2020 Winter Spring Newsletter

COLDWATER GROVE’S POST The town of Coldwater Grove, located 13 miles east of Paola, was on the Kansas-Missouri border. Most sourc es place the town on the Missouri side of the border, but Clarence W. Long, author of The Prelude: A History’ of the Border, claimed most of the town was on the Kansas side. In June of 1863 the District of the Border was created. Brig. Gen. Thomas Ewing, Jr. was assigned as Commander of the District of the Border with headquarters in Kansas City. Ew ing, frustrated with the frequency of guerrilla raids on both sides of the border from Kansas City to Fort Scott, estab lished a number of posts to protect the border. He appoint ed Lt. Col. Charles S. Clark, with headquarters at Coldwater Grove, to commanded the border Post of Aubry, Coldwater Grove, Rockville and Trading Post.2 A post was established at Coldwater Grove. This post was established on the Kansas side of the border and lasted at least until June 1865. In October 1864 it On August 20, 1863, Clark received news from Capt. Joshua Pike stationed at Aubry, that Confederate guerrilla William Clarke Quantrill was camped in the area. Clark responded by sending out scouts and ordering the troops Trading Post and Rockville to reinforce his troops at Coldwater Grove. Clark, in a report, wrote he first learned Quantrill had passed into Kansas at 3 A.M. the next morning. Clark then left a force of thirty men in a hopeless attempt to pursue and intercept Quantrili.3 Through its existence usually one or two companies of troops were stationed at the post. Two counts of troops on duty are available. The count for February 1864 listed fif

ty-two men on duty. A count for the following month listed fifty- one men at Coldwater Grove. At least twice in order to meet emergencies elsewhere the troops at Coldwater Grove were moved to nearby localities.4 In August 1864 Col. Thomas Moonlight issued the follow ing order to Capt. Henry Pearce, the new post commander, “Construct a sufficiently strong and large stockade, if it is not already done, so as to protect your camp and cover your horses, and in which you may defend yourself against 400 men until re-enforcements reach you.” Moonlight also admonished Pearce to maintain the friendly relationship that existed between the area’s citizens and the military. According to Clarence Long, Col. A. J. Mitchell was defens ing the Post with 300 men of the 11th Kansas Cavalry – he noted: “Coldwater Grove must have been a fairly large area to accommodate 300 men and their horses.”. It is un known whether the stockade was built, as it was not again mentioned.5 The post at Coldwater Grove was temporarily abandoned when the troops rushed to joined Col. Moonlight and the rest of the 11th Kansas Cavalry in the defense of Westport. When the Confederate troops moved south from Westport on the Missouri side of the border, the 11th Kansas Cavalry shadowed then on the Kansas side of the border. On Octo ber 24, 1864 the 11th Cavalry “engaged Sterling Price in a long range fire fight at Coldwater Grove. After being abandoned during Price’s raid, the post was again occupied. Even at the end of the Civil War guerrillas were still in the area. Capt. A. J. Lumsden reported May 6. 1865, “Commanding officer at Coldwater Grove informed me that his men killed a bushwhacker night before last.” The last known correspondence concerning Coldwater Grove’s post was penned in June 1865.

tents

This image shows the tents at Coldwater Grove

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