HOME GUARD
County Origins of Specified Units
by Kirby Ross
| Also by this author:
James O. Broadhead: Ardent Unionist, Unrepentant Slaveholder by Kirby Ross |
available at Amazon.com |
The True Life Wild West Memoir of a Bush-Popping Cow Waddy By Charley Hester, Edited by Kirby Ross available at Amazon.com |
| The Missouri Home Guard was unlike the Home Guard organization in any other state. It was controlled by the national government, as opposed to the state government, and existed only for a few months. Closely related to (and sometimes considered a part of) the United States Reserve Corps (USRC), the Home Guard was a major component of the Federal force that bore the brunt of the fighting in Missouri in the first months of the war.
Despite the key role it played, records are sparse on the Home Guard. One post-war Congressional report stated it consisted of 241 companies, 6 regiments, and 22 battalions, a partial listing of which appears below. This inventory is nowhere near complete, and the names of large numbers of units that were formed seem to have been forever lost to history. Those that have been identified seem, in large part, to be the consequence of members of the individual units having taken a small amount of time to compile a roster of the troops in their commands. An observant reader will note a discrepancy between the number of regiments the Congressional report listed and the number named on this chart. This appears to be the result of battalion-sized units being listed as regiments in some primary sources. Brief notes are sometimes included below regarding the units and/or their commanding officers. This is not to slight any other men or units that went on to do noteworthy deeds—it is merely the consequence of having had specific information very close at hand as this list was being drawn up. |
| COUNTY OF ORIGIN/ | COMMANDING | EXISTED | |||
| NAME OF UNIT | OFFICER | STRENGTH | (1861) | CASUALTIES | COMMENTS |
| Adair County Home Guard | |||||
| Gordon’s Independent Company (Mtd.) | Capt. James E. Gordon | 58 | May-Oct. 15 | Note: Participated in Action at Blue Mills on Sept. 17 | |
| Shibley’s Point Independent Company | Capt. Jacob R. Cook | 164 | June-Sept. | ||
| Bolander’s Independent Company (Inf.) | Capt. William H. Bolander | 49 | Aug.-Oct. 5 | ||
| Barry County Home Guard | |||||
| Stone Prairie Independent Company | Capt. John Sexton | 41 | June-Aug | ||
| Benton County Home Guard Regiment | Col. Henry Imhauser | 6 companies | June 13-Sept. 13 | 24 KIA/3 DOW | Note: Participated in the Battle of Cole Camp on June 19 |
| Caldwell County Home Guard | |||||
| Kingston Independent Company | Capt. Moses L. James | 57 | June-Sept. 24 | 3 KIA | Note: Participated in Action at Blue Mills on Sept. 17 |
| Shoal Creek Rangers | Capt. James R. Murphy | 80 | ? | ||
| Cape Girardeau County Home Guard | |||||
| Cape Girardeau Independent Battalion | Maj. George H. Cramer | 4 companies | June-Sept. | ||
| Fremont Rangers Independent Battalion | Lt. Col. Lindsay Murdock | 3 companies | ??-Dec. 10 | 8 KIA/1 DOW/2 MIA | Note: Not to be confused with two unrelated independent companies operating under the “Fremont Rangers” name in Dade and Johnson counties (see below). |
| Cass County Independent Company | Capt. Aaron Thomas | 76 | July-Sept. 8 | 2 KIA | |
| Christian County Home Guard | See Greene County Home Guard, below | ||||
| Clinton County Home Guard | |||||
| Edgar’s Independent Company | Capt. William A. Edgar | 91 | June-Sept. 16 | ||
| Rogers’ Independent Company | Capt. Hugh L.W. Rogers | 64 | June 14-Nov. 20 | 1 KIA | |
| Cole County Home Guard | |||||
| Jefferson City Home Guard Battalion | ? | ? | June-Aug. | ||
| Cole County Home Guard Regiment | Col. Allen P. Richardson | 11 companies | June-Oct. 1 | 2 KIA/2 DOW/2 MIA | |
