Life, Death, and Civil War in the Moore Community of Wayne County, Missouri
We have shared the
incommunicable experience of war. We felt, we still feel, the passion of
life to its top. In our youths, our hearts were touched by fire."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, on the young soldiers of the Civil War
My brother Ken and I were sons of
Iva Delores Wilson and Robert Nathaniel Ragan. Our mother in turn, was
the granddaughter of Daniel Moore, the primary subject of this narrative, and was born in the old Moore Community in 1920. Her mother Bessie Moore was the daughter
of Daniel and Susan Anne Tarlton Moore (1863-1948). Our mother lived with and cared for
Daniel and Susan for a number of years in her teens, and her
recollections of both grandparents were reserved, but vivid. These were
not play times for our mother. Susan was virtually blind since her
childhood and Daniel was a man of advanced age. Mother had to do all
the cooking, washing, cleaning, and was expected to keep the home tidy
and neat. This was a necessity due to her grandmother's blindness.
Mother always described her grandfather as a stern man, serious in nature, but known by all in the community fondly as Grandfather or Uncle Dan. Daniel's grand niece, Blanche Moore, granddaughter of his brother William Dudley Moore, recalls in her memoirs that when Uncle Dan laughed, his long white beard would bounce up and down.
He was known to be a fair man, well-respected, and often a man whose advice was solicited by those needing direction and monetary assistance. He provided loans to those he deemed trust-worthy and the cause or endeavor of adequate substance. He often lovingly read the Bible to Susan, usually at length. The ability to read was a self-taught attribute, or at least accomplished with the help of one of his first two wives, Margaret Sutton (1845-1884) or Lewella Ann Rucker (1854-1893), since as a young soldier he signed his enlistment papers with his mark, an X.
My mother was always troubled by Grandfather Daniel's final months of life, as he was always seeing babies and angels. This, no doubt, can be attributed to the advanced age and mental deterioration of her Grandfather. But, having lost a number of children through the first two of his three marriages, no doubt several in between census years that are not documented or known, it is possible that his visions of babies and angels were entirely of stuff more rooted in the realities of a hard life filled with the sorrows of saying farewell to little sons and daughters, sisters and brothers in their infant and formative years, as well as the loss of his first two wives in childbirth. Not to mention the ingrained memories of war and death that most old soldiers hoard, tucked safely and securely and horrifyingly into the deepest places of cognizance until they breath their last breath.
My Grandmother Bessie, burned Daniel's Civil War uniform, and Uncle Clarence (Bud) Madison Wilson, JR managed to save his discharge papers just in time. They are in the family's possession, along with the original photo of him in uniform that has appeared in the Wayne County newspaper, and submitted to the Ancestry web site after some editing in my photo shop. This revered uncle remembers his grandfather well and has taken this story and his memories of same to the curators of the Jefferson Barracks Civil War Museum in St. Louis, Missouri in hopes of attaining future inclusion for Daniel Moore's service records and photograph.
Daniel Moore had lost 2, and possibly three brothers by the time he turned 18 and signed up for service. I have no doubt that his enlistment wasn't just a requirement that had to be seen to completion, but a compelling need to honor the older brothers that he had grown up with in Tennessee and Wayne County, Missouri.
The 1860 census just prior to the war's outset shows four older brothers in the household with Daniel. James Moore, the oldest of the children of John and Eliza Moore, was 21 at the initiation of the hostilities and never appeared again in records of Wayne County after the war. It is possible that he joined many Wayne County families and relocated to Illinois in the initial stages of the war. Or he may have perished in its early stages. No records show a definitive connection, although there are a number of James Moores in Union militias during the era. There can be no doubt that he served.
