General Odon Guitar, 81 years of age, died in Columbia at noon Friday. He was a Mexican veteran and commander of the 9th Union Cavalry in the Civil War, the regiment known as the “Bloody Ninth”. He served in the central part of Missouri and was later promoted to the rank of brigadier general. General Guitor was born in Richmond, Madison County, Ky., August 13, 1827. His parents removed to Boone County, Mo., in 1829 when he as two years old. Since that time Columbia has been his home. He has lived in Columbia longer than any present resident. He attended the University of Missouri at its opening session and graduated in 1846. His degree was conferred upon him after he had left for the Mexican War, in which he fought. After the war, he studied law with General John Gordon, his uncle. Admitted to the bar, he practiced law for sixty years with success, except for the period he served in the Union army. In politics, General Guitor was for years a Whig, representing Boone County in the legislature in 1858. After the war, he became a Republican and was one of the party’s leaders. His wife, formerly Miss Kate L. Leonard, daughter of Judge Abriel Leonard of Howard County, who he married in December, 1865(?) 1866(?) and five children survive him. General Guitor was well known in this section of the county as a member of Company G, 9th Missouri Cavalry, almost all of whom were from Randolph County. Capt. James McKinsey, deceased, was in charge of this company. General Guitor attended the reunion of the 9th Cavalry in this city last September and made a much enjoyed address to his friends and comrades. From Moberly Weekly Democrat, Tuesday, March 17, 1908 Memorial Day Finds Mere Remnant of G.A.R. with 114 names on the Roster of Dead When the roster of dead for A. Lincoln Post 5, G.A.R. is read as part of the Memorial Day Service this afternoon, 114 names will be called. With the exception of Nick Mathias of Moberly, Sam Paul of Moberly and Charles Burkhart, who is in a soldier’s home, all members of the A. Lincoln Post are dead. In the observance of Memorial Day, only one member of the Post, Sam Paul, was physically able to take an active part. Henry Massman and A.D. VanTreese, of the Howe Post of the G.A.R., are other surviving Civil War veterans, but they are unable to participate. J. Palmetier, who holds membership in a post in Iowa, is another Civil War veteran who lives here. Civil War Dead Armstrong, W.A. Allen, S.A. Benjamin, J.J. Bradener, Ace Beatty, C.P. Brooks, J.M. Brooks, W.C. lBaugh, P.E. Burkeys, Anthony Boyd, J.M. Brown, W.T. Burkley, Joe Butts, J.H. Burton, P.T. Butler, C.W. Cooper, Wm. Conger, D.N. Conrad, Krause Clark, Michael Cave, S.S. Corigan, R.D. Cotty, J.B. Day, W.H.H. Derigney, R.T. Duringer, Frank Duval, J.H. Durham, J.A. Elliott, A.J. Elliott, James Everhart, Christ Fox, F.P. (or R.P.) Felton, Charles Floyd, J.W. Frazer, J.T. Fisher, E.T. Foreman, J.N. Grogan, Charles Goff, S.B. Gulle, L.D. Hardin, Albert Hendricks, GW. Hays, S.P. Hays, A.M. Hall, Bezel Hoffman, John Harlin, Calvin Jolly, Joseph Jones. H.P. Jones, Winfield Kelly, Thomas Kemp, L.L. Levisy, Joseph Lust, August Leecom, W. Lain, James Long, Mathias Lier, E.B. Lyle, G.B. Miller, W.H. Meck, Martin Mann, J.L. Mallory, J.N. Myers, Daniel McCandles, A. McCaskey, Tom McClintock, George McKinsey, John Myers, Wm. Murry, John Martin, A.W. Maynard, Wm. Mix, E.H. Markee, J.B. McClery(?), James Ostman, Gus Price, George Pollard, R.F. (or R.P.) Roach, Paul Robertson, W. Ross, Wm., Jr. Rose or Ross, Wm., Sr. Roberts, J.H. Roberts, J.H. Russ, Wm. Richardson, John Raikes, J.D. Rich, S.S. Rodgers, J.D. Suppe, R.W. Sackett, Enoch Seibert or Selbert, John Stile, August Shepherd(?), Joseph Skinner, W.A. Schenoneman, August Scott, George Shedd, G.P. Speicer, Henry Seiler, Casper Steward, W.P. Street, Robert Smart, Col.(?) Steiger, Oliver P. Stigall, J.W. Shelton, A.N. Self, John Scott, John W. Tremper, George Tritch, N.B. Thierfelder, Frank Thomson, A.B. Vaunt, Elisha Voth, Henry Waggerman, Charles White, Greenberry From Moberly Monitor-Index and Moberly Evening Democrat Friday evening May 30, 1930 A Reminiscence of the Civil War At the battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, among hundreds of prisoners captured from the Federal Army by the Confederates, was a young cavalry boy, aged only 17, named Salam H. Lybyer, belonging to the 6th Indiana Cavalry, captured while scouting on the extreme left of the Federal lines and a young staff officer, George W. Bailey, of the 6th Missouri Infantry, 15th Army Corps, captured in the line of battle that bore the brunt of Hood’s terrific assault