-elected continuously, enjoying the unabated love of his people, who are proud both of his military and civil record.
In the Senate he has rendered notable service upon the appropriation and military affairs committees, and has been conspicuous in the debates upon the tariff and monetary questions.
His residence since the war has been at
Warrensburg, Mo.
Brigadier-General Daniel M. Frost was born in New York, and from that State entered the military academy at
West Point.
He was graduated July 1, 1844, as brevet second-lieutenant.
He served in garrison until the
Mexican war, during which he participated in the siege of
Vera Cruz, the battles of
Cerro Gordo and
Churubusco, and was brevetted first-lieutenant for gallant and meritorious conduct at
Cerro Gordo.
In 1853 he resigned
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his commission in the regular army and became the proprietor of a planing mill at
St. Louis.
In 1854-58 he was a member of the
Missouri senate, and in 1860 was one of the board of visitors to the United States military academy.
At the time that
Mr. Lincoln issued his call for troops and received such flat refusals from the governors of the border slave States,
Governor Jackson of
Missouri planned with
Gen. Daniel M. Frost, command.
ing a small brigade of volunteer militia, to seize the arsenal at
St. Louis and arm the
State troops.
This plan was defeated by
General Lyon, who with 700 men surrounded
Frost's brigade of only 635, and forced their surrender.
While the surrender was taking place, a great crowd of people gathered and some of them expressed sympathy for the prisoners.
One of
Lyon's German regiments then opened fire upon them and 28 men, women and children were killed.
A similar scene occurred next day. It was the capture of this camp and the scenes that accompanied it that drove
General Price and many others, who up to that time had been staunch Union men, into the ranks of the secessionists, thus inaugurating civil war in
Missouri.
Frost was at this time paroled.
He was afterwards exchanged, and at the
battle of Pea Ridge led a brigade of
Missouri State troops, which did worthy service.
Just before this battle (March 3, 1862),
Frost was commissioned brigadier-general.
When the army of the West under
Van Dorn and
Price crossed the
Mississippi in April, 1862,
General Frost went with them.
On May 8th
General Bragg appointed him inspector-general, but on May 26th
General Frost at his own request was relieved from this position.
Concerning this
General Bragg says: ‘The general commanding could not well sustain a greater loss at this particular juncture, and deeply regrets the cause which takes from us an officer so accomplished, zealous and efficient.’
General Frost served under
Hindman in
Arkansas in 1862, and at the
battle of Prairie Grove in December
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his commanding general complimented him by saying that ‘he did his duty nobly.’
On March 2, 1863, when
General Hindman was relieved from duty in the Trans-
Mississippi,
General Frost was assigned to the command of his division.
On the 30th of .the same month he returned to the command of his own brigade.
In command of this brigade he participated in the
Helena and Little Rock campaign.
During 1864 he was on detached duty, and saw no more active service.
After the war he resided at
St. Louis, and engaged in agricultural pursuits near that city.
Brigadier-General Martin E. Green.—Among the patriots who sealed their devotion to the
Southern cause by a soldier's death none acted a more heroic part than the son of
Missouri whose name heads this sketch.
He was born in
Lewis county, Mo., about 1825.
At the beginning of the war he zealously went to work to organize a regiment for the
Southern cause, near
Paris, Mo., and joined
Gen. Sterling Price.
He was one of that general's most trusted and efficient officers.
In the capture of
Lexington, Mo., he contributed largely to the success of the
Confederates.
When
Price was getting ready to storm the fort,
Green, at that time general of the Missouri State Guard, suggested that hemp bales, of which there were a great many on the edge of the town, should be taken by the soldiers and rolled in front of the advancing lines as a movable breastwork.
Thus the assailants would be as well protected as the men in the fort.
Price agreed to the plan.
The fort was successfully stormed and
Lexington was captured with its garrison of about 3,000 men. At the
battle of Pea Ridge,
Green and his Missourians acted, as on all other occasions, a gallant part.
When
Van Dorn and
Price were ordered across the
Mississippi in the spring of 1862,
Green's brigade followed the fortunes of
Price.
