MILITARY MONDAY: CIVIL WAR IN MISSOURI- GUERRILLAS AND BUSHWACKERS

Copyright 2011, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

My ancestral roots in Missouri and Kentucky during the Civil War years saw many of my kin fighting in the war, sometimes on opposing sides, brother against brother and cousin against cousin.  In Missouri in particular, another problem was the Bushwackers and Guerrillas. A previous blog post I wrote dealt with the half-brother of my great-grandfather Valentine Allen, who shared the same mother with Bushwacker Bill Wilson (different fathers). While Bushwacker Bill was (and remains) a folk-hero of sorts, said to be avenging the harm that befell his own family during the war, not all Bushwackers were thought of fondly by the local folks...most in fact were considered ruthless outlaws.     

The following military report filed by Lieut. Col. Jos. A. Eppstein "describes a good bit of robbing and plundering" during the Civil War in the vicinity of Rolla, Missouri (where many of my kin lived) in early February of 1864. The report is located on Pages 280 – 281 in Series I, Vol. 34, Part IV of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion:

“Headquarters District of Rolla,

Rolla, Mo., February 9,1864.

Maj. 0. D. Greene,

Assistant Adjutant General,"

"I deem it my duty to inform you that GUERRILLAS & BUSHWHACKERS are getting very troublesome in this district, in the last few days. I hereby advise you of some of their doings. One man by the name of Robert Wade, a good, inoffensive Union man, living 25 miles west of here, on Spring Creek, was attacked by a band of 7 rebels & received two mortal wounds near his own house. On receipt of this intelligence I sent a Scout (Patrol) with an ambulance & had him brought to this place. The man was buried today. The scout was not successful in capturing any of these scamps. On the 4th instant 1 private on duty as provost guard, on his way from here to Little Piney to serve a subpoena was captured by a party of 4 men about 7 miles from here. They relieved him of his horse & equipments, arms & a portion of his clothing & released him & allowed him to return. On the 6th instant an extra stage coach from Springfield was stopped & robbed of the mail 1 mile west of Little Piney. They stripped a soldier who was on the stage of his clothing & money & allowed them to proceed on their way. A party of laborers, employed by the quartermaster, were attacked, robbed of their provisions & dispersed while at work about 8 miles southwest of here."

"I have just been informed of an attack made upon a party of Union men on their way to this place with their teams; one of them was killed & one mortally wounded. I dispatched a scouting party after them immediately & will send another after them tonight in a different direction. I hope they will be successful in killing some of the gang before they return. This last gang numbered about 10 men & were DRESSED IN FEDERAL UNIFORM! This same gang ATTACKED & PLUNDERED another party of road repairers. You will see from the enclosed report of Major Fisher, from Waynesville, that his neighborhood is INFESTED with MARAUDERS in the same manner. By the report of Lieut. Bates you will see he was successful in killing 7 of them & wounding several more & capturing a lot of property. A Sergeant just in from Waynesville informs me that a small escort belonging to that post en route from Gasconade to Waynesville & 9 miles west of the latter place, were attacked & 1 man severely wounded & 1 captured. I shall be able to give particulars when a scout after them returns."

"This list of depredations will show that there is plenty of work for one small command to attend to. I have at the present time six scouting parties out in this district & shall endeavor to HUNT DOWN and EXTERMINATE these bands wherever they may be found, but I anticipate a continuance of these depredations as long as the weather will permit these bands to lie out in the woods. The country south of Springfield is nearly exhausted of all kinds of supplies. These bands are therefore compelled to rely on their ROBBING & WAYLAYING wagons on the roads for subsistence. We have a large number of rebel sympathizers living in this district, who are on every opportunity aiding & abetting these marauders, otherwise it would be impossible for them to do all this mischief. As this communication is somewhat lengthy, I hope that I have not intruded too much on your patience. I shall continue to keep you advised of things transpiring in this district during my term of command."

"Very respectfully, your obedient servant,"

"JOS. A. EPPSTEIN"

Lieut. Colonel, Commanding District.”

Great-Grandpa's Link to the Legendary Bushwacker Bill WIlson

                                 

Copyright 2011, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

  The Life and Times of Valentine "Tine" Allen

Valentine Allen was born 9 Nov 1843 in Newburg, Phelps County, Missouri. He was the son of Samuel T. Allen and Frances Hudgens (Wilson)(Malone). Great-Grandpa "Tine" Allen ran a country store, and also served as the town postmaster.  He was the father of many children by his first wife, my great-grandmother Catherine Ellen Fore.  "Tine" Allen and his wife lost at least 4 of their children in infancy and early childhood to childhood diseases, epidemics, and accidents; including their daughter Minnie Allen who succumbed to burn injuries at age seven after a terrible house fire accident. Unfortunately, such losses were not uncommon in those days. Great-Grandpa remarried at age 58 after losing his beloved wife Catherine. Valentine's second wife was Cordelia Paralee Miller Hawkins, a widow.  My great-grandparents Valentine and Catherine Allen are buried together at Allen Cemetery, in Phelps County, Missouri.
                    

