The Newtonia Campaign
On the 5th of September, Colonel Phillips was at Neosho with part of his Third Indian Regiment and reported to General Blunt and Colonel Weer that he had been there and in that vicinity several days keeping in touch with the enemy, all Missourians, skirmishing with them and maneuvering to force them, if they designed to attack him, to do so at a disadvantage as to time and position; but that they hesitated, indicating that they were not in readiness, and were preparing to concentrate a larger force against him than that which had been threatening.
Hearing of the critical position of Colonel Phillips at Neosho, Colonel Weer directed Colonel Judson, with the Sixth Kansas Cavalry to re-enforce him, and while en route met him retiring and skirmishing with the enemy who had also been largely re-enforced. A couple rounds of shells from a section of Allen’s First Kansas Rifled Battery thrown among them sent them scurrying to the rear, and the command continued its retirement and joined the balance of the brigade near Carthage. At this place the information received by Colonel Weer from General Totten at Springfield and from other sources was puzzling. It was to the effect that a large force of the enemy was on the march to attack Springfield, or to turn his position on the west in a northward movement, and requesting him (Page 88) to make a forced march in the direction of Greenfield to head them off with co-operating forces of General Brown at Mt. Vernon.
The forced march was made by Colonel Weer’s Brigade in a northeast direction to Sach and Turnback Creeks, ten to twelve miles north of Mt. Vernon, when the Colonel received a dispatch from the commanding officer of the Missouri forces that the enemy had not yet advanced; were still at Newtonia and other points in Newton and McDonald counties, gathering up wheat and corn and using the mills in making flour and meal for subsistence. The danger of a turning movement by the enemy having been based on incorrect information, the Kansas Brigade about faced and marched to Mt. Vernon, where it found part of a brigade of Missouri Cavalry, and some other detachments of General Totten’s forces, and after a day’s rest, continued the march to Sarcoxie, eighteen miles west, and encamped there and west of the place for more than two weeks.
While there the Brigades of General Salomon and Colonel Cloud came up and the Federal forces held a front from Sarcoxie to the Kansas line, with intervals of only a few miles between encampments. The Indian Regiments occupied the extreme right, resting on Spring River, and daily mounted detachments were sent out under competent officers from each brigade to watch and report the movements of the enemy.
After the middle of September, Colonel Cooper, commanding the effective forces of the Confederates of the Indian Territory, consisting of four or five regiments of Texans, the Choctaws and Chickasaws, and Creeks and Cherokees, of seven or eight thousand men and several batteries of artillery, crossed to the north side of the Arkansas River, and moved north along the Arkansas and Territory line, to Maysville and to Scott’s Mills in Mc Donald County, Missouri, where he came into (Page 89) communication with the Missouri Southern forces of Rains, Cockrell, Shelby and Coffee, and soon arranged for co-operation of their forces against the common foe. On his arrival at the Elk Mills, Colonel Cooper sent Colonel T. C. Hawpe, of the Thirty-First Texas Cavalry on a reconnaissance north along the Line Road as far as the neighborhood of Baxter Springs, as a protection to his left flank in any further advance north.
In his advance north Colonel Hawpe located the camp of the Second Regiment Indian Home Guards commanded by Colonel John Ritchie, at Shirley’s Ford, on Spring River, and on the morning of September 20th, about eight o clock, fired upon and drove in the Indian pickets, causing a panic among the fifteen hundred women and children; but the Colonel soon rallied his Indian soldiers and after a sharp action of about half an hour routed the enemy, and killed, as he reported, two captains and twenty men and captured their flag. He reported the Union Indians loss at sixteen enlisted men and one officer killed and nine wounded. The officer killed was Captain George Scraper, while leading his men.
Colonel Cloud with three mounted companies and two howitzers, arrived at Colonel Ritchie’s camp the day after the action and advanced some distance south of it, but the enemy having accomplished the purpose of his reconnaissance returned to his main command at Elk Mills.