They did not get across
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in time to participate in the
battle of Shiloh, but they did bear their share of all the operations of the army in
Mississippi Green, promoted to brigadier-general in the
Confederate service, July 21, 1862, took command of the Third brigade of
Price's army.
He came upon the battlefield of
Iuka at the close of the fight, and then marched to the junction with
Van Dorn, after which was fought the bloody
battle of Corinth, in which the three
Missouri regiments of his brigade, the Fourth and Sixth infantry and Third cavalry, lost 443 killed, wounded and missing. On the second day, and at Hatchie bridge, he commanded
Hebert's division, took an important part in the fight and the protection of the retreat and was commended by
General Price.
When
Grant crossed the
Mississippi below
Vicksburg,
Green, commanding a brigade of
Bowen's division, marched with part of his men to
Port Gibson, took command of the forces already there, also of
Tracy's brigade after it came up, selected the position occupied by the Confederate forces, and fought a gallant battle until overwhelmed by superior numbers.
With his own proper command of about 800 men he withstood the attacks of several thousand Federals from a little after midnight until 10:30 a. m. During the
siege of Vicksburg, which began on the 18th of May, he was indefatigable in the performance of duty.
On June 25th he was wounded, and on the morning of the 27th when he was in the ditches as was his wont, reconnoitering the positions of the enemy along his front, and while looking over the parapet in front of the sap of the enemy, which was only about 60 yards distant, he was shot through the head by a sharpshooter and almost instantly killed.
Gen. Tom P. Dockery, who succeeded him in command, said: ‘He joined the army as a private soldier when the tocsin of war first sent its notes throughout the West He served his country long and faithfully.
His soldiers regarded him with that reverence due a father, and many a tear was shed at his fall.
He was a pure
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patriot and a gallant officer, and a true Christian, divested of everything like a thirst for military fame.
He acted solely from a sense of duty and right and a pure love of country, and thus inseparably entwined himself not only around the hearts of his troops, but of all who knew him.’
Major-General John Sappington Marmaduke was born near
Arrow Rock, Mo., on March 14, 1833.
Brought up on his father's farm, with such preparation as he could get in country schools, he entered Yale college at the age of seventeen, and after spending two years there and one at
Harvard he was appointed to the United States military academy, where he was graduated in 1857.
He served on frontier duty, was in the
Utah expedition under
Albert Sidney Johnston, and held the rank of second-lieutenant of the Seventh infantry when he resigned his commission to enter the service of the
Confederate States, April 17, 1861.
With the commission of first-lieutenant of cavalry he was assigned to service with
General Hardee, and soon after he was promoted to lieutenantcol-onel, and on January 1, 1862, to colonel of the Third Confederate infantry, an Arkansas regiment.
At the
battle of Shiloh his regiment bore the guiding colors of the brigade and captured the first prisoners of the day, and he was mentioned with praise in the official reports.
In the second day's battle he was wounded and disabled, and while in hospital was recommended for promotion to the rank of brigadier-general.
He commanded his brigade of Arkansans during the siege of
Corinth, and later was ordered to the Trans-
Mississippi, and assigned to duty as a brigadier-general September 28th, under
General Hindman.
In command of
Hindman's cavalry division, brigades of
Shelby and
Bradfute, he rendered valuable services.
Taking a conspicuous part as a division commander in the
battle of Prairie Grove he was warmly commended by
General Hindman, who noted in his report
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that
Marmaduke had apparently not been confirmed as brigadier, and declared that if the higher authorities had witnessed his valor at
Shiloh and
Prairie Grove, the honor would not be delayed.
In January, 1863, he led an expedition in
Missouri and attacked
Springfield, and defeated a considerable body of the enemy at
Hartville, compelling by his maneuvers the withdrawal of
General Blunt's army to
Springfield and the destruction of a long chain of forts.
In April he made a more formidable expedition, leading the cavalrymen of
Shelby,
Greene,
Carter and
Burbridge to
Cape Girardeau.
He defeated the
Federals at
Taylor's Creek May 11th, and commanded the heroic brigades of
Shelby and
Greene in the attack on
Helena, July 4, 1863, his part of the action failing for want of support.
