John Chapman Vice President
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MaJuJneJJ June 2015 The Official Newsletter of the Friends of Jefferson Barracks Volume 27 Issue 2 Table of Contents General News Page 1 Canteen Dance At the Friends General Meeting last April 15 the election of new officers took Canteen Dance place. John Chapman will serve as the new President of the Friends organization. Pat Upcoming Events Page 2 Galanos felt it time to pass the gavel. We want to thank Pat for her long untiring service as President. Pat continues on the board and in charge of the Gift Shop. Dennis Mertz, Patty Crocker, and Wayne Winters will continue as Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer Civil War Part 11 Pages 3-4 respectively. Thank you all for your service. Second Battle of Page 4 For the General membership – If you have any ideas for future fundraisers, any Springfield things you would like to see the Friends do in the way of programs and events, or any Battles of Hartsville, Cape articles for the newsletter, please contact me at [email protected] Pages 5-6 Girardeau & Prices Raid The annual World War II weekend took place April 24 – 26. The Second Rangers, Friends of Jefferson Barracks once again, did a great job of putting together the camps, displays, and battle scenarios for the weekend. Attendance, once again, suffered just a little from the Saturday rains, but Sunday’s attendance was exceedingly good. In case you hadn’t heard, the good guys won Officers all three battles again this year! President – John Chapman Vice President - Dennis Mertz Secretary - Patty Crocker Treasurer - Wayne Winters Directors Al Benedick John Chapman Patty Crocker Pat Galanos Wimpy Kenner Marc Kollbaum John Lorenz Bonnie Lorenz (Alt) Dennis Mertz Mary Nowak (Alt) Richard Pisoni Ron Rolfes Jack Strosnider Ann Thoma (Alt) Ready for the Dance Wayne Winters The Friends of Jefferson Barracks is a 501(c) 3 organization and a part of the St Louis County Historic Sites Foundation. Membership in the Friends of Jefferson Barracks is open to all interested individuals, organizations, and corporations. Questions and comments concerning the Friends of Jefferson Barracks or any item in this newsletter should be directed to the Friends of Jefferson Barracks, 345 North Road, St. Louis, MO 63125-4259. The Friends of Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation, and the editorial staff of this newsletter assume no responsibility for the accuracy of items submitted for publication. The Jefferson Barracks Gazette, published three times a year for our members, is the official publication of the Friends of Jefferson Barracks. 1 The Friends Canteen Dance took place at the new Pavilion at Lemay on the evening of April 25. I believe that all had a wonderful time. Thanks go out to the team of Friends volunteers who did the set-up on Friday afternoon and helped at the dance on Saturday night. Dancing and having an overall great time! I thought it might be of interest to know some of the other projects and programs that your organization helps to bring about. The Friends have approved repairs to the floor joists and door framing on 533 Grant Road and are looking at restoring the entrance gate to the Scenic Overlook on Grant Road. We had full-color pamphlets printed for the Cavalry exhibit. [If you have not seen this exhibit please do so as it is exceptional.] The Friends and Parks staff hosted the Children’s Garden Club at the Old Ordnance Room. About 50 attended the event, enjoying the snacks and a tour of the exhibit by Danny Gonzales, curator of the exhibit. Remember that we are in the 100th anniversary of World War I, which actually began in August 1914. With this in mind, the Friends purchased some WW I artifacts for use in a Doughboy education program. Please look forward to more programs and an exhibit covering “The War To End All Wars” in the Ordnance Room in 1916. These are just a few of the things in which the Friends organization is involved. Upcoming Events Jefferson Barracks Blast – Friday, 3 July, 7 p.m. Enjoy music under the stars in the Veterans Memorial Amphitheater in Jefferson Barracks Park and a brilliant fireworks display to celebrate our country’s birth! Concessions will be available. Call (314) 615-4386 for more information. Admission is free. Scavenge Through the Night: History Found - Friday, 17 July from 7 to 10 p.m. Cost is $10 per person. History buffs, adventurers, and anyone who is looking for something different to do will find a new challenge awaiting them on our scavenger-style hunt in Jefferson Barracks. Comb trails and historic buildings in your search for answers. The evening begins at the Old Ordnance Room with an old fashioned “weenie roast” and ends with prizes for the best teams. Don’t forget