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Graves Found Near Orrick

Where the 1864 Was Battle Fought

By TOM BOGDON - Richmond News, Richmond, Ray County Missouri

Both tradition in the Orrick area and the facts of the battle point to a row of graves in an old cemetery a quarters mile northeast of J.D.’s Store in Orrick as the last resting place of 10 pr 11 Confederate guerillas killed with Capt. William T. “Bloody Bill” Anderson in a battle with Union troops on Oct. 27,1864., ‘ The action took place near Albany, which has virtually disappeared but in the 1860s included a grist mill, general store, blacksmith shop and one pr two churches and had a population of 150.

Albany was three quarters of a mile northeast of Orrick. The only remnants of the town are rock walls that run through part of the townsite.

The smoke still hung in the air at the Battle of Westport in what is now southern Kansas City when Bloody Bill Anderson met his demise at Albany along with 10 of his men.

The three-day Battle of Westport started Oct. 24, and the much smaller but significant Albany action occurred Oct. 27. The outcome at Westport was that Confederate forces under Gen. Sterling Price failed to break the Union hammerlock on Missouri. The outcome at Albany was that by killing Capt. Anderson Union forces were able to greatly reduce guerilla harassment in Central Missouri that had plagued them throughout the war.

The existence of the military burial site was called to the attention of The Daily News by John Crouch, a Ray County historian, who was in turn alerted to it by Orrick residents after they had read articles by Mr. Crouch published in The Daily News.

Research by Mr. Crouch into details of the action at Albany-which involved some 600 officers and men-confirms that the graves on the old Blythe property are those of the 10 guerillas killed with Bloody Bill Anderson.

Capt. Anderson himself rests in’ the Pioneer, or Mormon, Cemetery in Richmond. Mr. Crouch’s conclusions and the Orrick tradition that the graves in question are from the Albany battle are confirmed by Donald R. Hale, a Lee’s Summit historian who has written two books on guerilla warfare in Missouri.

Mr. Crouch and others feel that it would be appropriate if the gravesite were marked by the State of Missouri, as other similar sites have been.

The graves are laid out in near regimental order in a cemetery that has graves in it which date to the founding of Ray County in 1820.

THE OLD CEMETERY LIES ON THE PROPERTY OF MURRELL THOMAS, a retired General Motors worker who has lived on his 30-acre tract of the Blythe homestead for 32 years, raising five children there.

Mr. Thomas said that when he bought the property, he did not know the old cemetery was there. It was hidden by weeds and a blackberry patch to the northwest.Mr. Thomas said he first learned of the cemetery about 30 years ago from the late Elmer Pigg, an Orrick historian. “When I first moved here he (Mr. Pigg) said there had been a battle here during the Civil War,” Mr. Thomas said, adding that Cecil Fletcher of Orrick also told him of the history of the property, telling of a mill spring on the property equipped with a lead pipe. Mr. Thomas said he never has found the pipe.

Due to Mr. Thomas’ efforts, the cemetery has been maintained in recent years to the extent that the grass and weeds are mowed. What catches the eye at first are not the military graves, but the upright and flat stones of the other graves.There is one upright stone which appears to bear the date 1820. Instead of a name, there are three sets

of initials: FC, DC and AO. There is another old marker for Elizabeth McMullin. Another stone is for the second wife of William Creason. The wife lived from 1805 to 1877.

Some of the military graves are marked, and some are not. Yet it is apparent that there are either 10 or 11 graves here because even where there are no markers there is a regular series of depressions in the earth as would occur from settling of a grave.

A few of the graves still have small white stones at the head and foot. It was the custom in the 1860s to bury the dead in this fashion. There probably are additional headstones and footstones which have sunk into the earth over the years.

The cemetery lies on a rise from which can be seen the Albany Road where Bloody Bill Anderson’s forces were drawn into an ambush by Missouri militiamen under the command of Major S.P. “Cob” Cox. According to an official Federal account of the battle, 11 guerillas were killed in action including Capt. Anderson. Six more were wounded. The militiamen, fighting from ambush, clearly had the upper hand, routing Bloody Bill and his forces.

Four Federal troops were wounded, three slightly. James Mulligan of Daviess County was hit by four balls: one through the forehead, one through the hips, one through the arm and two fingers shot off. He was still alive four days after the battle.

ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL REPORT, GUERILLAS KILLED in the battle were the following:

1. Hank Patterson

2. Simonds

3. Anson Tolliver

4. Paul Debenhorst

5. Smith Jobson

6. Luckett

7. John Mcllvane

8. Jasper Moody

9. William Tarkington

10. John Pringle

11. William T. Anderson

The notorious Capt. Anderson was buried in the Pioneer or Mormon Cemetery-then the city cemetery-after his corpse was placed on public display and photographed.

