Battle of Lone Jack
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lone Jack was a battle of the American Civil War
, occurring on August 15 – August 16, 1862 in Jackson County, Missouri
. The battle was part of the Confederate guerrilla and recruiting campaign in Missouri in 1862.
recruiters were dispatched north from Arkansas
into Missouri
to replenish the depleted ranks of the Trans-Mississippi Confederacy. In Western/West-Central Missouri these included then Captain Jo Shelby, Colonel Vard Cockrell, Colonel John T. Coffee
, Upton Hays
, John Charles Tracy, John T. Hughes
, and DeWitt C. Hunter. Most of these commands were working independently and there was no clear sense of seniority yet established. On August 11 the Federal commander General John Schofield
was stunned to learn that Independence, Missouri
had fallen to a combined force of Colonel John T. Hughes, William Quantrill
, Gideon W. Thompson and Upton Hays. Schofield ordered General James Totten
to concentrate his forces to deal with the threat.
Major
Emory S. Foster
, under orders from Totten, led a 740-man combined force from Lexington
to Lone Jack
. Other forces were dispatched from Kansas under General James G. Blunt
(2,500 men) and Missouri under General Fitz Henry Warren
(600 men), but they would not arrive in time for the engagement. Upon reaching the Lone Jack area, Foster received intelligence that 1,600 Rebels
under Col. Coffee and Lt. Col. Tracy were camped near town and prepared to attack them. The estimate of the Rebel command was revised down to only 800 and at about 11:00 p.m., Foster and his men attacked the Confederate camp and dispersed the enemy. The firing of his cannon during this brief skirmish proved to be Foster's undoing, for it alerted Colonel Vard Cockrell and other rebel commands in the area of Foster's position and intent to fight. Foster's men returned to town to rest along the main street, having spent several days in the saddle. Colonel Cockrell conferred with Upton Hays, Lt. Col. Sydney D. Jackman, and DeWitt C. Hunter and determined to give battle the next morning with the intent of overwhelming the much smaller Union force.
With sunrise exposing them while awaiting Hays' tardy advance, Jackman, Hunter, and Tracy attacked but were held in check. Hays then performed a dismounted attack from the North. Together his force and Tracy's crumpled the Union right flank, forcing the 7th Missouri Cavalry (commanded by Captain Milton H. Brawner) back onto the artillery. The cannoneers now began a desperate fight. Union Captain Long's 2nd Battalion Missouri State Militia Cavalry concealed behind a hedge row of Osage orange trees poured a crossfire on the Confederates, temporarily repulsing them.
On the other side of the field Hunter's force was stalled by three companies of Captain Plumb's 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry. A mounted force (possibly Coffee's) approached on Hunter's flank and he mistook them for Federals. The mounted men attacked but were surprised and repulsed by fire from Capt. Slocum's company of the 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry behind another Osage orange hedge. Hunter, now short of ammunition, abandoned the field for the ammunition train, exposing Jackman's flank. Jackman was also short of ammunition and retired as well.
Tracy's and Hays' commands renewed their attack to the north, eventually diplacing the Indiana artillerists. With no remaining Confederate threat to the south, Captain Plumb now counterattacked to the north, reclaiming the artillery. Jackman and Hunter's resupplied men then returned to the field. Hays attempted to counter attack but a counter-charge by Plumb forced him to retreat. Much of the fighting then devolved into a war of attrition between Confederates on the western side of the street, Union men on the right with their artillery in the middle. The artillerists were soon routed and the guns changed hands several times. Foster recaptured the guns a final time, being severely wounded himself in the process.
After five hours of fighting and the loss of Foster, rebel Col. Coffee and his 800 men reappeared north of town causing Foster’s successor, Capt. Milton H. Brawner, to order a retreat. The men left the field in good order and returned to Lexington. The cannon were hastily spiked or disabled and hidden before the Federals departed. The Confederates secured a victory, but the approach of Union forces including Blunt and Fitz Henry Warren forced the Rebels to withdraw on August 17. General Fitz Warren occupied the town that day.
Foster was later criticized for attacking on the first day while being outnumbered and for not awaiting reinforcement. However, Fitz Warren's command did not arrive until two days later, and Blunt's three days after Foster arrived. The Federals fought more vigorously because many believed Quantrill's raiders
were present and would be brutal to prisoners.