your flashlight and pencil! Advanced registration is required by calling (314) 615-8472. History Campout & Movie – from Saturday, August 1 at 10am. to Sunday, August 2 at 10am. Ages 6 & up, Cost is $15 per person. In this rare and exciting experience, join us for a parent-child history campout! During the day you will learn about lives of men and women throughout history and after dinner you will enjoy a movie and a night visit to the museum. (Dinner and breakfast are on your own.) The required adult to child ratio is one adult/two children. Check in at the JB Visitor’s Center between 9-10 a.m. to receive your assigned camping area. Advanced registration is required. For reservations call (314) 544-5714 or e-mail [email protected]. Museum Volunteer Training Session – Saturday, 29 August, in the Visitors’ Center. Of special interest will be a panel discussion on the Korean and Vietnam wars with veterans of each of these conflicts. Featured guests will be Larry Ray and Jim Bauer on the Korean War and John Chapman and John Lorenz on Vietnam. 2 Danny Gonzalez is leaving Jefferson Barracks - although he is not going far. Danny is taking Esley Hamilton’s position as St. Louis County Preservation Historian, and so he will be moving to Clayton. Danny has done an outstanding job in the almost two years he has served as curator at Jefferson Barracks. We wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor! Missouri, Saint Louis, Jefferson Barracks and the Civil War, Part 11 By Marc E. Kollbaum, former curator, Jefferson Barracks Historic Park (continued from June 2014 Newsletter) On August 11 General John Schofield was stunned to learn that Independence had fallen to the combined forces of William Quantrill and Colonels John T. Hughes, Gideon Thompson, and Upton Hayes. Schofield ordered General James Totten to concentrate his forces to deal with this threat. On August 15, Union Major Emory S. Foster, on orders from Totten, led a 740- man combined force from Lexington to Lone Jack. A 2,500-man force was dispatched from Kansas under General James G. Blunt, and a 600-man force from Missouri under General Fitz Henry Warren, but they would not arrive in time for the engagement. Foster learned that Confederate Lt. Colonel John C. Tracy was camped near town and Foster prepared to attack him. The estimate of the Confederate command had been revised to only 800 men, and about 11:00 p.m. Foster and his men attacked the Confederate camp and routed them. The firing of Foster’s cannons during this brief skirmish proved to be his undoing, for it alerted Colonel Vard Cockrell and other Confederate commanders in the area of Foster’s position and of his intent to fight. Foster’s men returned to town to rest along the main street, having been in the saddle for several days. Cockrell conferred with Upton Hays, Sydney D. Jackman, and DeWitt C. Hunter and determined to give battle the next morning with the intent of overwhelming the much smaller Union force. Early on the morning of August 16, Union pickets informed Foster that a 3,000-man Confederate force was advancing on him. Soon afterwards, this force attacked and a battle began that involved charges, retreats, and counterattacks. After five hours of fighting, during which Foster was severely wounded, Confederate Colonel Coffee reappeared with his 1,500-man force, which caused Foster’s successor, Captain Milton H. Brawner, to order a retreat. The men left the field in good order and returned to Lexington. This was a Confederate victory, but the rebels had to evacuate the area on August 17, when they were threatened by the approach of Union forces including those of Blunt and Warren. Foster was later criticized for attacking on the first day while he was outnumbered, and not waiting for reinforcements. Capt. Brawner reported Union losses as 43 killed, 154 wounded, and 75 missing or captured, a casualty rate of 34 percent. Confederate Col. Hunter reported burying 119 Federals and 47 Confederates, but actual losses are unknown. Following the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, most Union and Confederate troops left northwestern Arkansas and southwestern Missouri. Confederate Colonel Douglas H. Cooper returned to the area on September 27 and assigned two of his units to Newtonia, where there was a mill for making breadstuffs. In mid-September, two brigades totaling 1,500 men of Brigadier General James G. Blunt’s division of the Union Army of Kansas left Fort Scott for southwestern Missouri. On September 29, Union scouts approached Newtonia but were chased away. Other Federal troops appeared in nearby Granby where there were lead mines. Cooper sent Confederate reinforcements there. On the morning of September 30, Union troops arrived at Newtonia and fighting began around 7:00 a.m.