The Battles of Fredericksburg – a tragic loss of lives, but not forgotten

It’s been almost 147 years and the terrain has changed a little. There’s a golf course there now, but driving out to the area where the Fredericksburg monument is located can give you a

sense of what the area was like when the skirmish between guerrillas and Union soldiers took place July 17, 1864.

It had to be a typically hot Missouri day that July of 1864, whereas the May morning when I drove out to the location, it was 65 degrees, sunny with not a cloud in the sky. Golfers were out on the green, while residents near the property were working in gardens or wash-ing cars. But in 1864, no fancy houses were in that area, there wasn’t immaculately mowed and maintained grass adorning a golf course, but I’m sure the hilly, rolling terrain was just as it is today.

It was, nevertheless, a spot where six Union soldiers met their end as did 16 of the guerrillas.

Clearly, the guerrillas’ casualties were worse – even if they did win the battle.

What was Fredericksburg in 1864 is now the eastern edge of 2011 Excelsior Springs.

The name “Fredericksburg” threw me for a loop, especially as I researched this subject. I was born in Fredericksburg, Va., and spent many years prowling that great city, which was not only the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War in 1862, resulting in 18,000 casualties, but another battle was fought May 3, 1863, that cost another 2,000 more souls their lives.

My brother and sister learned how to drive in the park that now surrounds the worn, but still visible trenches, where the battles took place. A family friend had a parlor full of hundreds of artifacts found on their farm – a previous Union army encampment.

But that was in Virginia and while the loss of life here at our own Battle of Fredericksburg was inconsequential in comparison to that of the Virginia battles, every soul that was lost here was someone’s beloved son, brother or husband.

Fredericksburg, Mo., a very small town, was founded by William Estes in 1835. Estes owned and operated a quality general store with goods imported from St. Louis. There were also several homes, a blacksmith, a stagecoach inn, a saloon and a doctor’s office.

Fredericksburg was a trading post until after the Civil War and the road, known during those days as the Mormon Road, was heavily traveled by Mormons and other pioneers as they headed into the western expansion.

The first skirmish at Fredericksburg took place Sunday, July 17, 1864, and was between about 300 guerrillas and a party of 47 Union men from the 2nd Colorado Calvary, which included detachments from companies C and M led by Captain Thomas Moses, Jr.

A force of 140 Union men had been split into three groups that were searching for the Bushwhackers.

One of those three groups were the men headed east toward Richmond and who reached the town of Fredericksburg early in the afternoon of July 17. As the soldiers approached the town, a group ap-proached them from the opposite direction – dressed in what appeared to be Union blue – a disguise frequently utilized by guerrillas. They weren’t Union soldiers however, they were bushwhackers, about 300 of them, led by Captain John Trailkill and Lt. Charles “Fletch” Taylor, who was one of Quantrill’s original recruits.

Captain Moses rode to the front and made the signal used by the troops, which was answered correctly. He sent Capt. Lyman Rouell to go closer to the group, and instead of anyone meeting him, Rouell was met with shots being fired at him.

The Federals had come across one of the largest rebel forces in Missouri – and the most bloodthirsty. Frank and Jesse James were also a part of the rebel force that day,

Taylor’s men opened fire on the 2nd Colorado Calvary and men fell dead from their horses. The horses became frightened and unman-ageable from the noisy exchange, causing the remaining soldiers to dismount. Hand-to-hand combat commenced from that point on.

Moses – far outnumbered by the rebels – was forced to retreat his troops after about 20 minutes of fighting. Six of his men perished in the fight – their bodies left behind. Moses himself survived despite a ball grazing his forehead and his horse suffering through a number of hits. Nevertheless, the horse managed to get Moses out of harm’s way. Almost every soldier had sustained some sort of injury.

Moses returned to the battlefield the next day with reinforcements 200 strong, only to find the six dead soldiers he had left behind stripped of their arms, money and clothing.

J.C. Isley, owner of the general store in Fredericksburg, was hired to gather the deceased Union soldiers and haul them to Pisgah Baptist Church where they were buried in an unmarked mass grave in the churchyard.

Sixteen of the rebels were killed in the skirmish and were buried in the Seybold family cemetery behind the Seybold Tavern, thanks to Louis Seybold – a southern sympathiser.

Taylor got his just due shortly after the battle. On Aug. 8, he was seriously wounded in a skirmish with militia four miles outside of Independence. His right arm was shattered by buckshot, requiring amputation.

Taylor recovered and returned to action only to get shot in his good arm – by friendly fire – effectively ending his guerrilla days.

After the war, Fletch Taylor became an influential citizen of Joplin, Mo., after he grew wealthy from his lead mines in Jasper County.

Taylor was also elected to the Missouri State Legislature and served on the Missouri General Assembly after the war. He moved to California around 1892 and died in San Francisco on April 24, 1912.

As for the six unknown Federal soldiers – their names were un-known until Excelsior Springs High School teacher Brian Smarker began investigating the fallen soldiers, announcing their names in May 2004:

The first five were privates of the 2nd Colorado Calvary Company B: Charles H. Godfrey, 17; David Good, 29; John Picard, 29; William W. Robson, 24; and Simon Simpkins, 20. The sixth soldier was Sgt. Truman C. Greenslit of Company C, 2nd Colorado Calvary, age 31.

