This letter was written by Harvey Annis Smith (1836-1917), the son of Clement Smith (1794-1875) and Lucy Farnam (1794-1876) of Enfield, Grafton, New Hampshire. In 1857, Harvey was enrolled at the Kimball Union Academy. In 1860, at the age of 23, he was enumerated in his parent’s home in Enfield, his occupation given as “College Student.” By 1870, he had relocated to Wyanet, Bureau county, Illinois, and was employed as a school teacher. He was married by then to Alice Seville Jefferson (1843-1934). By 1880, the couple had relocated to Rushville, Schuyler county, Illinois where Harvey was employed as the high school principal. In 1900, the Harvey and Alice were residing in San Bernardino, California, and in the grocery business. He died in Santa Clara in 1917.

Harvey wrote the letter to Sally M. Merrill (1834-1909), the daughter of Joshua & Hannah Merrill of Bradford, Orange county, Vermont. In the 1860 US Census, she was enumerated in her father’s household and employed as a 26 year-old single school teacher. In 1867, she married Caleb J. Heath (b. 1815-Bef1900) and moved to Warren, Grafton county, New Hampshire.

The content of the letter pertains to the Price’s Missouri Expedition (sometimes called Price’s Raid) led by Confederate Gen. Sterling Price, known to his men and others as “Old Pap.” We learn from the letter that Harvey was employed by the Christian Commission and coincidentally entered Missouri at the same time that Price’s army turned westward up the Missouri River valley away from St. Louis, Harvey following in its wake. Though some of what Harvey relates to his friend Sally is hearsay, much of it was witnessed with his own eyes and ears.

Readers are referred to Kyle S. Sinisi’s book, The Last Hurrah, Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition of 1864, which provides a comprehensive summary of the expedition.

Transcription

Warrensberg, MO.
October 29, 1864

Miss Sally Merrill, Bradford, Vermont

My highly esteemed friend of the pleasant past,

As I have been chasing Price out of the state & had no convenient way to bring along writing materials, please excuse the pencil, and accept a few lines from one who ever kindly remembers you. Instead of teaching, I came to this department as a Delegate of the U.S. Christian Commission. I reached St. Louis a little before Price threatened that city and he passed by. Ever since, I have been just at his heels till I reached here—the terminus of the R.R. I had an order from Rosecrans for a government train to take my supplies through but as every train was overloaded, I came to a dead halt here. I have been waiting a week now for the arrival of a train & ambulance from St. Louis which will be here today. We shall then go first to Independence where we have one delegate doing what he can. Two delegates are going up the river with supplies on a boat dispatched for that purpose. What wounded are able to ride are to be brought to this place. This is Rosie’s [Rosecrans’] headquarters.

Pap [Price] marched through an extensive tract of country unobstructed when there were many chances of retarding his movement for days till our forces could have caught him. There was but one place that he could cross the Osage & a good chance to have blockaded him by felling trees. We had a large force at Jefferson City who lay in their entrenchments & let “Old Pap” go down into the bottom! cross over!! come up the steep, high, bank of the Osage!!! & then after he had chosen his ground & got all ready, sent out a small force to skirmish with him till Pap passed his wagon train of 400 heavily loaded wagons by!!! And the city was saved!!! If they had fought him on the river, they had their barracks to fall back into if it had been possible for them to cross. A. J. Smith was behind him with an immense force if he could have been held in check a day or two. Such has been the generalship all the way till they got to Independence.

But we have glorious news from them now. Marmaduke with 1500 of his men are expected to be marched through here tomorrow. You will have more particular news by telegraph ‘ere this reaches you so I will not particularize. I hope it will prove as complete a rout as Phil gave Longstreet. This raid has made many a strong secesh good Union men. You can have no conception of the desolation of the country. Nearly all the good horses & cattle were taken off by Price. Stores & houses cleaned out of all clothing & eatables, fields foraged till nothing is left for the inhabitants to live on. It took 40 good beeves per day to feed Price’s army, & when three times as many of our troops go over the same route, you may be assured that not much remains, though our army is fed mostly by rations brought from St. Louis, save the beef. Pap said he was going to fortify Boonville & winter there, but as soon as he had eaten all they had, he was off. I was in town the same day he left.

Missouri has the elements of self-destruction within itself, for unless they have foreign aid, they will depopulate their country. Everyone that ever had a grudge against another is bound to bushwhack him. Every summer the woods is full of such men. No citizen knows when he goes out from home whether he will live to get home again & when he retires at night, it is with the fear that he will be killed before morning. Such terror only the people of the border states know. Many try to be friendly to both sides & find but little favor any while, whilst others are decided & will fight at any odds. One instance occurred at Sedalia where I stopped two days. A young man living there was arrested by the Rebels when they were there. Three of them undertook to take him because he was said to favor the Federals, but he shot two of them and wounded the third. Some others then came up & shot him & after he fell, he raised up & wounded another with his revolver. Night before last, a Union man fired upon a party of 15 Union men with desperation because they told him they were confederates. It was dark & he could not see who they were. Even if he could, about half of the Rebs are now dressed in Federal uniforms.

I don’t know what will be done with such prisoners as there are so many of them. It is General Rosecrans’ order that they be shot according to rules of war. Our army take no guerrillas now unless it be to torture them as our men receive no mercy from them. One of them by name of Cole was arrested by the 45th Missouri troops. He cut a major’s throat and got away but was soon retaken. He said he had killed 30 men & two women & wanted to live to kill 4 more among whom was a brother & a sister. They run a bayonet through his side & legs & bruised his head with their muskets and then hung him. The boys were so enraged they wanted to give him all the misery they could. It takes the southern soldiers for revenge. When Bill Anderson destroyed the train on the Northern Missouri R.R., he took Major Johnson & 124 men & shot them all but one who got away though wounded. [See Centralia Massacre]

Some guerrilla barbarity occurs nearly every day. The Northern people know but little of the real horror the people here have continually from fear. I have seen none of the barbarities with my own eyes yet, nor have I been assailed by any rebels, but I like to have got shot yesterday by a Union soldier. The ball passed within a few inches of my ear about as high as my ear but it was not intended for me I presume. Soldiers are often careless. I expect to go back to Illinois in about two weeks & hope to receive a letter from you then. I have not received a letter for two months & have given up the idea of getting any here.

The college building at Henry was still at my acceptance when I left Illinois but I fear it is too big an undertaking for me alone. They waited till very late at Tiskilwa to see if I would not conclude to come back. I don’t know what I shall go at when I get back. I have some notion of going on another trip farther south. If I do not now, I presume I may next year if the war don’t close before. I have come to the belief that Old Abe is far preferable to the Chicago platform. Yours in true friendship—Harvey A. Smith, Tiskilwa, Illinois