During
Price's defense of
Little Rock he commanded the cavalry of the army, which, fighting as the rear guard, was reported as ‘skillfully handled and behaved admirably.’
At this time occurred his duel with
Brig.-Gen. L. M. Walker, which resulted in the death of the latter.
Marmaduke was put in arrest, but was ordered to resume command during pending operations, and subsequently was formally released by
General Holmes.
On October 25, 1863, he attacked
Pine Bluff with his division, but without success.
At the opening of the
Red river campaign, 1864, he held the line of the
Ouachita, scouring the country in front to within 25 miles of
Little Rock, and when
Steele advanced to co-operate with
Banks he harassed and delayed the
Federal movement from the north to
Camden to such an extent as to make it ineffectual, fighting gallantly at
Elkin's ferry, April 2d, 3d and 4th, and at Prairie d'ane, April 9th.
On the 18th he won the brilliant action at
Poison Spring, and at
Jenkins' ferry he rendered important services.
In recognition of his valuable services
Marmaduke was made a major-general, though his commission was not received until March 17, 1865.
In May and June, 1864, he was stationed on the
Mississippi, and had a creditable encounter
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with
A. J. Smith at
Lake Village.
With
Sterling Price on the great
Missouri raid of 1864, he commanded one of the three columns of division and was greatly distinguished.
At the
battle of Little Blue, October 21st, two horses were killed under him while he was endeavoring to stem the onset of the enemy's forces which from this point forced
Price to make a retreat.
He was in fierce battle on the 22d, 23d and on the 25th, at Marais des Cygnes, was overwhelmed while guarding the rear, and made prisoner.
He was carried to
Fort Warren, and there held until August, 1865.
After his release he took a journey to
Europe for his health.
In May, 1866, he returned to
Missouri and engaged in the commission business until 1869, when he became superintendent of Southern agencies for an insurance company.
He was editor of various
Missouri papers, 1871-74; in 1874 secretary of the State board of agriculture, and from 1875 to 1880 a member of the railroad commission of
Missouri.
From 1885 to 1887 he held the honored position of governor of the
State.
He died at
Jefferson City, December 28, 1887.
Brigadier-General Mosby Monroe Parsons was born in
Virginia in 1819.
Early in life he removed to
Cole county, Mo., where he studied law and began its practice.
From 1853 to 1857 he was attorney-general of
Missouri and subsequently was honored by his constituents with a seat in the State senate.
When war was declared against
Mexico, he became a captain in the army of the United States and served with considerable reputation.
He was in the invading force that entered
California, and received honorable mention for services at
Sacramento.
After the close of the war he returned to his home and resumed his practice.
When the war between the
Northern and Southern States of the great Republic commenced, his whole sympathy was with the
South.
In company with
Gov. Claiborne F. Jackson he tried to ally
Missouri with the
Confederate States.
He was exceedingly
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active in organizing the
State militia and succeeded in raising a mounted brigade, which he commanded with signal ability at
Carthage and at
Springfield.
He continued to serve in
Missouri during 1861, some of the time having a separate command, but generally serving under
Price.
He rendered important service at the
battle of Pea Ridge (
Elkhorn), his brigade doing some of the hardest fighting of that well-fought field.
He served all through 1862 and 1863 in the
Arkansas campaigns, being commissioned a brigadier-general in the
Confederate service on the 5th of November, 1862.
When
Banks began his
Red river campaign in 1864,
Parsons was sent to reinforce the army under
Dick Taylor.
He reached
Mansfield just at the close of that brilliant victory and on the next day commanded the division of
Missouri infantry at the
battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9th, losing 33 killed and 288 wounded. Upon the retreat of
Banks,
Gen. Kirby Smith detached
Parson's command with other troops and marched against
Steele in
Arkansas.
He encountered that general at
Marks' Mill and again at Jenkins' Ferry, forcing him to beat a retreat back to
Little Rock.
In this double campaign, in which the
Confederates recovered large parts of
Louisiana and
Arkansas,
Parsons' command added new fame to that already acquired.
