A Civil War Expedition in Miller & Phelps Counties

​(Printed in THE MILLER COUNTY AUTOGRAM-SENTINEL in the column, 'WINDOW TO THE PAST', February 2011)

The forgoing information sets the stage for what happened in 1865 which caused charges to be leveled against the Honorable Thomas J. Babcoke, formerly Colonel Babcoke of Civil War fame.

According to testimony, a Miller County man named William Conner was taken from his field where he was plowing, and was killed by two bush-whackers. (They were identified as George Connelly and Anthony Wright.) Anthony was the son of Judge Lewis Wright of Phelps County . Conner's murder was a horrendous act committed by these two blood-thirsty bush-whackers. They took William Conner into the woods, shot him down, and repeatedly fired into his body. He had begged for mercy in the name of his wife, Dorcas, and their young children. The Conners lived north of the Osage In Franklin township on a small farm they had worked since their marriage in September 1850.

After they killed Mr. Conner, the two men took his horse, saddle, pistols and some of his clothing. Before they left him, his murderers set fire to his body and when his body was found later, part of his body had been destroyed by fire. William L. Conner died at the hands of his enemies on 26 May, 1865.

When it was learned that William L. Conner had been so viciously murdered, Colonel Thomas Babcoke and some of his neighbors, joined forces and tracked the two men to the house of a widow named Mariah Wilcox (widow of William L. Wilcox). Her daughter, Lucinda Wilcox, was responsible for directing Connelly and Wright to the Conner farm. It was stated she did this because William Conner was one of the men responsible for the killing of her brother, John P. Wilcox, the man who was executed as a member of Crabtree's guerilla army. Before and after the killing of Conner, the two men hid out in a cave near the Wilcox farm and supposedly Lucinda carried food to them.
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NOTE: These were terrible times in Miller County and much of America during the Civil War era…….

By the time Babcoke got there, the men had disappeared. It was rumored they were heading southeast to Phelps Co. where Wright lived with his parents, Judge and Mrs. Lewis F. Wright. Colonel Babcoke and his band went to Phelps Co. in their search and was led to the home of Judge Wright by a widow lady named Nancy Bottom. There they found the black stallion of William Conner which had been stolen by Connelly and Wright.

Hearing that the area was overrun with bushwhackers, Babcoke and his men returned to Miller County for re-inforcements. They did not return immediately because Babcoke went to Jefferson City and received orders from the governor to activate one hundred men in Miller County as Militia.  During this time, Babcoke must have had some clout in the Capitol City because he was a member of the 23rd General Assembly who were in existence during the war years in 1865.

When Babcoke and his command went back to Phelps Co., they rode to the home of Judge Wright once again looking for his son, Anthony. While at the Wright home, the horse of Wm. Conner was still there along with the saddle and the coat of the murdered man. Each of the Wrights claimed the coat belonged to them. First Mrs. Wright said it was the Judge's--the Judge said, "No, it belonged to one of his sons"---the son said it belonged to another brother and so on-----Finally Mrs. Wright admitted the coat had been brought home by her son Anthony. Judge Wright and four of his sons were arrested on the spot including David, Lewis, Jr., Benjamin and Tarleton... Anthony had disappeared. Colonel Babcoke ordered one of his men, Captain H. G. Bollinger, to escort the Wrights to Rolla so their testimonies could be officially taken in the presence of a Justice of the Peace. His orders were. . ."Take charge of them and treat them well, but don't let them get away. Turn them over and the evidence with them." Mrs. Wright insisted on going with them also, and she rode a few hundred yards behind the party.

About six miles from their home, the Wrights tried to escape from their captors. Capt. Bollinger ordered them to halt. They did not and he ordered his men to fire. The five men were killed instantly. Judge Wright' s body had 2 bullet wounds; David Wright received 6 wounds; Lewis Wright, Jr., had 5 gunshot wounds; Benjamin Wright received 8 shots upon his body; and Tarleton Wright died of 4 gunshot wounds.

Bollinger returned to his commanding officer, Colonel Thomas J. Babcoke, and reported the facts. They started back to Miller Co. but were overtaken by orders from General Bereredge, who had command of the District. When Babcoke appeared before General Bereredge, he presented him with the evidence which proved he had the authority "to march in that country." The General immediately released Babcoke and his militia to return to Miller Co. In the meantime it was learned that the civil authorities had taken steps to cause his arrest, so Babcoke went to these authorities and demanded an investigation of his act.

