LYLE RANDOLPH Special to the Daily Dunklin Democrat
In mid-August, Confederate General Gideon Pillow and his "Army of Liberation" were occupying New Madrid and establishing a base of operations against Federal forces at Bird's Point in Mississippi County and at Cairo, Illinois. Confederate General W.J. Hardee had moved from Arkansas into Southeast Missouri near Greenville in Wayne County. The majority of the soldiers from Dunklin County were with General Jeff Thompson and the First Division of the Missouri State Guard. Throughout the month, the State Guard troops often found themselves moving across the swamps between Pillow and Hardee trying to support an offensive that never seemed to gain any momentum. With Thompson anxious to move northward, the indecisiveness of the Confederate commanders during these weeks frustrated Thompson.
Earlier on August 5, the secessionist Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson issued a proclamation from New Madrid in which he declared that Missouri was a "sovereign, free and independent Republic". Acting on authority of the Legislature's midnight session of May 10, Jackson declared that the political connection between the United States and Missouri was "totally dissolved".
The men from Dunklin continued to organize and on August 4, an artillery unit, Company B or "Richardson Artillery" was formed, composed of men from Dunklin and New Madrid Counties.
The first Missouri unit of any type to enter Confederate service--as opposed to service in the Missouri State Guard--arrived in New Madrid in mid-August with Pillow's Army of Liberation. Colonel John S. Bowen's First Infantry Regiment was organized near Memphis in June. The regiment consisted of men from St. Louis and from the Bootheel counties, primarily Pemiscot and New Madrid.
Meanwhile, the Confederate successes in Southwest Missouri in early August brought vigor to the Southern cause and led a New Orleans newspaper to announce, "The next word will be 'On to St. Louis!' That taken, the power of Lincolnism is broken in the whole West; and, instead of shouting 'Ho! for Richmond!' and 'Ho! for New Orleans!' there will be hurrying to and fro, among the frightened magnates at Washington, and anxious inquiries of what they shall do to save themselves from the vengeance to come."
In the Bootheel, Brigadier General Jeff Thompson had arrived at Sikeston on the evening of August 12. The following day, Thompson sent an expedition to Charleston under the command of Major Thomas Brown, a native of Mississippi County who was leading the First Infantry Battalion and Lieutenant Colonel William L. Jeffers with some of his cavalry. Lieutenant Colonel William Preston, aide de camp to General Thompson and a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, was sent along as an advisor. The expedition entered the town peaceably and remained overnight. The next morning, the expedition was surprised by a group of Federals rushing back into town. The Union troops were being pursued from New Madrid by men from a Missouri State Guard cavalry unit led by Captain James D. White. A few shots fired in the exchange, but no one was hurt.
After a few days in Sikeston, Thompson was ordered to Benton on August 18. Thompson went to Benton with Colonel James A. Walker's First Infantry, the "Dunklin County Regiment"; Lieutenant Colonel Jonas Eaker's Second Infantry Regiment from Stoddard County; Brown's First Infantry Battalion and Major Alexander Waugh's Scott County Infantry Battalion. In addition, the "Mounted Rangers" Cavalry Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Jeffers (organized at Bloomfield on August 2 and would later expand to become the Second Cavalry Regiment) and an artillery unit with two guns led by Captain Drake McDowell. "McDowell's Battery", also known as Company A, was organized on August 18 and composed of men from various counties, including Dunklin. In all, a total of about 1,500 men accompanied Thompson to Benton. Hunter's Battalion and Jenning's Battalion of Infantry and other odd companies of cavalry remained at Sikeston.
Major General McCown was sent up from New Madrid to Watkin's Farm to support Thompson. They traveled as far north as the farm of Nathaniel Watkins, four miles south of Benton.
Col. Hunter was ordered to Charleston and, on Monday, August 19, approximately 200 infantry and 150 cavalry men of the Missouri State Guard under Col. J.H. Hunter of New Madrid, arrived in Charleston and camped in and around the Methodist Church. The rebels were composed of companies from Dunklin and Bollinger counties, with a few from New Madrid and other counties; and, they came into town and encamped in and around the Charleston Methodist Church. The troops were partly armed with guns taken from Federal forces in Stoddard County previously, while the remainder had long hunting rifles that were common to the area. The cavalry troops were armed with shot guns, pistols, sabers and Bowie knifes.
