'Grandpap' is Paroled - 7 June 1865

For quite some time, I thought it would be neat to try and find where my 3rd Great-Grandfather, Joseph G. Lewis, was paroled from the service of the Confederate States of America. My dad was told from his Grandpa Lewis that this occurred in Shreveport, LA. We are blessed enough to have a copy of the actual parole paper that my grandfather, LT Joseph G. Lewis signed.
I think it is great that I have his signature on this very important document. In case you don't read the whole parole, the key part says, "do hereby give my solemn PAROLE OF HONOR, that I will not hereafter serve in the Armies of the Confederate States, or in any military capacity whatever, against the United States of America,"....

And then it is signed, this very day in June, 1865. That was 144 years ago.

Well, on my way to Ft. Benning, GA in early April this year, I stayed the night in Shreveport. I went to pay for the night at the hotel, and in the lobby, there were pamphlets of places of local interest. Well, I saw one that had historical sites on it. I wondered if perhaps there was some sort of memorial to the Confederacy there in town. And lo and behold, there in the pamphlet, was a picture of a Confederate monument that was on the sight of the last Confederate flag being flown in town, and it was dated 26 May 1865. Needless to say, I felt it had to be the place where Joseph and the rest of the 8th MO Cavalry Regiment signed those parole papers and went back home a few days later.

So the next day, I excitedly rose and got ready to leave. I went to the site in downtown Shreveport. As one might surmise it was on the sight of the court house, which was used as General Kirby Smith's headquarters for much of the War. The old court house burnt down and a new one is built on the same location. But I lingered quite a while on the site of the monument. It is a beautiful monument.

Here is the monument with a Confederate Soldier on the top, and Generals Lee and Jackson (repsectively) looking on. General P.G.T. Beauregard and Govenor Henry Allen round out the busts on the monument.

The local United Daughters of the Confederacy (as I recall) paid for the monument and had it erected in the early 1900's. I can't recall exactly when it was put up. From the picture it looks like 1905. But that figure of the young women is writing with her hand on the monument her gratitude to the men of the Confederacy for their sacrifices in search of liberty for their families back home during the War Between the States.

Here is a bust of General Robert E. Lee with the 3rd Confederate National Flag
waving in the background.

As you can see from the pics (sorry for the quality...all I had was the camera on my phone) it was a beautiful spring morning. Perfect in fact, for such a visit. As I stood there, I thought about those men who surrendered there during that time. I felt their presence there that day. I especially felt the presence of my Grandpa Lewis, and his brother Eli Lewis and other family relations and friends of theirs who served with them in the 8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment. It was a special time for me, and an honor to visit the monument that day and think on those men. I gave my dad a call and talked with him a bit and read the inscriptions to him. I knew he would have very much liked to have been there with me. And even though he couldn't be there personally that day with me, he got to share in the moment with me a bit.

My respect goes thankfully goes out to those men who finally on 7 June 1865 laid down their weapons of war after so much sacrifice and blood shed on behalf of their homes, friends and families back in Missouri for four long and dreadful years. Praise be to God for the men of the 8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment!!

Camp Jackson Massacre - 10 May 1861

I'm a bit late with the anniversary of this post, but since I've been quite busy and away for almost 8 weeks at the 'Ft. Benning Army School for Boys', you'll just have to forgive me for my lapse in posts! So here are the circumstances leading up the Camp Jackson Massacre.

Missouri Governor Claiborne F. Jackson, rejected President Lincoln's request that Missouri supply enough men for 4 regiments. Governor Jackson replied,

"Sir: Your dispatch of the (April) 15th instant, making a call on Missouri for four regiments of men for immediate service, has been received. There can be, I apprehend, no doubt that the men are intended to form a part of the President's army to make war upon the people of the seceded states. Your requisition, in my judgment, is illegal, unconstitutional, and revolutionary in its objects, inhuman and diabolical, and cannot be complied with. Not a man will the State of Missouri furnish to carry out such an unholy crusade."

Governor Claiborne F. Jackson

You see, most of the delegates to the special convention of 18 February 1861 voted to keep Missouri in the Union conditionally. That is, Missouri should remain in the Union so long as her rights were protected by Constitutional guarantees. Another strong concern was that there was no desire to have Federal forces move throughout the state.

To make a long story short, Francis P. Blair, a Missouri congressman and outspoken Republican party leader in Missouri, got President Lincoln to secure the transfer of Captain Lyon to manage the arsenal in St. Louis. There was a great stand of weapons at the arsenal (which contained 60,000 muskets, 90,000 pounds of powder and 1,500,000 ball cartridges) and Lyon managed to move all these precious small arms to Illinois.

