Civil War in Ripley County The Burning of Doniphan Current River Heritage Museum a project of e Doniphan Neighborhood Assistance Program 101 Washington Street Doniphan, MO 63935 573-996-5298 www.doniphanmissouri.org rctourism@windstream.net 1
The Civil War Begins One would have expected at settlers on e eastern edge of e Ozarks were looking forward to grow and prosperity in 1860. Land was cheap, more families were moving in, and communities were being established wi churches, schools, stores and post offices. But in America, e slavery question had led to a conflict between states rights and e union; a breakup between e Nor and e Sou was at hand. Missouri was a border state. In e spring of 1861 e sectional lines solidified and across e state, men had to decide for e Union or Confederacy. In soueast Missouri and Ripley county e sentiment was pro-sou. When one pioneer and his sons went to vote for president at e courouse in Poplar Bluff in 1859, e clerk told em ere was no A. Lincoln on e ballot. Governor Claiborne Jackson set up a pro-confederate state militia headed by General Sterling Price and a secessionist convention was held in Jefferson City in July. When Federal troops under General Naaniel Lyon moved on e city, Jackson and his supporters fled to e souwest part of e state. Those who stayed constituted emselves e state legislature and elected Hamilton Gamble governor. Missouri had two groups claiming to be e state s legitimate government. On e morning of August 10, 1861, Lyon s forces clashed wi an army of Missouri Confederates under General Price at Wilson s Creek, ten miles sou of Springfield. After five hours of bloody fighting e Union forces retreated. General Lyon had been killed and e federal forces had lost 1,317 killed or wounded. Confederate losses totaled 1,222 and weakened em so ey were not able to march on e capital. Alough e Union forces had lost e most significant Civil War battle in Missouri, ey maintained control of e state. Nevereless, Governor Jackson s faction of e legislature met at Neosho, and on October 28 announced it supported an ordinance of secession. A mon later e Confederacy ushered Missouri into its ranks, gave it a star in e Confederate flag and a seat in its congress even ough it remained in e Union Missouri would be e scene of some of e most destructive fighting of e Civil War. Ripley County, a no-man s land border county, would be e site of an ugly guerrilla conflict in which no quarter was given. Alough a number of citizens fled to e nor or east, and some joined e Union forces, many joined e Confederate side. However, e majority, while sympaetic to e Souern cause, waned to stay home, tend eir farms and keep out of e conflict. Some families, like e Keels, had sons fighting on bo sides. 2
Ripley County provided four colonels, all to e Sou. Col. Aden Lowe was rd killed at e battle of Fredericktown and replaced as head of e 3 Infantry st Regiment, 1 Division, Missouri State Guard by Doniphanite Isaac N. Hedgpe. Willis Ponder was commander of e 12 Missouri Regiment when he was captured in 1864. Locally, e best know of e colonels was Timoy Reeves (Reves), who commanded e 15 Missouri Cavalry Regiment. Like oer souern Missouri border counties, Ripley was e scene of several skirmishes between Union and Confederate forces. Three major roads, e Old Military, St. Louis-Little Rock and Bellevue, gave e county a degree of military importance. Neier Nor nor Sou was ever fully in control of e region, making it a fertile ground for lawless bands of bushwhackers. Federal forces, first Company B of e 12 Missouri State Militia Cavalry under Captain William Leeper, and rd later e 3 Missouri State Militia Cavalry led by Major James Wilson, were charged wi removing Confederates from e area. However, ey never had enough men or materiel to hold e border counties. The Confederacy was not willing to devote enough forces to e area eier and left much of e defense and recruitment effort up to e 15 Missouri Cavalry Regiment under Colonel Reeves. Reeves was a fire and brimstone Baptist minister who migrated to Ripley County in 1844. During e first part of e war, he led a company of Independent Scouts at acted as a Ripley County home guard unit. It was a unit at showed little compassion for e populace it was defending, taking crops, horses and livestock when needed and forcing recruits, willing or unwilling, into its ranks. In 1863 Reeves was promoted to Colonel and given command of e 15 Missouri Cavalry and integrated his Scouts into at regiment. Skirmishes 1861-63 The first clash was a small skirmish on March 26, 1862, at Briar Creek on e Pocahontas-Van Buren road between Union forces (38 Illinois Volunteer Cavalry) under Colonel William P. Carlin and Confederates. Union losses were two killed and seven wounded. The action continued at Pitman s Ferry on April 1 and at Doniphan on April 4 where e town came under cannon fire. Earlier, William L. Russell, e county clerk, hearing of e Briar skirmish and reports of Union forces moving down e Greenville Road, took action to protect e county s records. According to Hume, Russell took e records and hid em in a cave on Eleven Point River near what used to be Johnston Ferry. In 1867 G. H. Hutcherson, en County Clerk, retrieved em. Very few Ripley County records exist for e 1863-1867 period. In October, 1862, Union units from Iowa and Missouri attacked 1,500 rebel soldiers at Pitman s Ferry and took 40 prisoners, but were unable to hold e area 3
