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| Photo by permission of Stoddard County Confederate Memorial website |
Last week we learned that the once pro-southern town of Bloomfield, Missouri set on Crowley's Ridge in Stoddard County and often saw both the Confederate and Union forces in the Civil War.
Larry Arnold from Dexter, Missouri, saw a Civil War tombstone in a St. James, Missouri cemetery that had the soldier’s general name and dates on the front of his headstone. However, on the back was inscribed, “killed by the Yankees at the Battle of Booneville, Missouri. Whenever he saw a military stone after that, he was always disappointed not to see the detail of the serviceman’s death on the back side of the headstone.
The Stoddard County’s Confederate Memorial’s website tells what happened next in the words of the memorial's creator. "When Jim McGhee and Jim Mayo published their book, “Stoddard Grays“ (an informational book about Confederate soldiers from Stoddard County) in 1995, Arnold started to get an idea. “I thought it would be neat to order grave markers for the 117 plus Stoddard Countians (identified in Stoddard Grays) that died during the war and inscribe where and how they died on the back."
“When I conceived the idea, there was 117 known Stoddard Countians. We now have placed markers for 152 soldiers, nine civilians ‘political prisoners’ who died in prison at Alton, Illinois, plus 22 non-Stoddard Countians buried in this location; their home counties are inscribed on the back of the stones.”
“Even though their bodies lie from Mine Creek, Kansas, in the West, to Petersburg, Virginia, to the East, on the battlefields of the South, and under the former POW camps of the North, their names and sacrifices will once again be remembered and spoken of in their home county they loved so much and were willing to die for.”
In 1992, Larry Arnold began steps to make his vision a reality. Arnold is quick to give credit to many others who also contributed to the development and implementation of the Stoddard County’s Confederate Memorial. Two of his dedicated workers in the cemetery was Jim Mayo, along with Ruth Wilson, who provided the necessary administrative services as well as manual labor. Arnold also acknowledged the support of members in the Col. A.S. Riley Camp, No. 791 of New Madrid and Whitener's Monument and Lily's Monument companies generously completed the engraving of the stones. Christian and Dowdy Lumber Company, of Dexter, furnished lumber, and Ray Ezzell if Dexter installed the shingles, and Pruitt Glass Company donated the bulletproof glass. Arnold said the Veteran Administration also provided the headstones. Many individuals, too many to list, contributed financially and with other support.
My husband Tom and I visited this cemetery in 2005. The interesting difference about this cemetery from other military cemeteries is inscriptions on the back side of each headstone telling how and where the soldier died. This difference makes one think about that soldier as a person. It was a sad, humbling, and moving experience to walk among those graves and to think of the horror that those men must have gone through over one-hundred and fifty years ago. They fought bravely and with pride for what they believed, the same as Union soldiers fought for what they believed. These markers represent our ancestors, who deserve our honor.
Thousands of soldiers fought in the Missouri Home Guard (USA) and Missouri State Guard (CSA) who are often forgotten. For many, no confirmation of their deaths was sent to Washington, DC for inclusion in Civil War records at the National Archives. I was pleased to see the following Missouri State Guard (MSG) soldiers honored at the Stoddard County Civil War Memorial.
2nd Lt. Billington
Offut, Company
A, 2nd Inf. Regt, 1 Div. Stoddard County
Pvt. Theophilus J. McKee
Company A, 2nd Cav. Regt. Cape Girardeau County
In the Battle of Fredericktown, Gen M. Jeff Thompson's Missouri State Guardsmen suffered a total of 25 dead on the battlefield, 40 wounded, and 80 captured. After their retreat, they brought the 40 wounded back to a hospital in Bloomfield. At least six of the wounded died in the hospital and were buried in the Bloomfield Cemetery and now are honored in the memorial section of the cemetery.
Cpt. W. M. Walker Company B, 1st Inf. Bn. Mississippi County
Pvt. Nathaniel Wheat, Company B, 2nd Inf. Bn. Butler County
Capt. Thomas C. Neville Company G, 2nd Inf. Regt.1 Div. Stoddard County
Pvt. Calvin Watts Company H, 3rd Inf. Regt. Mississippi County
2nd Lt. Allen Seabaugh Company E, 4th Inf. Regt. Bollinger County
Pvt. H. H. Kinder Company B, 4th Inf. Regt. Bollinger County
The above Missouri State Guardsmen are but ten of the total 152 men represented in the Memorial. Most of them were just local kids who joined the MSG to fight against what they saw as illegal invaders who violated Missouri’s autonomy. There were also thirteen young men with the MSG who were captured and sent to federal prisons in the region. Four died of illness in the Alton, Illinois prison, and Pvt. William H. Neal died aboard the USS John Rice, with the others dying in St. Louis at Gratiot Prison, Jefferson Barracks, or the Myrtle Street Prison, and Pvt. David Shrum died at the Rock Island Prison in Illinois.
The war was over for the men in the Stoddard County Confederate Memorial grounds, but for the men who returned to their southern homes, many soldiers found them burned to the ground. Many didn’t know where their family members were at the time of their return. The Southern soldier lived with the results of the loss of the war and reconstruction for the rest of his life. They fought as hard and with as much passion as the Union soldier, but there was no hero’s welcome home for them. I would compare their return home with what the returning Viet Nam soldiers experienced. Many of Viet Nam veterans lost their jobs and were changed men by battle, both the Confederate soldier and the Viet Nam soldier were champions for Freedom. They deserved our respect and earned the honor in fighting for their beliefs. My father’s side of my family fought for the Southern cause, and the men on my mother’s side fought for the Northern cause. I believe all the men who fought in the Civil War deserve my honor and respect. It is for this reason that I found the Stoddard County Confederate Memorial a moving experience. I thank Larry Arnold for his vision and for spearheading the Confederate Memorial project completed in 2002. I thank all the many others that contributed to the construction, the financial contributions, the in-kind services, and those who continue in the maintenance of the site. I also salute and respect the soldiers who gave their lives for the belief they were defending the state of Missouri.
Residents of Bloomfield are proud to have both the Stoddard County’s Confederate Memorial and the Bloomfield Missouri Veterans Cemetery in their town. Next week we I will write about the Missouri Veterans Cemetery. I encourage you to leave a message on items in the Bootheel you would like to learn more about, or you can contact me at mcharmon1@gmail.com. Have a great week everyone.
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