There was great political excitement in Buffalo during the summer and fall of the year 1860. The presidential election was to be held in November after the nomination of Abraham Lincoln by the Republican party, and the split in the Democratic party, which resulted in the nomination of two Democratic candidates for the presidency: Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, and John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky; bitter partisan feeling was engendered and the excitement became intense as election day approached. The verdict of the battle of ballots was the election of Abraham Lincoln, His election was violently resented, especially by the southern or Breckenridge Democrats, many of whom had made threats prior to the election that "if old Abe Lincoln should be elected, he would not be permitted to be inaugurated" or that the southern states would secede from the Union in the event Lincoln should become President. As inauguration day drew near there was great fear among the friends of Mr. Lincoln that he would be assassinated and all possible precautions were taken for his protection, while he was enroute from his home in Springfield, Illinois to the National Capitol, Washington, D.C., to be inaugurated President of the United States. But although there was a great riot in Baltimore, Maryland through which he passed, (incognito I have heard it said, untruthfully I think) he arrived safely at his destination and was inaugurated peacefully March 4, 1861.

Soon after the occurrence of this momentous event, it became evident that arrangements were being made in the southern states to mobilize military forces to resist the authority of the federal government and it was not long until ordinances of secession were passed by the legislature of some of the southern states. Then in April 1861, Fort Sumpter, South Carolina, garrisoned by a small force of the Federal Navy under the command of Major Anderson, was attacked by a largely superior force of Confederate troops and, after a brave resistance, they were compelled to surrender, but only after they no longer had any ammunition. Then the great Civil War was on and President Lincoln promptly called for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion against the government of the United States, to which the loyal people of the North quickly responded. Many of the officers in the United States Army resigned their official positions and became officers in the Confederate Army which was being rapidly organized in the southern states. The President acted promptly in having the Federal Army reorganized and divested of all officers and privates known to be disloyal to the Union, and vigorous steps were taken for the training and equipment of the new volunteers.

Father was a strong Union man, and when the war was coming up he took a firm stand in favor of loyalty to the government. Before the organization of the Republican party he was a member of the Whig party and I do not think he was ever a Democrat. In the election of 1860, he voted for John Bell of Tennessee who had declared himself to be for the Union, the Constitution and the Enforcement of the Laws. I think Bell was a Whig and if he had been elected, an impossibility being in a hopeless minority, he would have done everything possible for the preservation of the Union. After the election of Abraham Lincoln, Father loyally supported his endeavors to prevent the disruption of the Union and was a staunch advocate and defender of the President’s policy in the rigorous prosecution of the war.

Soon after it became apparent that the dreaded war had become a reality, preparations were made by the loyal men of Buffalo and Dallas County for the defense of their homes and beloved country. In these preparations, my father and all of my brothers took an active part. A regiment of home guards was organized and some of the officers of the regiment were: William B. Edwards, Colonel; Milton Burch, Major and Zenas L. Slavens, adjutant. I do not positively remember the name of the Lieutenant Colonel but think it was McVey. Companies of this regiment had been enlisted in various parts of the county. Of the company enrolled at Buffalo, John R. Kelso was elected Captain and my brothers, Bud and Tom, were privates in this company. During the time the organization of the regiment known as the Dallas County Homeguards was being effected, I think Father made several trips to Springfield to confer with the federal authorities at that place relative to the cooperation of the Home Guards with the regular United States forces then being mobilized there by General Nathaniel Lyon.

For several weeks after the regiment of Home Guards was organized they were trained daily in military tactics by Colonel Edwards, who, I think, had been an officer in the Federal Army during the Mexican War. The Home Guards had no uniforms, but were clothed in ordinary civilian garb, were armed with various kinds of fire arms such as muzzle loading rifle and shotguns and a few army muskets, relics probably of some former war. Many of them had powder horns and shot pouches in which to keep their supplies and molds to make bullets of bar lead. The early part of the summer of 1861 passed in Buffalo under a state of great excitement. The Unionists were arduously endeavoring to make such preparations as they could in order to be ready to do their duty to the government when the time for action should came and to engage effectively in the war.

It was generally believed that an engagement between the Union and Confederate armies would occur soon, somewhere in Southwest Missouri. The federal forces under General Nathaniel Lyon and General Franz Siegel had been concentrating for some time at Springfield and it was learned through Union scouts that the Confederate forces commanded by General Benjamin Mccullough and General Marmaduke were concentrated in a large army in Northern Arkansas and were marching in the direction of Springfield; a battle was imminent.

On the 9th day of August 1861, the Dallas County Home Guards left Buffalo under orders to march without delay to Springfield. On the 10th day of August 1861, the Battle of Wilson Creek was fought about 10 or 12 miles southwest of Springfield. The Dallas County Home Guards had reached Springfield some time the night before the battle, but as they were untrained, without uniforms, and poorly armed it was thought best by authorities at Springfield that they were unfit far effective service on the field of battle and they were held at Springfield to assist in the defense of the town, as every available federal soldier had gone with General Lyon to engage in the conflict with the enemy.

The disastrous result of the battle to the Union cause is history. General Lyon the brave commander of the Federal Army was killed and the defeat of the Federal Army brought grief and dismay to Unionists all over Southwest Missouri. All day on August 10th at Buffalo we could hear the distant booming of the cannon and we knew that a battle was being fought probably at or near Springfield. The Dallas County Home Guards were believed to be with the Union forces in the engagement and there was great anxiety among those in Buffalo who had relatives gone with the Home Guards, among whom were my brothers, Dolph, Bud and Tom, and being confident their loved ones had taken part in the battle a sleepless night was spent by many mothers or wives, sisters and other relatives of the absent soldiers.

Early the day after the battle, a messenger arrived in Buffalo from Springfield bringing the sad report of the death of General Lyon and the defeat of the Union Army, and a little later came the news of the retreat of the Federals and the occupation of Springfield by the Confederates. There was great excitement and consternation in Buffalo when the disastrous result of the battle was known. Unionists were terribly grieved and greatly depressed and confederate sympathizers were much elated, but being greatly in the minority, they made no great demonstration of their joyful feelings.

It was generally believed that the confederate forces would over-run the whole country adjacent to Springfield and Union men would be killed or made prisoners and probably conscripted into the Confederate Army and their property destroyed or confiscated and hasty arrangements as far as possible were made by Unionists to prepare ways of transportation and seek a safer refuge. Father had a good covered wagon and four horses, the two extra horses at our Webster County farm, having been brought to Buffalo, and on the morning of August 12th some of our household goods were loaded into the wagon, two of the horses were harnessed and hitched to the wagon, and all of us except Bud and Tom, who rode the other horses, got into the wagon, sadly left our good home and started on our sorrowful journey and became refugees seeking safety in some northern state among strangers.

Chapter six continued...