Rufus Moore was captured and taken prisoner while with Company B, 12th Regiment Missouri State Cavalry at Mingo Swamp in Wayne County on February 26, 1862. He was never heard from again and either was executed in the great swamp, or died in a military prison camp. I feel certain the latter is the correct conclusion. I find a Rufus Moore turned over as a prisoner in Memphis, transferred to Montgomery, Alabama until finally appearing on the mortality records as having died from disease in the Confederate Prison in the old fairgrounds of Macon, Georgia. He lists his regiment as the 23rd, but the service roll records show no record of Rufus Moore in the 23rd. If this is our Rufus, his unit of record is either mistaken or he has given false information to the enemy; which is entirely conceivable. He would have likely been 22 years old at the time of his death.
John Moore, JR enlisted in Company H, 31st Regiment of Infantry
Volunteers on August 21st, 1862 under Captain Burch. Company H was comprised of men almost exclusively from Wayne County. His unit and company were one of the most utilized of all the Wayne County regiments in an expanded role throughout the Southeast. Just a few of the campaigns in which John Moore and the 31st Infantry Regiment participated include The Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs and Chickasaw Bayou, Battle of Jackson, Mississippi, Siege of Vicksburg, Battle of Lookout Mountain, Battle of Missionary Ridge, Battle of Brushy Mountain, Battle of Marietta and Kennesaw Mountain, Battle and Siege of Atlanta, Siege of Savannah, and the Battle of Columbia, SC. It was a part of Sherman's Yazoo Expedition known popularly as Sherman's March to the Sea.
John appears to have contracted an illness while stationed at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis in the initial months of his service that kept him hospitalized for some time. He also was hospitalized in Young's Point, LA during the unit's duty there January - March of 1863., and later at the Braxton Iron Works. Braxton was south of Jackson, Mississippi. It is unclear whether he contracted epidemic diseases of incapacitation a number of times, or if his repeated hospitalizations were a result of his initial sickness from Jefferson Barracks. Regardless, he was pressed over and over into service. Military records show that he was mortally wounded June 30, 1864 at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. He was 19 years old.
Robert Moore enlisted in Company B, 12th Regiment of Missouri State
Militia Cavalry and upon the unit's reorganization is found in Company L
of the 3rd Missouri State Militia Cavalry. While with the 12th, on
July 20th, 1862 he was at the Battle of Old Greenville and lost his
horse and equipage to the Rebel Guerillas during the foray. Robert,
known as Bob to family and friends, fought alongside Madison Wilson in
this battle. He is the only of Daniel's older brothers that appear for
certain to have survived the hostilities. He is buried in Ring's Creek Cemetery in Wayne County. Across the top of the tombstone is emblazoned his state of birth, Tennessee.
Based on Daniel Moore's sixteen records of service and those that
history can tell us of the regiments he served with, this is what can
definitively be stated regarding his Civil War service subsequent to his
enlistment:
1863:
Military Service in the Union Army: Enlisted as a Private of Captain Smith's Company L, 3rd Regiment of Cavalry Missouri Volunteers October 25th, 1863 only one month after attaining the legal age of 18. Also enlisted in Company L, were his brother Robert Moore and George W. Tarlton, both Corporals.
Campaigns of the 3rd Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry, Union Volunteers that are on record during the periods of his service include:
October 26 - November 12, !863; Scout from Cape Girardeau to Doniphan and Pocahontas, Arkansas.
October 29 - November 5, 1863; (detachment) Scout from Pilot Knob to Doniphan, Arkansas.
December 23 - December 25, 1863; Confederate Colonel Reeves attack on Centreville on 23rd. Pursuit of Reeves 23- 25. Puliam's December 25.
1864:
January 14, 1864; Bollinger County.
January 20 - January 27, 1864, (detachment) Scout from Patterson to Cherokee Bay, Arkansas.
February 27, 1864; Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
March 16 -March 25, 1864; (detachment) Scout from Pilot Knob to Arkansas line and skirmishes. Balance of Unit March 19 in Oregon County, Missouri.
April 26, 1864; Wayne County.
May 8, 1864; Randolph County, Missouri.
June 10, 1864; Near St. James.
July 8 - July 12, 1864; (detachment) Scout from Patterson to Buffalo.
July 18 - August 6, 1864; Operations in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas.
July 28, 1864; (detachment) Scatterville, Arkansas.
