The Civil War
As it relates to St. Clair County, Missouri


History of Henry and St. Clair Counties, Missouri, 1883

Civil War Rosters

From 1861 to 1865
The troubles, trials and, we add, the crimes of this eventful period is not a pleasant theme to dwell upon, even after nearly two decades of time has softened the memory of those who still live, or has lessoned the sorrow for those who gave up life to a cause they believed to be right.
When war's first alarm had echoed through the hills and valleys of the Osage the people awoke, and, while for peace and union, were mostly Southern in their ideas and views. A small minority joined the Federal cause, and had not the Kansas Jayhawkers destroyed Osceola many more would have joined the Federal forces, but Lane and his murderous followers of thieves and assassins came near driving out all Union sentiment from the hearts of the people.
How Osceola was pillaged and destroyed, and how fearfully and terribly avenged will be found in the history of Osceola in this work. [SEE BURNING OF OSCEOLA] What is known of Confederate sympathy for the cause of the South is gathered from the volunteers, who numbered between 800 and 900 men, who joined that cause from St. Clair County. But their record is not found here. The Confederate muster rolls were seldom kept, but doubtless in the Confederate archives, captured or found and taken to Washington, would reveal much of what is now only known to the participants of the struggle, and they are fast passing the river of death to the mysterious beyond.
The destruction of Osceola was so far in advance of any other act of vandalism in the county that little lese that occurred was worthy of history.
When the muttering of the storm was first heard and the Osage hills began to re-echo the approach of it, the leading citizens of Osceola called a meeting and issued an address to the people of St. Clair County. It is here given in full, and will be found of interest to those who are yet living and gave their names and influence to this address, and to the present and future as a part of that history which has left a dark blot upon its pages, and which, as time presses on, future generations will wonder why the people in those days gave way to passion and engaged in the murderous strife of a civil war.

The names marked with a star (*) are those of parties who are now dead.

To our fellow citizens, friends and acquaintances in this section of the state.
We are in the midst of an excitement unparalleled in our history, but it should be remembered and born in mind by all good citizens, that the state of Missouri is yet a member of the Federal Union. The people are still under the broad aegis of the constitution and laws which guarantee to every citizen protection to his person and property, and the free enjoyment of his opinions. And while we stand by the constitutional and proper authorities of our state, and will cheerfully obey its mandates, yet we would invoke our fellow citizens, by every consideration dear to the rights of men, to abstain from all violence whatever, upon citizens in your midst, on account of differences of political views. Let them be permitted to enjoy them, at their usual places of abode, free and unmolested. We exhort you to use no violence, in word or deed, to their persons or property - for all should remember that any such rash conduct will never prosper a just cause.
Hastily, in conclusion, we invoke you to keep the peace in your neighborhoods, and let every man's person or property be kept inviolate, under the constitution and laws of the state.

*William J. Mayo Waldo P. Johnson *William A. McClain *George H. Vaughan J.F. Weidmeyer D.P. Morgan *John T. Crenshaw *W.L. Vaughan *M.J. Harris R.C. Vaughan R.R. Cocke *T.W. Mitchell *John T. McClain *Samuel C. Harrison

*W. Dorrell Samuel Moore *Thomas B. Johnson *Aaron Trippitt *James W. Beck Thomas R. Vaughan *Joseph W. Cox *William Rice P.M. Cox T.N. Henly S.C. Bruce John J. Yeater *E.D. Murphy

Osceola, Missouri, May 18, 1861

A few months after that Jim Lane convinced them that they were, instead of being protected, wholly unprotected in their person and property.

The First company raised for the northern army was Company D, of the Sixteenth Regiment of Enrolled Missouri Militia, of whom Benjamin F. Cook was chosen captain.
The company was organized August 2, 1861, and through the kindness of Captain Cook, who is still a resident of St. Clair County, we came in possession of the muster roll of his company, and give the names in full. On the date above mentioned sixty-nine officers and men joined and formed the company, and the remainder connected themselves soon after.
The following is the muster roll referred to:

Muster Roll of Caption Cook's Company, August 2, 1861

Cook, Benjamin F., captain Wheeler, John, 1st lieutenant Whitaker, Joseph, 2nd lieutenant Whitaker, John, orderly sergeant Cole, Hugh B., sergeant Renfro, Mark, sergeant Martin, John M., sergeant Thompson, Jacob, sergeant Robertson, William B., sergeant Gilbert, James, corporal Cole, Francis M., corporal Fisher, Robert H., corporal Cauthon, James, corporal Bridges, Washington V., corporal Roberts, Broadus G., corporal Deer, Richard D., corporal Tucker, Isaac, corporal Belisle, William Boswell, James Bristow, John O. Bristow, William Brown, Parish Burchett, William H. Casey, George W. Chapman, George Choice, Franklin Clements, Albert G. Cole, Robert P. Cooper, Sterling Copeland, Oliver B. Cove, Gabriel DeLozier, Joseph L. DeShazo, Charles Ernest, Jacob Eskridge, George Fisher, Seth H. Fletcher, Oliver P. Fletcher, Thomas H. French, James Gamblin, William D. Hall, Henry Hawkins, John J. Hendricks, Bethnell Hendricks, Isaac Hicks, James A. Higgins, Filmore R.

Higgins, Francis N. Higgins, Jacob Higgins, John Higgins, Joseph L. Higgins, William T. Holesapple, William C. Hubbs, John Hutton, John B. Hutton, William J. Keton, John T. Lawler, Robert Lennox, Richard Leonard, George W. Leonard, Robert A. Leonard, Robert M. Lord, James M. Lord, Thomas Marlow, George E. Martin, Joseph H. Martin, Robert C. Martin, William O. Melton, Caloway Meredith, Robert J. Miller, Daniel Miller, John C. Parsons, Thomas R. Renfro, Stephen J. Reynolds, James T. Roberts, Benjamin F. Roberts, Joseph Robinson, Isaac Saunders, John Sheeks, Austin Sheeks, Robert D. Smith, John O. Snyder, Henry Swank, Jacob Thompson, Ewing E. Thompson, William F. Todd, William Tucker, Thomas Tucker, Thomas J. Walker, George Weir, Benjamin F. Witt, John Wyatt, George W.

The company was organized by Captain Chase, of the First Iowa cavalry. Captain Burdette also raised a company, or battalion, and joined Colonel Hays' regiment. The First Iowa Cavalry, above spoken of, was quartered in Osceola after it was destroyed.
There were quite a number more who joined the Federal forces, and although all the names have not been remembered, most of them have been gathered and are here appended. Other muster rolls were not be had, but the following were volunteers from St. Clair County during the war, and are in addition to Captain Cook's company:

Ayres, C.L. Ayres, Francis M. Benson, McCloud Bowles, Ralph C. Bradshaw, John R. Burton, Charles Burton, Thomas Campbell, John T. Casey, John Casey, N.T. Clarkson, Littleton Cole, James T. Dawson, John Delozier, J.J. Disney, Elias Fisher, William V. Fleming, Jacob Fowler, Jesse Graham, Frank Hartley, J.C. Higgins, Teff Hodges, S.B. Lord, William W. McGee, David McWilliams, John E.

Miller, T.W. Morton, Anderson Perrin, R.W. Perrin, William James Price, John W. Price, William Pugh, David Pugh, Jacob Pugh, James M. Reavis, James J. Redman, John T. Roberts, Thomas Robinson, W.W. Sheeks, J.J. Sheldon, W.P. Shippey, Daniel Summers, Bass Thomas, William Upton, John Walters, W.W. Wyatt, Thomas Wyatt, W.H. Zohrenger, Joseph Zohrenger, Otto