Item No. 3074799

This small archive of six letters and documents—all dating to October 1863—relate to the Union Army’s response to Shelby’s Raid in Missouri. Included are two letters signed by Brigadier General Thomas Ewing. One of these, as well as a second unsigned letter, are retained drafts of letters that appear in the Official Records. As a group, the letters illustrate the difficulty of coordinating multiple columns as they attempted to find and corner the elusive Shelby.

Colonel Joseph O. Shelby began his daring raid from Arkansas into Missouri in late September 1863. His goals were to raise Confederate morale and attract recruits in the state, while also diverting the enemy from reinforcing Union efforts in the Western Theater. Shelby’s men advanced northeast, cutting telegraph wires, forcing surrenders of small federal garrisons, and capturing supplies at Neosho on October 2, Greenfield on the 3rd, Humansville on the 6th, and Warsaw on the 7th. Three small Union columns of mostly Unionist Missouri militia under Brigadier General Thomas Ewing, Brigadier General Egbert Brown, and Lieutenant Colonel Bazel Lazear nearly surrounded Shelby near Marshall on October 13, but after a Union attack split the Confederate forces in two, the separated rebel columns escaped, made their way south, and arrived back at Washington, Arkansas, on November 3. Shelby would earn a brigadier’s star for the raid, but outside of the destruction of significant property it accomplished few of its initial objectives.

The first piece is an October 13 letter from a Lieutenant D.K. Steele to General Ewing, reporting that on the 12th Lazear’s column had “attacked the rebels in Booneville from the south and drove them west, where Genl Brown’s column intercepted & killed some.” Steele reports further that Shelby’s forces “were retreating across Lamine going west, closely pursued.” He advises that “the rebels must be now nearly north of your present camp or say N West—unless they moved all night.” Steele’s record for 1863 could not be found, but he may be the same D.K. Steele that joined the 45th Missouri as a lieutenant in September 1864.

The second item is a staff copy of a letter sent by Lieutenant Colonel Lazear to Captain William Meredith, commanding a company of Lazear’s 1st Missouri State Militia Cavalry at Warrensburg to the southwest. Lazear warns:

Shelby and his men are three miles above here. We have been charging them all day. They say they are going to Warrensburg. Keep a Look Out for them and secure your horses. Send messengers immediately to Clinton and Sedalia. They are going south. They lost their artillery train and half their men yesterday. Keep out Pickets.

The third piece is a very brief October 18 message written by Captain Clement G. Laurent of Brigadier General John McNeil’s staff. It indicates that McNeil “will be at Sarcoxie this evening.” By this time Shelby had already passed through Neosho on his return route to Arkansas.

Fourth is an October 21 draft of a letter written from Diamond Spring and signed by Brigadier General Thomas Ewing. This draft—with words stricken out and others inserted—would have been cleaned up into a final message by Ewing’s staff. The resulting communication appears in the Official Records, Volume XXII, Part I, p. 663. Writing to General John M. Schofield in St. Louis, Ewing’s letter states:

Yesterday at morning daybreak Genl. McNeil wrote me from Sarcoxie in reply to my proffer of assistance that he was strong enough without me. I have delayed here I had before sent out a strong scouting party via Neosho & Pineville which has not yet reported. I this moment receive a letter from Comdg. officer at Cassville, saying enemy Genl. McNeil will be at Elk Horn tonight & wants me to march there. I go at once, are marching infantry afoot, inferior horses going back to Fort Scott, escorting train for supplies rations & clothing. My force three hundred & fifty infantry, six seven hundred cavalry, two small steel rifled guns, two mountain howitzers.

The fifth letter is another draft written by Ewing’s staff, although this one is only partially completed and is not signed by Ewing. This piece also suffers from some paper loss, and the text within [brackets] in the passage below was taken from the version in the Official Records (Volume XXII, Part II, p. 671). Written just three hours after the previous letter on October 21, Ewing writes to McNeil:

On being advised by you on the 19th that you were strong enough without me, I sent a scouting party to the line south of Pineville & waited here. It reports Shelby’s main force as having passed west of Pineville Sunday night, going due South.

I am sending back unserviceable Cavalry & will go on at once with the rest of my Command direct through Neosho toward Huntsville. I have sent to Springfield to have rations & horse stores & some artillery ammunition sent me. [I must have] rations day after tomorrow. If they are at Cassville, [the commanding] officer there, on reading this, will send all [he can spare] to me to Pea Ridge or on the [direct road] from Neosho toward Huntsville, [a day’s] march from Neosho—by 25 miles.