The earthly remains of the other guerillas were buried in the cemetery on what is now the Murrell Thomas property, Mr. Crouch and others are convinced.

“The dead would have had to be buried as quickly as possible and the evidence leads me to believe that this was the likely place due to the heavy timber in the area,” Mr. Crouch said. “The battlefield was not a field, it was heavy timber,” Mr. Crouch continued. “That would have made a burial detail very difficult. With the tree roots and that type of thing, it would have made digging a proper grave difficult.

“With the exception of one or two of the guerilla dead, the casualties were killed in the road,” Mr. Crouch said. “Burial in the Albany Road would have been prohibitive.

“Common sense would dictate a large burial of this kind would be executed in an existing cemetery,” Mr. Crouch said. “We’ve found marked stones indicating that this did exist before the battle took place.

“History indicates that Mr. W.R. Blythe was probably a Southern sympathizer. He owned property on which the guerillas were camped near Fishing River and property which contained the existing pioneer graves.

“According to the 1877 Ray County Atlas, his residence was the only house that was anywhere near this area other than the town,” Mr. Crouch said. “I believe that the Federal militia was given permission to bury the slain guerillas here.”There were never any inquiries about Anderson’s body or the bodies of the other slain guerillas due to fear of reprisal by the Federal government,” Mr. Crouch said. “So basically these 10 or so’ men were merely buried and forgotten. “Richmond being the nearest large community, Anderson’s body was taken there as a trophy to be photographed and viewed, as was the foremast of that day and time, as a lesson to those who might follow in his footsteps.

“CONSEQUENTLY, THE OTHER FATALITIES I FEEL WERE BURIED in the nearest possible place which by all indications was this spot,” Mr. Crouch said.

Donald Hale, Lee’s Summit, is the author of “They Called Him Bloody Bill: The Missouri Badman Who Taught Jesse James Outlawry,” and “We Rode with Quantrill.”

Mr. Hale visited the old cemetery recently with Mr. Crouch and Mr. Thomas.

“What he (Mr. Crouch) says makes sense to me,” Mr. Hale said.

“They are graves and I’m sure they1 would have to be the graves of the ones killed down there.”The rediscovery of the old cemetery evolved from recent articles Mr. Crouch has contributed to The Daily News. The stories drew the interest, of Orrick residents including Virginia Gooch and Jim Dorton.

” I have promised Murrell Thomas that I would find out who the current ‘Civil War Buff is in Ray County,” Mrs. Gooch wrote to Mr. Crouch on Oct. 30. “Then your article was in the paper.”,

Mrs. Gooch goes on to mention Elmer Pigg’s findings and to relate questions Mr. Thomas has had about the graves on his property.

“If you don’t know about this, I’m sure you want to and if you do, I would appreciate it if you would share your information with Murrell and me,” Mrs. Gooch said.

“I like your hobby,” Mrs. Gooch concluded. “Now that most of the people who ‘got mad just thinking about it’ are gone, it would be most enjoyable.”

But Mr. Crouch got word of the old cemetery from another source almost immediately after his story about Bloody Bill Anderson was published Friday, Oct. 17. “The following Tuesday I went down to Orrick and went to J.D.’s Store about noon and got a sandwich,” Mr. Crouch said. “I talked to Margaret Mayers (the store manager).

“That’s when Mr. Jim Dorton, an older gentleman from Orrick, spoke up,” Mr. Crouch continued. “He said his father had told him about the graves and that they were a result of this battle at Albany. He remarked that he wished he had paid more attention to his father. He gave me directions and told me who owned it.”

FRIDAY IN THE NEWS: Read a previously unpublished official account of the Battle of Albany, including how ‘Bloody Bill’ Anderson met his death.

‘

March, Countermarch before

Bloody Bill Done In by Woman

An historian is not overly surprised: that Anderson’s downfall came about because a woman passed in formation to Union troops.

“Anderson was a  womanizer,” Mr. Crouch said. “He led women to believe he was a single man while int. this part of the country. This woman may have given directions to the-, Federal troops as a result of Anderson being caught in a lie about his matrimonial status, causing the scorned woman to tip Anderson’s hand.”

Mute evidence of the ensuing battle can be found in an old cemetery a, quarter mile northeast of J.D.’S’ Store in Orrick, where there is clear evidence of about 10 graves evidently belonging to 10 Confederate guerrillas killed with Bloody Bill Anderson. The date of the encounter was  Oct. 27, 1864.

