Civil War History

In 1997 a Reden type earthen fort was found in the Deer Run State Forest in Ellington, Missouri. It is believed that it was built in early 1863 by the 13th Illinois Cavalry and the 25th Missouri Infantry, with possibly some help from the 3rd Missouri Militia.

The 13th was garrisoned at Barnesville and built a fort for protection. It is believed that the fort was not completed and there is little evidence of a Civil War camp on the north side of the fort. There is no evidence of any skirmish or battle of any type at Fort Barnesville. It is believed that the Union 13th Cavalry was camped at the village of Barnesville. This was known as a picket, meaning their main camp was elsewhere other than the fort. A small group of soldiers would have been placed at the fort for guard duty.

There was a telegraph wire from Pilot Knob down the military trail to Pocahontas, Arkansas, although it was only used as far as Van Buren. The 13th Cavalry had 835 troops when they arrived at Greenville in early 1862 and conducted raids out of Greenville into southern Missouri and Arkansas until moving into Barnesville in January 1863..

It is possible that half of the troops were at Barnesville while the others did raids since the 13th was considered a very aggressive army. The Confederates desperately wanted to regain control of this area and the military trail to Pilot Knob.

There is very little recorded history on Fort Barnesville. Gerald Angel, local historian, has researched Civil War history to find out who officially built Fort Barnesville and when. The Washington D.C. archives have advised him that there were many roads, forts, camps, and bridges built without record by both Union and Confederate troops. It was through efforts of Gerald Angel that Fort Barnesville is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Information from an article

submitted by Gerald Angel

to the Reynolds County Courier

The 3rd Missouri State Militia was led by Major James Wilson, and the 15th Missouri Cavalry was commanded by Col. Timothy Reeves, a prominent Baptist minister. The rivalry between the 15th MO and the 3rd MSM left a permanent mark on Missouri/Arkansas history and culture. Slavery was not an important issue with Ozark citizens who in the first part of the Civil War tended to stay neutral. This area of SEMO was content to remain neutral until Union soldiers began a campaign of "visibility". Union soldiers would occupy towns for a week or two in order to make their presence known and prevent Southern sympathizers from Arkansas from spreading their politics. Eventually, trade and transportations lines in the Ozarks were cut, and that hit citizens hard. They were forced to take up arms. Although no major battles were fought here, skirmishes took a deadly toll.

The 3rd Missouri State Militia Cavalry brought in about 100 men to guard the courthouse in Centerville. They built a stockade around the courthouse with orders to knock out Tim Reeves, and the 15th Missouri Confederates. But Reeves sent 200 men of Co. N with Captain Jesse Pratt, an ex Reynolds County minister, who knew the area well, to capture the courthouse. On December 23, 1863 the troops slipped into the court yard and captured it along with an entire company of the 3rd Missouri Cavalry. Wilson and his second in command were in Pilot Knob when the attack occurred.

Captain Pratt and his troops along with their prisoners headed back to Ripley County. Unbeknownst to them, Union Major Wilson and two companies of the 3rd MSM were on their trail. On Christmas Day, Co. N met up with the rest of the 15th at Pulliam's farm where other soldiers and their families had gathered to celebrate the holiday. By the time the Union soldiers arrived, the Confederates had stacked their weapons and were enjoying the relaxed, celebratory mood of a holiday with their families. Wilson divided his soldiers into 2 columns, surrounded the camp and attacked. Many rebel soldiers were killed and 112 were taken prisoner. In the town of Doniphan, a simple white marble marker denotes a mass grave for the soldiers who died that day. This event has been called "The Wilson Massacre". During the Battle of Pilot Knob, in October 1864, Major James Wilson was captured. He and six of his men were executed by the 15th.

For more on the Battle of Pilot Knob and Civil War Activity in Southeast Missouri, visit the following site:

The Civil War in Southeast Missouri