Colonel Cockrell succeeded in locating the two cannon and removed them from the field and back to Arkansas. One was later credited with firing the shot that disabled the Queen City on the White River. Because they were in possession of the field, the Confederate recruits gained a substantial quantity of needed firearms. As many as half of the recruits were initially unarmed.
This was the only Civil War battle fought by future Secretary of War
and U.S. Senator Stephen B. Elkins. Elkins was to say that he disgusted of war after what he witnessed in the battle:
looting after victory in the First Battle of Independence
, however 18-year-old Cole Younger
was present at Lone Jack riding along the front lines to supply the troops.
The wounded Foster was briefly captured by the Confederates and placed in a cabin and was threatened with execution. Younger physically pushed his would-be assailant out of the cabin.
Another act of Younger gallantry was an encounter shortly after the battle was when he warned Union Major Warren C. Bronaugh against riding into Confederate lines.
When Younger was captured in the James-Younger Gang
robbery of the Northfield, Minnesota
First National Bank, Elkins, Bronaugh and Foster (who was then editor of the St. Louis Evening Journal) were to argue for clemency for Younger.
Confederate: Colonel Jeremiah "Vard" Cockrell
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, occurring on August 15 – August 16, 1862 in Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
. The battle was part of the Confederate guerrilla and recruiting campaign in Missouri in 1862.
Background
During the summer of 1862 many Confederate and Missouri State GuardMissouri State Guard
The Missouri State Guard was a state militia organized in the state of Missouri during the early days of the American Civil War. While not initially a formal part of the Confederate States Army, the State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at times, under regular Confederate...
recruiters were dispatched north from Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
into Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to replenish the depleted ranks of the Trans-Mississippi Confederacy. In Western/West-Central Missouri these included then Captain Jo Shelby, Colonel Vard Cockrell, Colonel John T. Coffee
John T. Coffee
John Trousdale Coffee was a Missouri politician and Confederate officer in the American Civil War.-Early life:Coffee was born in Smith County, Tennessee where he taught himself law...
, Upton Hays
Upton Hays
Upton Hays, sometimes spelled Hayes, was a colonel of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life, career, and border warfare:...
, John Charles Tracy, John T. Hughes
John T. Hughes
John T. Hughes was a colonel in the Missouri State Guard and Confederate Army during the American Civil War...
, and DeWitt C. Hunter. Most of these commands were working independently and there was no clear sense of seniority yet established. On August 11 the Federal commander General John Schofield
John Schofield
John McAllister Schofield was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War and Commanding General of the United States Army.-Early life:...
was stunned to learn that Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
had fallen to a combined force of Colonel John T. Hughes, William Quantrill
William Quantrill
William Clarke Quantrill was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. After leading a Confederate bushwhacker unit along the Missouri-Kansas border in the early 1860s, which included the infamous raid and sacking of Lawrence, Kansas in 1863, Quantrill eventually ended up in...
, Gideon W. Thompson and Upton Hays. Schofield ordered General James Totten
James Totten
James Totten was a career American soldier who served in the United States Army and retired from active service in 1870 as the Assistant Inspector General...
to concentrate his forces to deal with the threat.
Skirmish
On August 15, 1862 UnionUnion (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Emory S. Foster
Emory S. Foster
Emory S. Foster was a major in the 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry during the American Civil War. Afterwards he was a St. Louis, Missouri newspaper editor who fought a duel with rival editor and former Confederate John N...
, under orders from Totten, led a 740-man combined force from Lexington
Lexington, Missouri
Lexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,453 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies about 40 miles east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
to Lone Jack
Lone Jack, Missouri
Lone Jack is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 528 at the 2000 census.-History:On August 16, 1862 Federal troops were defeated in the Battle of Lone Jack by a much larger Confederate force. The fighting literally occurred on the main street and raged for five...
. Other forces were dispatched from Kansas under General James G. Blunt
James G. Blunt
James Gillpatrick Blunt was a physician and abolitionist who rose to Union major general during the American Civil War.-Early life & career:...
(2,500 men) and Missouri under General Fitz Henry Warren
Fitz Henry Warren
Fitz Henry Warren was a politician and a general during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Warren was born in Brimfield, Massachusetts. In August 1844, he moved to Burlington in the Iowa Territory. He was an early political activist in the Whig Party...