Capt. Anderson himself lies in a marked grave in the Pioneer, or Mormon, Cemetery in Richmond. The notorious guerrilla was laid in the ground after the body was placed on public display in the courthouse and photographed.

Mr. Crouch has obtained from the National Archives in Washington a detailed account of the Battle of Albany. Mr. Crouch obtained the” report through a Lafayette County history buff, Guy Dennison, who is also active with the Lafayette County Civil War reenactment group.

Mr. Kennison sent $5 to the National Archives asking for whatever information was available on Bloody Bill Anderson. Documents he received included a report dated Oct. 31, 1864, and addressed to “General Craig, Headquarters, 33rd Regiment Enrolled Missouri Militia, Hamilton, Missouri.” A communication from the National Archives states that the report was filed with unpublished records in Box 2, containing papers received too late for publication in Rebellion Records.

The report, in flowing Spencerian hand, is unsigned, but evidently was made by ‘an officer present at Albany on Oct. 27,1864:

Dear Sir:

WE HAVE ALREADY FORWARDED TO YOU A HASTY OFFICIAL REPORT of “Cob” Cox’s expedition against the notorious and fiendish bushwhacker Wm. T. Anderson and his rebel crew, but feeling satisfied that there are facts and circumstances connected with the death and capture of Bill Anderson that would be more gratifying to you and perhaps to the public, I have determined to forward you a more detailed account of the expedition and its results which you can have published or not as you may think proper.

The command left Hamilton on Monday the 24th with detailed portions of six companies of the 33rd Regiment Enrolled Missouri commanded by the following company officers to wit: Capts. J. Woodruff, Napoleon B. Brown and Leabo; Lieuts. Samuel Brown and Levi Cline, all of Daviess County, and Lieut. Orem of Caldwell County; also a portion of two other companies, one commanded by Capt. Jones of Cameron and Lieut. James Mylan commanding company of Caldwell home guards organized under Order No..107, in all some 175 men.

We camped at Knoxville that night. Next morning learning that some 75 or 100 bushwhackers were in camp at or near Millville, six or seven miles southeast of us, we marched directly there, with our whole force, except a small guard sent with the wagon train directly from Knoxville to Richmond.

Lieut. Baker commanding company of the 31st Regiment Enrolled Missouri Militia whom we joined at Knoxville was sent by a different route to learn the whereabouts of the enemy and report to us at Millville. We had not. been there more than 30 minutes before a messenger came from Lieut. Baker with the information that he had engaged the enemy some three miles east of us. We joined him on the double quick with the whole force along and found him in possession of one prisoner, a blacksmith and his tools, two horses and two guns.

The lieutenant had come upon them shoeing their horses in the woods near their late camp. They were in small force and f\ed, all making their escape except as before stated. Their camp had moved the evening before as we suppose joining Anderson’s camp near Albany in the southwest corner of Ray County, where we engaged them as hereinafter stated.

WE THEN MOVED TO RICHMOND AND ENCAMPED FOR THE NIGHT and rested the next day and recruited men’ and horses. We learned the whereabouts of the enemy: 200 of them had passed up the river the night before we got to Richmond just south of town in the bottoms, 120 the night we got there, and others we learned had moved their camps from Hanesville in Clay County and other points, all concentrating near Albany in the Missouri River bottoms.

The next morning, 27th October, the entire force above stated and some 150 more of the 51st Regiment Enrolled Missouri Militia under Maj. Grimes of Ray County were marched directly to Albany under the command of S.P. “Cob” Cox of Daviess County.

We came across the rebel pickets some mile east of Albany in the road, 10 or 15 strong. Our advance guard drove them in and through Albany, which is situated in the Missouri bottoms at the foot of the bluffs. The whole command followed up and were dismounted in and south of the town, leaving the 4th man to hold horses. Except that our advance guard of Calvary, consisting of one company of some 40 men under the command of Lt. Baker of Knoxville, Ray County, was sent forward to engage and draw out the enemy.

Our infantry was formed into company lines and marched forthwith into the open woods beyond Albany some 400 yards, and thrown into line of battle extending from a field on the north to a field on the south. Scarcely had the lines been formed when the enemy, who had also been drawn up in line of battle in Calvary force from two to three hundred strong some five or six hundred yards from our line, were engaged by our advance under Lieut. Baker.

And onward came Bloody Bill and his followers in hot pursuit of our advance guard with such hideous J shrieks and fiendish yells that made the very woods ring for miles. Such was Bloody Bill’s mode of warfare. ‘Our advance retired to the rear of the infantry line, which opened the way for them.

