Another Missouri Guerrilla

[Patrick H]

Most have heard tall tales and true tales of the famous outlaw, Cole Younger. Fewer know of his background and of his service during the war.

Cole was from a prosperous and well-regarded western Missouri family. His father was a slave owner, but a strong unionist.

At the start of the war, Cole armed himself with a shotgun and a revolver and joined the Missouri State Guard. He was at the battles of Carthage and Wilson's Creek. He was also at the siege of Lexington, Missouri. Sometime after Lexington, he joined Quantrill's company. He was, by many accounts, utterly fearless in combat, but never vicious.

Col. Upton Hays, in Jackson County, Missouri on a recruiting expedition in July and August of 1862, wanted to capture the town of Independence and joined forces with Quantrill for this purpose. Cole Younger scouted the town (according to his own story) disguised as an old woman selling apples. He was apparently stopped and questioned at least once, but managed to carry off his ruse. He succeeded in bringing valuable information back to Quantrill and Hays and the town was attacked August 11.

That same month, Younger states that he was formally enrolled in Confederate service by Col. Gideon Thompson. This part of his story is confusing, because he continued to operate with Quantrill for a time.

At the battle of Lone Jack, Missouri (a lengthy and intense fight, considering the numbers engaged), he was seen to ride the length of the Confederate lines, distributing ammunition. He is known to have sheltered a number of people at Lawrence--posting a guard to protect them. He has been described as a fair minded soldier, who accepted numerous surrenders and spared many disarmed enemies.

He participated in scouts and other operations in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas in the winter of 1863-64. He was then sent west to recruit and was in California when Lee surrendered.

It is difficult to know what truly turned him to outlawry. By far, most guerrillas who survived the war returned to peaceful lives. He portrays himself as an avenger, and it's fair to say he saw himself that way. His father's mail stable was jayhawked by Jennison. Shortly after, his father was murdered by union soldiers outside of Kansas City. Still later, his widowed mother was forced to burn her own home by a Missouri militia patrol.

Cole returned from California to find his region of Missouri destroyed and his family farm in ruins. No doubt he persuaded himself that he had scores to settle.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Most have heard tall tales and true tales of the famous outlaw, Cole Younger. Fewer know of his background and of his service during the war.

Cole was from a prosperous and well-regarded western Missouri family. His father was a slave owner, but a strong unionist.

At the start of the war, Cole armed himself with a shotgun and a revolver and joined the Missouri State Guard. He was at the battles of Carthage and Wilson's Creek. He was also at the siege of Lexington, Missouri. Sometime after Lexington, he joined Quantrill's company. He was, by many accounts, utterly fearless in combat, but never vicious.

Col. Upton Hays, in Jackson County, Missouri on a recruiting expedition in July and August of 1862, wanted to capture the town of Independence and joined forces with Quantrill for this purpose. Cole Younger scouted the town (according to his own story) disguised as an old woman selling apples. He was apparently stopped and questioned at least once, but managed to carry off his ruse. He succeeded in bringing valuable information back to Quantrill and Hays and the town was attacked August 11.

That same month, Younger states that he was formally enrolled in Confederate service by Col. Gideon Thompson. This part of his story is confusing, because he continued to operate with Quantrill for a time.

At the battle of Lone Jack, Missouri (a lengthy and intense fight, considering the numbers engaged), he was seen to ride the length of the Confederate lines, distributing ammunition. He is known to have sheltered a number of people at Lawrence--posting a guard to protect them. He has been described as a fair minded soldier, who accepted numerous surrenders and spared many disarmed enemies.

He participated in scouts and other operations in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas in the winter of 1863-64. He was then sent west to recruit and was in California when Lee surrendered.

It is difficult to know what truly turned him to outlawry. By far, most guerrillas who survived the war returned to peaceful lives. He portrays himself as an avenger, and it's fair to say he saw himself that way. His father's mail stable was jayhawked by Jennison. Shortly after, his father was murdered by union soldiers outside of Kansas City. Still later, his widowed mother was forced to burn her own home by a Missouri militia patrol.

Cole returned from California to find his region of Missouri destroyed and his family farm in ruins. No doubt he persuaded himself that he had scores to settle.

Good one Patrick. Best I can tell, Cole was officially a member of Company C 12th Missouri Cavalry at Wilson's Creek ???

Hiram J. George
Another member of Co.C.
(Was with Quantrill at Lawrence, KS)

David Shanks

Residence Jackson County, MO;
Enlisted on 8/1/1862 at Kansas City, MO as a Captain.