and returned nor. Confederates under General William Hardee had built fortifications on e sou side of e river in 1861 defending e Old Military Road s ferry crossing. In December Union Brigadier General John Davidson took Van Buren and in January passed rough Ripley County to Alton and West Plains before returning to Pilot Knob on February 20, 1863. In April, CSA General John Marmaduke invaded Missouri from Arkansas and advanced nor in two main columns. The eastern column under Marmaduke passed rough Doniphan while e western column under General Jo Shelby entered western Ripley County from Oregon County and headed nor on e Bellevue Road. As e war ebbed and flowed across Ripley and oer border counties e devastation grew. If one army didn t take what little a farmer had, e oer one did. And when ere was no army, ere were e bushwhackers like Sam Hildebrand. Those circumstances made victims of Faer Hogan s small Irish colony which disappeared as families fled e area. nd rd In August 1863, Federal forces, mounted cavalry of e 2 and 3 Missouri State Militia, came sou and went rough Doniphan and on to Pocahontas. There, in a surprise attack, ey captured General M. Jeff Thompson and part of his staff and quickly returned nor. In e afterma, e Confederate s 15 Missouri cavalry was meshed wi Reeves company of scouts and Timoy Reeves was put in command. Except for General Price s raid in 1864, Reeves unit would be e Confederate force in e Ripley County area for e rest of e war. For much of e rest of e war, Reeves men had small battles wi Missouri State Militia units, usually eier under Captain William Leeper or Major James Wilson. There were skirmishes at Buckskull on e Arkansas line and brief engagements in oer parts of e county. In November 1863, Wilson s troops occupied Doniphan, Poplar Bluff and Alton wi e intent of guarding e polls for an upcoming election and eliminating bushwhackers. On December 21, a company of Reeves cavalry under Captain David Reed captured Centerville and about 100 Union soldiers wi eir horses. Leaving a small garrison behind, Reed returned to Ripley County to turn e prisoners over e Colonel Reeves who had been recruiting soldiers in e area and was camped at Pulliam s farm 14 miles souwest of Doniphan. Word of e Centerville raid quickly reached Pilot Knob and two mounted cavalry companies under Major Wilson were sent in hot pursuit of Reed. Col. Timoy Reeves 4
The unit passed rough Doniphan and headed souwest capturing some of Reeves pickets along e way. The force made a surprise attack on e Confederates at Pulliam s on Christmas Day, killing about 35 and capturing over 100, some of em new recruits to e souern ranks. All e Union prisoners were freed and ere were no Union casualties. It was a devastating blow to Reeves, who wi a number of his men, managed to escape. In e 1980s, auor Jerry Ponder (1937-2005) wrote at 60 or more civilians, including women and children, were massacred on at Christmas day as ey were at Pulliam s for a Christmas dinner wi Reeves troops and eir prisoners. That story is not supported by eyewitness and oer contemporary accounts from eier side. A credible source for is version of e events of at day has not been found. The Burning of Doniphan and Price s Invasion In September, 1864, General Sterling Price formed an army of some 12,000 troops wi 14 pieces of artillery in Arkansas and began Price s Invasion of Missouri. The objective was to reclaim Missouri for e Sou by retaking Jefferson City and installing e exile government. It was e last attempt of e dying Confederacy to gain victory in e west. General Price, a Mexican War hero and former governor of Missouri, divided his army into ree divisions. General Shelby, 5
wi his cavalry, formed e column on e left flank and General Marmaduke s division was on e right. General James Fagan commanded e center column. Price, who weighed over 300 pounds, was ere on a special wagon made for e occasion and accompanied by a small brass band. There was about 20 miles between e columns as ey moved forward. As e invasion advanced on Ripley County, a detachment of Union troops commanded by Lt. Erich Pape, arrived in Doniphan at daybreak of September 19, drove Reeves soldiers out and burned e wooden courouse and e town wi it, sparing only e Meodist Church and Aden Lowe s home. The widow Lowe was apparently feeding some Union troops while oers torched e town. While e burning of Doniphan was tied to Price s raid, it was also an act of retribution for guerrilla attacks. Shelby s cavalry arrived in e afternoon, crossing Current River about a half mile above e present bridge, but e Yankees had fled to e nor, burning farmhouses and outbuildings as ey went. Shelby s troops caught up wi Pape s unit at Ponder s Mill on Little Black just over e Butler County line. In e battle at followed 16 of e 80-man Yankee force were killed or captured while e Rebels lost only six. Generals Price and Fagan crossed e river at Indian Ford near Pratt while Marmaduke s division entered at Pitman s Ferry. Once again e Old Military Road was e scene of history as Price s army moved nor. The invaders soon reached Pilot Knob where ey took Fort Davidson after heavy losses and e successful escape of e Union troops. Turning west, Price s army fought a series of battles sou of e Missouri River, was unable to take Jefferson City and received final defeat at e battle of Westport near e Kansas Corder. One outcome of e battle at Pilot Knob is part of Ripley County history. Price s soldiers captured major Wilson, leader of e Christmas Day attack at Pallium s and e man who gave e order to burn Doniphan. Wilson had earlier told a nephew at if he were ever captured and turned over to Timoy Reeves, he would be given no quarter because he had been successful in breaking up ree of Reeves recruitment efforts in e Ripley County area. The prophecy proved correct as Wilson and five oers were handed over to Reeves and summarily executed near Washington, MO on October 3, 1864. The Federals soon retaliated, summarily executing six rebel prisoners in St. Louis. 6
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