Parsons was with
General Price in his last great march through
Arkansas and
Missouri and shared in all the marches, hardships and battles of that trying campaign.
At the close of the war
General Parsons went to
Mexico and joined the republican forces in their war against
Maximilian.
He was killed in an engagement with the imperial forces at
Camargo,
Mexico, on the 7th of August, 1865.
Major-General Sterling Price, called lovingly by his soldiers ‘Old Pap,’ was born in
Prince Edward county, Va., on the 14th of September, 1809.
His early education was acquired in the schools of his native county,
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where he was prepared for Hampden-Sidney college.
After completing the usual course in that institution he returned to his home and became a deputy in the clerk's office.
At the age of 21 he emigrated to
Missouri, when the city of
St. Louis was little more than a depot for the
Indian trade, and when the population of the
State was very scattering.
He made his home in
Chariton county and soon after received an appointment as brigadiergen-eral in the
State militia.
From his earliest manhood,
General Price was a Democrat and in 1836 was elected as such to the general assembly of
Missouri.
He was again elected a representative in 1840 and 1842 and at each session was chosen speaker of the house.
In 1844 he was elected to Congress and served until the opening of the war with
Mexico, when he raised a regiment and had an independent command in
New Mexico and
Chihuahua.
He gained victories over greatly superior forces at Cancada, Lambonda and
Taos.
In this latter battle with 300 men he captured 1,500 prisoners.
For these services
President Polk appointed him a brigadier-general.
Moving next against
Chihuahua, at Santa
Cruz de Rosales, he captured the army of
General Trias, double his own. This was really the last battle of the war; for a treaty of peace between the
United States and
Mexico had been signed a short time before.
At the next State election
General Price was elected governor of
Missouri by a majority of 15,000 votes.
Upon the election of
Abraham Lincoln as president,
Missouri called a convention of which
Price was elected president.
He was at the time an ardent Union man, and at the first there was not a secessionist in that body.
But when it was evident that
President Lincoln intended to pursue a coercive policy, the Missouri State Guard was formed, with
Sterling Price as major-general.
General Price still attempted to preserve the peace of
Missouri, but when
General Lyon captured Camp Jackson and shed the blood of the Missourians unnecessarily, as
Price and
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many other of the best people of the
State thought, the Missouri State Guard and their leader prepared for resist.
ance. The military events which followed have been narrated, and the part of
General Price fully told.
Could
Price have secured the support and co-operation that he desired, he would probably have saved
Missouri to the
Confederacy, notwithstanding the strong Union sentiment that prevailed throughout the northern and eastern sections of the
State.
The
battle of Elkhorn Tavern or
Pea Ridge, in
North Arkansas, was really won by
Price and his Missourians, but
Van Dorn, discouraged by the death of
McCulloch and
McIntosh and the consequent confusion in the wing commanded by them, and mistakenly thinking the enemy's force greatly superior to his own, gave up the victory in his grasp and retreated.
General Van Dorn in his report says: ‘During the whole of this engagement I was with the Missourians under
Price, and I have never seen better fighters than these
Missouri troops, or more gallant leaders than
Price and his officers.
From the first to the last shot they continually rushed on, and never yielded an inch they had won; and when at last they received orders to fall back, they retired steadily and with cheers.
General Price received a severe wound in the action, but would neither retire from the field nor cease to expose his life to danger.’
After the
battle of Elkhorn,
Price received his commission as major-general in the Confederate army, dated the day before that battle.
Shortly after the
battle of Shiloh,
General Price with his Missourians accompanied
Van Dorn to the east of the
Mississippi, and after
Bragg had departed for
Kentucky they were left to face greatly superior numbers under
Grant and
Rosecrans.
At
Iuka and
Corinth he and his men fought with great valor.
The year 1863 found
Price again in the Trans-
Mississippi.
But he was always under the orders of others, some of whom were inferior to himself in ability.
At
Helena, on July 4, 1863,
Price's men were the only
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part of the army that carried the enemy's works.
He co-operated with
Kirby Smith in the campaign against
Banks and
Steele in 1864.