The Confederate forces were now within supporting distance of each other in southwest Missouri, having moved up and occupied Neosho, Granby and Newtonia, and the Federal forces from Fort Scott and Springfield had moved forward and occupied positions southeast, east and north of the enemy, twelve to fifteen miles in his front. While these operations were going forward General Curtis was assigned to the command of the Department of Missouri, relieving General Schofield, who took command of the troops in the field, and he hastened to Springfield to (Page 90) organize his forces for an aggressive campaign against the enemy who were threatening an invasion of the state.
On his arrival at Springfield, he assigned General Totten to the command of the Second Division of the Army, and directed him to move forward on the Neosho road to the vicinity of Big Spring, the head of Spring River, south west of Mt. Vernon, and from that point communicate with General Blunt’s forces under General Salomon and Colonel Weer at and in the vicinity of Sarcoxie; but not to bring on an engagement unless the advantages were decidedly in his favor, with the Kansas forces in perfect co-operation. General Schofield desired to hold the enemy in south west Missouri until he could collect other and additional forces and resources at Springfield and then move for ward, unite his forces and assume command, and with General Blunt’s Division co-operating, push the enemy from Newtonia and from southwest Missouri into Arkansas. The latter part of September Colonel Weer’s Second Brigade was encamped a week or more on Jenkins Creek, six or seven miles west of Sarcoxie, but toward the end of the month General Salomon received information that led him to believe that the enemy was preparing to attack him at Sarcoxie, the home of General Rains, and directed Colonel Weer to move up with his brigade and join him and be in position to meet the enemy. General Blunt was detained at Fort Scott a few days collecting and preparing for active service at the front, several new regiments organized in the state, and when in readiness to go forward and take command of his division in person and in co-operation with General Schofield, make a vigorous campaign against the enemy until he was driven out of the state.
On the 29th General Salomon ordered a reconnaissance of a cavalry force, in command of Lieutenant-Colonel Jewell, Sixth Kansas Cavalry, in the direction of Neosho and Granby, for the purpose of securing reliable information of the movements of the enemy. Colonel Jewell (Page 91) reported that when he passed through Granby that a Texas Regiment and a force of Indians were just ahead of him en route to Newtonia, where a large force of Missourians, Texans and Indians were concentrating. On the same day Colonel E. Lynde, Ninth Kansas Cavalry, was directed to take four companies of his regiment and two howitzers under Lieutenant H. H. Opdyke, and make a reconnaissance to Newtonia, twelve miles south, to ascertain the strength and position of the enemy. He advanced about eight miles, crossed Shoal Creek, and passing nearly a mile of timber, came upon the prairie and encountered the enemy picket guard, which fled on the approach of his column and which he pursued almost to the village and until they joined the main body posted about Colonel Ritchey’s stone barn and behind the stone fences on each side of the lane that led up to the town.
In pursuit of the pickets Colonel Lynde noticed an out post of the enemy at a house a quarter of a mile to his left and not wishing to leave them on his flank and rear, directed Lieutenant Opdyke to throw a couple rounds of shells from his howitzers among them, which he did, dispersing them. He then moved forward to the front of the enemy position, but not near enough to give him the advantage of screening his movements behind them, and ordered Lieutenant Opdyke to open upon them with shell from his howitzers. Colonel Lynde did not press the reconnoissance further. He made such observations as were practicable; a prisoner was taken and brought to him from whom he ascertained that there were 2,600 Confederates posted in and about the town with two pieces of artillery, and that other Confederate troops were on the march to that place, and being unable to draw them out, he gave them several rounds of shells from his howitzers and then started back on his return march to make a re port on the situation as he found it. (Page 92)
The troops of General Salomon hearing the sound of cannon in the afternoon in the direction of Newtonia, he ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Jacobi, with four companies of the Ninth Wisconsin Infantry, two companies of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry under Captain David Mefford, about fifty men of the Third Indian Regiment, and a section of Captain J. Stockton’s Battery to move out on the Newtonia road to re-enforce Colonel Lynde. About three miles out from Sarcoxie, Colonel Jacobi met Colonel Lynde returning from Newtonia with his command, and he marched into camp and reported to General Salomon the result of his reconnoissance, while Colonel Jacobi interpreted his instructions as authorizing him to continue his advance to the vicinity of Newtonia for the purpose of reconnoitering the enemy position, ascertain his strength and secure in formation that would give a probably accurate forecast of his intentions. Colonel Jacobi resumed the march after meeting Colonel Lynde and soon struck the timber on Shoal Creek, which extended four or five miles, and crossing the stream encamped on the south side near the edge of the prairie at dark, three or four miles northwest of Newtonia. He was re-enforced by two more companies of his regiment during the night. Colonel Lynde was also directed by General Salomon to return with his command to Newtonia, and leaving Sarcoxie at three o clock in the morning of September 30th, overtook Colonel Jacobi at six o clock in front of the village skirmishing with the enemy who were posted behind the stone fences. Captain Mefford, Sixth Kansas Cavalry, was driving in their out posts on his left and had taken several prisoners.