on that bloody day. On the night of the third day’s march towards Andersonville Prison Pen, those two youthful adventurers, separately concluding to take desperate chances to escape. The cavalry boy concealed himself beneath a brush pile while the young officer induced his fellow officers to bury him alive in the ground. The next morning all the visible prisoners were marched off, and the two who were concealed emerged from their hiding places and speedily took to the adjacent timber. Here, in the dense thicket, mutually surprised, for the first time they met and after journeying together about a month, experiencing hardships, numerous adventures and narrow escapes from recapture, in their attempts to gain the Federal lines, the officer was taken seriously ill, which, combined with other peculiar circumstances, compelled a separation, the country boy being guided towards the Federal lines, the officer left in the charge of friendly Negroes, in the hope of an early Federal advance. Each promised faithfully to give intelligence of the other upon reaching the Federal lines. After various experiences, both regained their lines—the cavalry boy unhurt, the officer, less fortunate, falling into the hands of guerrillas and escaping with a rifle ball through his lung. Each, faithful to the promise to the other, promptly imparted intelligence of the other, and endeavored to ascertain, in various ways, their respective fates, but the general “hubbub” immediately preceding the “march to the sea” rendered their efforts to communicate of no avail. Renewed efforts were mutually made for years after the war, but mistakes in initials, and in commands, rendered them futile. Each was finally compelled to conclude the other was dead. So matters rested for years until last Friday morning the cavalry boy of former years missed connection at St. Louis with a west bound train and though having failed in former attempts to ascertain the fate of his old comrade, concluded to do so, and happily called on about the only person of the same name not previously called upon. Presenting himself at Mr. Bailey’s office, he inquired for him. “You see him now” was the response. “I mean the officer who was captured at Atlanta and lived in the woods of Georgia with a cavalry boy named Lybyer”, said the stranger. It is needless to add that the meeting was more than cordial, as each greeted the other as friends and comrades mutually mourned as long since dead. The ex-officer had published an account of their adventures in a volume entitled “ A Private Chapter in the War” and the ex-cavalry boy recognized and hugely enjoyed the pen-pictures of himself and his adventures contained in that volume. The officer has been practicing law in St. Louis since the war and Mr. Lybyer is a prominent dentist of Brazil, Indiana. St. Louis Globe Democrat, March 3, 1884 Ninth Cavalry’s Banquet The members of the Ninth Missouri Cavalry, who are attending the reunion in the G.A.R. Headquarters on Clark Street, were pleasantly surprised when the adjourned yesterday afternoon to be invited to remain as the guests of A. Lincoln Post and partake of an elaborate banquet prepared in their honor. They were already wearing badges presented by A. Lincoln Post and their surprise was beyond measure when they were ushered into the dining room and seated around the flower decked tables with a boutonnière at each plate. Rev. Dugger returned thanks and then the feast was served and it was complete in every detail because there was barbequed mutton and beef, baked beans and coffee with all the side dishes to finish a square meal or top off an up-to-date banquet. As this was strictly a social affair there was no toastmaster nor any set speeches. The flowers at the plates were sent by Mesdames S.S. Rich and E.G. Deskin, daughters of the late James McKinsey, captain of Company G, Ninth Missouri Cavalry. The affair was given by Lincoln Post assisted by members of the W.R.C., and before leaving the dining room the guests gave three cheers for the ladies. After a social hour all departed to their stopping places to assemble at 10:00 this morning to conclude the business of their reunion. The list of members attending the eighth reunion of the Ninth Missouri Cavalry at Moberly, Sept. 5 and 6—in addition to the address, the age of each member is given. Company A U.S. Pitney, 65, Higbee John A. Botts, 64, Higbee Elijah Ancell, 77, Higbee Nellar Fielding, 70, Higbee T.B. Ross, 72, Slafer Company B John G. Bancher, 64, Columbia Company D J.B. Clarkson, 61, Wellsville W.H. Wilson, 62, Wellsville B.W. Holliday, 70, Maberly Company E Andrew