THE SIKESTON ROUTE FROM ST. LOUIS TO FRANKFORT, KY.
Our readers will recollect the transit of a lot of Kentucky guns via Sikeston, a notice of which was given in the Courier. Our Brother Neale, of the Cape Girardeau Democrat, was along, and gives a graphic description of the trip, a part of which we give below…
The Julius H. Smith landed 1,100 stands of arms at this place [Cape Girardeau] on the 28th of April, destined for Kentucky. Col. [Simon B.] Buckner, who had charge of them, apprehended a seizure at Cairo, or interception by the piratical steamer Swallow, left them here under the charge of the Marble City Guards. Twenty members were detailed and ordered to report themselves in readiness at eight o’clock, under the command of Lieut. Samuel J. Ward, to escort the arms through.
As the Swallow was known to be only a few miles from this place, the intensest excitement prevailed lest she should appear at our wharf and demand the guns. A delay of a couple of hours was occasioned by some infamous scoundrel taking the taps off two of the wagons, after which they got started, and arrived at Benton at 12 o’clock next day. There it was ascertained that the railroad leading from Cairo had been completed to Sikeston, and danger was to be apprehended from Cairo troops.
Lieut. Ward immediately dispatched a messenger to Charleston to stop, if possible, any train that might have troops on board, and a messenger to Sikeston to learn if they had already arrived there. After eating an excellent dinner at the Parrott House, the train again started, accompanied by Captain [Alexander] Waugh of the Scott County Rangers and a number of his men.
Night came upon us, dark and gloomy, before we had advanced far, and owing to our drivers not being familiar with the road, many stoppages ensued—shoulders were lustily applied to the wheels, and with loud imprecations, the train moved slowly on to Joe Hunter’s, half a mile this side of Sikeston. Before, however, we reached that place we were told the train had arrived without the troops. As the men were entirely worn out, the Rangers kindly offered to relieve them of the disagreeable duty of standing guard — an offer readily accepted; and soon each man was snugly ensconced in some convenient corner, with his blanket around him, fast asleep. We were all astir by five o’clock the next morning, preparing breakfast. Teams were furnished us in lieu of the ones broken down the night before, and in a short time we were in Sikeston, and by half-past one o’clock we were in New Madrid.
On entering that thriving little town of New Madrid we were received with enthusiastic cheers by a large crowd that had assembled near the levee. A cavalcade of a hundred horsemen attended us to the wharf-boat, where the arms were delivered to Captain Dick Woodford, of Kentucky, who had been waiting to receive them.
About eight o’clock the Belle Memphis landed at the wharf-boat and took the guns on board.
Charleston Courier, Charleston, Missouri, May 17, 1861