Chapter Twenty Seven

THE WAR PERIOD-KILLING OF THE MARSHALS -OTHER WAR INCIDENTS.

During the draft of 1864 a number of men were drafted from Sugar Creek township in Poweshiek county, who failed to report them
selves to the authorities. Under the law this disobedience to orders caused them to be treated as deserters. On Saturday, October 1, the provost marshal of the fourth district of Iowa sent out to deputy marshals to arrest the drafted men as deserters. These two officer's were Captain John L. Bashore, of Centerville, and Deputy Marshal J. M. Woodruff, of Knoxville, whose headquarters were at Oskaloosa. On entering the township just before noon they met Mike Gleason, and thinking him a loyal man, they made some inquiry as to where they would find the drafted men. Then they had parted with Gleason, they stopped with James A. Craver for dinner. From Mr. Craver the officers learned of the existence in the township of a somewhat secret organization knows as "Democrat Rangers." As they were known to be well armed the deputy marshals determined to report to Marshal James Matthews, their superior officer, whose headquarters was at Grinnell, before going further in their search.

After dinner they had proceeded only a short distance when they met John and Joe Fleener (relatives of Myers who had shot Alloway in
the year previous), and Mike Gleason. The behavior of the men showed clearly to the officers that they were about to have trouble. Bashore sprang out of the buggy with his revolver in his hand and began remonstrating with the three men, saying they had no quarrel with them, but were in search of other citizens of the township. Woodruff remained in the buggy. After a short parley Bashore turned to join his fellow officer and John Fleener leveled a double-barreled shotgun at the officer and shot him in the back. Woodruff was shot with the other barrel in the chest. A second shot struck him in the face, breaking-his lower jaw. His team took fright and ran away, throwing him on his face. While in this position he was shot through the head and instantly killed. Woodruff was murdered where the Hickory Grove schoolhouse now stands. We have the above brief facts from T. S. Craver, a nephew of J. A. Craver, who was on the ground a short time after the shooting and as a young man took note of every detail. Mr. Craver had six brothers in the army and still lives near the old homestead in Sugar Grove township. Gleason had received so severe a wound in the thigh that he was unable to get away, but had strength enough to approach Bashore and break his gun over the fatally wounded marshal. Bashore lived four or five hours and related all the particulars of the double murder of these union officers. The cowardly Fleeners made good their escape, leaving their confederate to his fate. In a very short time the citizens of the neighborhood who heard the firing, came to the spot and removed the dead and wounded to the J. A. Craver home which was but a short distance away. Gleason was arrested. According to his testimony, after leaving the marshals in the forenoon he went directly to Miller's sawmill where there was a meeting of the "Rangers" for drilling that afternoon, it being on Saturday. It seems that the three men named above were delegated by the company to take care of the marshals. Shortly after these United States officers were murdered, several wagon loads of these rebel sympathizers passed the spot where they were lying without offering the slightest assistance. Provost Marshal Matthews ordered two companies of militia, one from Grinnell and the other from Montezuma, and accompanied them himself to the scene of the shooting to assist in making the arrests. On Sunday Gleason and seven others were sent to Oskaloosa under guard. The names of the latter were Andrew Powers and son Joseph, Solomon Watson and son George, John Malony, Allen Daniel and Perry McFarland. Several other arrests were made. A part of them were sent to Davenport. But as sufficient evidence to convict was wanting, they were soon afterwards released. On Monday the bodies of the murdered officers were brought to Oskaloosa. A delegation of citizens met them outside the city. As they were escorted through the streets the church bells tolled and every mark of respect was shown to them as men who had been slain by the spirit of insurrection while at the post of duty. The following day the bodies were removed to Centerville and KnoxvillIe, their respective homes. The most diligent search for the Fleener brothers was unsuccessful. They left the country and have never been seen in these parts since. It was quite well known in after years that they went to the frontier in Kansas and ever afterward lived under an assumed name. Mike Gleason, the misguided "Ranger," languished in the Oskaloosa jail for a number of months. awaiting the time when his wounds should be sufficiently healed to be brought to trial. When the trial was completed he was sentenced for a long term in the state penitentiary, from which he never emerged until the day came when he was carried out and buried in a felon's grave.