Mirtzwa, 64, Hannibal Anton Mirtzwa, 66, Slater Julius Miller, 65, Moberly Company F S.T. Tyler, Paris James Samuel, Boonville R. Kirby, Paris Company G C.D. Wright, 68, Huntsville Isaac Hardister, 70, Huntsville A.H. Austin, 65, Resnick Wm. H. Stillls, 65, Clark Joe Mattocks, 63, Eureka Springs, Arkansas P.T. Burton, 65, Maberly J.A. Durham, 68, Jacksonville John W. Stigall, 62, Cairo Thomas Roberts, 65, Sturgeon M.J. Durham, 65, Jacksonville O.S. Pitney, 61, Higbee John T. Lewis, 69, Higbee John Linch, 62, Myrtle John Prise, 84, Moberly Dick Lunsford, 68, Moberly John Stone, 63, Higbee Company H Joseph A. Isle, 70, Brunswick Peter Fleming, 65, Moberly W.M. Smith, 70, Hamden W.H. Scrader, 63, Cleveland, Ohio Company I G.W. Piper, 69, Booneville Company K Scott A. Hickman, 64, Columbia Company L N. Gibson, 62, Minnesota F. Smith, 62, Kansas City From Moberly Weekly Democrat, Sept. 10, 1907 Newspaper Clippings #2 Taken from the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, November 3, 1938 Brigadier General William Y. Slack 77 years ago this week on November 4, 1861, the pro-southern or “Jackson” legislature which had convened at Neosho, Missouri, confirmed General Jackson’s appointment of William Yarnel Slack as Brigadier General of the 4th Division of the Missouri State Guards. This soldier, lawyer and politician was born Aug. 1, 1813, the son of a Kentucky family that migrated to Boone Co., Mo., in 1819. Here he received the rudiments of education and studied law with J.B. Gordon, a leading Boone County lawyer. He was admitted to the bar in 1837 and two years later when only 23, he established a law office in Chillicothe. Because of his thoroughness in preparing cases and his honesty, courage and determination, he soon became one of the leading lawyers at the Livingston County Bar. His talent for public affairs won him a place in the constitutional convention in 1845 and in 1842-43 in the Missouri General Assembly. He was not given to flights of oratory but he was a sincere, vigorous speaker and was recognized as a painstaking legislator who was especially valuable on committees. The outbreak of the Mexican War disrupted his political and legal practice and he raised a company of volunteers, joined the regiment of Col. Sterling Price and marched down the trail to Santa Fe as captain of a cavalry company. He took an active part in the Battles of Canada, Embrudo, and Taos where he demonstrated his ability as a soldier. At the close of the Mexican War, he returned to Chillicothe and resumed the practice of law but his professional activities were interrupted again in the spring of 1861. Slack, at the request of the government immediately began the task of organizing a company of soldiers. He had only begun mustering in troops however, when a body of Federals arrived at Chillicothe on June 14, 1861 and Slack narrowly escaped being seized as he fled from his family and the home to which he was destined never to return. From this time until his death, Slack vigorously promoted the Southern cause. He had a part in the success of the Battles of Carthage in Jasper County and on Aug. 10, 1861 in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek near Springfield where he fell dangerously wounded. The careful nursing of his wife and the skilled attention of Dr. Keith, his family doctor, restored his health and he again resumed command of his company on October 11. A short time before the retreat from Springfield, General Price appointed Slack to command the 2nd Brigade of Missouri Volunteers; a company of 1,500 men. It was these men and the Missouri State Guard that Slack commanded in the famous Battle of Pea Ridge. In this important battle, which did so much to save Missouri for the Union by eliminating a large Southern force, from the state, General Slack was mortally wounded and in spite of skillful medical aid died on March 20. In April of that year, however, evidently unaware of his death, Jefferson Davis recommended that Slack be commissioned a brigadier general and the appointment was confirmed. So, 23 days after his death, Slack became one of fifteen Missourians who rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate Army. In memory of his services to the Confederacy, a monument was unveiled on September 1, 1867 near Bentonville, Arkansas to William Yarnel Slack and other Southern soldiers who fell in the Battle of Pea Ridge. His body was first interred near the battlefield but has since been moved to the Confederate Cemetery at Fayetteville, Arkansas. From the Chillicothe Constitution, Aug. 23, 1917 Captain W.P. Woolsey, one of Chillicothe’s