594 



MISSOURI. 



was disastrously defeated by Col. McNeil, at 

 Kirksville, in Adair county, and for several 

 weeks was compelled to keep aloof from active 

 operations. As a consequence, the war shifted 

 to central and western Missouri, where Ools. 

 Coffee and McBride were reported to have 

 come to the assistance of Col. Quantrell. 



After a series of desultory skirmishes, an 

 attack was made on the 13th by the combined 

 bands of these leaders, who had been joined a 

 short time previous by Col. Hughes, and other 

 officers of the Confederate army, upon Inde- 

 pendence, resulting in a severe defeat of the 

 State troops ; and two days later a body of 800 

 of the latter were drawn into an ambuscade at 

 Lone Jack, Jackson county, by Cols. Quantrell 

 and Coffee, losing two pieces of cannon, and a 

 number of prisoners. Heavy reinforcements 

 under Gen. Blunt, of Kansas, coming up, how- 

 ever, the guerillas beat a hasty retreat south- 

 ward, and never paused until they were over 

 the Arkansas line. 



Scarcely was the southwest cleared of gue- 

 rillas than their operations commenced in the 

 north with renewed activity. Col. Poindexter, 

 after several defeats, was captured early in 

 September, but so daring were the raids of 

 Col. Porter and his followers in Lewis, Maria, 

 and other northeastern counties, that a Pal- 

 myra newspaper declared the whole of that 

 part of the State " to be in the possession of 

 the rebels, with the exception of the posts im- 

 mediately garrisoned by State or United States 

 troops." It estimated the number of the Con- 

 federates at 5,000, divided into numerous small 

 bands, and commanded by reckless and enter- 

 pVising leaders. On the 12th, Palmyra, occu- 

 pied by a small Union garrison, was plundered 

 by Col. Porter's force ; but, subsequent to the 

 15th, the efforts of Cols. McNeil, Guitar, and 

 other Union commanders began to discourage 

 the guerillas, whose strength was gradually 

 frittered away in petty combats. 



By an order from the War Department of 

 September 19, the States of Missouri, Kansas, 

 and Arkansas were formed into a military dis- 

 trict, under the command of Gen. Curtis, and 

 soon after Gen. Schofield assumed command of 

 the so-called " Army of the Frontier " in south- 

 ern Missouri. Moving with rapidity and in 

 considerable force, he broke up a formidable 

 camp in Newtonia, and by the 10th of October 

 had driven the enemy completely over the Ar- 

 kansas border. In the latter part of the same 

 month Cols. Lazear and Dewry defeated the 

 Confederate bands in southeastern Missouri in 

 several engagements, capturing many prisoners, 

 and driving them finally into Arkansas. Col. 

 Quantrell had reappeared in the west in the 

 middle of September, but was almost uniform- 

 ly beaten in his encounters with the State 

 troops, and by the end of October the war, 

 both there and in the north, was practically 

 ended. 



Before this event was consummated in the 

 north an incident occurred in Palmyra, which 



created no little comment throughout the State. 

 On the occasion of Col. Porter's raid upon Pal- 

 myra, in September, he had captured, among 

 other persons, an old and respected resident of 

 the place, by name Andrew Allsman, who had 

 formerly belonged to a cavalry regiment, and 

 had been, from his knowledge of the surround- 

 ing country, of great service to scouting parties 

 sent out to arrest disloyal persons. Allsman 

 was not paroled like ordinary prisoners, but 

 was conveyed by the band to one of their hid- 

 ing places, and from the known hatred of his 

 captors and their repeated threats, it was be- 

 lieved that he would be summarily executed by 

 them. When several weeks had elapsed with- 

 out intelligence of him, this belief ripened in 

 the minds of his friends into absolute convic- 

 tion, particularly as several Union men had 

 been barbarously murdered by the. guerillas 

 in the course of the campaign. 



When Gen. McNeil returned to Palmyra, and 

 ascertained the circumstances under which 

 Allsman had been abducted, he caused to be 

 issued, after due deliberation, the following 

 notice : 



PALMYRA (Mo.), October 8, 1862. 



JOSEPH C. PORTER. SIR : Andrew Allsman, an aged 

 citizen of Palmyra, and a non-combatant, having been 

 carried from his home by a band of persons unlawfully 

 arrayed against the peace and good order of the State 

 of Missour., and which band was under your control, 

 this is to notify you that unless said Andrew Allsman 

 is returned unharmed to his family within ten days from 

 date, ten men who have belonged to your band, and un- 

 lawfully sworn by you to carry arms against the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States, and who are now in custo- 

 dy, will be shot, as a meet reward for their crimes, 

 amongst which is the illegal restraining of said Allsman 

 of his liberty, and, if not returned, presumptively aid- 

 ing in his murder. Your prompt attention to this will 

 save much suffering. 



Yours, Ac. W. R. STRACHAN. 



Provost Marshal General, 



District N. E. Missouri. Per order of Brigadier-Gen. 

 Commanding McNeil's column. 



A written duplicate of this notice he caused 

 to be placed in the hands of the wife of Joseph 

 C. Porter, at her residence in Lewis county, it 

 being well known that she was in frequent 

 communication with her husband. The notice 

 was published widely, and as Porter was in 

 northeast Missouri during the whole of the ten 

 days subsequent to the date of this notice, 

 it is supposed to be impossible that he should 

 have been unaware of Gen. McNeil's deter- 

 mination in the premises. 



The ten days having elapsed without tidings 

 of Allsman, ten prisoners, already in custody, 

 were selected to pay with their lives the pen- 

 alty demanded. 



They received the announcement for the 

 most part with composure or indifference, and 

 were executed at Palmyra, on October 18, in 

 the presence of a multitude of spectators, in 

 literal accordance with the notice of Gen. Mc- 

 Neil. 



The act excited the animadversions of many 

 friends of the Union cause, and gave occasion 