On 8/1/1862 he was commissioned into "G" Co. Missouri 12th Cavalry
He was Killed (date not stated) at Osage Crossing, MO
(Estimated date of commission)


Promotions:
* Lt Col
* Colonel
* Major 10/1/1862 (Estimated day)

Intra Regimental Company Transfers:
* 10/1/1862 from company G to Field & Staff

12th Missouri Cavalry Regiment

Col. David Shanks, Lt Col. William H. Erwin,
Majors Samuel Bowman, H. J. Vivien

The regiment, formerly the Jackson County Cavalry, was organized in the
summer of 1863. The unit was in Shelby's brigade and confronted the
Federals in Missouri and Arkansas. It lost two men at Marks' Mills,
Ark. and lost 35 men during Price's 1864 Missouri expedition.

As of May 3, 1864 it reported 35 officers and 292 enlisted present.

It was included in the June 2, 1865 surrender of the Trans-Mississippi
Department.

 

[AUG]

Good one Patrick. Best I can tell, Cole was officially a member of Company C 12th Missouri Cavalry at Wilson's Creek ???

Hiram J. George
Another member of Co.C.
(Was with Quantrill at Lawrence, KS)

David Shanks

Residence Jackson County, MO;
Enlisted on 8/1/1862 at Kansas City, MO as a Captain.

On 8/1/1862 he was commissioned into "G" Co. MO 12th Cavalry
He was Killed (date not stated) at Osage Crossing, MO
(Estimated date of commission)


Promotions:
* Lt Col
* Colonel
* Major 10/1/1862 (Estimated day)

Intra Regimental Company Transfers:
* 10/1/1862 from company G to Field & Staff

12th Missouri Cavalry Regiment

Col. David Shanks, Lt Col. William H. Erwin,
Majors Samuel Bowman, H. J. Vivien

The regiment, formerly the Jackson County Cavalry, was organized in the
summer of 1863. The unit was in Shelby's brigade and confronted the
Federals in Missouri and Arkansas. It lost two men at Marks' Mills,
Ark. and lost 35 men during Price's 1864 Missouri expedition.

As of May 3, 1864 it reported 35 officers and 292 enlisted present.

It was included in the June 2, 1865 surrender of the Trans-Mississippi
Department.

Perhaps the MSG unit that Cole served with later became part of the 12th Missouri Cavalry CS? Because I believe all the Missouri troops under Price at Wilson's Creek were state guardsmen, however many of those units or the men in them later transferred to Confederate service.

 

[Patrick H]

Cole Younger wrote an interesting autobiography (available free online) which is a fascinating read. The problem with it is that it's really difficult to know how much of it we can believe. For example, the only crime he ever admitted to was the Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery. He insisted that he never committed a crime in Missouri and provided alibis for most of the other crimes in which he was implicated.

Most of you know that he was captured while on the run from Northfield and that he was sentenced to life in prison there. He served nearly a quarter century as a model prisoner--once as an armed trustee. A large fire burned part of the prison and many prisoners were moved to temporary quarters. Cole was armed and assigned to guard them. Later, during the hearings for his parole and pardon, the warden advocated for him, describing this incident and testifying that Cole returned the revolver at the end of his assignment.

Numerous famous people began advocating for his pardon. Among them was the former union officer who witnessed him riding up and down the line at Lone Jack when he resupplied the Confederates. Also included were wardens and other state officials in Minnesota. He was given a conditional release from prison which lasted two years. He was a mostly free man, but was not allowed to leave the state. Finally, he was given a full pardon. He states in his autobiography that he formed many friendships in Minnesota. His pardon stipulated that he would never exhibit himself for profit, so it's hard to know how he managed to eventually go on a lecture circuit or own a Wild West Show without being recalled to Minnesota.

My favorite story about Cole (and I've told it here previously) is about the time he and Frank James brought their Wild West Show to my home town of Boonville, Missouri. They rode a horse drawn cab from the train depot to the downtown area. Neither of them had any small denomination bills to pay the cab fare, so Cole suggested they go into the bank and exchange some bills. Even after 30 years, Frank James said: "Cole Younger and Frank James can't EVER walk into a bank together!" The driver went in and exchanged their bills for them!

Read Cole's autobiography and a transcript of his Chatauqua lecture here:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24585/24585-h/24585-h.html

His middle-aged profile portrait doesn't look like a fearless soldier or a desperate outlaw, does it?