Colonel Lynde, having arrived, assumed command of the Federal forces and made dispositions to develop the forces of the enemy who, up to this time, were mostly concealed behind the stone fences, stone barns and buildings and orchards in the village. He ordered up Lieutenant Masterson with a section of the Second Indiana Battery to (Page 93) the center to open fire upon the enemy about the stone barn and at other points where they could be seen in considerable numbers, and directed Captain Mefford, re-en forced by Captain Thatcher’s company of the Ninth Kansas Cavalry, to press the attack on the left, while Colonel Jacobi with his infantry moved forward from the center to a wooded ravine near the stone fence.
In a moment the enemy replied with two pieces of artillery near the stone barn to Lieutenant Masterson’s section, but without doing any damage. On approaching the stone fence Colonel Jacobi’s infantry came under a heavy rifle fire from the enemy Indians concealed and posted behind the stone fence, and as his men could not effectively reach the foe with their rifles, ordered them to retire out of range, after having several men wounded by the fusillade.
It was now evident to Colonel Lynde that he could not take the town by assault without making too great a sacrifice of his small force, not exceeding five hundred men, and he ordered a retirement, and before the high ground in the prairie northwest of town was reached, noticed the enemy swarming out in large numbers from their concealed positions to cut off his infantry and capture his guns, while large forces of white and Indian troops, mounted, were coming up on his flanks to cut off his re treat before he could get well into the timber, and it was here that his howitzers and field guns were brought into effective use, dispersing the enemy with shot and shell and grape, when they came in range. The Confederates were so persistent in their efforts to capture the entire force under Colonel Lynde, and were pressing so closely on his flanks and rear that he was obliged to form and reform his cavalry on each side of the road to hold them back and let the infantry and artillery pass on, after firing: their volleys. (Page 94)
It was after his troops got into the timber that the fighting became the hardest, and it was here that Colonel Lynde sustained his heaviest losses. His infantry, in endeavoring to hold the enemy and save the guns were entirely surrounded and 149 enlisted men and officers cap tured, and the remnant and the artillery saved only by Captain Mefford forming and having his men fire volleys from their Sharp’s carbines into the enemy ranks formed across the road in his front, each volley causing a dispersal of the enemy and an opening that allowed his troopers to pass through.
The Confederates kept up the pursuit of Colonel Lynde’s force almost to Shoal Creek. Here re-enforcements from Sarcoxie came up under Colonel Judson, Sixth Kansas Cavalry, and two howitzers, and drove them back to Newtonia. Early in the morning the troops at Sarcoxie heard cannon firing in the direction of Newtonia, indicating that the forces sent out during the night and the evening be fore under Colonel Lynde and Lieutenant-Colonel Jacobi were engaged with the enemy. General Salomon at once ordered forward to the support of the troops at the front, the effective men in camp of the First and Second Brigades, except some four hundred Indians and a battery of artillery left to guard the trains. The cannon firing continued at short intervals and the General ordered Colonel Judson and Colonel Phillips with their regiments, the Sixth Kansas and Third Indian, to proceed to the battle field at a trot, while he accompanied and brought up the infantry and artillery. A short distance north of Shoal Creek Colonel Judson met a few men of the Ninth Kansas Cavalry and Ninth Wisconsin Infantry, two howitzers and a section of Stockton’s Battery in full retreat, and the officer with them informed him that Colonel Lynde, with part of his regiment and Captain Mefford were surrounded by the enemy. (Page 95)
Pushing on Colonel Judson soon came to the scene of the recent fighting and saw beside the road in the timber the bodies of eight to ten men of the Ninth Wisconsin Infantry who had been killed and stripped of their clothing and exposed in the hot sun, and continuing to advance with caution he came in sight of the enemy drawn up in line near the edge of the prairie. He then ordered Lieu tenant Benedict up with his two howitzers, attached to the Sixth Kansas Cavalry, to open on the enemy with shell, which he did, causing them to fall back. They were pursued to Newtonia, and Colonel Judson skirmished with them and held them about three hours and until Colonel Phillips arrived on the field about two o clock with the Third Indian Regiment and took up a position on the left along a branch that ran north and that had a plum thicket, brush and timber on it.
