|
The
last installment of this series from Civil War historian
Bruce Nichols mapmaker3@aol.com
– the final Civil War events in Monroe County.
A very special thanks to Bruce for his time and
effort in preparing this series. LPP
------------
Union
Troop Disposition Report
Location:
Near Monroe County
Date:
28 Feb 1865
Source:
"O.R." series 1, vol. 48, part 1, pp. 1035-6
Description:
It appears from this report that the closest Union troops to
Monroe County at this time consisted of one company of 46th
EMM under CPT Charles F. Mayo at Huntsville, Randolph
County, and one company of 9th Cav MSM under LT James B.
Decker at Mexico. Indeed, the 9th Cav MSM was scattered in
individual companies all over northeast MO.
Union
Troop Disposition Report
Location:
Near Monroe County
Date:
30 Apr 1865
Source:
"O.R." series 1, vol. 48, part 2, p. 268
Description:
This routine report shows the same company of 9th Cav MSM
under the same officer as before at Mexico, but now three
more companies of 9th Cav MSM under LT Luther T. Hayman at
the village of Sturgeon on the Boone/Howard County border.
It appears that the Yankees placed their troops in
railroad towns to suppress sabotage to those vital
facilities and in order to move them rapidly in trains to
wherever trouble occurred. The Enrolled Missouri Militia (EMM)
had been officially disbanded on 12 March 1865 as civil law
was beginning to take back its functions across most of MO.
Crime
Spree of Guerrilla Band
Location:
Across Marion, Ralls, Monroe, and Audrain Counties
Sources:
1884 Marion County history, pp. 549-551; 1963 Marion County
history,
p.
71; "O.R." series 1, vol. 48, part 2, p. 389
Description:
Beginning 7 May a bushwhacker band of eight to ten including
Ned Freeman, William Norman, George Brown, and John Blue
began a crime spree near New Market in Marion County by
robbing three men near there of ten horses. The next day
also in Warren Township, Marion County they killed Henry
Spaw in a gun battle in which Henry's brother killed Ned
Freeman, then the raiders rode into Ralls County. Meanwhile,
a citizen guards posse started on their trail and followed
them across parts of Ralls County and Monroe County May 9
and into Audrain County where they overtook the gang and
captured four (named above). The citizen guards placed the
four guerrillas in jail where they were indicted for the
murder of Spaw, but they later escaped in November. No
evidence was given that this gang disturbed anyone in Ralls
or Monroe Counties (they rode near the village of Florida).
These raiders seemed to be merely freebooters or robbers
little interested any more in the southern cause. This also
seemed to be the case of a few other guerrilla bands still
active across some parts of MO. Some turned themselves in
after promises of fair treatment and the war drew to a close
by June.
|