August 2, 1864; Osceola (Benton County).
August 4, 1864; Elkchute.
September 3, 1864; (detachment) Near Rocheport east of Columbia, Missouri.
September 12, 1864; (detachment) Caledonia, Missouri.
September 15 - September 19, 1864; (detachment) Scout in Randolph, Howard, and Boone Counties.
September 16, 1864; (detachment) Columbia, Missouri.
September 19, 1864; Doniphan.
September 20, 1864; Ponder's Mill, Little Black River.
September 23, 1864; (detachment) Near Rocheport.
September 26, 1864; Ironton, Shut-In Gap, and Arcadia Valley.
September 26 -27; Fort Davidson, Pilot Knob.
September 27, 1864; (detachment) Arcadia Valley.
September 28, 1864; Company C in Caledonia.
October 1, 1864; Leesburg.
October 3, 1864; Ponder's Mills.
October 7, 1864; Moreau Bottom, Jefferson City.
October 22 -October 26, 1864; Independence.
October 26, 1864; Pilot Knob.
October 28, 1854; Leesburg.
January - February 1865; Operating in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas against guerrillas.
Summary of service with Company L, 3rd Regiment Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Unless noted above, the exact campaigns in which Daniel Moore participated are not certain, but many are probable. It can be surmised reasonably that all campaigns in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas were ones that likely included his service and those of Company L. It is less certain, but cannot be ruled out, that his Unit was involved in the campaigns North of Springfield, Missouri and in the vicinity of Columbia, Missouri. The Regiment lost during service 4 Officers and 57 Enlisted Men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 102 Enlisted Men by disease. Total 164.
Daniel Moore was discharged on February 3, 1865 at St. Louis, MO by reason of re-enlistment . Re-enlistment was the next day February 4th, 1865 as a Private for Company C, 14th Regiment Missouri Cavalry Volunteers under Captain John Rodgers.He is listed on military records as 5' 8" in height, dark complexion, blue eyes, and black hair. On his re-enlistment papers in 1865, he proudly lists his occupation as soldier.
1865
February 14, 1865 - June 1865; Unit stationed at St. Louis, Missouri. May 23 -26 Unit went on scout from Waynesville to Coal Camp Creek.
June - October 26, 1865 Daniel and his unit of the 14th Cavalry moved from St. Louis to the Nebraska plains to curtail Native American uprisings on the frontier. Without an Army of size in the west during the Civil War years, many tribes were once again reclaiming territory and raiding homesteads, particularly the Sioux and Northern Cheyennes.
Daniel Moore was discharged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas October 26, 1865.
Summary of Service with Company L, 14th Regiment, Missouri Cavalry: Lost during service, 2 killed and 34 by disease. Total 36.
Daniel Moore departed this life September 3, 1936 in his 91st year of life. The Old Horse Soldier, veteran of both the Civil War and the Plains Wars died without fanfare, but to the sorrow of his family and all who knew him. Grandfather Dan was interred in the rocky soil near Ojibway in Wayne County, Missouri close to his father and mother and now untold numbers of tribesmen of the Moore clans. Most of the markers in the old cemetery are now indistinguishable, and most that remain legible were originally inscribed roughly by loving hands on slabs of local sandstone. Daniel's marker stands out in stark contrast.
Daniel Moore's military tombstone was ordered by his last male heir, Theodore
Roosevelt Moore, and was erected in 1939 in Woolard Cemetery, Wayne
County, Missouri. I submitted a copy of it also to the Ancestry web
site. It stands tall amid tangles of undergrowth, briars, and
brambles. Exactly as Great-Grandfather Daniel did during his years on
this earth, as son, husband, soldier, father, grandfather,
great-grandfather, and honorable and esteemed citizen of old Ojibway and
the Moore Community.
