The effects of the Civil War thatbegan with the Confederate fir-ing on Fort Sumter on April 12

had been felt some in Pulaski Countyas early as that spring of 1861.Many Pulaski Countians were fromTennessee, North Carolina, and Ken-tucky. Their sentiments were with theSouth. Lincoln only received sevenvotes in the county in the 1860 election.Missouri was a slave state and therewere some slave holders in PulaskiCounty. The last slave census wastaken in 1860. The count for PulaskiCounty enumerated 56 slaves. Six ofthe slaves resided in Waynesville. Oneof those slaves belonged to Dr. Linigow(Lingo) and was a woman of aboutforty years. The other five slaves be-longed to Jesse Rayl. The slaves, threemales and two females, ranged in agefrom two to forty years old. The Raylhome was next door to W. W. McDon-ald’s stage stop, called “The Way-nesville House,” which is still standingon the east side of the Waynesvillesquare and known today as the OldStagecoach Stop. As the oldest publiclyaccessible building in Pulaski County,it is the most tangible and direct link tothis period of our history.Although certainly most PulaskiCountians owned no slaves, the issuewas also of family ties in their ancestralstates and a perceived invasion of theirland by Federal troops. Confederatesympathizers met at the PulaskiCounty Courthouse to determine acourse of action. A company of volun-teers was formed with H. W. Stuart,sheriff of Waynesville, elected captain.However, no call came for service and

this first company disbanded.

War BeginsUnion General Nathaniel Lyon and

Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson met inSt. Louis at the Planter’s Hotel on June10, 1861. Sterling Price, installed byGovernor Jackson as commander of theState Guard, hoped to negotiate someterms to prevent Union domination ofthe state. General Lyon, accompaniedby Congressman Frank Blair, evidentlyhad other intentions. The meetingended badly with Lyon telling Jacksonthat he “would see every man, woman,and child in Missouri under the sod be-fore he would consent that the Stateshould dictate to his government as tothe movement of its troops within herlimits, or as to any other matter how-ever unimportant.” Lyon then declared“This means war. One of my officerswill conduct you out of my lines in anhour.” Such was the more or less offi-cial beginning of the Civil War in Mis-souri. Jackson and Price fled back to Jeffer-

son City. Lyon pursued and Jacksonfled the capital. Hamilton Gamble, aUnionist and Supreme Court judge, be-came Missouri’s Union governor. Jack-son declared he was the rightfulgovernor, being duly elected by thepeople. Jackson maintained a govern-ment of sorts in exile, while Gamble

settled into the Capitol at JeffersonCity. Union or Confederate, Missourihad a government for each taste.Lyon’s pincer movement to pin the

disloyal Governor and General broughtColonel Franz Sigel and three regi-ments of volunteers down the tracks tosecure Rolla, which was the railhead ofthe South West Branch of the PacificRailroad. News of the Federals coming to Rolla

and surely next into Pulaski Countystirred up the southern sympathizers inWaynesville. Those in and near Way-nesville, the only village of any conse-quence in antebellum Pulaski, met atDr. Lenigow’s (or Lingo’s) drug storeon the northwest corner of the square.Those present and most vocal were Dr.Lenigow, Cyrus Colley, Theodore T.Taylor, B. W. Vaughan, and A. J. Mc-Cormick. Lenigow and Colley, likeRayl, were slave owners. A heated dis-cussion centered on whether to leavethe Confederate flag flying on thesouthwest corner of the square. A nar-row majority voted to take it down be-fore the Federal scouts arrived.Two companies were organized

under Captain Stuart and Captain V. B.Hill. Hill was a lawyer and served asSheriff before H. W. Stuart. These twocompanies headed southwest towardArkansas and would join Price along acreek near Springfield, Missouri.