| Cooper County Home Guard | |||||
| Boonville Independent Battalion | Maj. Joseph A. Eppstein | 3 companies | June-Dec. 18 | 5 KIA | |
| Dade County Home Guard | |||||
| Fremont Rangers Independent Company | Capt. T.A. Switzler | 138 | Aug-Sept. 1 | Note: Participated in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on Aug. 10 | |
| Dallas County Home Guard Battalion | Col. William B. Edwards | 4 companies | June-Aug. 10 | ||
| DeKalb County Home Guard Regiment | ? | ? | June-Sept. | ||
| Douglas County Independent Company | Capt. John S. Upshaw | 77 | July-Oct. 13 | Note: Absorbed into Phelps’ Volunteer Regiment on 10/13/61 | |
| Franklin County Home Guard | |||||
| Pacific Railroad Home Guard Battalion | Col. William C. Inks | 6 companies | June-Sep. 17 | ||
| Franklin County Home Guard Battalion | Col. James W. Owens | 6 companies | June-Sept. 28 | 3 KIA | |
| Railroad Patrol Guard Company | Captain George King | 100 | Sept.-Jan. 23, 1862 | ||
| Gasconade County Home Guard | |||||
| Matthew’s Independent Battalion | Col. James A. Matthews | 4 companies | June-Sept. 4 | ||
| Hundhausen’s Independent Battalion | Lt. Col. Julius Hundhausen | 5 companies | ??-Oct. 1 | Note: Reorganized as Hundhausen’s Battalion U.S.R.C. (3 Years), which was subsequently absorbed into the 4th Missouri Infantry Volunteers. | |
| Gentry County Home Guard Regiment | Col. Manlove Cranor | 8 companies | June-Oct. | 1 KIA/2 MIA | Note: Participated in Action at Blue Mills on Sept. 17 |
| Greene County Home Guard | |||||
| Greene County Independent Company | Capt. Colly B. Holland | 89 | June-Oct. 5 | ||
| Greene & Christian County Regiment | Col. John S. Phelps | 13 companies | June-Aug. 17 | 4 KIA/5 MIA | Note: Detachment participated in Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10. Colonel Phelps was a U.S. Congressman at the time of his service in the Home Guard. After this unit was disbanded he served as commanding officer of Phelps’ Volunteer Regiment and then as military governor of Arkansas. After the war he was elected governor of Missouri. |
| Harrison County Home Guard Regiment | Col. Henry O. Nevill | 7 companies | Sept. 3-Sept. 23 | ||
| Hickory County Home Guard Battalion | See Osage County Home Guard, below | ||||
| Iron County Home Guard | |||||
| Pilot Knob Independent Company | Capt. Ferdinand Schmitz | 99 | June-Oct. 13 | ||
| Jefferson County Home Guard | |||||
| DeSoto Independent Company | Capt. Allen Cook | 85 | June-Sept. 19 | 1 KIA | |
| Johnson County Home Guard | |||||
| Johnson County Home Guard Regiment | Col. James D. Eads | 11 companies | June-Sept. | 1 KIA/1 DOW | Note: Participated in the Siege of Lexington Sept. 11-21. Records are available only for field officers and one company: of the two casualties identified, one was a lieutenant colonel and the other a first lieutenant. This indicates the possibility a significant number of casualties may have been incurred throughout the entire regiment. |
| Fremont Rangers Independent Company | Capt. William J. Budd | 99 | Aug.-Dec. | ||
| Knox County Home Guard Regiment | ? | 7 companies | July-Oct. | 1 KIA | Note: Participated in the Action at Clapp’s Ford on Aug. 14 |
| Lafayette County Home Guard | |||||
| 14th Missouri Home Guard Regiment | Col. Robert White | 8 companies | July-Oct. 19 | 3 KIA | Note: Fought at Siege of Lexington Sept. 11-21 and was captured en masse. |
| Lexington Independent Company | Capt. Frederick R. Neet | 74 | Aug. 12-Oct. 22 | Note: Fought at Siege of Lexington Sept. 11-21 and was captured en masse. | |
| Lawrence County Home Guard Regiment | Col. James C. Martin | 6 companies | May 25-Aug. 10 | 14 KIA/1 DOW | |
| Lewis County Independent Company | Capt. Robert McCollum | 41 | June-July 16 | ||
| Linn County Home Guard | |||||