Great Grandson, Keith Wayne Ragan
Copyright February 12, 2013 by Keith Wayne Ragan. This narrative and its photographs may not be published either separately or in entirety without the written consent of the author. This document is intended for family research and private collection and family may copy or reproduce as desired, barring publication.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, on the young soldiers of the Civil War
John W. Moore and Eliza (Elizabeth) Beary Moore were the original hardy souls, leaving the relative tame life of West Tennessee, to enter into the fledgling state of Missouri to the site of what would come to be known as the "Moore Community" in Wayne County, Missouri.
Much is known of the four bothers, all sons of John W. Moore
and Eliza Beary Moore that perpetuated the Moore line so
prolifically in Wayne County, Missouri.
Their names were Robert Glenn, Daniel, Lewis Doctor, and William Dudley
Moore. But there is more to the family
that should be known. At least twelve
children were born to John and Eliza, but only the stories of the four
previously named sons are generally known.
This is a historical narrative of tragedy, of perseverance, and
survival.
Research to confirm the origins of John and Eliza verifies their journey began in Roane County, Tennessee on their way to their final home in the Wet Fork valley of Wayne County, Missouri. John was born in 1819,
Eliza in 1821. Of
this we are certain. In those times, a
male had to be 18 years of age to marry in most locales without the permission
of the father. So based on this fact
and the birth of the couple’s first child, we may presume a marriage date of
1839-1840 in Tennessee.
James Robert Moore
was likely born in Roane County in August of 1840. And then the family appears to have moved westward. The first definitive proof of the early years of their marriage, shows them located in Bedford County, Tennessee. Bedford is located south of the Nashville Districts and probably places the family on the Duck River near Shelbyville. Bedford County was the most populous county in Tennessee in 1830 with over 30,000 citizens. Rufus
Moore was born a year later at the Bedford homestead in 1841. The following year, 20 June 1842, Robert
Glenn Moore was the last known child to be born into the family in Bedford
County. It would be unusual indeed, to begin a family in these times far
removed from extended family and friends.
As a last reference to the family and its possible roots in
Bedford County, it is worthy to note a couple of interesting facts. First, in the early days of the county a
militia was needed to protect the families living there from Indian attacks,
particularly during the War of 1812.
Commanding one of the militias in those early years is a Colonel John A.
Moore; connection to John W. Moore unknown.
Second, one of the counties to the south and bordering Bedford is the
county of Moore. So, not only is John
W. Moore beginning a family here, but there appears to be an abundance of
Moores in the vicinity, and integrated with the geography and history, immediate connection to our line of Moores unknown.
Between 1842 and 1844, John moved the family into the
vacated Chickasaw lands in West Tennessee and to Madison County. Jackson, Tennessee was the capitol and hub
of commerce. John Moore, JR was
born in Madison County in 1844.
Daniel Moore, my own great-grandfather, was the next
child born to John and Eliza in 1845.
And here is the only connection to Knox County, Tennessee that I have
ever been able to find. For this is the
place of his birth. For what reason did
Eliza and John travel all the way from West Tennessee to the far Eastern
reaches of the state to Knox County?
Was Eliza having a difficult time carrying Daniel and indeed returned to
family for comfort and assistance during that time? Was Knox a place of origin after all? Research obviously is still needed and ongoing. At least for now, this will have to remain a
riddle.
Complicating things even more, it is generally thought that Ann
M. Moore and Leroy Moore, likely twins, were born back in Madison
County in 1848. And Lewis Doctor
Moore was born in Madison County a year later, in 1849.
Sometime between 1849 and 1850, John and Eliza with 8
children relocated to Wayne County, Missouri.
They are listed on the 1850 census of Black River Township in what would become the hub of the Moore Community; All except Ann. It is likely that she was the first of our
ancestry buried in the rocky soil near old Ojibway.
We that are John and Eliza’s direct ancestors know of the
general location of their first home in Wayne County. The property that John would acquire and farm would be passed
down to his heirs and be a part of legacy forever. But, if you know first hand of the inhospitable nature of this
environment, of the rocky and sloping terrain, it brings pause to consider
“why here?” Adding to the riddle is the fact that in those times swamps
bordered the area, and early records indicate disease rampant and a silent
specter harvesting souls at random.