The Unionists in Pulaski County heldno public meetings or demonstrationsbut kept silent with positive anticipa-tion for the arrival of the Federaltroops. The split in families caused bythe war is well known and certainly oc-curred in Pulaski families. WilliamWalton McDonald’s family is a goodexample. McDonald, who owned the stage-

coach waystation, was one of theUnionists but probably not withoutsome internal conflict. He fought in theMexican War (1846-48) and his com-manding officer was General SterlingPrice, who joined the secessionists ascommander of the Missouri StateGuard. A person admired very much by W.W. McDonald, lawyer V. B. Hill,formed a company of volunteers andjoined the Confederates. Hill was mar-ried to W. W.’s sister Nancy. He musthave held his brother-in-law in high es-teem, even after the war, for he nameda son Vandover Berry Hill McDonald.(It does seem that McDonald fanciedlong names for at least two of his sons.His first son, born in the last year of thewar, 1865, at the Old Stagecoach Stopwas named Ulysses Sipio Grant JamesTyree McDonald.) W. W. McDonald married Mary Jane

McCortney in 1849. Mary Jane’s father,William R., owned a farm that strad-dled the Big Piney River and the newlymarried couple lived on the farm forseveral years before moving to Way-nesville and going into business on thesquare in 1854. William R. McCortney’sfarm was just upstream from McCort-ney Spring and Mill, owned by hisbrother Alexander McCortney. There islittle doubt as to the loyalties of Mc-

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 32

Civil War Comes to Pulaski County

The Planter’s Hotel in downtown St. Louis was the location of the heated ex-change between Union Captain Nathaniel Lyon and Governor Claiborne FoxJackson with Sterling Price, commander of the Missouri State Guard also present.Most of the heat came from Lyon and the struggle in Missouri followed. The (Old)Courthouse was on the block at lower left. Although there are no trolley cars inthe picture, the double tracks for the horse-drawn trollies on Fourth Street are vis-ible. Courtesy of Jan and Terry Primas.

Captain Nathaniel Lyon received aquick promotion to General of volun-teers. With his death at Wilson’s Creekin August of 1861, he became the firstUnion general to die in battle, becom-ing one of the Union’s first heroes. Li-brary of Congress.

Major General Sterling Price was aMexican War hero and former gover-nor of Missouri. As commanding offi-cer of the Missouri State Guard, Pricebacked Governor Jackson’s stand forthe state’s sovereignty and rights. Li-brary of Congress.

Post Waynesville1862-1863

by Terry Primas

Donald’s wife’s family. McCortney Millwas cited by the garrisoned Federals atWaynesville as a meeting place for se-cesh sympathizers and bushwhackers.A skirmish occurred at the mill in 1865.It would seem that W. W. McDonald

might well exemplify those PulaskiCountians whose families had dividedloyalties. McDonald had a civic andprofessional interest in the county’s fu-ture, too, as he was not only a business-man but had been the postmaster andwas County Clerk when war broke out.Colonel Franz Sigel left troops to se-

cure the railhead at Rolla and hismostly German volunteers from St.Louis marched down the St. Louis toSpringfield Road to join Lyon in south-west Missouri, camping at Waynesvilleenroute. This was a signal to some ofthe townspeople to leave. Many fami-lies moved to the relatively safe state ofIllinois.A soldier on that march through Way-nesville had this to say in a letter to aSt. Louis newspaper:Wednesday evening found us encamped

in that vile and uncompromising nest of se-cessionists, Waynesville; but Col. Woolf,who had preceded us for a few hours only,had most effectively squelched out secessionthere, and there remained little for us to dobut make a sortie or two in the country, todrive the rebels still further from their

homes. On leaving this morning at teno’clock, Col. Solomon with Co. G, CaptainStark, drew up his men before the courthouse, raised the Union flag, and theColonel with his stentorian voice called for‘three cheers for the Union,’ which weregiven with a hearty good will that made thewelkin ring with deafening shouts. Thecommand left in good spirits, and the dearold flag, as we took a ‘last fond look,’ wasfloating in the breeze, an emblem of comfortto loyalty, but a terrible scourge to wrong-doers.

