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THE RICHMOND MISSOURIAN, RICHMOND, MISSOURI

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 1938

(RAY COUNTY CHAPTERS)

Eye-Witness Describes the Battle of Albany and the Killing of Captain Bill Anderson

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The Diary of Lieutenant Thomas Hankins, late Banker of Rayville, Mo., Recast Correctly Into Conversational Style, Furnishes the Concisest Report of the Battle of “Old Albany,” one Mile North of Orrick in Southwest Ray County- A Series of Chapters Giving Exact Date of Important Local Civil War Fight- Chapter Five Ends Series With Additional Anderson Data from Other Sources.

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(No. 431 of “Ray County Chapters” in the Richmond Missourian of June 27, 1938, by Jewell Mayes; the 4th of the special series.)

The fourth chapter, full of military action of the eye-witness story of the battle of Old Albany, fought on Thursday, October 27, 1864, is told by Lieutenant Thomas Hankins as follows:

BY THOMAS HANKINS

Immediately behind the previously planned retreating line of Lieutenant Baker appeared Captain Bill Anderson and about fifty of his men, yelling and shooting “like the very devil.”

When within a few yards of the Federal line, Anderson was shot through the left temple, and after passing entirely through the Federal line, he was seen to pitch forward and fall of his horse. He fell with his read to the east.

The main body of the Confederates deployed to the north, the north column led by Captain George W. Hendley and the south led by Clell Miller. Captain Hendley made a charge, and attempted to pass to the rear of the lines and stampede the horses.

The enemy’s line, now in perfect order, extended from the road to the rail fence on the north.

The leader of the north column was commanded by a Captain on a claybank horse while the south leader was mounted on a magnificent black horse. Their lines being in column front, the whole line made a dash at the Federal lines.

After charging up within fifty or less yards of our Federal line, the Confederate line broke and scurried to the rear. The claybank horse was shot from under his rider and disappeared to the rear.

Clell Miller charged up to within a few yards of the Federal lines, when he was shot through the hip and fell from his horse. He was seen to crawl into a tree-top, and, after the battle, he was taken up and carried to Richmond, where he was cared fro until he recovered from his wounds, when he was permitted to return to his home in Clay County.

This is the same Clell Miller who was killed in the Northfield bank robbery in the Minnesota.

It is not known by his eye-witness how many of the Confederate enemy were lost, but is must have been heavy. They carried off most of their killed and wounded, only those who fell in and near the Federal lines being left behind.

The Union troops lost four of five wounded, certain of whom died afterwards.

During the fight, some of the horses of Company D, 51st E.M.M. stampeded.

As a number of men, under command of J.W. Harder, were returning to Richmond n foot, they overtook a bunch of horses at the farm of Will T. Brown, west of Richmond, which they captured-and among the number was the noted gray mare which was ridden in the charge and from which Captain Bill Anderson was shot.

This mare was equipped with saddle and saddle-bags, in the pocket of which was found a battle-flag-one side was the Stars and Bars and in addition hereto was a Cresent Moon and Cross unied(?) said to represent the new Confederacy of the Lone Star State and Catholic Mexico.

In the division of trophies, this flag was awarded to Captain John Hankins, and the saddle and saddlebags were given to the late Elder J. W. Harder.

The Bill Anderson flag later fell to me, Thomas Hankins, and in my lifetime kept in the vault of the Rayville Bank.

After the fight, the body of Captain Bill Anderson was brought in a wagon to Richmond, Missouri, and placed in the upper story of the old courthouse, where Anderson’s body was photographed by Mr. Hicks.

The body of Captain Bill Anderson was not mutilated or shown any special disrespect. It was buried in the southwest corner of the Old Richmond City Cemetery on North Thornton Avenue.

(At this point ends the fourth chapter about the battle of Old Albany. This chapter completes the personal narrative, as recorded in the Civil War diary of Lieutenant Thomas Hankins. On next Monday the story of the battle will be continued with some historical side-lights not told by Mr. Hankins.)

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Tags: 33rd regiment, Albany, Albany Missouri, Bloody Bill, Captain Bill Anderson, Captain Hendley, Captain John Hankins, Captain Tiffin, confederate forces, confederate guerilla, Cox, Daviess County, Frank James, guerilla soldier, Hankins, Haynesville, Jesse james, Lieutenant Thomas Hankins, Maj. Grimes, northfield minnesota, Old Albany, orrick, Quantrill, Shelby, Southwest Ray County, Thomas Hankins, William Anderson, William T. Anderson, wood hite