The answer of course, is the spring; emerging cleanly,
coolly, and with dependable precision in steady rhythm adjacent to the cabin up
the hill. And also the answer is the
rich patch of bottom land below the spring and cabin parallel to the banks of
Wet Fork Creek and within the sound of the gentle flowing waters of Otter Creek. Barely three feet wide, it was an oasis in the
middle of a wilderness, and the real riddle would seem to be not why he settled
his family here, but how he found it in the first place. From here, in the ensuing years, would
spring a multitude of Moore clans to establish the Moore Community of Wayne
County, Missouri. The sons of John and Eliza would marry young women from adjacent homesteads, and the daughters would marry into other clans as well, leading to a community eventually where everyone seemed related to the other.
On 10 June 1853, Eliza gave birth to William Dudley “Boots”
Moore and he was the first of the children born native to Wayne
County. In 1856, Samuel Moore
was born. In 1857 Ulysses Moore joined
the family, followed by Elizabeth “Eliza” Moore in 1859. As far as record yields, this was the last
of the twelve known offspring of John W. and Eliza Moore of Tennessee. Between censuses it is possible other
children were born and perished. But,
as of 1859, there were 11 surviving children of the homestead located on the
slope next to the spring.
Sometime in the year 1860 before the Federal Census was
enumerated, Leroy Moore joined his twin in the ever after. His death was probably a result of
disease. Samuel and Ulysses also disappear from the records. How many others perished, little Moores whose names we would never know? Most of us cannot fathom the loss of a child. But, it was an ordeal that would be repeated often in the family of John and Eliza. There was no funeral home to handle the arrangements. The little bodies would be washed and prepared by Eliza; The wooden coffins built and the sandstone markers selected from the side of the hill and engraved by John. The rocky soil of what would become Woolard Cemetery would no doubt be picked and shoveled by the older brothers into a suitable repository for eternal slumber. And within 48 hours of the children's deaths, they would be buried and mourned.
Ye have lost a child -- nay, she is not lost to you, who is found to Christ; she is not sent away, but only sent before; like unto a star, which going out of our sight, doth not die and vanish, but shineth in another hemisphere....
Samuel Rutherford, Scottish theologian and author
A year later, war would become a way of life in Wayne County for almost five full years. John and Eliza’s oldest sons would have to enlist or be drafted into the local militias. They would all volunteer to wear the blue uniforms of the Army of the United States. Darker times were yet ahead for the family working the fields along Wet Fork Creek. How many times would a distraught Eliza and troubled John stand in the middle of that road in front of the spring we all know so well, and look down that long dirt road hoping to catch a glimpse of a horse and rider, an estranged son turned soldier returning home at last?
Ye have lost a child -- nay, she is not lost to you, who is found to Christ; she is not sent away, but only sent before; like unto a star, which going out of our sight, doth not die and vanish, but shineth in another hemisphere....
Samuel Rutherford, Scottish theologian and author
Little Moores not documented on census, Woolard Cemetery. The engraved stones bear the initials E.M.M. and Ray Moore. If you look closely you can see the two little hearts on the stone of what is most probably the girl child, and also on Ray's stone, at the top center.. Photo by the author.
A year later, war would become a way of life in Wayne County for almost five full years. John and Eliza’s oldest sons would have to enlist or be drafted into the local militias. They would all volunteer to wear the blue uniforms of the Army of the United States. Darker times were yet ahead for the family working the fields along Wet Fork Creek. How many times would a distraught Eliza and troubled John stand in the middle of that road in front of the spring we all know so well, and look down that long dirt road hoping to catch a glimpse of a horse and rider, an estranged son turned soldier returning home at last?
Daniel Moore (1845-1936)
Photo from our Our Private Family Collection
The three children from Daniel Moore's last marriage to Susan Tarlton (Moore). Left to right, the youngest and last son of Daniel, Theodore Roosevelt Moore (1901-1994); my grandmother seated, Bessie Edith Moore (Wilson) (1899-1993); and Essie Anna Moore (Dees) (1903-1989). Photo from our family's private collection.