(600 men), but they would not arrive in time for the engagement. Upon reaching the Lone Jack area, Foster received intelligence that 1,600 Rebels
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
under Col. Coffee and Lt. Col. Tracy were camped near town and prepared to attack them. The estimate of the Rebel command was revised down to only 800 and at about 11:00 p.m., Foster and his men attacked the Confederate camp and dispersed the enemy. The firing of his cannon during this brief skirmish proved to be Foster's undoing, for it alerted Colonel Vard Cockrell and other rebel commands in the area of Foster's position and intent to fight. Foster's men returned to town to rest along the main street, having spent several days in the saddle. Colonel Cockrell conferred with Upton Hays, Lt. Col. Sydney D. Jackman, and DeWitt C. Hunter and determined to give battle the next morning with the intent of overwhelming the much smaller Union force.
Battle
Cockrell's plan was to clandestinely deploy Hunter, Jackman and Tracy's forces in a field to the west of town well before sunrise on August 16 and await the opening of the fight. Hays was to initiate the battle with a mounted attack from the north as daylight approached, whereupon the others would launch a surprise flank attack. Hays did not attack as early as planned, instead reconnoitering the other commands before advancing. As daylight appeared Foster's pickets became aware of Hays' advance. This gave Foster's men a brief opportunity to deploy, spoiling the element of surprise.With sunrise exposing them while awaiting Hays' tardy advance, Jackman, Hunter, and Tracy attacked but were held in check. Hays then performed a dismounted attack from the North. Together his force and Tracy's crumpled the Union right flank, forcing the 7th Missouri Cavalry (commanded by Captain Milton H. Brawner) back onto the artillery. The cannoneers now began a desperate fight. Union Captain Long's 2nd Battalion Missouri State Militia Cavalry concealed behind a hedge row of Osage orange trees poured a crossfire on the Confederates, temporarily repulsing them.
On the other side of the field Hunter's force was stalled by three companies of Captain Plumb's 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry. A mounted force (possibly Coffee's) approached on Hunter's flank and he mistook them for Federals. The mounted men attacked but were surprised and repulsed by fire from Capt. Slocum's company of the 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry behind another Osage orange hedge. Hunter, now short of ammunition, abandoned the field for the ammunition train, exposing Jackman's flank. Jackman was also short of ammunition and retired as well.
Tracy's and Hays' commands renewed their attack to the north, eventually diplacing the Indiana artillerists. With no remaining Confederate threat to the south, Captain Plumb now counterattacked to the north, reclaiming the artillery. Jackman and Hunter's resupplied men then returned to the field. Hays attempted to counter attack but a counter-charge by Plumb forced him to retreat. Much of the fighting then devolved into a war of attrition between Confederates on the western side of the street, Union men on the right with their artillery in the middle. The artillerists were soon routed and the guns changed hands several times. Foster recaptured the guns a final time, being severely wounded himself in the process.
After five hours of fighting and the loss of Foster, rebel Col. Coffee and his 800 men reappeared north of town causing Foster’s successor, Capt. Milton H. Brawner, to order a retreat. The men left the field in good order and returned to Lexington. The cannon were hastily spiked or disabled and hidden before the Federals departed. The Confederates secured a victory, but the approach of Union forces including Blunt and Fitz Henry Warren forced the Rebels to withdraw on August 17. General Fitz Warren occupied the town that day.
Foster was later criticized for attacking on the first day while being outnumbered and for not awaiting reinforcement. However, Fitz Warren's command did not arrive until two days later, and Blunt's three days after Foster arrived. The Federals fought more vigorously because many believed Quantrill's raiders
Quantrill's Raiders
Quantrill's Raiders were a loosely organized force of pro-Confederate Partisan rangers, "bushwhackers", who fought in the American Civil War under the leadership of William Clarke Quantrill...
were present and would be brutal to prisoners.
Casualties & aftermath
Federal Capt. Brawner reported Union losses as 43 killed, 154 wounded, and 75 missing/captured, a casualty rate of 34 percent and this was almost certainly too low. Rebel Colonel Hunter reported burying 119 Federals and 47 Rebels, but the true losses are unknown. Excluded from Hunter's total were an unknown number of dead Confederates claimed by their friends and families for burial elsewhere. A recent roll call list of Federals killed at the action as compiled in service records by Wayne Schnetzer reveals 65 killed and at least 29 who later died from wounds received at Lone Jack. The list of known Confederate participation and deaths is less complete, but at least 55 names are listed as killed, with at least 4 others later succumbing to their wounds.Colonel Cockrell succeeded in locating the two cannon and removed them from the field and back to Arkansas. One was later credited with firing the shot that disabled the Queen City on the White River. Because they were in possession of the field, the Confederate recruits gained a substantial quantity of needed firearms. As many as half of the recruits were initially unarmed.
