Companies of the Civil War

The breaking out of the Civil War in 1861 found the citizens of Harrison County almost unanimously loyal to the Union. There were perhaps twenty-five or thirty men from this county who entered the Confederate Army. However no organized effort was ever made for recruiting troops in Harrison County for the Confederate Army.

On June 3, 1861, a mass meeting was held at Bethany which was addressed by S. C. Allen, Samuel Downey, William G. Lewis, D. J. Heaston and E. Hubbard, all of whom set forth in vigorous and eloquent language the necessity of adhering to the Union. Other meetings of a like character were held in the summer of 1861 at Mount Moriah, Eagleville, Cainsville and other places in the county. In the meantime companies of Home Guards were raised and on July 13, 1861, the various organizations in the county met at a place called Harrison City for the purpose of forming a regiment and electing officers.

After the regiment was formed it organized by electing Henry O. Nevill colonel, George Burris, Sr., lieutenant-colonel and W. P. Robinson major. The strength of the different companies that reported themselves was as follows: Eagleville Guards, 160; Washington, 64; Salem, 60; Springfield, 90; Pleasant Ridge, 100; Clay, 78; Mount Moriah, 58; Bethany, 60; "Rough and Ready," 57; Benton, 80; Gainesville, 60.

Several other companies of Home Guards were raised during the summer of 1861, the majority of the members of which subsequently went to the front in different regiments, and did valiant service for the Union cause.

All of Companies D and E, Twenty-third Regiment Volunteer Infantry, were raised in Harrison County in the summer of 1861. Recruiting for the regiment commenced in July of that year under the direction of Colonel Jacob T. Tindall and Judge Smith, of Gentry and Lynn Counties, respectively. Company D was mustered September 22, 1861, with the following officers: W. P. Robinson, captain; John A. Fischer, first lieutenant, and Lafayette Cornwall, second lieutenant.

William P. Robinson was promoted colonel of the regiment June 7, 1862, and was succeeded as captain by John W. Moore, of Eagleville, who served as such until the expiration of the term of service, September, 1864. Lieutenant Fischer resigned his commission January 12, 1863, after which time Henry Sweeten filled the position. Lafayette Cornwall resigned the second lieutenancy and was succeeded by James A. Brewer. The latter resigned January, 1863, from which time until May, 1864, the office was held by Joseph H. Ristine. Rustine was promoted first' lieutenant of Company K in May, 1864, and was succeeded by Meredith Riggin, who held that position until the expiration of the term of service.

Company E, as organized for the service, was officered as follows: Archibald Montgomery, captain; W. R. Simms, first lieutenant, and George W. Brown, second lieutenant.

Archibald Montgomery resigned his commission October, 1862, and was succeeded by William R. Simms, who held the position until mustered out of the service in 1864. S. A. Thomas was promoted first lieutenant December, 1862, resigned July 30, 1863, and was succeeded by John A. Martin, who served until the expiration of the term. Second lieutenant George W. Brown resigned his commission July 8, 1863. John A. Harper was then promoted to the office, and held the same until September, 1864.

A large portion of Company G was raised in Harrison County; also portions of Companies H and I.

The officers of Company G were originally Wat E. Crandall, captain; James S. Todd, first lieutenant, and W. McCullough, second lieutenant. Officers of Company H: Francis Lisko, captain, and Thomas B. Mikels and Ebenezer West, first and second lieutenants, respectively. Company I: Captain, John Parker; first lieutenant, T. H. Hollingsworth; second lieutenant, Jeremiah Nash.

The Twenty-third was made up from the counties of Harrison, Grundy, Livingston, Linn, Putnam, Mercer, Daviess and Carroll. The regiment entered into active service in 1861, but participated in no engagements until the following year, the principal duty in the meantime being preserving the peace and protecting the lives and property of Union men in the county, where the command was stationed. On April 1, 1862, the regiment was ordered to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, at which place it arrived and its first engagement was at the battle of Shiloh.