 

[AUG]

In chapter 7 of his autobiography Cole mentions that after he was enrolled in Confederate service in August 1862 he was elected a first lieutenant in Capt. Jarrette's company in Col. Upton Hays' regiment.

I don't have the book but I looked up the 12th Missouri Cavalry in Guide to Missouri Confederate Units, 1861-1865 by James E. McGhee on Google Books. Apparently Col. Upton Hays' regiment was later officially mustered into service as the 12th Missouri Cavalry at Camp Coffee, Newton County, on Sept. 12, 1862. It then joined Shelby's Brigade. Col. Hays' regiment was not a MSG unit as the MSG had already mustered out of service earlier in 1862, but it likely contained some state guard veterans like Cole who had previously served at Wilson's Creek and other actions.

It sounds like Cole and his brother-in-law Jarrette were in and out of Shelby's and Quantrill's commands until they left Quantrill's in Texas.

 

[Bee]

Cole returned from California to find his region of Missouri destroyed and his family farm in ruins. No doubt he persuaded himself that he had scores to settle.

It was the Younger-James connection that piqued my interest in the Guerillas -- I had no idea of this connection. Something that I have noticed with these guys, is that some of them have a distinct event in their lives that seemed to turn them for the worst. In reading the other thread about Anderson, the collapse of the jail and the deaths of the women seemed to really spark vengeance. In so many threads that explore what the soldiers fought for, it appears that the Kansas-Missouri fighters had incidents in their lives that reflected strongly on their actions. It's just a very amateur observation, as I have only read what you guys generously post on these threads.

 

[Patrick H]

It was the Younger-James connection that piqued my interest in the Guerillas -- I had no idea of this connection. Something that I have noticed with these guys, is that some of them have a distinct event in their lives that seemed to turn them for the worst. In reading the other thread about Anderson, the collapse of the jail and the deaths of the women seemed to really spark vengeance. In so many threads that explore what the soldiers fought for, it appears that the Kansas-Missouri fighters had incidents in their lives that reflected strongly on their actions. It's just a very amateur observation, as I have only read what you guys generously post on these threads.

Bee,
Cole was related to some of the young women in the jail collapse, too!

 

[Patrick H]

In chapter 7 of his autobiography Cole mentions that after he was enrolled in Confederate service in August 1862 he was elected a first lieutenant in Capt. Jarrette's company in Col. Upton Hays' regiment.

I don't have the book but I looked up the 12th Missouri Cavalry in Guide to Missouri Confederate Units, 1861-1865 by James E. McGhee on Google Books. Apparently Col. Upton Hays' regiment was later officially mustered into service as the 12th Missouri Cavalry at Camp Coffee, Newton County, on Sept. 12, 1862. It then joined Shelby's Brigade. Col. Hays' regiment was not a MSG unit as the MSG had already mustered out of service earlier in 1862, but it likely contained some state guard veterans like Cole who had previously served at Wilson's Creek and other actions.

It sounds like Cole and his brother-in-law Jarrette were in and out of Shelby's and Quantrill's commands until they left Quantrill's in Texas.

I almost missed your post. Thanks for this information. It does seem to clarify things, but it's interesting to me how a number of these guys seemed to be able to move between commands and units, either as needed or sometimes according to their whim.

 

[Patrick H]

View attachment 115676 Here are a couple of images of the older Cole Younger (No intentional play on words there). The first shows him circa 1916 and is a LOC image. The second shows him as a prisoner at Stillwater. Source: Kuhn and Washington Co. Hist. Soc.

 

[Borderruffian]

Perhaps the MSG unit that Cole served with later became part of the 12th Missouri Cavalry CS? Because I believe all the Missouri troops under Price at Wilson's Creek were state guardsmen, however many of those units or the men in them later transferred to Confederate service.

They were and held no numeric designations until the MSG mustered into the CS ARMY they were simply referred to as ;for example (not a real designation) Waverly Rangers, Shanks Regiment, 7th Divison.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

Another wonderful Trans-Mississippi American Civil War thread, Patrick!

I want to visit the Battle of Lexington, Missouri sites again. This time when it is warm. I visited and photographed this venue in mid-January. Brrrrrr....

Bill

 

[Patrick H]

Another wonderful Trans-Mississippi American Civil War thread, Patrick!

I want to visit the Battle of Lexington, Missouri sites again. This time when it is warm. I visited and photographed this venue in mid-January. Brrrrrr....

Bill

Hey, Bill, when you do, maybe I can go with you. I'll show you the Confederate Historic Site and old soldiers' cemetery at Higginsville, too. There are veterans from every Confederate and border state buried there.