The sixth and final letter in the archive is again a draft of an official dispatch. Written on October 26 and signed by Ewing, the general informs Schofield in St. Louis that he had received a dispatch indicating “the enemy was but 1,000 strong & fled from Huntsville on McNeil’s approach. I yesterday sent infantry home to Ft. Scott & started myself.” Ewing then states he would send back to Fort Scott 150 of the 9th Kansas, 110 of the 11th Kansas, 160 of the 11th Missouri, and a “section of mountain howitzers” to “Col. Weer near Cassville.”

The letters vary in size from 7 1/2” x 3” to 8” x 12 1/2”. Most are in excellent condition with light foxing and toning. As stated above, the October 21 4pm letter has some paper loss as well as some damp staining around that area. The complete transcripts are below:

Letter No. 1:

Otterville, 13 Oct 63
10 AM

Genl Ewing
Comdg

Genl
We hear from Genl Brown’s column that yesterday morning they Col. Lazear & Major Kelly attacked the rebels in Booneville from the south & drove them west, where Genl Brown’s column intercepted & killed some.

They were retreating across Lamine going west, closely pursued.

The rebels must be now nearly north of your present camp or say N West—unless they moved all night.
Respy
D.K. Steele Lt Comdg

This evidence is corroborated by Harry T, who is present.

A plat [map] & message was sent to you last night at 9—did you receive it?
H.T.

Letter No. 2

Davis Creek, 4 1/2 o’clock P.M.
Oct 14th on Lexington road

Commander at Warrensburg
Shelby and his men are three miles above here. We have been charging them all day. They say they are going to Warrensburg. Keep a Look Out for them and secure your horses. Send messengers immediately to Clinton and Sedalia.

They are going south. They lost their artillery train and half their men yesterday. Keep out Pickets.
B.F. Lazear, Lt Col
1st Cav MSM, Comdg

A true copy
Wm Meredith, Capt
Comdg
Warrensburg, Mo

Letter No. 3

Oct. 18 / 63

Brig. Genl. McNeil will be at Sarcoxie this evening.
C.G. Laurent
A.A. Genl.

Letter No. 4

Diamond Spring, Oct 21st, 1 P.M.

Maj. Gen. J.M. Schofield
St. Louis Mo.

Yesterday at morning daybreak Genl. McNeil wrote me from Sarcoxie in reply to my proffer of assistance that he was strong enough without me. I have delayed here I had before sent out a strong scouting party via Neosho & Pineville which has not yet reported. I this moment receive a letter from Comdg. officer at Cassville, saying enemy Genl. McNeil will be at Elk Horn tonight & wants me to march there. I go at once, are marching infantry afoot, inferior horses going back to Fort Scott, escorting train for supplies rations & clothing. My force three hundred & fifty infantry, six seven hundred cavalry, two small steel rifled guns, two mountain howitzers.
Thomas Ewing Jr.
Brig. Gen.

Letter No. 5:

Camp on Grove Creek, 5 miles South of Carthage
Oct 21, 1863 — 4 P.M.

Genl. McNeil
I am in receipt within the last hour of your several dispatches of yesterday. On being advised by you on the 19th that you were strong enough without me, I sent a scouting party to the line south of Pineville & waited here. It reports Shelby’s main force as having passed west of Pineville Sunday night, going due South.

I am sending back unserviceable Cavalry & will go on at once with the rest of my Command direct through Neosho toward Huntsville. I have sent to Springfield to have rations & horse stores & some artillery ammunition sent me. [I must have] rations day after tomorrow. If they are at Cassville, [the commanding] officer there, on reading this, will send all [he can spare] to me to Pea Ridge or on the [direct road] from Neosho toward Huntsville, [a day’s] march from Neosho—by 25 miles.

I am very Respectfully

Letter No. 6:

Diamond Grove, Oct 26, 1863

Maj. Gen. J.M. Schofield
St. Louis Mo.

Dispatch of yesterday rec’d learning the enemy was but 1,000 strong & fled from Huntsville on McNeil’s approach. I yesterday sent infantry home to Ft. Scott & started myself.

I now order back to fort Scott all but one hundred & fifty Eleventh Ninth Kansas, one hundred & ten Eleventh Kansas, one hundred & sixty Eleventh Misso, and section of small rifled steel guns mountain howitzers. In all four hundred & fifty under Col. Weer near Cassville.

I will send balance of 11th Misso with transportation via Fort Scott to Cassville and companies 4th Misso and concentrate Twelfth Kansas at Fort Scott for marching. Will telegraph from Fort Scott tomorrow as to dispositions of other troops.
Thomas Ewing Jr.
Brig. Gen.

A true Copy
D. Wilson