Mother always described her grandfather as a stern man, serious in nature, but known by all in the community fondly as Grandfather or Uncle Dan. Daniel's grand niece, Blanche Moore, granddaughter of his brother William Dudley Moore, recalls in her memoirs that when Uncle Dan laughed, his long white beard would bounce up and down.
He was known to be a fair man, well-respected, and often a man whose advice was solicited by those needing direction and monetary assistance. He provided loans to those he deemed trust-worthy and the cause or endeavor of adequate substance. He often lovingly read the Bible to Susan, usually at length. The ability to read was a self-taught attribute, or at least accomplished with the help of one of his first two wives, Margaret Sutton (1845-1884) or Lewella Ann Rucker (1854-1893), since as a young soldier he signed his enlistment papers with his mark, an X.
My mother was always troubled by Grandfather Daniel's final months of life, as he was always seeing babies and angels. This, no doubt, can be attributed to the advanced age and mental deterioration of her Grandfather. But, having lost a number of children through the first two of his three marriages, no doubt several in between census years that are not documented or known, it is possible that his visions of babies and angels were entirely of stuff more rooted in the realities of a hard life filled with the sorrows of saying farewell to little sons and daughters, sisters and brothers in their infant and formative years, as well as the loss of his first two wives in childbirth. Not to mention the ingrained memories of war and death that most old soldiers hoard, tucked safely and securely and horrifyingly into the deepest places of cognizance until they breath their last breath.
Daniel Moore (with beard photo left center) and family circa 1895-1897. Photo from our private family collection.
My Grandmother Bessie, burned Daniel's Civil War uniform, and Uncle Clarence (Bud) Madison Wilson, JR managed to save his discharge papers just in time. They are in the family's possession, along with the original photo of him in uniform that has appeared in the Wayne County newspaper, and submitted to the Ancestry web site after some editing in my photo shop. This revered uncle remembers his grandfather well and has taken this story and his memories of same to the curators of the Jefferson Barracks Civil War Museum in St. Louis, Missouri in hopes of attaining future inclusion for Daniel Moore's service records and photograph.
Daniel Moore had lost 2, and possibly three brothers by the time he turned 18 and signed up for service. I have no doubt that his enlistment wasn't just a requirement that had to be seen to completion, but a compelling need to honor the older brothers that he had grown up with in Tennessee and Wayne County, Missouri.
The 1860 census just prior to the war's outset shows four older brothers in the household with Daniel. James Moore, the oldest of the children of John and Eliza Moore, was 21 at the initiation of the hostilities and never appeared again in records of Wayne County after the war. It is possible that he joined many Wayne County families and relocated to Illinois in the initial stages of the war. Or he may have perished in its early stages. No records show a definitive connection, although there are a number of James Moores in Union militias during the era. There can be no doubt that he served.
Rufus Moore was captured and taken prisoner while with Company B, 12th Regiment Missouri State Cavalry at Mingo Swamp in Wayne County on February 26, 1862. He was never heard from again and either was executed in the great swamp, or died in a military prison camp. I feel certain the latter is the correct conclusion. I find a Rufus Moore turned over as a prisoner in Memphis, transferred to Montgomery, Alabama until finally appearing on the mortality records as having died from disease in the Confederate Prison in the old fairgrounds of Macon, Georgia. He lists his regiment as the 23rd, but the service roll records show no record of Rufus Moore in the 23rd. If this is our Rufus, his unit of record is either mistaken or he has given false information to the enemy; which is entirely conceivable. He would have likely been 22 years old at the time of his death.
The first record top left above documents Rufus Moore's capture in Mingo swamp by Southern Guerrilla forces. The second document, top right, is the cover jacket for the Prisoner of War Record for Rufus Moore with unit noticeably changed at least once to his correct unit of the 12th SM Missouri Cavalry. The bottom and third record indicates that he was probably sent initially to Memphis and then on to Montgomery, AL.
Final Prisoner of War Record for Rufus Moore indicates a transfer to Fort Oglethorpe, GA where he died of disease.