(signed) “F”Weekly Missouri Democrat, St. Louis, Mo., July 2,1861

By August, Lyon determined to givethe combined forces of Price’s StateGuard and Confederate forces underthe command of a Texan, General BenMcCullough, one good fight in south-west Missouri, although he was out-numbered at least three to one. Afterbattles at Boonville (Lyon) andCarthage (Sigel), the forces of bothsides converged in southwest Missouri. Lyon and Sigel met the rebels at Wil-

son’s Creek on August 10, 1861. Thelarger rebel force defeated the UnionArmy, killing Lyon. Sigel’s battalion ofmostly immigrant Germans was routedand Colonel Sigel fled, beating his re-treating troops to Springfield. The Pu-laski County companies of Captains

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 33

Mary Jane McCortney McDonald,wife of W. W. McDonald, came from afamily of southern sympathizers. W.W. came to Pulaski County after theMexican War in 1848 but his familyhad been instrumental in opening thenorth central Ozarks through theirpine lumbering operations as early as1816. W. W.’s uncles, Archibald andJohn, used slaves to help establishtheir mills on the Big and Little Piney.Mary Jane witnessed what must havebeen a loyalty struggle but by his ac-tions, it seems that W. W. was at least aUnionist, if not an abolitionist. Tintypecourtesy of Jackie and Alf Raphelson.

Franz Sigel, along with his father andthree brothers, participated in thefailed Revolution of 1848 in Germany.They all immigrated to America.Franz and younger brother Albert op-erated a tobacco store in New York be-fore they moved west to St. Louis,where Sigel was serving as Superin-tendent of Schools when the warclouds gathered. He resigned as headof the schools in February of 1861, en-listed in the local military unit, andsoon was appointed colonel of theThird Regiment of volunteers. He wasvery popular among the Germans, lessso with native-born Americans. Cour-tesy of Library of Congress.

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Stuart and Hill were there. It was “amighty mean-fowt fight',” as one par-ticipant characterized it.Sigel led the defeated Union troops in

retreat. He left Springfield at 4:00 a.m.on August 11 with a train of 370 wag-ons. Civilian refugees, loyal to theUnion, tagged along, escaping whatthey feared would be Confederatereprisals in southwest Missouri. If it re-turned along the same route on theWire Road as it had followed from

Rolla to Springfield (there was someconsideration given to a more northerlyroute back to Rolla), the seven milelong parade of frenzied civilians anddispirited soldiers would have had adepressing effect on the Unionists stillin Waynesville. It would have broughtcheer to the southern sympathizers.The column did not reach Rolla untilAugust 19.The Battle of Wilson’s Creek was the

second major engagement of the War of

Rebellion. The first major battle was atBull Run (Manassas) on July 21, lessthan three weeks before Wilson’sCreek. The Ozark battle produced ca-sualty rates of 12 percent for the Con-federates and 24.5 percent for thesmaller Federal force, higher rates thanBull Run. Nathaniel Lyon was the firstUnion general killed in the Civil War.The ferocity of the fighting and the pas-sion of the participants led many ob-servers to question the most commonbelief that it would only be a ninety-day war, which was the term of enlist-ment for most of the volunteers. The Union soldiers who had retreated

to Rolla from Wilson’s Creek in Augustspent the next several months fortify-ing the railhead, stocking supplies, and welcoming reinforcements. By the firstof the new year, 1862, there were 12,000troops in Rolla.The overall Federal goal was to save

Missouri for the Union by rejectingGeneral Price’s Missouri State Guardand Confederate allies. One necessarystep was to reclaim Springfield and thesouthwest Ozarks. This required an-other march down the St. Louis toSpringfield Road.Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis,

newly appointed commander of theSouthwestern District of Missouri, left

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 34

A telegraph construction crew such as this one in the eastern theater of the warwould have strung the wire along the St. Louis to Springfield road, on to PeaRidge, and ultimately Fort Smith, Arkansas. The road became known as the WireRoad and when the telegraph wire disappeared, it was called the Old Wire Road.Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A soldier with Curtis’ troops wrote the fol-lowing to his hometown newspaper inWoodstock, Illinois, which is northwest ofChicago.