best known and highly esteemed citizens, passed to his long rest at his family residence at 1109 North Walnut Street on Tuesday at 2:00. His death was due to complications of ailments. He had been in failing health for the latter part of three years but his last illness was only five days duration. He is survived by his wife and five children. Captain W. F .Woolsey had been a resident for nearly fifty years. For 25 years, he was a bookkeeper at the Farnier’s Store, which position he filled with great credit. Those who knew Mr. Woolsey the best esteemed him the most for he was one of the men whose lives daily exemplified the trait of the poet who said: “How e’er it seems to me ‘tis only noble to be good. Kind hearts are more than coronets And simple faith more than Norman blood.” Genial, kind hearted and friendly, he lived in peace with all mankind. He was ever ready with a word of hope for the sad and encouragement for the discouraged and his life was a daily exemplification of his unfaltering trust in the Heavenly Father. Faithful and true to every trust, a splendid citizen, good father, true husband, and a man who stood four square to the world. The death of such a man lives a noble example for his descendents as well as the citizens of the community which had been blessed by his citizenship and daily companionship. The funeral will be held from the home on Wednesday, at 2:00, Rev. R.M. Talbert of the Christian Church conducting the services. William F. Woolsey was born March 14, 1845 in Caldwell Co., Mo., being the oldest child of N.C. Woolsey and Elizabeth Woolsey. To their union eight children were born: W.E., Emily, Doniphan R., Marion, Louise, Martha Jane and Libby. Doniphan and Louise died in infancy. Mr. Woolsey was reared on the farm and attended the common schools until 17 years of age when he attended grammar school conducted by Wiley B. Fleh near where the Ludlow School now stands, for a term of six months. About this time the War Between the Sates began and he cast his lot with the Confederate States by enlisting in the Missouri State Guard under Col. William F. Perry and was assigned to Captain Godwin’s Company B, Colemlan’s Battalion and attached to Col. Hugh’s regiment, General Slack’s Division. He took part in the Battle of Lexington and was with General Price on the retreat from Lexington to Springfield, Missouri where the army wintered in 1862. He was with General Price on the retreat from Springfield, Missouri to the Boston Mountains, Arkansas and later engaged in the Battle of Pea Ridge or Elkhorn. After the Battle of Pea Ridge, he went with the army to Memphis, Tennessee. After a short stay he returned to Little Rock, Arkansas and was discharged from the Missouri State Guard service and enlisted in the Confederate service under General McBride and was assigned to Captain B.F. Crabtree’s Company F to col. Schnable’s battalion of cavalry and with other troops formed the 3rd Missouri Confederate Cavalry, charge with letter “G” and took part in General Marmaduke’s raid on Springfield, Missouri. He was engaged in the Battle of Heartsville. After this battle, the army returned to Batesville, Arkansas and took up headquarters on the south side of White River. After a few months, General Marmaduke’s raid to Missouri was arranged. At the beginning of the campaign of 1863, he was engaged in the Battle at Cape Girardeau and the campaign of Helena, Arkansas. He was with General Steele’s army during its campaign through Arkansas and on the skirmish line when General Price retreated from Little Rock, Arkansas. In the early part of the war he acted as Orderly Sergeant of Company C, 3rd Missouri Cavalry. Afterwards he was elected Junior Second Lieutenant and later was elected to command of Company G. He commanded Company G, 3rd Missouri Cavalry until the close of the war. Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, Sept. 20, 1935 Seven years ago this week there was a reunion of five veterans of the Confederate army who fought together under General Sterling Price in the Battle of Lexington, Sept. 13 to Sept. 20, 1861. The combined age of the men at that time ranged from 82 to 90 years. Today the five old gentleman who fought for the cause of the South are dead. The last of them, James A. Shirley, died here two weeks ago. The oldest, Captain J.J. Stith, enlisted in Scotland County; J.H. Dyer, the youngest, joined the State Guard from Cole County; W.H. Manseur joined the forces of the Missouri State Guard in Ray County; G.W. Kent and Mr. Shirley both enlisted in Livingston County. Although extreme old age left its imprint on them, only