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Lone Jack, MO —
A complete re-enactment of the Civil War Battle of Lone Jack for their 150 year anniversary will take place Saturday and Sunday. The re-enactment will take place on the Noel farm about 2 miles from the town of Lone Jack on U.S. 50, east of Lee’s Summit. Park at the Lone Jack Civil War Museum and board the shuttle bus to the battle site.
Maj. Emory F. Foster, along with a regiment of about 800 Union Troops, consisting of mostly local boys from Missouri, set up a garrison in August 1862 and occupied the small town of Lone Jack in the southeast corner of Jackson County. It was a small detachment by Civil War standards and they only possessed two pieces of artillery, besides the rifles on their backs. Little did they know what kind of history was about to unfold before their eyes over the next few hours.
When night fell upon them, the troops settled in for some shuteye, leaving the usual guards posted with orders to stay alert. Confederate forces had just taken the Union garrison five days earlier a few miles away on the Independence Square and Major Foster was inclined to hold that end of the county, just in case.
During the night, a grandson of Daniel Boone, Confederate Col. Upton Hays was quietly slipping through the prairie grass, heading their way. Col. Vard Cockrell and Col. John E. Coffee were with him, along with another 800 Missouri boys and they were all spreading out with the intentions of surrounding the Union guard before making themselves known.
The silence was broken about 4 a.m., when one of the boys in gray accidentally discharged a rifle in the ranks and rudely awakened the sleeping Union soldiers. By the time the boys in blue got to their feet and grabbed their guns, the attackers were right on top of them.
The engagement, over the next six hours of the morning of Aug. 16, saw one of the bloodiest fights of the Civil War that took place in the state of Missouri. Nearly all of the fighting in Jackson County was marked by vindictiveness, but at Lone Jack the feelings between the Unionists and Confederates was unusually intense.
The men from both sides sheltered themselves behind hedges, fences, houses, whiskey barrels, and whatever else they could find for a defense and attempted to pick each other off one at a time as best they could. The entire battle was marked by acts of personal bravery on both sides and some opposing soldiers even knew each other, as they were all local boys.
The Union garrison fired their two pieces of artillery at their assailants, which only served to make them mad. The Confederates were so annoyed by this, that they decided it was in their best interest to rush the Union and take those cannons away from them – which they did, but immediately the Unionists charged in turn and successfully recaptured their artillery in an attempt to hold off the invaders for a little bit longer. The Confederates regrouped and were determined to make another attempt to take the two cannons. A second desperate assault was successful and this time they managed to hang onto them.
The dead and wounded piled around the artillery gave effective witness to the desperate nature of this tug-a-war contest to possess the cannons.
During the nearly hand-to-hand combat that morning, the Union leader, Major Foster, was severely wounded, and this, together with the Union loss of their artillery, caused their defeat. The losses were about 125 killed and wounded on each side.
Reference: “Missouri Civil War Miscellany” by Don Hale.
Elizabeth Pilcher was a survivor of the Battle of Lone Jack, and on Thursday at 7 p.m., Barbara Hughes will impersonate Elizabeth through music, PowerPoint, and first person vignette at the Lone Jack Library, 211 N. Bynum Road. Everyone is invited, but reservations are requested. Please call 816-697-2528.
To reach Ted W. Stillwell, send an email to teddystillwell@yahoo.com or call him at 816-252-9909.
A complete re-enactment of the Civil War Battle of Lone Jack for their 150 year anniversary will take place Saturday and Sunday. The re-enactment will take place on the Noel farm about 2 miles from the town of Lone Jack on U.S. 50, east of Lee’s Summit. Park at the Lone Jack Civil War Museum and board the shuttle bus to the battle site.
Maj. Emory F. Foster, along with a regiment of about 800 Union Troops, consisting of mostly local boys from Missouri, set up a garrison in August 1862 and occupied the small town of Lone Jack in the southeast corner of Jackson County. It was a small detachment by Civil War standards and they only possessed two pieces of artillery, besides the rifles on their backs. Little did they know what kind of history was about to unfold before their eyes over the next few hours.
When night fell upon them, the troops settled in for some shuteye, leaving the usual guards posted with orders to stay alert. Confederate forces had just taken the Union garrison five days earlier a few miles away on the Independence Square and Major Foster was inclined to hold that end of the county, just in case.
During the night, a grandson of Daniel Boone, Confederate Col. Upton Hays was quietly slipping through the prairie grass, heading their way. Col. Vard Cockrell and Col. John E. Coffee were with him, along with another 800 Missouri boys and they were all spreading out with the intentions of surrounding the Union guard before making themselves known.
The silence was broken about 4 a.m., when one of the boys in gray accidentally discharged a rifle in the ranks and rudely awakened the sleeping Union soldiers. By the time the boys in blue got to their feet and grabbed their guns, the attackers were right on top of them.
The engagement, over the next six hours of the morning of Aug. 16, saw one of the bloodiest fights of the Civil War that took place in the state of Missouri. Nearly all of the fighting in Jackson County was marked by vindictiveness, but at Lone Jack the feelings between the Unionists and Confederates was unusually intense.
The men from both sides sheltered themselves behind hedges, fences, houses, whiskey barrels, and whatever else they could find for a defense and attempted to pick each other off one at a time as best they could. The entire battle was marked by acts of personal bravery on both sides and some opposing soldiers even knew each other, as they were all local boys.
The Union garrison fired their two pieces of artillery at their assailants, which only served to make them mad. The Confederates were so annoyed by this, that they decided it was in their best interest to rush the Union and take those cannons away from them – which they did, but immediately the Unionists charged in turn and successfully recaptured their artillery in an attempt to hold off the invaders for a little bit longer. The Confederates regrouped and were determined to make another attempt to take the two cannons. A second desperate assault was successful and this time they managed to hang onto them.
The dead and wounded piled around the artillery gave effective witness to the desperate nature of this tug-a-war contest to possess the cannons.
During the nearly hand-to-hand combat that morning, the Union leader, Major Foster, was severely wounded, and this, together with the Union loss of their artillery, caused their defeat. The losses were about 125 killed and wounded on each side.
Reference: “Missouri Civil War Miscellany” by Don Hale.
Elizabeth Pilcher was a survivor of the Battle of Lone Jack, and on Thursday at 7 p.m., Barbara Hughes will impersonate Elizabeth through music, PowerPoint, and first person vignette at the Lone Jack Library, 211 N. Bynum Road. Everyone is invited, but reservations are requested. Please call 816-697-2528.
To reach Ted W. Stillwell, send an email to teddystillwell@yahoo.com or call him at 816-252-9909.