General Price made his last desperate effort to recover
Missouri in the latter part of 1864.
His campaign was marked by brilliant achievements, but at last, when within a short distance of
Kansas City, he was confronted by overwhelming numbers of the enemy and forced to retreat.
At the close of the war he was included in
Kirby Smith's surrender, but preferring exile to submission he left the country and found refuge in
Mexico.
There he engaged in a scheme of colonization under the imperial government, but it proved a very unsatisfactory enterprise.
He returned to the
United States and died at
St. Louis, Mo., on the 29th of September, 1867.
Brigadier-General Joseph O. Shelby was born at
Lexington, Ky., in 1831, of a family prominent in the early history of
Kentucky and
Tennessee, and with a military record extending back to
King's Mountain.
His education was received in the schools of his native State.
At the age of 19 he removed to
Lafayette county, Mo., where by industry and thrift he became the owner of a rope factory, and a planter.
He was rapidly accumulating a fortune when he was led to take an active part in the
Kansas border troubles, siding with the Southern party.
When the civil war commenced he left everything to organize a company of cavalry which marched at once to
Independence, Mo. With them he fought at
Booneville and captured the steamer
Sunshine.
Soon after this he joined
General Price's army in the western part of the
State.
From this time forward
General Shelby was actively engaged in every campaign of the war, west of the
Mississippi.
He was one of the most daring of all the leaders in that part of the general field of conflict and was ever ready for the most hazardous enterprise.
He commanded his company dismounted in
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the defense of
Corinth, and in June, 1862, was commissioned colonel with instructions to find his regiment in
Missouri.
Going with his company to
Devall's Bluff he soon led the advance in a raid into
Missouri and recruited his regiment in
Lafayette county.
In January, 1863, he was commanding a brigade including his own and three other
Missouri regiments, and on the 13th of the following December he received the commission of brigadier-general.
At the
battle of Pea Ridge he especially distinguished himself, as also at
Newtonia,
Cane Hill and
Prairie Grove.
He commanded a division in the
Cape Girardeau expedition, and in the attack on
Helena was severely wounded.
He was especially famous as raider, some of the most important expeditions being intrusted to him by
General Price.
On September 16, 1864,
General Magruder, commanding the district of
Arkansas, issued a congratulatory order in which he said: ‘The
major-general commanding this district announces with pride to the troops one of the most gallant exploits and successful expeditions of the war: the capture of five forts by the heroic
Shelby and his brave officers and men in the face of superior numbers and the destruction of a large portion of the railroad between
Little Rock and
Devall's Bluff.’
He then gives
Shelby's report in full.
We quote a part of it: ‘The immediate and tangible fruits of my expedition are 577 prisoners including one field officer and eleven line officers; over 250 Federals killed and wounded, ten miles of railroad track completely destroyed * * * 3,000 bales of hay consumed by fire; 20 hay machines chopped to pieces; five forts razed to the ground; 500 stand of small arms distributed to my unarmed men; many fine horses captured; twelve barrels of salt brought off and given to a command suffering for it, besides supplying needy soldiers with blankets, shoes, boots, hats and clothing. * * * My details were tearing up the track while the enemy's bullets fired at the covering regiments were throwing splinters from the
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ties in their faces.’
All this was accomplished in the proximity of a much larger Federal force, which did not attack him, because
Shelby's skillful movements had caused them to greatly exaggerate his strength.
This was but one of his many daring and successful affairs with the enemy in the campaigns in
Arkansas and
Missouri.
General Shelby's generous disposition, careful regard for his followers, and dauntless courage, made him the idol of his men. When the surrender had been made and the army disbanded,
Shelby gathered about him 600 men, for the most part Missourians ready to follow him anywhere, whom he led to
Mexico to take part in the war between the imperialists under
Maximilian and the republicans under
Juarez.
He had expected to aid
Maximilian, but the emperor's propositions did not please him and hence he changed his military scheme into a colonization enterprise.
Among those in the colony with him were
Gen. Sterling Price,
General McCausland of
Virginia and
General Lyon of
Kentucky.