Franics P. Blair, Jr.

Nathaniel Lyon

But Governor Claiborne did not sit idly by as men worked to bring armed force into his state. On 20 April he quietly had men secure the arsenal at Liberty, Missouri. Then on 2 May he called a special session of the legislature to assemble & discuss duties of protecting the people of the state and that secession was a strong choice to make. He also asked to mobilize and grow militia forces within the state. Next he instructed the state guard to meet in camps throughout the state, beginning 3 May, for 6 days of training.

One of these camps was Camp Jackson in St. Louis. To shorten the narrative here, a force under General Daniel M. Frost of 800 men or so, were drilling at Camp Jackson. On 9 May, Captain Lyon came into the camp disguised as a women (an appropriate outfit for him - obviously it was quite convincing as he came and went undiscovered!) and noted that there were some arms (intelligence suspected they were sent by the Confederate Government from an arsenal in Louisiana, as General Frost was a close friend of President Davis) on hand, as well as the men drilling.

General Daniel W. Frost

So on 10 May 1861, Captain Lyon came into Camp Jackson with a force of over 7000 men. Of course, General Frost had no choice but to surrender, and peaceably did so. But at this point, a crowd had formed.

The crowd was angry at the "Dutch" (really most of the troops were of German descent) troops and started to taunt them for capturing the men. The German troops called themselves the "Die Schwarze Garde". The crowd started calling them 'The Black Guard' and other insults. Then debris started to reign in on the troops from the crowd. Even a few random shots are purported to have rang out from the crowd toward the troops. The nervous & undisciplined troops, temporarily leader-less (Lyon got off his horse to square things away and got kicked unconscious by his horse!) got antsy and fired back.

This atrocity resulted in upwards of 28 civilians killed and injured (depending on the report you read). Several youth were killed. A mother with her child in her arms was slain by these ungoverned soldiers. This horrible & needless act divided the once neutral State. Captain Lyon's unprofessional leadership and rash decision making caused tens of thousands of Missouri men to enter battle and die, often fighting against one another. The destruction of property ran into the millions. Countless families were interrupted from their normal routines and forced to flee the state, or somehow try and scratch out a living in a war zone.

Captain Lyon can be held utterly responsible for the Camp Jackson Massacre. Additional violent repercussions happened in St. Louis later that day and into the next. Fear abounded and efforts were taken on both the Union and Secession side of thought. Civilians feared destruction and left their homes and fled to Illinois. They were turbulent times indeed after the Camp Jackson Massacre instigated by Captain Lyon.

On 30 May 1861, Blair also got President Lincoln to remove the neutrally mannered General William S. Harney from command of Missouri forces. After a visit from Washington, General Harney made an attempt to smooth over the heightened feelings of Missourians by making the Price-Harney agreement.

General William S. Harney

This agreement basically said that General Harney would not move troops about the State. Price agreed to keep order in the state and to protect the interests of all. But Blair and Lyon did not approve of this arrangement at all. So they had Harney removed and Lyon was inserted in his place. Lyon was now a Brigadier General, despite his horrible handling of the situation at Camp Jackson. His unacceptable actions as an officer of the United States of America took a neutral state and turned it into a state divided. Consequently, Missouri went to have the 3rd most battles in the Civil War. But Lyon got his due portion coming to him for this horrible deed. He was killed in the battle of Oak Hills/Wilson Creek a few months later that year.

Repulsing Steele's Tentative Advance-Spring 1864

You might recognize much of this post from about this time last year. But it tells the story well, so why reinvent the post?! Enjoy reading about how the men of the 8th MO Cavalry under Major General Sterling Price gave their Yank counterparts under their reluctant leader General Frederick Steele, all they wanted and a bit more.

Well, starting March 23, 1864, General Frederick Steele's 'Frontier Division', begrudgingly started south to assist Gen. Banks for work against Shreveport. It took an order from the newly appointed Lt. General U.S. Grant who said, "Move your force in full cooperation with General N.P. Bank's attack on Shreveport. A mere demonstration will not be sufficient." Steele preferred inaction from his Little Rock HQ, but south he marched all the same.

General Frederick Steele

So 'Old Pap' was ordered by Gen. Kirby Smith of the Trans-Mississippi Department to stop Steele's advance - if he could do so without much loss. "Do not risk a general action unless with advantage to yourself. You fall back toward reinforcement."