One-hundred-forty-one years later, the men – now identified – were remembered in a memorial ceremony, Sunday, July 17, 2005, with a granite memorial presented by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Westport Camp #64.

The second battle of Fredericksburg occurred nearly four weeks after the first, on Friday, Aug. 12, 1864. The battle was reported in the Liberty Tribune on Aug. 19, 1864: “The Bushwhackers were being chased out of Clay County by Col. Catherwood’s men and the militia of this county under Captains Garth and Young, that on Friday they left the county, going east through Ray into Carroll County. During their passage out, they encountered Capt. Colly [sic] (Captain Patten Colley), of the Ray militia and killed him and four of his men … Col. Catherwood on learning of their killing Capt. Colly, immediately went out at the head of an additional force and pursed them into Car-roll County.”

Colley was of Company E. 51st E. M.M., and the skirmish is com-memorated by a stone marker at the southeast corner of the Excelsior Springs Golf Course.

The Federal militia group was comprised of Ray County citizens who were guarding Albany (now the town of Orrick). These men were not military trained, but ordinary citizens who found themselves defending their fellow citizens from the Confederate guerrillas led by William “Bloody Bill” Anderson.

Anderson was known for hiding in the bushes and luring the enemy into a trap by using his own men. Anderson captured two of Colley’s men while he waited for Colley and his company to reach the ambush. He then proceeded to brutally kill the two men – Ray County brothers Smith and John Hutchings – by slitting their throats.

The ambush became more brutal as Colley’s men were attacked. Shots were fired, killing George O’Dell. Pvt. Phillip Siegel was killed after his horse tripped over a log, throwing him to the ground, making the soldier a quick and easy target for Anderson’s men.

Anderson himself went after Colley, cornering him in a barnyard

where Colley’s horse refused to jump. Anderson shot Colley and then proceeded to scalp the captain, hanging the bloody trophy from his bridle where it was discovered and identified three months later after Anderson’s death. Colley was buried in Riffe Cemetery, north of Orrick. He left behind his wife, Rebecca, three sons and two daughters.

There were five Union veterans of Company E., 51st Enrolled Mis-souri Militia killed in the second battle of Fredericksburg:

Captain Patten Colley, 37; Pvt. George O’Dell (believed to be between 35 and 39 years of age); Pvt. Smith Hutchings, 39; Pvt. John Hutchings, 30; and Pvt. Phillip Siegel, 21.

Siegel was buried in the Siegel Cemetery, two miles south of the Fredericksburg monument; John and Smith Hutchings are two miles west of Siegel in Enon Cemetery. It is believed that George O’Dell is in either the O’Dell or New Garden Cemetery near Wood Heights.

*Sources: Jesse James Farm and Museum; Reflections of Excelsior Springs, 1992.

The Excelsior Springs Standard • Tuesday, May 10, 2011 • 5

By Liz JohnsonStaff Writer

ABOVE LEFT: A monument was dedicated in 1936 in commemoration of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Fredericksburg battle of Aug. 12, 1864 and is located on the property of the Excelsior Springs Golf Course. (File photo)

This headstone was placed at the site of the mass burial of the six, previously unknown men of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry who were killed in action during the skirmish with guerrillas July 17, 1864. The headstone was dedicated July 17, 2005. The identification of the six men was due to the extensive efforts by Brian Smarker of Excelsior Springs and Past Camp Commander, Westport Camp #64. (Photo by Liz Johnson)

ABOVE RIGHT: Lt. Charles “Fletch” Taylor is pictured in a photo taken at the C.C. Giers studio in Nashville, Tenn, most likely in June 1867. The photo was taken with Frank and Jesse James [cropped out] and is often mis-dated as 1864 or 1865. Taylor is one of the guerrillas who led the attack on the 2nd Colorado Calvary group in the first Battle of Fredericksburg, July 12, 1864.

Brian Smarker is an Excelsior Springs High School teacher who became interested in the Civil War while researching his great-great-grandfather who fought in the war.

Because the Fredericksburg monument on the golf course (battle of Aug. 12, 1864) was close to his home, he decided to dive further into researching how this area was affected by the war.

Smarker eventually pieced together the stories of the Aug. 12, 1864 battle and learned there were actually two battles fought, the other being the July 17, 1864 battle, where the six men of the 2nd Colorado Calvary were killed and buried in a mass grave in the Pisgah Cemetery – their names unidentified.

Smarker went on a mission to find out who these men were and, with extensive research and documentation, he deter-mined who the men were, including finding descendants of four of the six men.

Thanks to Smarker’s dedicated resesarch, the monument, pictured above, was dedicated on July 17, 2005 –the names of the six soldiers finally revealed and carved for history onto the front of the monument – forgotten no more.

Smarker is the Past Department Commander, Department of Missouri and Past Camp Commander, Westport Camp #64.

Who is brian smarker?