Mr. Shirley, the last of the old war vets and said to be the best marksman in General Price’s army, had an injury from the war which left him limping. G.W. Kent was the only one of the five who did not finally come to carry a cane for support. Mr. Shirley, who enlisted when he was 16 and was believed to be the last surviving member of the Confederate army in this country, was injured in the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863. A bone in his leg was shot in two and although army doctors recommended amputation, he would not allow it. For years, he removed some bone slivers and it was forty years afterwards that the wound finally healed. In a story published several years ago by the Kansas City Journal-Post, it was said of him that he was “one of those Southerners who does not know that ‘damn’ and ‘Yankee’ are two separate words.” He always said he had to “carry a cane because the damn Yankees left their mark on him”. W.H. Manseur was called the originator of the idea of soaking hemp bales in water for breast works but his idea of the use the first time was during the Battle of Lexington and then was unable to take part in the moving breastworks because he was taken prisoner. Shirley, Dyer, Stith and Kent were all part of this strange attacking force. Captain Stith, one of the few survivors of the Battle of Athens, but who went through 21 battles without a scratch, was never taken prisoner during the war. During the Battle of Pea Ridge, he is said to have captured almost single handedly seven Union soldiers. “But don’t give me credit for that”, Stith used to tell his friends. “If I they had not surrendered I would have run sure.” J.H. Dyers experiences in the Civil War included three horses shot from under him in one battle. Dyer, who started in under Col. Elliott’s regiment, and fought in all the early Missouri battles, probably covered more territory than the other four. Kent, like Stith and Dyer, had “his clothes shot off him” several times but he went through the war without being wounded. Kent was in Forest’s Cavalry and was in the Battle of Tupelo where the Federal colored troops were under General J.A. Smith, who allegedly escaped in his night clothes from the battle scene. Pallbearers at Mr. Shirley’s funeral were young men who had once been of the “Will Curb Club” and many times had sat for hours at the old Cooper Street home of the Shirleys and listened to Mr. Shirley tell of his war experiences. The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, December 12, 1932 When Joseph Orville Shelby abandoned his rope manufactory in Waverly in Lafayette County in 1861, to enter the Civil War, he was practically untrained in the art and science of war. Yet through a succession of brilliant military exploits he rose steadily in rank until he was a brigadier general in the Confederate army. Of the five great Confederate leaders chosen in 1926 to have their figures carved on the Stone Mountain Monument near Atlanta, Georgia, General Shelby was one. He was probably born in 1930 although the year is sometimes given as 1931. He was the son of Orville and Anna Boswell Shelby and the grandson of Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero and first governor of Kentucky and for whom Shelby County in Missouri is named. The names of two of his cousins, Francis P. Blair, Jr., and B. Gratz Brown, are, like his own, indelibly written in the history of Missouri. Young Shelby was educated at Transylvania University at Lexington and then at a college in Philadelphia. At the age of 19, he came to Missouri and settled in Lafayette County. At Waverly on the Missouri River, Shelby began manufacturing hemp rope. When the agitation over the settlement of Kansas swept over Missouri, in the 1850’s, he took an active part in the Kansas troubles as a pro-slavery man; and when the Civil War broke out in 1861 Shelby cast his lot with the South. It is said that his cousin Frank Blair summoned him to St. Louis and offered him a commission in the Union forces but the offer was scornfully declined. Back in Lafayette County, Shelby organized a cavalry company and joined the State forces. He hurried to Independence to prevent its occupation by Federal forces. Joining the State forces as they withdrew towards southwestern Missouri, after the Battle of Boonville, and saw some of his first active fighting against Sigel in the Battle of Carthage. The chronicle of the activities of Shelby and his men would march into the history of the Civil War in Missouri and the west. Shelby took part in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, was ordered north to