This was the only Civil War battle fought by future Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
and U.S. Senator Stephen B. Elkins. Elkins was to say that he disgusted of war after what he witnessed in the battle:
- Kansas CityKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
was the only place in MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
then that had Union people in it, at least in that part of Missouri. The colonel of the regiment to which I became attached was Kersey CoatesKersey CoatesKersey Coates was a Kansas City, Missouri businessman who developed Quality Hill, founded the Kansas City Board of Trade, and one of the businessmen who attracted the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad to the city....
, who built the big opera house and hotel in Kansas City. I was in continual danger of being killed, and was marked by Quantrill's men as a renegade who was to be shot as soon as taken. I saw one battle while in the service, that of Lone Jack, and a most awful battle it was. Col. Emory S. Foster had a Union regiment which was attacked by the brother of Senator Cockrell, but Foster thought the Confederates were the guerrilla hands who raised the black flag, and never gave any quarter. So he refused to surrender, and every one of his officers was picked off. The guerrillas were victorious. I went over the battlefield afterward, the blood, the cries for water and death, the naked bodies stripped of their clothing, the dead horses which served for ramparts, gave me a disgust for war, which makes it seem strange that I am here at the head of the war department of this great government.
Cole Younger
Most of Quantrill's Raiders were still in Independence, MissouriIndependence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
looting after victory in the First Battle of Independence
First Battle of Independence
-External links:** *...
, however 18-year-old Cole Younger
Cole Younger
Thomas Coleman "Cole" Younger was an American Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War and later an outlaw with the James-Younger gang...
was present at Lone Jack riding along the front lines to supply the troops.
The wounded Foster was briefly captured by the Confederates and placed in a cabin and was threatened with execution. Younger physically pushed his would-be assailant out of the cabin.
Another act of Younger gallantry was an encounter shortly after the battle was when he warned Union Major Warren C. Bronaugh against riding into Confederate lines.
When Younger was captured in the James-Younger Gang
James-Younger gang
The James-Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of American outlaws that included Jesse James.The gang was centered in the state of Missouri. Membership fluctuated from robbery to robbery, as the outlaws' raids were usually separated by many months...
robbery of the Northfield, Minnesota
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
First National Bank, Elkins, Bronaugh and Foster (who was then editor of the St. Louis Evening Journal) were to argue for clemency for Younger.
Order of battle
Union: Major Emory S. Foster- 7th Missouri Cavalry (companies A,C,E,F,I) -- Capt. Milton H. Brawner, 265 men
- 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Companies A,B,E) -- Capt. W. Plumb, 149 men
- 8th Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Companies F,H) -- 140 men
- 2nd Battalion Missouri State Cavalry (Companies A,C,F) -- Capt. J.H. Long, 81 men
- 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Company H) -- Capt. E. Slocum, 69 men
- 3rd Indiana Artillery3rd Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery3rd Indiana Battery Light Artillery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The battery was organized at Connersville, Indiana and mustered in for a three year enlistment on August 24, 1861 in Indianapolis, Indiana.The battery was attached to...
(1 section of two 12-pounder James Rifles) -- 2Lt. James S. Develin/Sgt. James M. Scott, 36 men
Confederate: Colonel Jeremiah "Vard" Cockrell
- Hays Regiment recruits—Col. Upton Hays, 400 men
- Hunter's Regiment recruits—Col. DeWitt C. Hunter, 750 men
- Jackman's Regiment recruits—Lt. Col. Sydney Drake Jackman, 450 men
- Tracy's Regiment recruits—Lt. Col. John Charles Tracy, 350 men
- Coffee's Regiment recruits—Col. John T. Coffee, 800 men (arrived at end of action)
- Union order of battle, officers and strengths from Banasik's Embattled Arkansas.
- Confederate order of battle from "Shot All to Pieces" by Matt Matthews and Kip Lindberg