Around dark, a picket of forty-four men under Lieutenant Albert Woodard of New Madrid was dispatched to Hough's Station about six miles northeast of Charleston to look for a small detachment of Federal troops. The same night, a detachment of the 22nd Illinois Infantry, which was stationed at Bird's Point, took 250 men and went by train over the Cairo & Fulton Railroad to Charleston where the force of infantry and cavalry belonging to the Missouri state troops was encamped around the church. At about 9:30pm, when nearing Charleston, the troops were divided into two parties, one commanded by Colonel Henry Dougherty and the other by Lieut.-Col. Hart. About 100 yards from the church the cavalry, numbering about 200, was drawn up to dispute the further progress of the Federals. One volley was sufficient to drive them into a convenient cornfield. Dougherty then ordered the men forward at the double-quick to the public square, where the main body of the infantry was encountered. The enemy took shelter behind the houses and poured a heavy fire on the Union troops, who stood like veterans and answered shot for shot. In the meantime the cavalry had been rallied and attacked Hart, who faced his men both ways and finally succeeded in dispersing them. Colonel Jason H. Hunter, commanding the Missouri units, hurriedly retreated. After learning of the skirmish, General Jeff Thompson was furious that Hunter did not have a single sentinel around his encampment and ordered the arrest of his Colonel, censuring him for "abominable management" of the expedition. The Federals reported that one man was killed, William P. Sharp of Company A, and six men were wounded, including Colonel Dougherty, whose shoulder was broken with the butt of a musket by a rebel who had surrendered. Col. Ransom of the 11th was shot through the shoulder by another rebel who had surrendered. George S. Perry was slightly wounded in the arm, Corporal J.C. Park, flesh wound; Capt. Johnson of Company A, shot in the leg; Lewis Sharp, father of the man killed, was shot in the leg. The wounded Missouri troops included William Owens of Dunklin County, who was shot through the thigh and was cared for by Rev. Watts, whose house he had crawled to during the fight. Thompson's volunteer aide de camp, Captain Thomas Hoy, had his finger blown off during the action and a third unidentified man, who had received a flesh wound in the thigh, had sought refuge in a field west of town and was not discovered until the following morning. After the engagement, the Missouri State troops took the railroad line back to the main body of their army in Sikeston. After the troops departed, an uninjured soldier was found by citizens sleeping under the seats of the school house across from the Methodist Church. The school house had been riddled with bullets and was within a few feet of the heaviest firing; yet, the soldier was still sound asleep, having never heard the noise. The soldier was surprised to learn when awakened that there had been a fight and now the town was empty of troops. Taking advice that he should leave town, the soldier started to leave for Sikeston, but realizing he had no information to share, had to stop at a house to inquire "which side had whipped!"
After the Illinois troops had left Charleston and while returning to Bird's Point, a detachment of fifty men from the First Illinois Cavalry under Captain Robert D. Noleman surprised the picket of Missouri troops led by First Lieutenant Woodward at Fish Lake. Fish Lake, also known as Big Lake, has long since drained, but had been the home of Renzin Bowie, inventor of the Bowie knife, for two years in around 1800. When Woodard's men found no Federal soldiers upon arrival at Hough's Station hour earlier, they assume they had returned to Bird's Point and settled down for the night. At early dawn, the Illinois troops attacked and after some forty shots had been fired, nearly the entire Missouri picket was captured. In all, thirty-three men from the Missouri State Guard were captured, including First Lieutenant Woodard and eleven more men his Company A. After his surrender, Woodward was accidentally shot in the leg. The same discharge also wounded 19-year old Private Frederick A. Penney of New Madrid. Most of the prisoners were taken to Cairo, while the wounded prisoners were given medical care at Bird's Point before being taken into Illinois. Letters that some of the prisoners wrote back to their families in Bootheel were published in the St. Louis paper within a few days of their capture. The prisoners would later be exchanged.