recruit men and participated in the siege in Lexington. When General Sterling Price returned into southwestern Missouri, Shelby’s command led the way. At the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, early in 1862, Shelby took a prominent part and was charged with protection of the rear of the Confederate army as it withdrew after that terrible battle. Shelby’s brigade covered the rear. When peace was declared, Shelby and nearly 1,000 followers refused to surrender. The proceeded to Mexico and offered their services to Emperor Maximillin but their aid was declined. The exiles, however, remained in Mexico for a few years after. Shelby returned to Missouri in 1867. He lived in Lafayette County for a while, conducting a mining operations near Clarksburg in Moniteau County and in 1885 moved to Bates County where he had a farm. In 1893 he was appointed U.S. Marshall for the western district of Missouri, which office he held until his death at home, eight miles from Adrian, Bates County, on Feb. 13, 1897 Kansas City Star, August 16, 1918 Gallatin, Missouri Major Samuel P. Cox, 85, a veteran of the Mexican and Civil Wars, died at his home in Gallatin, Missouri, yesterday after a brief illness. He served in the Mexican War and in the Sioux uprising in the fall and winter of 1847. But it was in the Civil War that Mr. Cox won special distinction and, by his generosity and care of the families of the defenders of the “lost cause”, endeared himself to the residents of this section. Probably the greatest service rendered by Mr. Cox in the Civil War was killing “Bill” Anderson, the notorious guerrilla chief and the breaking up of his band of desperados that had terrorized all of northern Missouri. Anderson was killed in Ray County, near the present town of Orrick on October 27, 1864. “Anderson and his gang had terrorized northern Missouri for some time and the people lived in awe of him” said Major Cox. “But one brave woman whose name I do not remember, came to me with information as to where the chief and his gang were camped and what they would be found doing and directed me as to the best way to reach them. I had about 300 men under my command and gave them the word to stand their ground, that this fight must be victory or death and not a man faltered.” “Lt Baker was sent out ahead to reconnoiter and bring on the fight and then retreat through our lines. Charles Morton, now a retired brigadier general in Washington, was sent to Baker to help start the fight. Baker dashed up to where Anderson and his men were camped and opened fire. Instantly Anderson and his men were in their saddles and gave chase to Baker who retreated under instructions and came dashing through our lines. Anderson and some twenty of his men came on, a revolver in each hand. When my men opened fire, men of Anderson’s command went down, others turned and fled, but Anderson and two of his men went right through our lines, shooting and yelling and it was as Anderson and one of his men turned and came back that both of them were killed.” “When Bill Anderson fell from his horse, I took one of his pistols and Adolph Vogel, now living near Jameson who was a bugler of my command, took six pistols from around his body. We also took $600, one gold and one silver watch from his clothing and one of these watches, two of his pistols and the fine grey mare Anderson rode were afterwards given to me by Brigadier General James Craig. A letter I had written to Col. Pace, at Liberty, to meet me the next day with what men he could muster, was also found on Anderson’s body, showing that he had captured and rifled through the mail. He took Anderson’s body to Richmond and buried it in the cemetery north of town.” Major Cox had a number of letters from General Rosecrans, Brigadier General Craig, Assistant Adjutant General James Rainsford and other officers and officials acknowledging the gratitude the people owed to him and his brave men for ridding the country of this band of desperados and officially bestowed upon his a sword in honor of his service. In the early days, Major Cox drove a wagon train in the west and crossed the plains several times. He had many exciting times and on one occasion was saved by Red Cloud, chief of the Sioux, whom he had previously befriended and to whom he had given many gifts of coffee, sugar and tobacco. In 1854 he went to California and returned by way of Nicaragua. He was shipwrecked in the Gulf of Mexico and after three days landed at Key West. He was for years in business in Gallatin and served the county as sheriff for two terms. Transcribed by Christine Spencer May & June 2008