Woodstock Rifles in MotionFrom our Special CorrespondentCamp Brackett, Waynesville, MO

Sunday, Jan. 19th, 1862

EDITORSWOODSTOCK SENTINEL:

The morning of Tuesday, the 14th ofJanuary, found us snugly ensconced inour tents, at Rolla, most of us firm inthe belief that we should remain therethroughout the winter...Wednesday, we started at 10 a.m. and

at 3 o’clock, crossed the Little Piney,near its junction with the Gasconade,where we stopped for the night. OnThursday, we arrived 7 miles distant,on the Big Piney, at 12 o’clock. A bridgewas formed with wagons, and at night,all the troops had crossed, and en-camped on the bottom land, beyondthe creek. Col. Gremmel arrived fromRolla, and assumed command of theRegiment. Friday we reached Way-nesville, the county seat of PulaskiCounty, a small village less in size thanRidgefield, situated on the Roubideauxcreek and almost completely encircledwith huge, inaccessible granite bluffs.We encamped on a low bottom adjoin-ing a corn field, and pitched our tentsin regular military style, as we expectto remain here for several days.Our camping grounds are wretched

indeed. It is the muddiest place inwhich I ever saw men live. The frost,which was about 4 inches deep, hasdisappeared, and now the entire campground is nothing else than a bed ofmud. The boys cut the stalks in thecorn field, and spreading them downin their tents, made a passable bed onwhich to spread their bunks, &c.The two bodies of cavalry, which re-

cently left Rolla, are now at this place,being about three thousand in number.Near this place, at the foot of an

enormous bluff, is a large spring, 20feet in diameter, and 15 feet deep, fromwhich flows forth the creek, a rapidstream, at least a quarter size of theFox River. A rude decayed framestands over it, and altogether it is arare and beautiful sight. Our rationsthus far have been hard bread, Bacon,Coffee, Sugar and beans, and notenough of these. Hence a great deal offresh pork has been consumed, whichseems to come into camp very mysteri-ously. One thing is certain, our boyswill not starve.

Your truly,H

This southwest section of the map “Civil War and the Ozarks” by John F. Bradbury, Jr. and Richard W. Hatcher, III highlightsthe action in this part of the state. Although none of the battles by standing armies occurred in Pulaski County, it was on themarching route to and from Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge via the Wire Road. The Confederate victory at Wilson’s Creek en-gendered some panic among the citizens and the Union victory at Pea Ridge effectively secured Missouri for the Union.

Rolla in January, traveling the familiarroute, with the intent of driving theConfederates from Missouri. Com-manding Curtis’ First and Second Divi-sions was Franz Sigel, now also aBrigadier General. The din of thousands of troops and

hundreds of wagons again split the airas the army rumbled through PulaskiCounty. Cavalry escorts were on alertfor bushwhackers. General Curtisstrung a telegraph wire parallel to theroute, fostering the name “Wire Road”for the thoroughfare from Rolla tonorthwestern Arkansas.The Union army entered Springfield

on February 13. The Confederates hadevacuated the town, retreating south-west into Arkansas. The Confederateswere, indeed, driven from Missouri butnot defeated. Curtis pursued them intoArkansas. There were several skir-mishes which led to the Battle of PeaRidge (or Elkhorn Tavern), March 6-8.General Curtis’ Union force of 10,500was outnumbered by General Earl VanDorn’s 16,200 Confederate troops.However, unlike the outcome at Wil-son’s Creek, the smaller Union forceprevailed on the last day of battle, duelargely to superior cannon fire power. While the Federal success at Pea

Ridge put Missouri in Union control,there would be a few more Confederate

pushes in Missouri (for example, Mar-maduke in 1863 and Price in 1864).Continued control required keepingthe Wire Road open from the railheadat Rolla to southwest Missouri and thatset the stage for a Union presence inPulaski County. Rebel guerilla warfareand depredations by bushwhackersthreatened supply trains, communica-tion, and the civilian population.Wagon trains also carried the payrollfor Union troops. Federal leadershipdetermined that several forts along theroad were required. The garrisonswould guard the supply line and patrolthe surrounding area. To counter the sure-to-be Confederate

threat to the region and the immediatebushwhacker activity, the 13th MissouriState Militia at Boonville was orderedto the southwestern part of the state.The regiment was commanded byColonel Albert Sigel, brother of GeneralFranz Sigel.Colonel Sigel hired teams to transport

his men and supplies to California,Missouri, astride the railroad to awaitthe arrival of more suitable horses andwagons. Along the way, about 20 of therecruits deserted. Not soon receivingthe necessary stock and thinking hispresence in southwestern Missouri “ofgreat importance,” he moved south. OnJune 6 in Tuscumbia, he communicated