Additional federal troops from Cape Girardeau were reportedly sent down to Commerce, arriving at 2am on the morning of the 20th. At about 10pm on the night of August 21st, General Thompson left Benton with an expedition of Cavalry and a 6 pound artillery gun, to seek out the reported Federals at Commerce. Lt. Col. Preston led the advance charge into the community, but no enemy was found in the town. Thompson found that no only had the Federal troops departed, but every male citizen had also departed, leaving only the women and children. Thompson's troops remained in Commerce until the following morning, hoping to surprise any returning refugees. As a small boat of men was returning from the Illinois side of the river the next morning, Thompson opened fire with his small artillery gun. It was at this time that Thompson "from a spirit of defiance and devilment...fired a solid shot across at the State of Illinois". The reports of these artillery shots were reported in many of the northern papers. After Thompson's troops raided the local stores of corn, dried apples and whiskey, they returned to Benton.
On August 21, Crittenden Wagster, of Company E, First Infantry Regiment, was appointed Regimental Quartermaster. Wagster of Dunklin County had enlisted at Hornersville. Also during this time, Lt. Governor Thomas C. Reynolds and Dr. Joseph McDowell came to Benton to join Thompson's command. Thompson issued an order addressed to citizens that they should be "sworn in", stay home and attend to their private business. To be "sworn in" by one of Thompson's officers would mean taking an oath similar to the following: "Know all men, that I do solemnly swear that I will bear true allegiance to the State of Missouri, and support the Constitution of the State, and that I will not give aid, comfort, information, protection, or encouragement to the enemies or opposers of the Missouri State Guard, or of their allies, the Armies of the Confederate States, upon the penalty of death for treason." Another order was issued by Thompson from Camp Buchanan on August 8th declaring that "anyone who should 'press' property who was not a regular Quartermaster, or whoever should be caught stealing horses, etc., would be hung to the nearest tree."
Near the end of the month, Thompson was ordered to fall back and, subsequently, the forces moved to Hunter's Farm, an area protected by the swamp, called St. John's Lake. While at Hunter's Farm, a man was caught with a stolen horse and brought to Thompson. The married man stated he was a Southern supporter; and, when told he would be hanged for the theft, he questioned why he would be hanged for something everybody was doing. Thompson responded that, "the practice must be stopped, and somebody must be hung to stop it, and I might as well hang you as anybody else." Thompson would later reflect that this stern action--along with the hanging of three horse thieves later at Bloomfield--stopped the horse stealing in the region until he was no longer given authority to punish for it.
On August 28, Missouri Lieutenant Governor Reynolds wrote from Camp Hunter in Scott County to Memphis that Lt. Col. Moore, quartermaster of Thompson's brigade, would be going to Memphis to get supplies. On August 30, the First Cavalry Regiment was organized, consisting of six companies. Andrew F. Jones of Dunklin County was elected Colonel. Later near Holcomb's Island in Dunklin County, Jones became involved in a dispute with some other Confederate men over the division of captured property. Jones, along with two men in his company, were killed in Jones' yard as a result of the argument. The county had become so lawless by that time that neither a military nor civil inquiry was held.
Under Jones' command, Edward Alexander Lewis of Cape Girardeau County was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the First Cavalry Regiment. Lewis would later be killed in action on May 18, 1862 near Hornersville.
As August came to a close, the impact of the war was being felt in all of the Bootheel counties. Although fighting had not yet come to Dunklin and Pemiscot, most men of those counties were nearby fighting to repel the Union forces. Those left behind at home were challenged with the struggle to keep farms and businesses operating. For newspapers in the Bootheel, the struggle went beyond economics and most did not survive the first few months of the war. The Cape Girardeau Eagle reported, "We have received information that our paper will be stopped if we do not change our course. We intend to publish what we think is right, and express our opinions freely about public maters, and if anybody wants to stop this paper, let them do it. It might prove a money-making operation to its owners." The paper's position was described as being sympathetic to the State, but it "advocated the Union, the Constitution, and the enforcement of laws, until it found the State invaded by armed men from other States, and some of them from distant countries who could not even speak our language." The New Madrid Times, Southeast Missourian, Bloomfield Herald and Southeast Democrat all went under, leading the Charleston Courier to declare, "Verily, Mister Lincoln's reign is not good for newspapers."
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