                                Bushwackers

Valentine "Tine" Allen's half-brother was "Bushwacker" Bill Wilson, son of Frances Hudgens and her first husband Valentine Wilson. I have already written about Bushwacker Bill on this blog, so won't go into great detail about him again.   For those of you who may have seen the old Clint Eastwood film "The Outlaw Josey Wales", you will be familiar with the story of my Great-Grandpa's half-brother Bushwacker Bill, on whom the film's story is loosely based.  The Outlaw Josey Wales character is actually a composite of several known Bushwackers who lived in the area during the Civil War.  While it is true that some Bushwackers during the war were vicious murderers, such as the one known as "Bloody Bill Anderson"; others were regular family men who banded together to try to protect their families and properties during the War. Bushwacker Bill Wilson, my great-grandfather's half-brother, was one of the more sympathetic figures who actually became a folk hero in Missouri.   There was a book written about him by George Clinton Arther, entiitled: "Bushwacker, Missouri's Most Infamous Desperado".   The book is based on first-hand accounts of those who knew Bill Wilson.   The story goes that Bill was simply avenging the harm and atrocities that befell his family and property at the hands of renegade soldiers. Whether the "bad guys" were Union or Confederate soldiers is not entirely clear.   There was some wrong-doing on both sides during the war.   Missouri was technically a neutral state, but sympathies were dividied among families....some were for the Confederate cause, and others supported the Union cause.  It was not unusual for brothers within the same family to join up and fight on opposing sides during the Civil War. This happened within my own family tree.  I have not found a record that Tine Allen served in the military during the Civil War, though several other ancestors and relatives living in the area at the time did serve.

  Perhaps Tine Allen preferred to try to remain neutral and go about his life, operating his store and providing for his family. He would have been a young man in his early twenties during the war, having married very young at age 17 to my Great-Grandmother Catherine Ellen Fore. We are not sure whether Great-Grandpa "Tine" Allen ever rode with his half-brother and their band of Bushwackers.   Indications are that he probably did not, though there is little doubt that he probably aided and abbetted his outlaw half-brother.  There is a well-known cave in the area where legend has it that Bushwacker Bill hid out, and was brought food and supplies by various family members.   Tine Allen's store was very likely a primary source of such supplies.

Valentine "Tine" Allen, 1843- 1919

I don't have a lot of first-hand knowledge of my Great-Grandfather, Tine Allen.  He of course died long before I was born.  However, my Aunt Lona, (also now gone and dearly missed) did remember visiting her grandfather's store as a small child.  She remembered riding on the train from St Louis to Phelps and Maries Counties, Missouri to visit relatives with her mother, my paternal grandmother Susannah ("Susan") Allen Harrison. Aunt Lona told me stories of  remembering her maternal grandfather Tine Allen as being a tall, dark haired man with a long handle-bar mustache.  The highlight of those visits for her was getting to reach into the candy jars at Grandpa Tine's store and take out sweet treats.   In those days, that must have been quite a treat indeed. Aunt Lona was the original family historian in my clan.  She saved everything over the years like pack rat.  I now have copies of photos of Valentine Allen and other ancestors in my tree, thanks to her.  The originals now belong to a family member who inherited them from her as her direct descendant, and who unfortunately has little interest in genealogy or sharing those photos with others, even cousins. This partiuclar descendant seems to have inherited the "intense privacy gene" that is so prevalant among my ancestors, and which contributes to so many of the Brick Walls I encounter today in doing my genealogy research. They seem to have been intent on making it hard to trace their movements, especially in the branches of the tree prior to Missouri in the early 1800's. I wish that I had had the foresight to make better copies of the photos and records that were in my Aunt's possession while I still had access to them, however at the time I was not thinking about preserving the family history so much as just listening to my Aunt's stories.   I am one of the few descendants in my branch of the tree who takes any interest in genealogy; and my quest is to try to preserve some of those memories, photos, and stories of the past to be enjoyed by future descendants.

   Valentine Allen and Catherine Ellen (Fore) Allen

Valentine Allen's beloved wife with whom he was laid to rest was Catherine Ellen Fore, born 1843 in Kentucky; daughter of Benjamin Fore and Sabra Stogsdill. Valentine and Catherine Fore Allen had many children, including my grandmother Susannah "Susan" Allen who married my grandfather John Pettis "Pinkney" Harrison. Catherine died in 1900, leaving Valentine a widower at age 57. Valentine had two other marriages, to Cordelia Paralee Hawkins Miller and Susan Wilson, with whom he also had children. The Allens and Harrisons have deep roots in Missouri in the 1800's, and many descendants still live there today.

 Susan Allen Harrison, 1875- 1933

Above is a photo of Tine Allen's daughter, my paternal grandmother Susan Allen Harrison. I never met Susan or her father; all of those generations of my family tree had passed long before I was born.  Perhaps that is one reason I am so interested now in reconstructing the past and learning about the people who all contributed to making me the person I am today.   I often wonder what they would think about our world today, with such things as Blogs, Internet, Facebook, and cell phones.    I do know that most from those generations in my family tree were intensely private individuals, and perhaps would be horrified that I am seeking out and publishing for posterity bits and pieces of their lives today.  However, I prefer the beleive that they are pleased that I am playing a small part in making sure they are never forgotten.