He and his men marched to the house of the officer of the law, ordered his men to disarm, and turn their arms over to the law. It wasn't too long afterward that a Grand Jury brought a 'not guilty' bill forward and they were all released to return to Miller County .

Five months later in January 1866, the newspaper, THE MISSOURI REPUBLICAN, of Jefferson City , leveled new charges against Thomas Babcoke, a State Representative in the Missouri General Assembly. Once again a committee reviewed the evidence of the mass killing of the Wright family but their findings resulted in a dismissal also.

Babcoke never served in Miller County 's political field after the one term. Sometime between 1870 and 1880, the Babcoke family left Miller County . The only Babcoke family left in the census of 1880 was Joseph N. Babcoke, his wife Martha, and their three daughters. I believe Joseph was a grandson
of Colonel Thomas J. Babcoke.

The following is a list of the men of Miller County who served under the command of Colonel Thomas J. Babcoke (They all enlisted at Mt. Pleasant, Saline Township):
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Col Thomas J. Babcoke, 2nd Lt. James M. Brockman, 3rd Sgt. Thos. Cotten, 2nd Cpl. John W. Morris, Pvt. Jas. H. Adcock, Pvt. Jeb Busick, Pvt. Henry E. Cross, Pvt. Adam Coffman, Pvt. Lewis D. Conner, Pvt. Benjamin Conner, Pvt. John Carroll, Pvt. Nathan Davidson, Pvt. J. J. Evers, Pvt. T. W. Greenup, Pvt. James Honn, Pvt. J. D. Hite, Pvt. John C. Hart, Pvt. Jasper N. Hains/Haynes, Pvt. Robt. R. Harris, Pvt. Joseph N. Hicks, Pvt. Lewis H. Long, Pvt. W. C. Musick, Pvt. W. H. Russell, Pvt. Robert Rains, Pvt. Francis M. Stewart Pvt. C. G. Stephens, Pvt. Edward Stepp, Pvt. Geo. W. Shelton, Pvt. Aron Taber, Pvt. Branch E. Washam, Pvt. William M. Atkinson, Capt. Wm. S. Franklin, 1st Sgt. Thomas J. Babcoke, Jr., 4th Sgt. Jasper Green, 3rd Cpl. Wm. W. Stepp, Pvt. Samuel Allen, Pvt. John Bunch, Pvt. Jonathan Craig, Pvt. Walter T. Conner, Pvt. Jesse Conner, Pvt. Taylor Carter, Pvt. John Conner, Pvt. Samuel Etter, Pvt. David Fauche, Pvt. Sam W. Gilliland, Pvt. B. P. Hines, Pvt. Francis M. Hall, Pvt. Wm. W. Hicks, Pvt. Dempsey Hale, Pvt. J. A. Hill, Pvt. Daniel Jones, Pvt. Boid/Boyd S. Miller, Pvt. T. O. McClure, Pvt. Rufus B. Roberts, Pvt. James M.. Smith, Pvt. Major Stodead/Stoddard?, Pvt. Calvin C. Simpson, Pvt. W. M. Stephens, Pvt. Joseph Shadrick, Pvt. Lewis F. Tracy, Pvt. James M. Wyrick, Capt. H. G. Bollinger, 1st Lt. Geo. W. Babcoke, 2nd Sgt. Thomas J. O'Conner, 1st Cpl. Sam P. Inks; 4th Cpl. John Busick, Pvt James Atkinson, Pvt. James L. Crisp; Pvt. Lewis M. Currence, Pvt. Thomas Conner, Pvt. James Conner, Pvt. Henry W. Carroll, Pvt. Joseph Crisp, Pvt. William Etter, Jr., Pvt. Joel J. Farmer, Pvt. W. W. Harrison, Pvt. Lafiett/Lafayette Hill, Pvt. D.T. Hall, Pvt. Joel J. Haines, Pvt. Robt. O. Harris, Pvt. W. M. Harrison, Pvt. John F. McFall, Pvt. John S. McMellon, Pvt. Wm T. Matthews, Pvt. W. P. Roark, Pvt. Wayne W. Stepp, Pvt. Benj. Stephens, Pvt. Isaac Stepp, Pvt. Jacob Simpson, Pvt. Ashbury H. Roark, Pvt. C. Vanaters, Pvt. James C Borlin.