The enemy came on in full charge, yelling like Indians without firing a shot until they were within 75 or 80 yards of our line. Then the firing commenced on both sides and was kept up with great fierceness until the enemy came within 40 or 50 yards of our line.

BLOODY BILL AND SOME FIVE OR SIX OF HIS ASSOCIATES IN CRIME came dashing considerably in the advance of their line and their chieftain Anderson, with one other supposed to be Lieut. Rains, son of rebel Gen. Rains, charged fearlessly through our lines and were both unhorsed close in our rear.

Anderson fell dead upon the ground within 20 yards of our men, having received two balls in the left side of his head near the ear. The other raised and scrambled off into a field to our left, where he was found dead next day.

The enemy, seeing their leader fall, could stand no longer but fled in wild confusion and returned no more. Our infantry stood firm and fought bravely throughout the contest. Many of the men and officers there deserve especial praise for their gallantry and cool bravery. The retreat of the advance guard to our rear caused a stampede of our horses behind but it was soon checked and did us but little damage.

When the firing ceased, which did not last over 10 minutes before the enemy fled, our advance under Lieut. Baker came in front again and pursued the enemy some two miles, but fell further behind the farther he went.

So the enemy was completely routed. We had four men wounded, three slightly. One James Mulligan, Daviess County, very severely received four balls, one entering the forehead, one through the hips, one through the arm and two fingers shot off; dangerously ill but yet alive. A brave and good man and most excellent soldier. We lost one horse dead on the field, one wounded and since dead.

The enemy lost seven dead men, as stated by a prisoner and young wounded man of theirs, young Miller of Clay County, and some 10 or 12 wounded. But one fell immediately on the field. That was Anderson. Two more were found the next day close by.

The same enemy passed through Millville early that night 25 miles from the battlefield. The battle was fought between two and three o’clock in the evening.

We captured two fine horses in the fight, one supposed to be young Rains’ and the other Anderson’s. The infamous bushwhacker Bill Anderson rode a fine Iron Grey mare with a human scalp tied to the head stall of his bridle on the left rear. He came yelling and shooting and shot until he fell dead and when he fell he was making towards Capt. Woodruff of Daviess County who is another large man and was riding a large gray horse close behind the infantry carrying a flag in his hand.

BLOODY BILL HAD FOUR REVOLVERS BUCKLED AROUND HIM AND TWO very large ones across his saddle. He was well dressed with rich, clothing. He had on a white wool hat with a long fine black plume in it; wore a fine net undershirt and over it one of fine black cloth most elegantly embroidered on the sleeves and breast; a fine blue cloth vest, and a close-bodied frock coat of excellent drab colored cassimere and pants of same.

He had on his person a fine gold watch and chain and a silver one; $323 in gold and $273 in paper money besides some silver change and small paper currency and $18 in Confederate money.

He also had his own likeness and another supposed to be his wife’s and in his pocketbook was also found a short memorandum which we suppose is from his wife, though he. passed himself off through this country for a single man.

After going on to mention certain articles such as a dashing woman would fancy for dress and ornament and some toys for her babe, she winds up thus: ‘Your ever loving and obedient wife until death’ (signed) ‘Bush Anderson, At home Friday evening, April 20th, 1864.’ On the back of same was written: ‘Wm. T. Anderson, Bush Anderson, Grason County, Texas, April 20th, 1864, in pencil mark. Enclosed in this note was a small lock of fine dark chestnut brown hair.

In his pocket was also found a receipt thus: ‘reed, of W.T. Anderson $360. (Signed) Presley Garvis.’ Also two orders thus: ‘Head Quarters Army of Missouri, Boonville 11 October, 1864. Special Order: Capt. Anderson with his command will at once proceed to the north side of the Missouri River and permanently destroy the North Missouri Railroad going as’ far east as practicable. He will report his operations at least every two days. By order of Maj. Gen (Sterling) Price.’

And again: ‘To the officer in charge of the ferry boat: Capt. Anderson and his command will be crossed to the other side of the river after which the ferry boat will await orders on this side of the river. By order of Maj. Gen. Price.’

Both of which there can be no doubt given are genuine and directed by Price. What now can our chivalrous friends of the South say in vindication of their boasted Missouri chieftain General Price: coming into our state under the Confederate flag, leading Missourians and commissioning bushwhackers, yea the infamous, cruel, fiendish Bloody Bill Anderson, for a long time a terror to honest men and women of Missouri.