In June, 1862, the regiment was ordered to Benton Barracks, and continued on duty there and in the city of St. Louis for some time, when they were ordered southward to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland. On recovering from his wound received at Shiloh, W. P. Robinson rejoined the regiment, and was promoted colonel of the same on June 7, 1862. From that time until the expiration of the term he continued in command, and did gallant service in the campaigns of the Fourteenth Army Corps, participating in a number of engagements, among which were the battles of Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro and other engagements near Atlanta. The Twenty-third Regiment was mustered out of service on September 22, 1864.

Company F, Second Missouri Cavalry, "Merrill's Horse." This company was recruited in the summer of 1861 as the Harrison County Cavalry Company, and, as originally organized, had the following commissioned officers: Eli Hannahs, captain; Elijah Hubbard, first lieutenant; William T. Foster, second lieutenant.

In December, 1861, the company was reorganized at St. Louis, as Company F, and attached to the Second Cavalry, known as "Merrill's Horse," with which it served gallantly until the close of the war.

The captain at the time of the reorganization was Theodore Pierson, who resigned March 4, 1863. His successor, Henry K. Bennett, was transferred in May, 1863, to Company B, and on the first of June of the same year, George H. Rowell took command. Elijah Hubbard commanded the company from the summer of 1863 until mustered out of the service September 19, 1865.

This company performed gallant service in Missouri during the first two years of the war, and with the regiment participated in a number of battles and skirmishes, besides effectually checking the guerrilla raids in various parts of the state.

Company A, Thirty-fifth Missouri Infantry, was organized in Harrison County, in the summer and fall of 1862, and officered as follows: Horace Fitch, captain; James B. Brower, first lieutenant, and Calvin Tilton, second lieutenant.

The organization of the Thirty-fifth was perfected December 3, 1863, and immediately thereafter it took the field. During the greater part of that year it was stationed at Helena, Arkansas, and participated in the battle at that place, on the Fourth of July, of the same year, and lost heavily in the engagement. In June, 1864, the regiment with others, under the command of General N. B. Buford, "proceeded down the Mississippi River; up the White, to cut off through that into the Arkansas; up the last mentioned river into the neighborhood of Arkansas Post, for the purpose of ascertaining the strength of a Rebel force then organizing under Shelby, Daubin and others." Having accomplished their mission they returned to Helena, June 26. The following month the regiment engaged in a decisive battle with a portion of Shelby and Daubin's forces, breaking the enemy's lines three successive times, with the loss of their leader, three officers and thirty-seven men. During the fall of 1864 and the spring and early summer of 1865 the Thirty-fifth was engaged in guerrilla warfare, picket and garrison duty. It was honorably discharged from the service on June 28, 1865, at Little Rock, Arkansas.

Company E, Forty-third Infantry. This company consisted of Harrison County men only, and was recruited in the fall of 1864. The organization was effected with the following commissioned officers: Simeon Sutton, captain; William Canady, first lieutenant, and Daniel D. Boyce, second lieutenant.

The Forty-third was organized as a regiment on September 22, 1864, and mustered out of service June 30, 1865. Several companies participated in the battle of Glasgow, October 15, 1864, after which, until discharged in 1865, the regiment was actively engaged in an irregular guerrilla warfare.

Company H, Twelfth Cavalry, Missouri Volunteers, was organized in Harrison County in January, 1864, by Preston Sharp, and numbered about sixty men. The officers were S. S. Vansyckle, captain, served from February, 1864, to April 29, 1864. His successor, John Collar, served from the latter date until the regiment disbanded in 1865. The Twelfth Cavalry was assigned to duty in Saint Louis in 1864, and later was attached to the First Division Cavalry District of West Tennessee, commanded by Brigadier General Hatch. Its first battle was an engagement at the Tallahatchie River, near Abbeyville. After performing various kinds of duty m northern Mississippi and other parts of the South, the regiment was ordered to report to General Dodge, commanding the department of Missouri, and later was detached and assigned duty in the West. During the summer of 1865 the regiment engaged in Indian warfare on the Powder River and Yellowstone, in which the men behaved with characteristic gallantry.

