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Chapter 30: Butler County During the Civil War, Part Five |
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The largest movement of troops through Butler County during the Civil War was in September 1864. Major-General Sterling Price, a Missourian by adoption, had assembled in Northeast Arkansas a force of about 12,000 men, some artillery, and equipage to load 300 wagons. He proposed to invade Missouri. General Price organized his army in three divisions, the division commanders being Major-General James f. Fagan, Major-General John S. Marmaduke and Brigadier-General Joseph O. Shelby.
The three divisions were to assemble at or near Pocahontas, Arkansas, for the invasion. Reports from the division commanders show that on Sept. 14, 1864, General Shelby was at Powhatan on Black River, and on Sept. 15, Fagan and Marmaduke were camped on the Strawberry River but in different locations. Fagan expected to reach Pocahontas on the 16th, and Marmaduke promised to be there on the 17th. Marmaduke reported that his command had been without breadstuffs for three days. The plan of the invasion was for the army to leave the Pocahontas area in three columns, by different routes, and to converge at or near Fredericktown, Missouri. From the general headquarters at Pocahontas on September 18, 1864, General Price issued marching orders to the division commanders as follows: Fagan's division was to proceed to Fredericktown via Martinsburg, Reeves' Station and Greenville; Marmaduke was to march to the right of Fagan and Shelby to Fagan's left. The Major-General commanding the army (Price) was to march with the center division. The center division was ordered, as near as practicable, to march eighteen miles per day.
The marching orders took two of the divisions, Fagan's and Marmaduke's, through Butler County. As General Price was with Fagan's division, he also came through Butler County. Since Reeves' Station was at or near the present Hendrickson, we believe Fagan's division moved along the "Old Military road" and that the general course of Marmaduke's division was along the "road from Brannum's Old Mill to the Indian Ford on the St. Francis River.
On September 20 Marmaduke reported that he was "encamped forty-two miles from Pocahontas on the direct Poplar Bluff road passing through Cherokee Bay." We do not know the location of this camp. It could have been in Butler County. The next night Marmaduke was in Poplar Bluff. Since his message from Poplar Bluff is the only dispatch on the war we have found with a Poplar Bluff date line, we quote it in full.
"Hdqutrs., Marmaduke's Division, Poplar Bluff, Sept. 21, 1864 Lieutenant-Colonel Maclean,
Assistant Adjutant-General:
Colonel: My command is encamped this evening at this point. The column marched without difficulty. Everything quiet. No news. I dispatched to you last evening. I send by this courier a dispatch to Major Surridge, of Green's regiment. He is with either General Fagan or General Shelby. Please direct the courier that he may deliver the communication.
Very Respectfully,
J.S. Marmaduke,
Major-General
The next day Marmaduke moved out of Butler County. We quote in full his dispatch that night as it is quite interesting.
Hdqtrs. Marmaduke's Division, Four Miles Northwest of Indian Ford on St. Francis River, Sept. 22, 1864—8 p.m.
Lieutenant-Colonel Maclean, Assistant Adjutant-General:
Colonel:
I am encamped at the point mentioned above with my command. Will march to and encamp on the Castor, six miles below Buchanan and thirty-one miles from this and thirty miles from Fredericktown, tomorrow night, Forage plenty upon the route. The Federal force evacuated Bloomfield night before last. Were closely pursued by Colonel Jeffers' regiment, but escaped with the loss of their wagon train, captured or burned. The Federals went in the direction of New Madrid.
Very respectfully,
J.S. Marmaduke
Major-General
It was not necessary for General Fagan to report daily to the commanding general (General Price) as he was with Fagan's command. Hence we do not have definite information on camp sites used by Fagan in Butler County. The late Earl Houts, whose house is on the "Old Military Road" on the west side of Ten Mile Creek, once told us that Price's army marched by his farm and camped there, spread up and down the creek for three or four miles. Mr. Houts said a few soldiers died there and were buried in nearby Houts Cemetery. Their graves were not permanently marked so cannot now be located. This must have been Fagan's camp as his division was scheduled to follow the "Old Military Road."
A detachment of General Shelby's soldiers took part in an action in Butler County. On September 19th Shelby reported that he had reached Doniphan at 3:30 o'clock and was encamped in and around the place. He also reported that about ten o'clock that morning a Federal scout about 100 strong had burned the place, except the mill one mile below town, and left rapidly. Shelby believed the Federals would encamp at Ponder's Mill so dispatched Lt. Col. Rector Johnson with 150 men to apprehend them there. Johnson caught up with the Federals the next day and routed them with a loss of six men killed or wounded. We have not found a Union dispatch covering this engagement so have no report on the Union losses. In the index volumn of "Official Records" this action is listed as "Little Black River Skirmish" and "Ponder's Mill Skirmish."
Richard L. Metcalfe, in "A View of a Growing Town," mentions another incident of Price's invasion. We quote directly from his narrative. "In September (1864) and during the famous Price raid, Doniphan (Ripley County) was burned by the Federals, and Gen. Joe Shelby sent Col. Reeves to pick up any straggling companies of Federals who might be found in the neighborhood. About eight miles from Poplar Bluff Colonel Reeves' regiment discovered a company wearing the blue, and a skirmish followed in which four persons were killed and several captured by Reeves." We have not found any other record of this skirmish. General Shelby did not mention it in his reports. Where did it occur and where were the dead soldiers buried? We would guess the action occurred west or southwest of Poplar Bluff.
This brings to a close our story of this movement of troops through Butler County. If the columns of Price's army were about equal in size some eight or nine thousand men could have marched through the county. Some four thousand men could have been camped in and around Poplar Bluff. Unfortunately there is scarcely even a memory left in local history about the occasion. Mostly it is forgotten beyond recovery. A camp for that many men would require many acres. Where were the tents set up, if any? Where was mess cooked and served? Where was Marmaduke's headquarters for the night? Just imagine the foraging around for food, the search for chickens, pigs and cattle. Where did the column cross Black River? The bridge at Poplar Bluff had been destroyed. Fancy all the excitement, the hurry, the shouting, the swearing, in moving 4000 men with wagons, horses, mules and artillery across the river and the column getting underway for Indian Ford on the St. Francis River. did Fagan camp in north Butler County after he left Ten Mile Creek? On September 21st General Shelby reported he was encamped twelve miles from Patterson. In moving form Doniphan to that point did his column cross the Northwest corner of Butler County?
Notes: Ponder's Mill is the present place name, Powers' Mill on Little Black River, near the western edge of Butler County and on the "Old Military Road."
Colonel Reeves was Timothy Reeves, a resident of Butler County. The "Official Record" uses the spelling "Reves."
Sources of information for this chapter: "History of Butler County" by D.B. Deem; "A View of a Growing town" by Richard Metcalfe; "War of the Rebellion Official Records," published by United States Government; "A History of Missouri" by E.M. Violette and personal interview with the late Earl Houts.
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