IN HIS POCKETS WERE ALSO FOUND TWO REBEL FLAGS, ONE ABOUT two feet long and 10 inches wide, another a small but very fine one some foot long and four inches wide, 12 stars on one side and 11 on the other and made of fine silk ribbon. On the middle stripe of which was written on one side, ‘Presented to Capt. Wm. T. Anderson by his friend M.L.R.’ and on the other, ‘Don’t let it be contaminated by Fed. hands.’ As if anything from the hands of such a man as Anderson could be disgraced or be made worse by mortal man. To-the proof of which we need only refer to the cold blooded, heartless and unfeeling butchery of our fellow men at Centralia, unarmed and helpless.

We brought his body off the battlefield and gave it a decent burial in a good coffin, deposited in the extreme south side of the public grave yard in Richmond, marking his resting, place with a head and foot board. Not that we had any respect for him, for God knows we are unable to see how an honest man or woman in Missouri could. But because we respected ourselves and felt that after death his body was but the lifeless remains of a human being and could no longer harm this world and feeling that our cause is a just Holy one we could not forget that we were American citizens and should be guided by feelings of humanity and civilization. God grant that our countrymen in this sanguinary struggle may remember and not disgrace our Anglo Saxon bloom.

Photograph likenesses of Anderson before and after death were taken by Dr. Kice of Richmond and of which, General, I will send you. Thus passed away the infamous Bloody Bill Anderson…

AS A FOOTNOTE TO THE BATTLE OF ALBANY, it is likely that Frank and Jesse James, who went on to more notoriety than their leader, were both in the guerrilla force. “They rode with Anderson,” said John Crouch. “Jesse James was proud of his association with Anderson.

“Frank James in his autobiography made mention of the fact that he was one of the pickets and was barely able to mount his horse and get away,” Mr. Crouch said. “They were dismounted and were suddenly surrounded by Federal troops.

“Wherever Frank was, Jesse was,” Mr. Crouch said. “They very seldom split up.”

Mr. Crouch said that some interest has been expressed by a few members of area historical re-enactment groups in staging the Battle of Albany.

“IT’S JUST IN THE HOPEFUL STAGE,” MR. CROUCH SAID. “There’s a form to be filled out, permission obtained from property owners and, of course, 80 percent of any endeavor is determined by interest-interest of people who appreciate historical .events—and without this interest an event like this would become an uphill struggle.

“A thing like this would be at least a year in the making,” Mr. Crouch said.

Mr. Crouch was asked what he believes the significance to be of the rediscovery of 10 graves of Confederate guerrillas on the Murrell Thomas property.

“I hope that through this investigation some more interest can be cultivated,” Mr. Crouch said. “If anyone can give any further information or clarification of the site it would be appreciated. “I would hope that this site can be eternally marked for posterity’s sake,” Mr. Crouch continued. “Things of this nature have a way of becoming eternally lost.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

** Since this article was written in the early 1980’s, we have uncovered even more information and pictures. I will be adding these as time permits. Feel free to comment, or send me your information. We listen to ‘both’ sides . Sign up for the RSS feed or email notification and you’ll get the up to date information.

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Tags: 33rd regiment, 51st regiment, Albany, Albany Missouri, albany road, Anderson, anson tooliver, bloody bill anderson, capt. woodruff, confederate forces, confederate markers, Cox, Daviess County, donald hale, general craig, Guy Dennison, Hamilton, Hamilton Missouri, handk patterson, Hankins, headstone, james mulligan, James Mylan, japster moody, john mcllane, john pringle, johnson, lafayette county, leabo, levi cline, Lt. Baker, Maj. Grimes, Margaret Mayers, missouri badman, napoleon brown, Old Albany, orrick, paul debenhorst, pioneer cemetery, ray county, ray county missouri, S.P, s.p. 'cob' cox, samuel brown, Shelby, smith, sterling price, union troops, westport, William T. Anderson, william tarrington

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Tags: 33rd regiment, 51st regiment, Albany, Albany Missouri, albany road, Anderson, anson tooliver, bloody bill anderson, capt. woodruff, confederate forces, confederate markers, Cox, Daviess County, donald hale, general craig, Guy Dennison, Hamilton, Hamilton Missouri, handk patterson, Hankins, headstone, james mulligan, James Mylan, japster moody, john mcllane, john pringle, johnson, lafayette county, leabo, levi cline, Lt. Baker, Maj. Grimes, Margaret Mayers, missouri badman, napoleon brown, Old Albany, orrick, paul debenhorst, pioneer cemetery, ray county, ray county missouri, S.P, s.p. 'cob' cox, samuel brown, Shelby, smith, sterling price, union troops, westport, William T. Anderson, william tarrington