The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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PROTECTING THE LIVES OF TWO PAROLED SOLDIERS
By S. C. Turnbo
There were some desperate fellows in the Civil War.
These ruffians killed indiscriminately unarmed men of the opposite side
whenever they had the chance. These characters belonged to both armies and
it was a shame to the honor of the regular armies of both north and south
that these barbarians were tolerated in their wicked work. In some cases
the commanders were not to blame for they could not help it and the cruel
offender went unpunished. Mr. William Robinson, a member of the First Arkansas
Cavalry on the union side gave the writer this account. "I remember
shortly after the battle of Prairie Grove that the company I belonged to
and another company of the regiment were sent from Fayetteville to Spring-field,
Missouri, for supplies or in other words a train of wagons was sent and
we were ordered to go along with it as an escort to guard the wagons to
prevent them falling Into the hands of the confederates. I was well acquainted
with a number of men who had enlisted In the southern army who had formerly
lived in Pulaski County, Missouri, where I was born and partly raised. These
men were my friends. Though we were divided in sentiments. They went south
and I went north as the saying was then, yet I loved these men for they
were good neighbors and the war did not spoil our friendship. True I thought
they did wrong in defending some principles that the southern people held
to, but I suppose they thought I did wrong in enlisting for the defense
of the stars and stripes. I have never regretted in taking sides with the
union and I do not suppose that a true confederate soldier was ever sorry
that he contended for the sunny south. I am sorry to say that there were
a few rough men in our regiment that had no mercy on confederate prisoners
if they had an opportunity to display their cowardice without being exposed.
A few days after the Battle of Prairie Grove a number of the confederate
soldiers who lived in Missouri that were captured by our men in the fight
at Prairie Grove were paroled to return to their respective homes. The federal
authorities deemed it prudent to do this for they thought that after these
men had returned home they would reconsider what they had done in taking
up arms against the union and join the federal army and make as good soldiers
on the government side as they had been for the southern confederacy and
so they were paroled and sent on their way home to obey the laws in force
where they lived. On our return back from Springfield with the wagon train
of supplies we met several of these paroled soldiers on their way home and
I also noticed that when we met these men and they had passed on some few
of our most desperate and wicked men of our command would drop back and
after they were gone we could hear the distant report of guns and it was
not long before it leaked out that these men were murdering paroled confederates
and that a few officers encouraged the dirty and brutal work of shooting
these unarmed and defenseless men, Some of the men including some of the
officers protested against this babarity but It done but little good. Finally
we met two paroled men who were my neighbors in Pulaski County their names
of which were Buck Elmore and Milton Brown. I recognized them but I did
not get to speak to them and if they recognized me they did not let it be
known. My brother Ezekiel Robinson was a member of the same company I was
and we were riding side by side when the two southern men passed us. As
soon as they had gone on by us I told my brother who they were for he failed
to recognize them. I told him that we must not let them wicket men kill
them and he agreed to help me interfere in their behalf. In a few minutes
more we saw these same murderers drop back and we knew their purpose at
once. I and my brother waited long enough until they rode just beyond our
view and we followed them and urging our horses into a fast gallop as we
overtaken them just as they had caught up with the two southern men who
were traveling the main road and not making any efforts to shun us by turning
to one side and following bypaths. The two southern boys were surprised
at seeing four cavalry men dash up behind them and followed by two others
and were horrified to find that the first four men were preparing to shoot
them down, but we interfered and informed them if they shot them boys they
would suffer for it and more than that if they killed them they would have
to kill us too if they got in their shots first, they cursed terrible oaths
for our interference but we told them that they could do their worst if
they got in their work first. We told them we intended to protect them that
they were on parole and none but cowards would take advantage of them. At
this they called us traitors and all other mean epithets were hurled at
us that they could think of,, finding that they dare not hurt the two men
in our presence they reined their horses around and rode back toward the
command. It was now that the two Southerners recognized I and my brother
and thanked us very courteously for our timely interference in saving their
lives. We had no time for further talk for we were compelled to leave them
and galloped back and soon overtook the four men that wanted to kill them.
They were sulky but we kept an eye on them for we were afraid they might
go back and kill the two men yet but they did not. Some years after the
great struggle had ended and what was left of us had settled down to citizenship
again I met these same two men once more and after a cordial greeting of
each other they informed me that they quit the main road after we left them
and went through the woods and prairies and followed trails all the way
to their homes in Pulaski County."
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