John appears to have contracted an illness while stationed at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis in the initial months of his service that kept him hospitalized for some time. He also was hospitalized in Young's Point, LA during the unit's duty there January - March of 1863., and later at the Braxton Iron Works. Braxton was south of Jackson, Mississippi. It is unclear whether he contracted epidemic diseases of incapacitation a number of times, or if his repeated hospitalizations were a result of his initial sickness from Jefferson Barracks. Regardless, he was pressed over and over into service. Military records show that he was mortally wounded June 30, 1864 at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. He was 19 years old.
Left to Right: Left; the records for Great Grand Uncle John Moore, JR show note indicating no further evidence of disease from the Braxton Iron works and indicates hospitalization from wounds. These wounds may or may not have been the wounds suffered in his last engagement at Kennesaw Mountain, it is my belief they were from a prior engagement. Far right record above shows John Moore died from wounds at Kennesaw Mountain, Ga., June 30, 1864.
Final hospitalization record lists the many agonies
and hospital stays for John Moore, JR, including Jefferson Barracks in St.
Louis.MO., Young's Point, Louisiana, Memphis, TN. and Marietta, Ga.
Robert Moore was
present at the rebel attack at Leeper's Ford and the Battle of Old
Greenville. Ironically, both he and my Great Grandfather Madison Wilson
were both dodging bullets together July 20, 1862.
Headstone of Robert Glenn Moore, Rings Creek Cemetery. Original photo by Tammy York.
1863:
Military Service in the Union Army: Enlisted as a Private of Captain Smith's Company L, 3rd Regiment of Cavalry Missouri Volunteers October 25th, 1863 only one month after attaining the legal age of 18. Also enlisted in Company L, were his brother Robert Moore and George W. Tarlton, both Corporals.
Campaigns of the 3rd Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry, Union Volunteers that are on record during the periods of his service include:
October 26 - November 12, !863; Scout from Cape Girardeau to Doniphan and Pocahontas, Arkansas.
October 29 - November 5, 1863; (detachment) Scout from Pilot Knob to Doniphan, Arkansas.
December 23 - December 25, 1863; Confederate Colonel Reeves attack on Centreville on 23rd. Pursuit of Reeves 23- 25. Puliam's December 25.
1864:
January 14, 1864; Bollinger County.
January 20 - January 27, 1864, (detachment) Scout from Patterson to Cherokee Bay, Arkansas.
February 27, 1864; Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
March 16 -March 25, 1864; (detachment) Scout from Pilot Knob to Arkansas line and skirmishes. Balance of Unit March 19 in Oregon County, Missouri.
April 26, 1864; Wayne County.
May 8, 1864; Randolph County, Missouri.
June 10, 1864; Near St. James.
July 8 - July 12, 1864; (detachment) Scout from Patterson to Buffalo.
July 18 - August 6, 1864; Operations in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas.
July 28, 1864; (detachment) Scatterville, Arkansas.
August 2, 1864; Osceola (Benton County).
August 4, 1864; Elkchute.
September 3, 1864; (detachment) Near Rocheport east of Columbia, Missouri.
September 12, 1864; (detachment) Caledonia, Missouri.
September 15 - September 19, 1864; (detachment) Scout in Randolph, Howard, and Boone Counties.
September 16, 1864; (detachment) Columbia, Missouri.
September 19, 1864; Doniphan.
September 20, 1864; Ponder's Mill, Little Black River.
September 23, 1864; (detachment) Near Rocheport.
September 26, 1864; Ironton, Shut-In Gap, and Arcadia Valley.
September 26 -27; Fort Davidson, Pilot Knob.
September 27, 1864; (detachment) Arcadia Valley.
September 28, 1864; Company C in Caledonia.
October 1, 1864; Leesburg.
October 3, 1864; Ponder's Mills.
October 7, 1864; Moreau Bottom, Jefferson City.
October 22 -October 26, 1864; Independence.
October 26, 1864; Pilot Knob.
