Silas M. Gordon
Encyclopedia
Silas M. Gordon was an anti-union bushwhacker
who indirectly caused Platte City, Missouri
, to be burned twice by forces
during the American Civil War
. The town of Gordonville, Texas
, is named for him.
Confederate
Silas Gordon was born in Kentucky
in 1835 and moved with his parents, William and Lewisboro (Muir) Gordon, to Platte County, Missouri
.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Gordon engaged in various guerrilla actions, including kidnapping Union officers in Missouri
. He was accused of masterminding the September 3 Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy
in which a Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad train derailed on a sabotaged Platte River
bridge at St. Joseph, Missouri.
Gordon and 30 to 40 of his followers set up camp in November 1861 by the Platte County Courthouse in Platte City. He was to engage Federal troops in November at Bee Creek, in which two Federals were killed. In December his band briefly captured Weston, Missouri
.
Gordon stole county records from the courthouse and threatened to kill the district judge if he came to Platte City. Union General David Hunter
issued an order from neighboring Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to the Platte County trustees to either deliver Gordon within 10 days or have the city burned and the slaves in the county freed. In early December Col. James Morgan
marched from St. Joseph to Platte City and set fire to the city and courthouse and captured three of Gordon's men on December 16 during the Burning of Platte City
.
On December 17 Morgan ignored the pleas for leniency from the father of one of the prisoners, a man named Black Triplett. Instead, Morgan took Triplett and prisoner Gabriel Case to the Bee Creek site where the Federals had been killed. Triplett was executed outright and Case was bayonet
ted as he fled. The letters "U.S." were scrawled in Triplett's blood on the Bee Creek bridge.
Gordon joined the Missouri State Guard
under Sterling Price
and was in the Battle of Pea Ridge
, Battle of Iuka
, Second Battle of Corinth
, and Battle of Vicksburg
. He was reported to have joined guerilla fighter William Quantrill
and Quantrill's Raiders
in Texas. He returned to guerilla activities in Missouri in 1864 around Platte County. In July 1864, Union troops once again burned the city in an attempt to capture him (the courthouse was not to be rebuilt from the first fire until 1867).
Gordon returned to Texas in Gordonville until his death.
Bushwhacker
Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there are large areas of contested land and few Governmental Resources to control these tracts...
who indirectly caused Platte City, Missouri
Platte City, Missouri
Platte City is a city in Platte County, Missouri, along the Little Platte River. The population was 3,866 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Platte County.-Geography:Platte City is located at...
, to be burned twice by forces
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
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...
. The town of Gordonville, Texas
Gordonville, Texas
Gordonville is a small unincorporated town in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The community named for Missouri bushwhacker Silas M. Gordon who operated a store there.-External links:*...
, is named for him.
Confederate
Silas Gordon was born in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in 1835 and moved with his parents, William and Lewisboro (Muir) Gordon, to Platte County, Missouri
Platte County, Missouri
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,781 people, 29,278 households, and 20,231 families residing in the county. The population density was 176 people per square mile . There were 30,902 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Gordon engaged in various guerrilla actions, including kidnapping Union officers in 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...
. He was accused of masterminding the September 3 Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy
Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy
The Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy was a bushwhacker attack on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad during the American Civil War on September 3, 1861, in which the train derailed on a bridge over the Platte River east of St. Joseph, Missouri, killing between 17 and 20 and injuring 100...
in which a Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad train derailed on a sabotaged Platte River
Platte River (Missouri)
The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, about long, in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri in the United States. It is sometimes known as the Little Platte River to distinguish it from the larger Platte River, also a tributary of the Missouri, in nearby Nebraska; the Platte...
bridge at St. Joseph, Missouri.
Gordon and 30 to 40 of his followers set up camp in November 1861 by the Platte County Courthouse in Platte City. He was to engage Federal troops in November at Bee Creek, in which two Federals were killed. In December his band briefly captured Weston, Missouri
Weston, Missouri
Weston is a city in Platte County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,631 at the 2000 census.-History:Lewis and Clark Expedition camped out near the location of today's city hall...
.
Gordon stole county records from the courthouse and threatened to kill the district judge if he came to Platte City. Union General David Hunter
David Hunter
David Hunter was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.-Early...
issued an order from neighboring Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to the Platte County trustees to either deliver Gordon within 10 days or have the city burned and the slaves in the county freed. In early December Col. James Morgan
James Morgan
James Morgan may refer to:* James Morgan , British actor* James Morgan , American bobsledder who competed from mid 1970s to early 1980s* James Morgan , U.S. Representative from New Jersey...
marched from St. Joseph to Platte City and set fire to the city and courthouse and captured three of Gordon's men on December 16 during the Burning of Platte City
Burning of Platte City
The first Burning of Platte City, Missouri occurred during the American Civil War on December 16, 1861, after Union troops attempted to capture the bushwhacker Silas M. Gordon....
.
On December 17 Morgan ignored the pleas for leniency from the father of one of the prisoners, a man named Black Triplett. Instead, Morgan took Triplett and prisoner Gabriel Case to the Bee Creek site where the Federals had been killed. Triplett was executed outright and Case was bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
ted as he fled. The letters "U.S." were scrawled in Triplett's blood on the Bee Creek bridge.
Gordon joined the Missouri State Guard
Missouri 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...
under Sterling Price
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
and was in the Battle of Pea Ridge
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge was a land battle of the American Civil War, fought on March 6–8, 1862, at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas, near Garfield. In the battle, Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn. The outcome of the...
, Battle of Iuka
Battle of Iuka
The Battle of Iuka was fought on September 19, 1862, in Iuka, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. In the opening battle of the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans stopped the advance of the army of Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price.Maj. Gen. Ulysses S...
, Second Battle of Corinth
Second Battle of Corinth
The Second Battle of Corinth was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. For the second time in the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William S...
, and Battle of Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
. He was reported to have joined guerilla fighter 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...
and 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...
in Texas. He returned to guerilla activities in Missouri in 1864 around Platte County. In July 1864, Union troops once again burned the city in an attempt to capture him (the courthouse was not to be rebuilt from the first fire until 1867).
Gordon returned to Texas in Gordonville until his death.