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 35

Cliff HammockRepublican for

State Representative122nd District

My wife and I are life-long residents of Pulaski County and are both members of pioneer families who helped settle this area nearly twocenturies ago. I am proud of my heritage and have been honored to serve my community in numerous capacities over the past years.This experience includes:• Mayor of Waynesville (10 years)• Retired Chief Financial Mgmt. Officer at FLW (35 years) • Graduate of Waynesville High School• Member and President Waynesville R-VI School Board (9 years) • Graduate of University of Missouri - Rolla• Board Member Missouri Regional Planning Commission (4 years) • Graduate US Army Command General and Staff College• Board Member Pulaski Co. Sheltered Workshop ( 2 years)I have also also served in the Armed Forces in active and reserve officer status for 33 years. I am a veteran of both Vietnam and Iraq.This experience gives me a first-hand understanding of issues and concerns related to active duty military, veterans, retirees and theirdependents, which are such an important part of our community.My memberships and affiliations include: the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Missouri Farm Bureau, National Rifle Associ-ation, Association of U. S. Army, Disabled Veterans, and the United Methodist Church. I am pro-life, and a fiscal and social conservative.I strongly support the Second Amendment gun owner rights; our public schools and higher education issues; our military, veterans, re-tirees and their dependents; and senior citizen programs.With your support, I will work diligently to bring confidence and dignity back to representative government, as well as to preserve theConstitutional principles that made our country and the state of Missouri great. Paid for by Comm. to Elect Cliff Hammock, Tammy Hammock, Treas.

Olivia, Tammy, and Cliff Hammock

The telegram to Sigel reads, “Occupy Waynesville. Keep open the road from Rollato the Gasconade & clear the surrounding country of Guerillas. J. M. SchofieldBrig Genl.” National Archives and Records Administration.

to General Totten in Jefferson City that“notwithstanding the delay caused bythe deficiency of horses, and by brokendown miserable mules I will try to beat Waynesville tomorrow and then re-port for further orders.”On June 9, 1862, Colonel Sigel in-

formed General Schofield in St. Louisthat he had arrived in Waynesville withfour companies under his commandand was awaiting further orders. Healso remarked that he would have ar-rived a week earlier if he had been fur-nished with the necessary wagons andhorses. The fateful reply came fromSchofield the next day, June 10, 1862.Colonel Sigel was ordered to occupyWaynesville (see telegram on page 35).Also on June 10, Sigel informedColonel Boyd, commanding the post atRolla, of his arrival and requested “nec-essary supplies, such as horses, tents,provisions...the mules we received arein a very bad condition, and are hardlyfit for use.”The troops camped in the creek bot-

tom along the Roubidoux and on thehill south of the square. Colonel Sigeloccupied the town and prepared tocarry out General Schofield’s orders.Colonel Sigel had three concurrent

matters to attend to in the first fewmonths at Waynesville. The first prior-

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 36

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This drawing was done by Major Waldemar Fischer in January of 1863. His vantage point was atop Bell Bluff, the site of theannual Nativity Scene, looking southeast. It shows a dozen or so homes with outbuildings, about the same as reflected in the1860 census for the 96 inhabitants. The large building at left center is the courthouse, built in 1840. The one-story structurewith a tall chimney to the left of the courthouse is W. W. McDonald’s stagecoach stop. The fort was situated on the hill over-looking the town. The conical shapes were Sibley tents that housed some of the soldiers. A few tents were located behind therow of stores across from the courthouse. The majority of the men were in tents at the extreme right. This was the strip offloodplain along Roubidoux Creek that is now Laughlin Park. The bridge across the Roubidoux at right marks the stream.

CAMP OF THE 5th (formerly 13th) REGIMENT CAVALRY M.S.M.Albert Sigel, Colonel, Joseph Eppstein, Lt. Colonel, John B. Kaiser, Major, Waldemar Fischer, Major

Waldemar Fischer Jan 1, 1863

ity seems to have been suitably equip-ping his men. He complained of thelack of horses (his was a calvary regi-ment) and the inferior quality of thearms and ammunition. The Austrian ri-fles were undependable and too longfor mounted soldiers. Secondly, histroops were busy escorting wagons be-tween Rolla and Lebanon. There wasguerrilla activity in the neighborhood,requiring patrols and pursuits. Therewere several skirmishes that resulted inseveral rebels being captured andkilled. Rebel activity had increased inSchofield’s Department of Missouriand there was some justification forSigel’s sense of urgency. Schofield sentthe following telegram the month afterSigel arrived in Waynesville.

