Emory S. Foster
Encyclopedia
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. Edwards.
.
Emory Foster was a staunch Unionist whose brother Marshall was murdered by secessionists in early 1861 on his way to vote. During the American Civil War
, on Emory formed a Unionist Home Guard
company called "Foster's Mounted Rangers" in which he served as captain, enlisting on August 28, 1861. He later enlisted in the Federally funded Missouri State Militia
, being elected major of the 7th MSM Cavalry. He and his men engaged in skirmishes around his new home in Warrensburg, Missouri
and Foster gained a reputation as an aggressive commander.
On August 15, 1862 after a two-day march from Warrensburg, Missouri
to Lexington, Missouri
, he was ordered to take 800 men on a 20-mile march to Lone Jack, Missouri
to engage Confederate troops that were attempting to capture Jackson County, Missouri
in what would become the Battle of Lone Jack
.
Upon arrival, Foster's force encountered an 800-1,600 man sleeping Confederate recruiting force under Colonel
John T. Coffee
and Lieutenant Colonel
John Charles Tracy and routed them. However, the firing of Foster's artillery alerted other Confederate recruiting commands in the area of his presence and intent. Confederates under Colonels Vard Cockrell, Upton Hays
, and DeWitt C. Hunter were joined by Lt. Col. Tracy and a fierce five hour battle ensued the next morning. The Federals withdrew after Foster was wounded and Col. Coffee's command joined Cockrell.
Foster and his brother were severely wounded, unable to withdraw, and were taken to a cabin. The cabin was captured by the Confederates and Foster was about to be executed by a member of Quantrill's Raiders
when an 18-year old Cole Younger
physically threw the gunman out sparing Foster and his brothers life. They gave $1,000 and their handguns to Younger who then delivered them to the Foster sons' mother in Warrensburg (all despite Younger's being a member of the Confederates).
In 1876, Younger as a member of the James-Younger Gang
was captured in the botched Northfield, Minnesota
bank robbery. Foster was to forcefully argue for a parole for Younger in the 1890s. Also arguing for the parole was future Secretary of War Stephen Benton Elkins
whose only taste of combat had been at Lone Jack, an experience which he said filled him with disgust of war.
On September 4, 1875 he fought a duel north of Rockford, Illinois
with Edwards, who was then an editor of the St. Louis Times (after leaving the Kansas City Times
in 1873).
The dispute had centered on an August 25 article by Edwards talking about the mistreatment of Jefferson Davis
at the Winnebago County, Illinois
Fair. The Journal replied the same day "the writer of the Times article had lied, and knew he lied, when he wrote it."
Edwards demanded a retraction and Foster refused saying the editorial was not directed at Edwards personally. On August 30 Edwards challenged Edwards to a duel:
Their seconds made the arrangements and at 5 pm the two met in a field and both missed as Foster smoked a cigar. Foster commented, "A little high."
Edwards demanded a second fire, "I will go on if it takes a thousand fires."
Foster refused a second fire. He had been challenged and shots had been fired and so his honor had been maintained.
Both shook hands and made a bourbon
toast
.
Foster died in Oakland, California
.
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in the 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry during the American Civil War
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...
. Afterwards he was a St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
newspaper editor who fought a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
with rival editor and former Confederate John N. Edwards.
Civil War
Emory Foster was born in Greene County, MissouriGreene County, Missouri
Greene County is a county located in Southwest Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 275,174 making it the fourth most populated county in Missouri. Its county seat is Springfield...
.
Emory Foster was a staunch Unionist whose brother Marshall was murdered by secessionists in early 1861 on his way to vote. During the American Civil War
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...
, on Emory formed a Unionist Home Guard
Home Guard (Union)
In the American Civil War the Home Guard or Home Guards were local militia raised from Union loyalists.-Missouri:In Missouri after the start of the Civil War there were several competing organizations attempting to either take the state out of the Union or keep the state within it...
company called "Foster's Mounted Rangers" in which he served as captain, enlisting on August 28, 1861. He later enlisted in the Federally funded Missouri State Militia
Missouri State Militia (Union)
The Missouri State Militia was a federally funded state militia organization of Missouri conceived in 1861 and beginning service in 1862 during the American Civil War...