In 1867
General Shelby returned to the
United States and to his farm in
Missouri.
He was to the last thoroughly Southern in sentiment, and remained in retirement most of the time after the war. In 1893 he was appointed by
President Cleveland marshal for the western district of
Missouri, an office he held until his death.
During the great railroad strike of that year he performed his duties with the same fearlessness that he had shown during his military career.
General Shelby in private life commanded the love and esteem of his neighbors.
His presence at the annual Confederate reunions always aroused the greatest enthusiasm of the old veterans, and none will be more sadly missed at these yearly gatherings than
Joseph O. Shelby, the gallant western military leader.
His death occurred at his country home near
Adrian, Mo., February 13, 1897.
Major-General John G. Walker was born in
Cole
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county,
Mo., July 22, 1822.
He was educated at the
Jesuit college,
St. Louis, and in 1843 was commissioned as a lieutenant in the First mounted rifles, United States army.
He served in the
Mexican war as captain, and after the close of that struggle was retained as an officer in the regular army.
He resigned his commission in 1861 to take part with the people of the
South in their struggle for separate independence.
He was at once made major of cavalry in the regular army of the
Confederate States, his commission being dated from March 16, 1861.
He soon became lieutenant-colonel, then colonel and in September, 1861, was assigned to command of a brigade in
Virginia, comprising the First Arkansas, Second Tennessee, and Twelfth North Carolina infantry.
Not long afterward he was promoted to brigadiergen-eral.
He served under
General Holmes in the Aquia district and the department of North Carolina When
Lee marched against
Pope, he was placed in charge of a division and left with three other division commanders,
R. H. Anderson,
Lafayette McLaws and
D. H. Hill, to watch
McClellan's movements in the neighborhood of
Westover.
As soon as it was certain that the whole Federal army had been withdrawn to the defense of
Washington City, these three divisions rejoined the army of Northern Virginia for the invasion of
Maryland.
Walker led his division to the support of
Jackson at
Harper's Ferry, and was directed to seize
Loudoun Heights.
This he did, and after the surrender of
Harper's Ferry marched with the other divisions of
Jackson's command to
Sharpsburg.
In the opening of the great battle of September 17, 1862, his division was first on the right, but was soon sent to the support of
Jackson.
On the way being asked for help by
Gen. D. H. Hill,
Walker sent him the Twenty-seventh North Carolina and the Third Arkansas, and hurried on with the rest of his force and, quickly forming on
Hood's left, made sure Confederate victory in that part of the field.
He was promoted to
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major-general November 8, 1862, and was now called upon to bid farewell to the army of Northern Virginia, and go to a new field in the Trans-
Mississippi, where he took command of the
Texas division of infantry.
Walker had not been long with his new troops before he brought them to a high state of efficiency.
Gen. Richard Taylor, in his account of military operations in
Louisiana, thus speaks of
General Walker: ‘He had thoroughly disciplined his men, and made them in every sense soldiers, and their efficiency in action was soon established.’
Speaking of a successful battle fought on the 3d of November at Bourbeau, La., in which three regiments from
Walker's division were engaged,
Taylor again comments upon ‘the admirable conduct of
Walker's men in action.’
His division in the
Red river campaign maintained its splendid record in the battles against
Banks and
Steele.
In June, 1864, he was assigned to command the district of West Louisiana, succeeding
Gen. Richard Taylor, and subsequently he was until March 31, 1865, in command of the district of Texas,
New Mexico and
Arizona, and at
Houston on the 27th indignantly refused the terms of surrender offered by
Gen. Lew Wallace at
Point Isabel, declaring that he would not ‘basely yield all that we have been fighting for during the last four years, namely, nationality and the rights of self government.’
His command at this time included
Steele's
Texas division of cavalry,
Bee's
Texas division of cavalry,
Cooper's division of
Indians,
Bagby's division of
Texas and
Louisiana cavalry, and
Slaughter's brigade.
After the war
General Walker served as consul-general at
Bogota, and as special commissioner to invite the South American republics to the Pan-American convention won the complimentary mention of
Secretary Blain He died at
Washington, July 20, 1893.