U. S. MILITARY TELEGRAPHWaynesville July 24th 1862

By Telegraph from St. Louis July 22nd 1862To All Military Posts in Missouri

An order will be published tomorrowcalling out all the loyal men of Missouri toexterminate Guerrilas.Send notice to everybody to assemble atthe nearest post without delay & bring inall the arms and ammunition.Seize immediately all the arms & ammu-nition of which you can get information.Commanding officers on the telegraphline will forward this dispatch by express to

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 37

This oil painting was produced by a German painter, F. Leuteritz. Nothing else is known of the artist but his rendering of Waynesville in1864 gives us the only other likeness besides Fischer’s drawing (page 36) of the town during the Civil War. The view is from inside thefort, looking north northwest. The courthouse is center right, at the smaller flag. Roubidoux Creek can be seen coursing along the base ofthe bluffs in the center background. According to Goodspeed Publishing’s History of Pulaski County (1889), the courthouse was replaced in1873, due to “damages to the courthouse during and by reason of the late war.” The Old Stagecoach Stop sits directly across the street(faintly to the right) from the courthouse and Jesse Rayl’s two-story house is to its right. Courtesy of Missouri Historical Society.

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the posts in their vicinity.J. M. Schofield

Brig. Gen

The 13th MSM’s third task was to con-struct a fort on the hill overlooking thetown square. Colonel Sigel reported onthis last accomplishment to Colonel C.W. Marsh, Assistant Adjutant General,in St. Louis on September 11, 1862.I have the honor to inform you finally

that I have with the assistance of some ofour dismounted men have constructed afieldwork at this post which is nearly com-pleted. It is large enough to hold 5 or 6companies and strong enough to resist even6 pounder balls. It was constructed with aview to the military importance of Spring-field, and the apparent need of a permanentprotection of the route from Rolla toSpringfield and may perhaps be of use at nodistant time.Another account from a contempo-

rary Iowa soldier adds a little more de-tail to the scene in Waynesville. Signedsimply “Jeff,” it appeared in the IowaCity Republican on November 9, 1862. At 4 P.M. on Tuesday, we reached Way-

nesville and pitched our tents for the night.We were here relieved by a cavalry escort.The town is situated in a deep mountaingorge, with high rocky bluffs on either side.It has about -- inhabitants. It has beentaken possession of by the army. The houseswere occupied by the quartermaster, sutler,hospital, and commissary store rooms. Theplace is defended by eight companies of the13th MO. cavalry under Col. Sigel. Theyhave a small fort or bastion erected here ona high hill overlooking the town. There isone cannon mounted, it is used for infantryprotection, and was built by the labor of Se-cesh prisoners, a few of whom were still at

work under guard digging a trench outsidethe fort. They were a hard looking crowd—a man would feel for his money at the firstsight of them.

Jeff

The soldiers at the Waynesville Postwere kept busy with wagon escorts andnumerous reports of guerilla bands inthe neighborhood. Wagon trains didget ambushed, as did the Southwesternstagecoaches that changed teams atMcDonald’s stage stop. What wasworse, bushwhackers would get luckyand hit the payroll wagon. The follow-ing communication from the districtheadquarters at Rolla points to thepoverty of the soldiers.

U. S. MILITARY TELEGRAPHBy Telegraph from Rolla Sept 10th 1862

Will send back Capt. Avery and com-mand from that place. His company hasnot been paid for four months. Paymasteris here. Also furnish escort to paymaster inLebanon. I can’t spare my cavalry from thisplace.

J. M. GloverCol Comdg Dis

In the last month of 1862, a monthafter Jeff’s letter, Colonel Sigel reportedthat there were 642 men under his com-mand in the 13th Regiment of the Mis-souri State Militia. Since this was acavalry regiment, there were also 523horses. No cannon was reported in

1862 but Lieutenant John Sanger, offi-cer of the Light Artillery Battery, re-ported in 1864 that his inventoryincluded two 12 pounder Howitzers(one 2 inch bore, one 2 1/4 inch bore)and 375 rounds of ammunition.