Missouri State Militia. Company I, First Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, was raised in Harrison County in the spring of 1862. Officers: Milton Burris, captain; John H. Smith, first lieutenant, and Daniel Shumate, second lieutenant, all of whom served until honorably discharged in April, 1865. The First Cavalry was commanded by Colonel James McFarren, and was engaged principally in guerrilla warfare in various counties of Missouri.

Company E, Third Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, was organized April, 1862, with Captain Charles B. McAfee in command. Colonel Walter A. King commanded the Third Cavalry, and the principal duty performed was operating against guerrillas and bushwhackers, and preserving the peace in various counties of the state.

Company G, Sixth Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, Captain John A. Page, was organized in the spring of 1862. William Newby was first lieutenant and James C. Baker second lieutenant. Under the command of Colonel E. Catherwood the Sixth Cavalry performed gallant service against guerrillas during the years 1862 and 1863; also operated in Arkansas and the Indian Nation, and participated in the attack and rout of Generals Steele and Cooper, at Perryville, Choctaw country, battle of Backbone Mountain and capture of Fort Smith. During the years 1864 and 1865 the Sixth participated in a number of engagements, and in the campaigns against General Price, among which were the battles of Jefferson City, Russellville, Boonville, Dover, Independence, Big Blue, Osage, Newtonia and others.

Enrolled Missouri Militia. In July, 1862, Governor Gamble issued an order (No. 19) requiring the loyal men subject to military service to organize into companies and regiments.

In pursuance of this order eleven companies were organized in Harrison County, and formed into what was known as the "Fifty-seventh Regiment Enrolled Militia." The first commissioned officers were D. J. Heaston, colonel; James M. Nevill, lieutenant colonel; William G. Weldon, major. Colonel Heaston resigned in a short time, and was succeeded by James Neville, and he in March, 1864, by William G. Lewis.

F. M. Jackson was promoted lieutenant-colonel in August, 1863, and served till expiration of term in 1865. The other regimental officers were as follows: H. J. Skinner, adjutant; Howard T. Combs, adjutant, succeeded the former July, 1863; Elliott P. Bunch, quartermaster; R. H. Vandivert, surgeon; Jonathan U. Lewis, surgeon.

Company A - F. M. Jackson, captain; succeeded subsequently by John S. Hall; A. J. Allen, first lieutenant; George Burris, Jr., second lieutenant.

Company B - Simeon Sutton, captain; F. R. Quigley and Richard W. Handy, lieutenants.

Company C - Benjamin S. Ramey, captain; Benton Salmon and L. G. Spuefin, first and second lieutenants, respectively.

Company D - Captain, J. C. Frisby; first Lieutenant, Daniel D. Boyce: second lieutenant, William H. Fades.

Company E - William J. Prater, captain; David Wright and D. S. Miller, lieutenants.

Company F - Stephen C. Allen, captain. The lieutenants were Joseph Miller and H. R. Badger.

Company G - Preston Sharp, captain; J. C. Anderson, first lieutenant, succeeded September, 1862, by Jacob Koontz. The second lieutenant was J. C. Anderson.

Company H - William Canady, captain; John Canady, first lieutenant; Henry H. Nevill, second lieutenant.

Company I - James H. Lynch, captain; Felix Randall and Americus Bunch, lieutenants.

Company K - William W. Harper, captain; O. T. Graham, first lieutenant; William J. Nevill, second lieutenant.

Company L - James P. Anderson, captain; James Stanbrough and George W. Nevill, lieutenants.

This regiment was organized ostensibly for home protection and police duty, subject to be called upon whenever needed. It was called out upon three occasions, and in all performed about two months' service. 

 Harrison County| AHGP Missouri

Source: History of Harrison County, Missouri, by Geo. W. Wanamaker, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, 1921