, being elected major of the 7th MSM Cavalry. He and his men engaged in skirmishes around his new home in Warrensburg, Missouri
Warrensburg, Missouri
Warrensburg is a city in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,340 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. It is home to the University of Central Missouri.-History:Warrensburg...
and Foster gained a reputation as an aggressive commander.
On August 15, 1862 after a two-day march from Warrensburg, Missouri
Warrensburg, Missouri
Warrensburg is a city in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,340 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. It is home to the University of Central Missouri.-History:Warrensburg...
to Lexington, Missouri
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...
, he was ordered to take 800 men on a 20-mile march to Lone Jack, Missouri
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...
to engage Confederate troops that were attempting to capture 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...
in what would become the Battle of Lone Jack
Battle of Lone Jack
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.-Background:...
.
Upon arrival, Foster's force encountered an 800-1,600 man sleeping Confederate recruiting force under Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
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...
and Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
John Charles Tracy and routed them. However, the firing of Foster's artillery alerted other Confederate recruiting commands in the area of his presence and intent. Confederates under Colonels Vard Cockrell, 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:...
, and DeWitt C. Hunter were joined by Lt. Col. Tracy and a fierce five hour battle ensued the next morning. The Federals withdrew after Foster was wounded and Col. Coffee's command joined Cockrell.
Foster and his brother were severely wounded, unable to withdraw, and were taken to a cabin. The cabin was captured by the Confederates and Foster was about to be executed by a member of 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...
when an 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...
physically threw the gunman out sparing Foster and his brothers life. They gave $1,000 and their handguns to Younger who then delivered them to the Foster sons' mother in Warrensburg (all despite Younger's being a member of the Confederates).
In 1876, Younger as a member of 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...
was captured in the botched 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...
bank robbery. Foster was to forcefully argue for a parole for Younger in the 1890s. Also arguing for the parole was future Secretary of War Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins was an American industrialist and political figure. He served as the Secretary of War between 1891 and 1893...
whose only taste of combat had been at Lone Jack, an experience which he said filled him with disgust of war.
Duel with John Newman Edwards
After the war he became an editor at the St. Louis Journal.On September 4, 1875 he fought a duel north of Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
with Edwards, who was then an editor of the St. Louis Times (after leaving the Kansas City Times
Kansas City Times
The Kansas City Times was a morning newspaper in Kansas City, Missouri, that was published from 1867 to 1990.The morning Kansas City Times, under ownership of afternoon The Kansas City Star, won two Pulitzer Prizes and was actually bigger than its parent when its name was changed to the...
in 1873).
The dispute had centered on an August 25 article by Edwards talking about the mistreatment of Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
at the Winnebago County, Illinois
Winnebago County, Illinois
Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 295,266, which is an increase of 6.1% from 278,418 in 2000...
Fair. The Journal replied the same day "the writer of the Times article had lied, and knew he lied, when he wrote it."
Edwards demanded a retraction and Foster refused saying the editorial was not directed at Edwards personally. On August 30 Edwards challenged Edwards to a duel:
- The disclaimer in the first four paragraphs of your letter would be satisfactory had you followed it up by a withdrawal of the offensive terms of your editorial, so far as they referred to me personally. But as you decline to do so I must, therefore, construe your letter of this date, and its spirit, as a refusal on your part to do me an act of common justice, and so regarding it, I deem it my duty to ask of you that satisfaction which one gentleman has a right to ask of another.
Their seconds made the arrangements and at 5 pm the two met in a field and both missed as Foster smoked a cigar. Foster commented, "A little high."
Edwards demanded a second fire, "I will go on if it takes a thousand fires."
Foster refused a second fire. He had been challenged and shots had been fired and so his honor had been maintained.
Both shook hands and made a bourbon
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
toast
Toast
Toast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
.
Foster died in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
.