Civil AffairsWith the Federal occupation of the

town and violence in the countryside,what of the lives of the citizens? Withthe troops of the 13th MSM outnumber-ing Waynesville inhabitants by at leastseven to one, what manner of law andcounty government existed? We haveno direct testimony from the townspeo-ple but what accounts do exist point toa bleak existence.Goodspeed Publishing Company’s

History of Pulaski County, published in1889 and privy to firsthand reports, re-lates that “little of no farming done inthe county, excepting a very little car-ried on by the women and children.”Commerce had practically ceased.

Iowa troops frequently marched theWire Road and camped in the fieldalong Roubidoux Creek. Two of themrecorded observations of Waynesville.Waynesville is one of these necessary lit-

tle towns which are needed in certain coun-ties as a place for horse racing, quarrels &fights and where bad whiskey and poor to-bacco is offered for sale at reasonable pricesfor approved credit or country produce.We received orders today prohibiting all

jayhawking and no shooting allowed.I shall leave this camp on Rubido Creek

with pleasure, for through the town and a mile around it seems selected as a vastcemetery for Uncle Sam’s dead horses andmules for they are spread broadcast overconsiderable an extent of country andthrough the town. The air is foul with the

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 38

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This rough looking group of men were accused secessionists in St. Charles. Seces-sionists were persons who advocated their state seceding from the Union. Theywere commonly called “secesh.” It was such a group that caused “Jeff” to remark,“They were a hard looking crowd—a man would feel for his money at the first sight ofthem.” In Pulaski County, some secesh went south, some enlisted in the Confeder-ate army, some joined guerilla bands, and a few became bushwhackers. When de-tained, a man could sign a loyalty oath to the Union and post bond for his release.

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stench arising from them and you canimagine that your very victuals are con-taminated with the decay of animal mat-ter...”Sgt. Benjamin F. McIntyre19th Iowa Infantry September 1862

Capt. Chester Barney of the 20th IowaInfantry also made a diary entry aboutthe town on September 18, 1862.Our march on the 18th brought us to

Waynesville, a small village containingfourteen houses. This town was remarkablefor having in it a ‘school house,’ the onlyinstitution of the kind we had yet met within the State. The enterprising projector ofsuch a novel scheme in that region of thecountry must have found it rather an un-profitable investment, for from its appear-ance it was then mortgaged to a flock ofsheep, which had evidently occupied it un-molested for a long time. There was apostoffice too, in that flourishing place, orrather had been, but as mails were like ‘an-gels visits,’ the enterprising postmaster hadnow converted it into a whiskey shop andtavern, and was doing a thriving business.It seems that as many of the buildings

were commandeered by the military,they became the only customers forwhat businessmen remained. A com-ment by an anonymous soldier adds tothe forlorn image painted by the Iowa

infantrymen. I wandered around the town, and couldfind no private residences. The former in-habitants were secesh, and have skedaddled.

Civil government seems to have onlypartly continued. H. W. Stuart, electedsheriff in 1857, had joined the Confed-erates in the early summer of 1861. Thesheriff’s position was not filled untilMay 15, of 1862 by James Carson. Nor-mally a two year term, R. W. Vaughantook over the office a little over a yearlater, August 4, 1863. Vaughan wassheriff only seven months when JamesV. Hudgens took over in March of 1864.Hudgens was sheriff until May of 1865when George W. Colley assumed theoffice for less than three months. Ben-jamin R. Moore became sheriff in Au-gust of 1865, after the Union army hadabandoned the Waynesville post andfort in July, and was the first to serve afull two year term since the war began.The rapid turnover in the sheriff’s of-fice might have been due to the dimin-ished role of local law enforcementwith the Federals present, some ques-tion by the army as to the loyalty of thesheriff, or a combination of both.There were elections during the war

years for the positions of County CourtJustices, now called County Commis-

sioners. There was less turnover inthose positions than the sheriff’s officebut no one served a second term. Theoffices of Assessor, Surveyor, and Pro-bate Judge do not reflect any elections.The most stalwart public official dur-