General E. Kirby Smith

So Pap sent in parts of General Marmaduke's Brigade who was to harass Steele. They got right to work. To make a long story short, although the tallies below look like the 8th MO Cavalry was on the losing side of the battle, the fact is, Steele's so-called Camden Expedition didn't go at all liked planned nor hoped by anyone...except those on the Confederate side. In fact, Steele's Frontier Division just barely made it back to Little Rock before General Kirby Smith and gang could destroy them in detail. So after a little over a month, Gen. Steele was right back where he stated, and much worse for wear. Truth be told, this is considered hands down the worse Union loss in all the engagements of Arkansas during the War.

Of particular note though, on March 14, the day before Grant's telegraph came to him, General Steele did oversee by military force, the vote of the "reconverted 'loyal' ten percent of the state's voters" that would allow Arkansas to be represented in the Federal Congress. This was a recent development of President Lincoln to restore the Union called the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction in December of 1863. Of course, much of the other 90% of the voters were out fighting with General Price throughout the state, but hey, wishful thinking is always a good thing, right?! This was a worthy accomplishment by Gen. Steele to cut him some slack.

So, it would have been good if Steele would have just 'stayed home' like he wanted to, because even though he was numerically superior, he was not able to overcome the superior fightin' man in the ranks of the Confederate force that awaited him under Pap Price!

Major General Sterling "Old Pap" Price

Operations Against Steele’s Expedition from Little Rock to Camden, Arkansas Mar. 23 – May 3, 1864

Elkins’ Ferry (Okolona) Apr. 3-4 - Loss
Prairie D'Ane (Gum Grove, Moscow) Apr. 9-13 - Loss
Camden Apr. 15
Poison Spring Apr. 18 - WIN

Marks' Mill Apr. 25 - WIN
Princeton Apr. 28
Jenkins’ Ferry Apr. 30 - Loss

NOTES - Much of the quotes of the post came from Shelby Foote's, The Civil War - A Narrative, Vol. VII

December/January Actions of the 8th MO Cav

I had a moment here near the end of my Officer Candidate School course, so I thought I'd post a blog. It has been several months since I have been able to do so since I joined the United States Army. It is an honor to be nearly ready (graduation is 08 Jan 2009) to walk that stage and take the Oath of Office as an officer of the United States Army.

Brent L. Harty at Officer Candidate School
30 Nov 2008
Ft. Bragg, GA

Joseph G. Lewis, Civil War veteran
My 3rd Great Grandfather
Circa 1910

CPT Jacob Cossairt
8th MO State Militia Cavalry, US
My 3rd Great Grandfather
Circa 1864

The Civil War is a fascinating time to study and try to apply in life today. Not only from a military history point of view, but the social impact of the War. This looking back at ancestors and why they did what they did at the time is important for me personally to seek out understanding. And hence, much of the reason for this blog!

At any rate, below you'll find some actions of the 8th Misssouri Cavalry Regiment, CSA in December & January months of the Civil War. I hope you enjoy the post. I also hope it causes you at this time of the year to honor our Savior Jesus Christ more especially than you may normally, that you may think on those who followed His example. There were many who were willing to sacrifice themselves to preserve their rights of government throughout our entire history as a Nation and people. There were many who were willing to sacrifice themselves to preserve the benefits of Union. Of course, protecting one's family is always a chief reason for nearly all who have or will serve this Nation. All those ideas are worth fighting and possibly dying for. I hope your heart goes out not just to the men of the 8th MO, but all those who made this Nation what it is today.

Well, there wasn't a whole bunch of fighting that occurred in these months, but there was some interesting action. Marmaduke's First Raid began by starting from Pocahantas, Arkansas, (which is in Northeast Arkansas) on New Year's Eve, 1862. He drove Northwest of that position to just east of Springfield to a town called Hartville, Missouri. His forces took a garrison there on the 9th of January, and then looked for more. Brigadier General Merrill, US, came out to put a stop on the action. Although his Yanks were pushed back to Marshfield, they dug in and inflicted a great deal of casualties (329 Confederate dead to 79 Union dead). But in the end, after over 4 hours of fighting, the Yanks under Merrill chose to retreat from the field, thereby handing General Marmaduke the victory. But, fearing to be cut off in enemy lines, he retreated back into Arkansas. Not a whole lot was accomplished by this action, really. It was designed to take the heat off the other Confederate forces in Arkansas, but it didn't affect this much at all.

Just a few days before this raid, the 8th Missouri was formed on Christmas Day, 1862 near Van Buren, Missouri in South-Central Missouri in the beautiful Ozarks. I bet it was a crisp, early winter day that 25th of December, but it surely was a bleak time for the good citizens of Missouri. They didn't even get a chance to enjoy Christmas with family that year! I'm sure the boys brought their own gear, horse and of course clothing. Families and sweethearts were left behind to defend them from the depredations of an invading host.

