Benjamin Meadows Biography
Excerpts from My Missouri Ancestors in the Civil War by Michael R. Perry
Benjamin Meadows Enlists
Benjamin Franklin Meadows was the first of my ancestors to enlist. He must have had a good reason to join, for at age fifty and with twelve children, he had enough responsibilities of his own.
Benjamin was born in Estill County, Kentucky around 1811. He married Louisa J. DeWitt, of nearby Montgomery County on 13 March 1834, at the town of Red River. Benjamin and Mary moved their family to Indiana around 1838, then to Arkansas around 1841. They finally settled in Kelley Township, Ripley County, Missouri about 1847.
Benjamin rode north to Arcadia, Iron County, and on 12 October 1861 he enlisted as a private with Company A, Wayne County Six Months Militia. The unit’s clerk wrote in the descriptive book that Benjamin was six feet tall, with blue eyes, auburn hair, and a fair complexion. Captain Powers was the commander. The unit saw no action that was ever recorded, and Benjamin was discharged on 20 February 1862 at Greenville.
Benjamin enlisted as a private with Company G, Twelfth Cavalry Missouri State Militia under the command of Captain William C. Bangs, and was mustered in on 29 March. He spent the next few months on scout and picket duties, mostly in Wayne County, an area strongly sympathetic to the South.
In July 1862, the 12th Cavalry was camped about one-half mile north of Greenville, near the Frederickstown Road. Benjamin and the other men of Company G had their tents pitched on the bluff overlooking the St. Francois River. Company B was nearby.
Shortly before dawn on 20 July, as only a few pickets stood guard, a rebel force attacked the camp. The men of the 12th scrambled from their tents in great confusion. Soldiers on both sides fell from the gunfire. The Confederates drove the Union men across the river, then they quickly ransacked the camp, grabbing three horses, two tents, two commissary stores and some rifles before they retreated.
The 12th suffered two men killed and five wounded. The Confederates left 9 soldiers dead on the field. Captain Leeper, commanding Company B, estimated the rebel force contained 300-400 men, although even the lower figure is probably high. With two companies of the 12th present, we can estimate there were about 150 Union troops encamped. First Lieutenant Sutherlin of Company G, wrote that the enemy’s surprise “was perfect”. His is only a secondhand account, as he was in Greenville with his family at the time of the attack.
Sergeant Meadows is Injured
In February 1863 Benjamin Meadows, now a Sergeant, and his unit were involved in scouts and skirmishes in the Mingo Swamp area. The 12th killed several bushwhackers.
That month, Companies C and G of the 12th were broken up and the men distributed amongst the Fifth Regiment of the Missouri State Militia Cavalry. Benjamin was placed in Company M, commanded by Captain Levi E. Whybark
On 2 March, Benjamin was on scout duty near Buckskull (present day Currentview), in Ripley County. The enemy sighted him and began pursuit. Sgt. Meadows made for his unit. During the chase, his horse stumbled and rolled on top of him, digging the saddle into his groin and causing a rupture. Benjamin had no time to lose. Suffering excruciating pain, he got back on his horse and continued riding until he reached his unit. He stayed in the Regimental Hospital from 2 to 4 March.
Benjamin Meadows is Discharged
On 14 April, 1864 at Rolla, Sergeant Benjamin Meadows was discharged from the
State Militia on a disability. He was about 53 years old. His medical troubles had started a year into his service. On October 19, 1862, he had suffered from exposure and hard duty during a scout from Patterson, Missouri to Arkansas causing a persistent cough and a bad back. He received the rupture on March 2, 1863. He was on furlough from 19 May to 4 June; whether this was for medical reasons is not known. In September his unit moved to Salem, in Dent County, where the Fifth went on many scouts and killed several guerrillas. While in camp that winter, Benjamin limped around and complained to his buddy, John Biggs, about the pain in his right hip. His overall condition worsened. He had chronic bronchitis, plus chronic rheumatism in his back and legs.
In April he was considered for a discharge. Captain Whybark wrote that Benjamin had been unable to perform full duties for six months. John Williams, the Assistant Company Surgeon, adjudged Benjamin’s disability as three-fourths. Lieutenant Colonel Eppstein, the Regiment Commander, signed the discharge certificate on the 14th.
Records do not show where Benjamin went after his discharge. Ripley County was strongly secessionist, so it is doubtful his family remained there during the war. Perhaps they were at the Union refugee camp at Rolla.
Benjamin Meadows moved his family to Reynolds County after the war. For a few years, he left his family behind as he hauled wood in Blairsville, St. Francois County. Because of his rupture, he could do only half the work of an able-bodied man, thus reducing his income. John Fitts and Martin Troutman, neighbors of Benjamin in Reynolds County, worked with him at Blairsville, and testified to his condition when Benjamin submitted a request for a disability pension from the government.