October 28, 1854; Leesburg.
January - February 1865; Operating in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas against guerrillas.
Summary of service with Company L, 3rd Regiment Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Unless noted above, the exact campaigns in which Daniel Moore participated are not certain, but many are probable. It can be surmised reasonably that all campaigns in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas were ones that likely included his service and those of Company L. It is less certain, but cannot be ruled out, that his Unit was involved in the campaigns North of Springfield, Missouri and in the vicinity of Columbia, Missouri. The Regiment lost during service 4 Officers and 57 Enlisted Men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 102 Enlisted Men by disease. Total 164.
The record of enlistment and honorable discharge for Dan Moore in the 3rd Cavalry reveals a lot of important information. It gives us his physical description, confirms place of birth, and confirms he was not schooled at the time of induction, signing with his mark. He lists his occupation at time of enlistment as farmer. Original document from our private family collection.
Daniel Moore was discharged on February 3, 1865 at St. Louis, MO by reason of re-enlistment . Re-enlistment was the next day February 4th, 1865 as a Private for Company C, 14th Regiment Missouri Cavalry Volunteers under Captain John Rodgers.He is listed on military records as 5' 8" in height, dark complexion, blue eyes, and black hair. On his re-enlistment papers in 1865, he proudly lists his occupation as soldier.
Daniel Moore's second enlistment and honorable discharge with the 14th Cavalry. He now proclaims "soldier" as his occupation at time of induction. Original document from our private family collection.
February 14, 1865 - June 1865; Unit stationed at St. Louis, Missouri. May 23 -26 Unit went on scout from Waynesville to Coal Camp Creek.
June - October 26, 1865 Daniel and his unit of the 14th Cavalry moved from St. Louis to the Nebraska plains to curtail Native American uprisings on the frontier. Without an Army of size in the west during the Civil War years, many tribes were once again reclaiming territory and raiding homesteads, particularly the Sioux and Northern Cheyennes.
Daniel Moore was discharged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas October 26, 1865.
Summary of Service with Company L, 14th Regiment, Missouri Cavalry: Lost during service, 2 killed and 34 by disease. Total 36.
Daniel Moore and others of the Moore Community would live to see their lands claimed by the Corps of Engineers using the "Right of Eminent Domain" in the course of construction of the Wappappello Dam project. Little thought was given to the blood sacrifices, of the toil to clear and homestead this remote place, of the souls interred in its rocky bosom, of the tears and sweat of pioneer spirit. Heirs fought in Court in Cape Girardeau to save the properties, to no avail. The few, it seemed, must sacrifice for the many. And sacrifice was a common companion to all the Moore clans through the years in Wayne County.
Daniel Moore departed this life September 3, 1936 in his 91st year of life. The Old Horse Soldier, veteran of both the Civil War and the Plains Wars died without fanfare, but to the sorrow of his family and all who knew him. Grandfather Dan was interred in the rocky soil near Ojibway in Wayne County, Missouri close to his father and mother and now untold numbers of tribesmen of the Moore clans. Most of the markers in the old cemetery are now indistinguishable, and most that remain legible were originally inscribed roughly by loving hands on slabs of local sandstone. Daniel's marker stands out in stark contrast.
Daniel Moore's grave marker. Photo by Keith W. Ragan
With some of the leaf and brush cover pushed aside, are views from the back of Daniel Moore's tombstone (L), and center possibly John W. Moore (badly deteriorated), and the brown stone on far right is definitely that of Elizabeth (Eliza) Moore, Daniel's mother and matriarch of the Moores in Wayne County. Her headstone was carved by husband John, and is engraved as EZA (short for Elizabeth) at the stone's top left, MOORE with a circle around the name in center, and on bottom is the maiden name of BEARY. Photo by Keith W. Ragan
Great Grandson, Keith Wayne Ragan
Copyright February 12, 2013 by Keith Wayne Ragan. This narrative and its photographs may not be published either separately or in entirety without the written consent of the author. This document is intended for family research and private collection and family may copy or reproduce as desired, barring publication.
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