It appears that Marmaduke was rip roarin', ready to go to put the newly formed force in action, so as to atone for the loss at Elkhorn Tavern in March earlier that year. I bet they were hoping for a battle or two that would come out something like Oak Hills. I'm sure all the boys of the 8th MO were eager to defeat and expel them blue bellies from Missouri! But it never quite worked out like they all hoped for in the 8th, but they sure did all they could to bring it to pass.

4th of July - 1863

The Battle of Helena has been noted as desperate of a fight as there was in the Civil War. Largely unknown by many Americans, it occurred on the same day as the surrender of Vicksburg, and of course, a day after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg. But it is important to not forget those who died trying to capture Helena, as well as those Union soldiers who did such a great job of defending the garrison at Helena, Arkansas. Losing both Vicksburg AND Helena on the Mississippi on the same day was a crippling defeat for the Confederacy. It was especially hard on Gen. Kirby Smith's department, who was now left totally to fend for themselves west of the Mississippi River.
One interesting and sad note is that General John Marmaduke was furious with another commander, Brig. General Marshall 'Marsh' Walker, due to his failure and unwillingness to come up and support Marmaduke's flank. The action would have helped along Marmaduke's efforts that day, but would have likely done little to help the task along to victory. Nonetheless, Walker paid for this failure with his life, in a duel with Marmaduke on September 6 later that year. The next day, General Walker's wife rode in haste to see her dying husband at Little Rock, and subsequently gave birth to a son, Lucius Marshall Walker, Jr. What a sad tale!

Here are a few lines from the Wikipedia entry on Walker:
Walker felt that he had been unjustly accused of cowardice and challenged Marmaduke to a formal duel. “I have not pronounced you a coward,” Marmaduke wrote, “but I desire to inform you that your conduct as commander of the cavalry was such that I determined no longer to serve you.” Maj. Gen. Sterling Price ordered both officers to remain in their quarters in an attempt to prevent the duel. However by an unfortunate series of mishaps, the orders were not delivered to Walker.

At dawn on Sunday, September 6, Walker and Marmaduke squared off with Colt Navy revolvers on the north bank of the Arkansas River near Little Rock. Both fired and missed. Marmaduke then recocked and fired a second time, mortally wounding Walker in the right side, just above the beltline. Walker forgave Marmaduke when the latter offered his assistance.

In light of the short supply of strong, trained & capable Confederate leaders, this seemed to be unthinkable that such action occurred. But it was indeed a different world back then, and apparently was acceptable. Nonetheless, it was surely a very sad loss for all involved.

The following excerpts come the site, www. civilwarbuff.org:

For the Confederates, the battle had been a disaster. Of the 7,646 men involved, 173 were killed, 687 wounded, and 776 missing or captured for a total of 1,636. Nothing had been gained, and desperately needed men had been lost. A Union soldier summed up the battle in a letter to his father: "The general opinion here now is that the enemy fought desperately and with a bravery and determination worthy of a better cause." Years later, a Confederate officer who had lost both hands on Graveyard Hill to a shell from the Tyler wrote, "Since that day at Helena I tell the boys I would rather buck against a voodoo than to try to down Old Glory on the Fourth of July... Yes, the union is good enough for me on the Fourth of July and every other day in the year, and I don't regret the price I paid for finding out!"

A Wisconsin soldier who visited the area around Graveyard Hill shortly after the battle wrote, "The battlefield is no pleasant place to visit, covered with men wounded in all ways-some with brains exposed, others shot through the body with grape shot, or a larger ball still sufficient to nearly cut the body in twain. But if there is anything that calls on the sympathy of a man it is to look upon a wounded man, with deathlike and pale face, groaning and wreathing with the greatest possible pain." Another Wisconsin soldier wrote to his father, "[J]ust to see the rebels lying in piles where they charged up the hill. It was awful. I never want to spend another such a "Fourth of July."

The demoralizing effect that the defeat at Helena had on Arkansas's Confederates was compounded by the news that Lee had been repulsed at Gettysburg on July 3 and was retreating south into Virginia. Even more devastating was the news that Vicksburg had surrendered to Grant on July 4. Fontaine Richard Earle fully understood the significance of this turn of events. He wrote to Amanda, "This Department is now fully cut off from the Eastern portion of the government, and we must stand or fall alone. No helping hand can be extended across the Mississippi River to aid us.... The varying war-cloud is now growing dense and dark, but hope looms beyond.", As the late summer of 1863 approached, even hope was coming to be in short supply.