These positions were maintained until the infantry and artillery under General Salomon and Colonel Weer arrived about three o clock and took up a position on the heights of a ridge in the prairie overlooking the little town a mile distant, and in which, with the aid of field glasses, the enemy could be seen moving about in considerable numbers. The foliage of the shade trees in town, however, obscured the view so that it was difficult to make out details of movements.
The artillery coming up, the batteries took positions on the crest of the ridge supported by the Tenth Kansas Infantry, and in a short time the rifled guns of Allen’s Battery were throwing a stream of percussion shells into and around the stone barn, where one of the Confederate batteries was located, bursting and killing and wounding men and horses. But the battery was not long idle; it was soon exchanging compliments with the Federal batteries, sending shell for shell with them; many, however, bursting in mid-air before reaching the Federal position.
While the Federal batteries were shelling the enemy (Page 96) position in town and any Confederate mounted forces ex posed to view, Colonel Phillips with his Indians in the brush and timber along the branch north of town were sharply engaged with the enemy, who were apparently making an effort to turn General Salomon’s left flank, and in this action Captain Webber was killed and two officers and fifteen men wounded. On the Federal right Colonel Judson was sent out with the Sixth Kansas Cavalry as far south as the Neosho road to meet a movement of Colonel Jean’s Missouri and Colonel Steven’s Texas Cavalry, which threatened to flank General Salomon’s position on the right.
The movements of the two Confederate regiments as they marched out of the village on the Neosho road were observed by General Salomon and Colonel Weer from the position occupied by their infantry and artillery on the ridge, and they noticed with satisfaction the steadiness with which Colonel Judson advanced southeast over the prairie in line of battle to meet the hostile forces. When the Confederate regiments marched out of town, passed the stone fences and came out upon the prairie, they wheeled into line and advanced facing the Sixth Kansas, and when the hostile forces were within range, Lieutenant-Colonel Jewell, who was in immediate command of the Kansas regiment, ordered his men to give them a volley from their Sharp’s carbines, which had the effect of making the enemy break, and they wheeled and returned precipitately to their position in town, pursued by the Kan-sans until they come to near the mouth of the lane and within rifle range of the stone fences.
Having spent the afternoon in fighting and maneuvering and failing to draw the enemy out from his strong position behind buildings and stone fences, and having instructions from Generals Schofield and Blunt not to bring on a general engagement unless he felt certain of success, General Salomon at sunset withdrew his forces (Page 97) from the field and returned to his encampment at Sarcoxie. He was disappointed in not receiving the re-enforcements of Colonel George H. Hall, Fourth Brigade Missouri State Militia Cavalry of General Brown’s command encamped on Center Creek six miles southeast of Sarcoxie, but he had not made his dispatch to Colonel Hall for re-enforcements and co-operation very definite, and as a consequence the Colonel did not arrive on the field with his brigade of cavalry and Captain Murphy’s Battery, First Missouri Light Artillery, until dusk, just as General Salomon’s forces were withdrawing and entering the timber skirting Shoal Creek. Here Colonel Hall formed his cavalry in the timber and masked his battery near the prairie, and allowed General Salomon’s forces, part of whom had been engaged all day and were tired and thirsty for water, to pass to the rear through his line, and waited for the enemy, who soon appeared in the deep dusk of the evening on the ridge in the prairie in a long line that covered the visible horizon that touched the prairie, having mounted and followed closely the retiring Federal forces from the field.