| Linn County Independent Company | ? | 41 | ??-July 16 | ||
| Brookfield Independent Company | Capt. Watson E. Crandall | 87 | June-Aug. | ||
| Livingston County Independent Company | Capt. Peter Sutliff | 67 | June-Sept. | ||
| Maries County Independent Company | Capt. William Wenzel | 60 | June-Aug. 26 | ||
| Marion County Home Guard Battalion | Maj. Josiah Hunt | 3 companies | June-Sept. | 2 KIA/1 MIA | |
| Moniteau County Independent Company | Capt. John E. Pothoff | 62 | June-Aug. 16 | ||
| Nodaway County Home Guard Regiment | Col. Wm. J.W. Bickett | 7 companies | July-Oct. 20 | ||
| Osage County Home Guard | |||||
| Osage County Independent Battalion | Maj. Chesley Glover | 6 companies | May 27-July 21 | ||
| Osage County Regiment and Hickory County Battalion | Col. Joseph W. McClurg | 17 companies | June-Dec. | 1 KIA/1 MIA | Note: Colonel McClurg was elected governor of Missouri after the war. |
| Ozark County Home Guard | |||||
| Martindale’s Independent Company | Capt. W.F. Martindale | June-Oct. 13 | 2 KIA/3 DOW | ||
| Stone’s Independent Company | Capt. B.S. Stone | June-Oct. 18 | |||
| Pettis County Independent Company | Capt. John P. Thatcher | 92 | June-Aug. 15 | ||
| Phelps County Home Guard | |||||
| Bennight’s Independent Company | Capt. John W. Bennight | 63 | July-Sept. 20 | 4 KIA | Note: Available records indicate large number of casualties incurred at Bennight’s Mill against Col. Freeman on Sept. 1 |
| Pike County Home Guard Regiment | Col. George W. Anderson | 8 companies | May-Sept. 3 | Note: Anderson’s father and two brothers served in the Confederate Army, with his father being killed in action in December 1861. After the Pike Home Guard was disbanded, Anderson served as colonel in the 49th Enrolled Missouri Militia and 1st Battalion Enrolled Missouri Militia. He was elected to the United States Congress as a Radical in 1864. | |
| Polk County Home Guard | |||||
| 15th Regiment USRC Home Guard | Col. James W. Johnson | 4 companies | June-Dec. 6 | 1 KIA | Note: Detachment fought at Siege of Lexington Sept. 11-21 and was captured en masse. |
| Putnam County Home Guard | |||||
| Collins’ Independent Company | Capt. Sylvester S. Collins | 58 | May-Aug. 1 | ||
| Shawneetown Independent Company | Capt. James Ewing | 84 | July-Sept. 1 | ||
| Bogle’s Independent Company | Capt. William H. Bogle | 59 | Aug.-Oct. 13 | ||
| St. Charles County Home Guard Regiment | Col. Arnold Krekel | 12 companies | July-Aug. | ||
| St. Louis County Home Guard | |||||
| Carondelet Independent Company | Capt. Henry Nagel | 127 | June-Oct. 17 | ||
| Scott County Home Guard Battalion | Maj. Daniel Abbey | 4 companies | May-Aug. 5 | ||
| Shelby County Independent Company | Capt. Joseph H. Forman | 70 | July 23-Aug. 23 | ||
| Stone County Home Guard Regiment | Col. Asa G. Smith | 6 companies | June 5-July 19 | 8 KIA | |
| Sullivan County Home Guard | |||||
| Cooper’s Independent Company | Capt. James W. Cooper | 63 | June-Sept. 20 | ||
| Meals’ Independent Company | Capt. William S. Meals | 72 | June-Sept. 20 | ||
| Washington County Home Guard | |||||
| Potosi Independent Company | Capt. George R. French | 75 | July-Sept. 9 | 1 DOW | Note: Participated in Action at Potosi on Aug. 10 |
| Webster County Home Guard Regiment | Col. Noah H. Hampton | 7 companies | July-Aug. 18 |
Sources: Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Missouri for the Year 1863 (St. Louis, Mo., 1864), pp. 95-133;
Annual Report of the Adjutant General of Missouri for the Year Ending December 31, 1865 (Jefferson City, Mo., 1866), pp. 28-30, 36-39;
Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, 1908), pp. 1341-1343. See also,
Organization and Status of Missouri Troops in Service During the Civil War (Washington: Government Printing Office 1902)