There were quite a number of quarrels and feuds about over the county at different times. To match the Skunk river army and the democrat rangers, in the north part of the county there was a union organization known as the Border Brigade. The presence of these antagonistic elements, each working in secret and often usurping authority which did not belong to them made the war period a pretty warm time in Mahaska county. At one time a man by the name of Street, who had been sentenced to imprisonment for treason, was being brought by stage from one of the southern counties in the state on his way to Des Moiries. The Skunk river army, who were always threatening but never did anything, passed a resolution to rescue the prisoner as he passed through Oskaloosa. About one hundred armed men appeared in Oskaloosa on the day he was expected and planned to intercept the stage. The authorities were warned of the probable interruption, and bringing with them a company of militia from Eddyville, passed the city by another route and coming in from the north, locked the prisoner in the jail. Seeing the militia the would-be deliverers struck out for home and the prisoner was taken on his way to Des Moines the same night.

Ten companies of infantry were enlisted in Mahaska county, the aggregate of which was about 1,000 men. Besides this number there were some 300 who enlisted in other commands in the state and who were recruited for the ten companies as their ranks became depleted during the progress of the war. This makes a total of 1,300 men who answered the call of patriotism and manfully took their places in soldier array between their home and southern treason.

In 1861 the entire population of the county was about 15,000. In that year four companies were recruited, viz. : Company H, Third Iowa; Company C, Seventh Iowa; Company H, Eighth Iowa; Company C, Fifteenth Iowa. In 1862 the following companies were recruited:
Companies C, D, E and K, Thirty-third Iowa, and Company C, Fortieth Iowa. The following year Company I, Forty-seventh Iowa, was enrolled.

The Thirty-third Iowa Infantry contained more Mahaska men than any other regiment. Its place of rendezvous was at the county fair grounds named Camp Tuttle, in honor of Colonel Tuttle, the gallant soldier of the Second Iowa. In the year 1862, when the Thirty-third Iowa was encamped here while recruiting its ranks before going to the south, a company of women were organized to prepare such articles as the soldiers would find useful in their more active service in field and camp life at the front. One of these articles the boys called their housewife. It was a needle-book made like a folding pocketbook, fastened with a flap and button, and contained needles and pins, thread and buttons and such other articles as befitted a soldier's toilet. Among other articles presented to each individual soldier was a copy of the New Testament, given by the Mahaska County Bible Society. These tokens of affection were generally much prized by the men, and we know of some of them who have that Testament yet, and would not now part with it for its weight in gold.

Three companies of this regiment were from Keokuk county and three were from Marion county. The regiment was raised and organized by Colonel S. A. Rice, whose splendid record as a brave commander is a treasured memory of both county and state. It was sworn into service on October 1st, and numbered in all 980 men. The command left the barracks November 20th, marching to Eddyville, where they took the train for Keokuk, thence by steamer to St. Louis and the south, where they spent the winter of 1862-3 in the most active and trying service. The following spring Colonel Rice was placed in command of the brigade of which his regiment formed a part, and Lieutenant Colonel Mackey became the first officer in the regiment. Elliott W. Rice, a brother of the above, was also a Mahaska county man. He enlisted in 1861 as second sergeant in Company C, Seventh Iowa Infantry, and rose to brigadier general in 1864.

Captain A. J. Comstock, of Company C, Thirty-third Iowa, was a veteran of the Mexican war; having enlisted October 25, 1848, at Hannibal, Missouri, as a private in the Fourteenth Tennessee Regiment. He was the only Mexican volunteer from Mahaska county. But the treaty of peace had already been signed and the war practically over early in that year. News traveled slowly in those days, and it took some months to reach the north. Mr. Comstock was mustered out in August, 1849.

In 1862 the board of supervisors of Mahaska county passed a resolution offering a ten-dollar bounty warrant, which should be received for county taxes, to all volunteer privates from the county. The offer continued in force until January, 1863. As in almost all of the loyal communities of the north, the ladies of this county contributed much to the aid of the soldiers during the war period. Societies were organized which sent to the front sanitary supplies. Soldiers' widows and orphans were tenderly cared for, the Christian Commission, the Freedman's Aid Commission and all like organizations receiving generous contributions. During the summer of 1864 alone the following subscriptions were made by Mahaska county citizens: Sanitary Commission, $1,000; Christian Commission, $1,000; Freedman's Aid Commission, $1,000; Soldiers' Orphans' Home, $2,000; making a total of $5,000 for these beneficent purposes.

A partial report of a committee appointed January 10 1865, to solicit similar donations shows a total from the different townships of $3,382.37. In November, 1864, ninety men were drafted into the service from seven townships, who had not filled their quota by enlistments. Only forty-five men were wanted, but it was the custom of the war department to have twice the number drawn, and when a sufficient number of men from a given township had passed the examination, beginning with number one, the others who had been called to report were excused.