Opinion

Battlefield Dispatches No. 227: 'Elusive Foxes'

Friday, August 13, 2010

A fox, by itsz very nature, is a sly, cunning, clever, crafty, stealthy and wily hunter. It has to possess all of these characteristics in order to survive and avoid pursuing foxhounds, which are very smart dogs. During the Civil War in Missouri and other areas, especially in Missouri, the Confederate guerrillas or partisan rangers were much like foxes who were pursued by the Blue Belly Billy Yanks who resembled the foxhounds. Foxhounds are strong, very smart, very fast and have a keen scent or sense of smell. When a fox is or was cornered, it was and is killed by the hounds. If it managed to escape from the hounds, it lived to hunt another day until another chase began. Such was the essence of the Guerrilla War in Missouri from 1861-1865. More often than not, the elusive Confederate "foxes" managed to elude and frustrate the Yankee "hounds" by escaping to fight another day, those that did not escape died!

The following after action reports describes a partially successful hunt by the Union "hounds" in which a number of Confederate "foxes" escaped and a few died. The report is located Pages 549 and 550 in Series I, Vol. 22, Part I-Reports of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion.

"Ball Town, Mo., August 12, 1863.

Major: After my compliments, I have the honor of reporting my proceedings relative to your order. I had designed and it was agreed upon, that Company D, of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry, commanded by Lieutenant J. Crites, of the same Company, should start from Fort Scott on the 6th of August, at noon and proceed as far as Moore's Mill, on the Marmiton, scouting the country thoroughly as they proceeded; Lieutenant Homer Pond to start from Dry Wood, to arrive at Nevada early on the morning of the 7th of August, scouting the country also as he came. Colonel Brag was to proceed from Lamar, coming down little Dry Wood, to meet Lieutenant Pond at Nevada on the morning of the 7th, whence all were to proceed toward Ball Town, Mo., until they met me, with my force divided in two parts. [Note: This was a triangular scout from three different directions to clear a designated area in Vemon County of "Bushwhackers"!] My ground of operation was from Timbered Hill, at the junction of the Little Osage and Marmiton, scouting both sides of the Marmiton, all parties closing in until we met. The parties performed their respective portions of the labor allotted them with promptness and dispatch, with the exception of Colonel Brag, who failed to report as per arrangement. We all worked hard all day and found the enemy had left in the direction of Horse Creek, whereupon we determined to pursue him, thinking we might intercept him in some of the recesses of Clear Creek.

We all started on the morning of the 8th from Ball town, Mo., and proceeded in a little east of south course toward the head of Clear Creek. When we proceeded down the creek a short distance, our scouts reported a fresh trail. We had gone but about 100 rods, when turning an angle in the road, we came upon 5 of the enemy.

The scouts being on the advance immediately fired upon them. THREE OF THEM, being mounted ESCAPED, after a race of about 2 miles (it being nearly dark); the other TWO WE SHOT, capturing their horses and arms [weapons]. Thence we proceeded 1 mile down the creek & rode up to a house. A man running from the house, the boys fired on him, but it being dark he escaped in the brush and weeds, an abundant growth of which every house is surrounded with. We went into camp for the night.

Next morning early we determined to divide our command and institute a through search from that point up both sides of the creek, clear to its very head. I took the north and Lieutenant Pond the south side. I proceeded to the head of the creek without discovering any signs of the enemy; but not so with Lieutenant Pond. He had not proceeded more than a mile when he discovered an old camp, where they had stayed the night previous. He immediately sent me word of what he had found, viz, 5 horses secreted in their camp, accompanied with a request that he might be allowed to remain in their camp that night, with a view of capturing them on their return. I acceded and moved my force within supporting distance and remained on our arms the remainder of the night, but they did not return and it appeared that they had gone farther south. Whereupon I despaired of even a possibility of finding more than one man in a place and thinking I could do no more at present, I returned scouting the brush and woods thoroughly to the head of Clear Creek; thence down Little Dry Wood where we found out the fact of their having camped on Dry Wood on the night of the 7th and directly on the route the militia were to take to come to our place of meeting of said day.

Thus proving to us plainly that had colonel Brag performed his part of the contract [scout], the guerrillas, in all probability, would have been, if not quite ANNILHILATED and Major, I was greatly chagrined to think of the Colonel's failure to do his part. Thence I returned to Ball town, scouting thoroughly for signs, but found none.

I remain, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

R. CARPENTER,

[Capt.,] Commanding Detachment.

[To:] Major Charles W. Blair,

Commanding Post at Fort Scott."

Now then, Capt. Carpenter's scout of Union "hounds" did succeed in killing two of the Confederate "foxes", but a few escaped to hunt and fight another day. As much as Captain Carpenter would have liked to "quite annihilated" the Confederate guerrillas, this never happened and of course the War Went On!