ing the war appears to have beenWilliam W. McDonald. McDonald waselected Circuit Clerk and Recorder in1852, titles he held until May of 1865.W. W. was also County Clerk, alsoelected in 1852, and served until 1864

when Caleb C. McMillen took the of-fice. During that year, $150 was takenby bushwhackers from the publicfunds in the hands of C. C. McMillen.McDonald was also postmaster from1856 until 1859, when Benjah G. Lingogarnered that concession for his drugstore. Lingo, an outspoken secessionist,relinquished the postmastershipshortly before he left Waynesville in1862.The main tasks of patrols and wagon

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 39

Although this photograph was probably taken in the eastern theater of the war,this was a recurring scene in Pulaski County and elsewhere in the Ozarks. Meagerfamily belongings piled in a wagon signaled a skedaddle by hill folk family frommarauding forces on both sides. Library of Congress.

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escorts by the Union troops garrisonedin Waynesville did not decrease in1863. The following dispatch from thepost highlights some of the activity.Waynesville, MO, May 3, 1863Brig. Gen. Thomas A. DaviesCommanding Rolla District, Rolla, MO

General:For the last few weeks, as you are aware,this section of country has been infestedwith thieves, who have committed manydepredations, and who have as yet eludedour utmost vigilance. I have kept out all myavailable men constantly in the saddle.Many I sent out daily in disguise, both onhorseback and in wagons, to representfarmers and movers, but as yet to no pur-pose. The stage has been stopped severaltimes, and once the horses and mail carriedoff. I immediately send detachments out inall directions, leaving the post almost de-serted. I now furnish an escort to the mailgoing both ways, but my men and horsesare fast giving out under the daily amountof work they have to perform...”

Waldemar FischerMajor, Commanding Post

The guerilla warfare became more in-tense in the countryside. Structures andhomes were burned and Unionists ter-rorized (or worse) by bushwhackers.There were also charges by civilians ofmistreatment by Union soldiers. Atelegram from Headquarters in St.

Louis to Colonel Sigel at Waynesville in1863 stated:A family of Thompsons living in MillerCounty Big Wood Township have threemen in the service. They hear that theirfamilies have been abused and theiryoungest brother made go into the serv-ice. I wish you would tell the militarycommander or Capt Hart that familiesought to be kindly treated and must be re-spected while their husbands are servingtheir country.

H Z CurtisAAG

A report written by Sigel in August of1863 on the history of the regiment upto that point sums up the establishmentand activity of the 5th Missouri StateMilitia pretty well. It says, in part:Soon after organization of the regiment

the regiment received marching orders tomarch from Boonville to Waynesville, Mo.On arriving at that point June 7, 1862 theCommander of the regiment reported to theCommander of Rolla District from whomhe received orders to encamp at Way-nesville and act under his direction. Theduties of the regiment were principally es-corting, scouting, and post duties at Way-nesville. As the county in which theregiment has been operating is mountain-ous and much cut up by ravines and forthat reason very sparsely populated, it hasbeen the principal thoroughfare for bush-

whacking and recruiting parties to slip inand out of our line. The command hadmany a brush with bushwhackers and re-cruiting parties for the Southern Confeder-acy with but few casualties which havebeen promptly reported as will be seen by

our monthly returns.The health of the regiment as a general

thing has been good.[The remainder of the war, 1864-65,will be covered in a future issue of theOld Settlers Gazette.]

Old Settlers Gazette 2012 - Page 40

Not all the thieves were secesh. Here a Union company plunders a Missouri fam-ily’s farm stock. Both armies “lived off the land” by foraging the locals livestockand stored supplies. As “H” said (page 34), fresh pork mysteriously appeared atmealtime at the camp on the Roubidoux. This field drawing by Alfred R. Wauddepicts the stealing of wooden rails by Union troops to use for firewood. If therewas any livestock left on the farmstead, there would be no fence to keep themfrom wandering off. Library of Congress.

Believe in SteveBelieve in SteveSteve Lynch

State Representative122nd District

Business Leader: Over 35 yearsin successful family ownedsmall business.

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