The advancing enemy passing over the crest of the ridge could not see Colonel Hall’s command formed in the timber for the heavy foliage and the coming on of darkness, while the Federal troops could see with perfect distinctness the masses of the enemy as they passed the sky line on the ridge, and they made excellent target practice for the gunners of Captain Murphy’s battery in the edge of the timber, the men standing by their guns loaded with shell in readiness to fire the moment the command was given. When on the crest of the ridge the Confederate batteries fired several rounds of shells into the timber, and then in a moment a flame of fire leaped from the guns of Captain Murphy’s Battery F, First Missouri Light Artillery, sending bursting shells into the ranks of the enemy in rapid succession, causing them, before they had (Page 98) approached within a quarter of a mile of the timber to turn in headlong flight back to Newtonia.
The mounted force of General Salomon’s command formed in the rear of Colonel Hall’s Brigade, and when the action was over and the enemy in flight to Newtonia, re tired on the road to Sarcoxie, and after crossing Shoal Creek, bivouacked in the timber to be drenched by rain that fell during the night.
The troops of General Salomon and Colonel Hall re turned to the positions they occupied before making the reconnoissance and commenced preparations for a movement in a few days that would determine whether the enemy would be able to hold his position in Southwest Missouri much longer.
On the 3rd of October, General Schofield arrived from Springfield to take command of all the troops facing the enemy at Newtonia, and brought additional forces and artillery belonging to General Totten’s Division. General Blunt arrived from Fort Scott to take command of the First Division, called in the early stages of the campaign, “The Army of Kansas.”
Generals Schofield and Blunt had a conference and arranged the plan of operations to commence on the morning of October 4th, that would compel General Cooper to fight at Newtonia or evacuate the place.
As provided in the plan, General Schofield advanced with the two divisions of Totten and Brown, who were en camped about the same distance from Newtonia as were Blunt’s troops at Sarcoxie, to attack the enemy in their position from the east and southeast, and General Blunt advanced south on the Sarcoxie and Newtonia road, sending part of his mounted troops west of that road via Granby, to attack from the north and northwest, the combined forces to keep in touch from the time of starting out until they came upon the field for the assault. (Page 99)
The movement worked like clockwork. All the Federal troops, cavalry, infantry and artillery and ambulances were in their designated positions on three sides of the enemy by ten o clock, and on the firing of a signal gun the attack opened with an intense artillery fire of shot and shell upon the enemy in Newtonia from the battery of every brigade of the combined forces, thirty-six field guns and four twelve-pounder howitzers, knocking gun carriages and caissons to splinters and killing and wounding nearly all the horses of some of the enemy batteries. After the artillery had played upon the enemy position for less than half an hour, Generals Schofield and Blunt ordered their troops forward, and with flags flying, from the extreme left to the extreme right they advanced, with the intention of coming to close quarters with the enemy; seeing which, and that his line of retreat was threatened by the rapid advance of the Federal cavalry towards his rear, Colonel Cooper ordered a hasty retreat in a southwest direction until he struck the Neosho and Pineville road on which his trains were moving south.
General Schofield ordered his cavalry in pursuit at once, and during the day overtook the enemy rear guard who appeared to have the fight taken out of them and fled on sight of the Federal advance, and next day the whole Confederate force that had been threatening to advance into central Missouri passed into Arkansas and the Indian Territory in a demoralized condition, and took with it nearly all the guerrilla bands of western Missouri.
In the action on the 30th, the Federal losses were fifteen killed and thirty-two wounded; on the 4th there were no Federal losses. General Cooper reported the Confederate losses at seventy-five killed and wounded.
Tags: General Blunt, General Schofield, Newtonia Campaign
Source: The Union Indian Brigade in the Civil War, By Wiley Britton, published 1922, Franklin Hudson Publishing Co., Kansas City, Missouri.
