Jean,

I am truly sorry for that mistake. Thank you for spotting my error in Chapter Two's note #33, so I can send the correction to the publisher for the next printing of Volume 4. The error was that the "Missouri Daily Republican" issue that mentioned several of those murders was in the 17 October 1864 issue. Several of the other sources point to these murders taking place over several days in early November 1864, so I think the issue that records the death of your ancestor was probably the 17 NOVEMBER issue, and certainly not in the 16 OCTOBER one. I don't have a copy of the "Republican" with me, but I strongly suspect the authors or editors of the book "Death Records From Missouri Newspapers"erred by stating at least that Lave Pruett's murder was recorded in the 17 October issue. Of course, that's impossible. The Stanleys' and Wilsons' book contains very few mistakes, but, obviously this was one. I apologize that I repeated the error in my writing, especially since I had more sources to tell the story correctly.

Here is what the book "Death Records from Missouri Newspapers" says about the killing of Lave Pruett: "killed in Jefferson Co. by members of the 47th MO Vols. (Colonel Fletcher)/ae 67." In other words,the editors of that book quoted the "Republican" as giving Lave Pruett's age at 67, and that the 47th commander was Colonel Thomas C. Fletcher, who ironically was elected as Missouri's next governor in the election on 8 November 1864, about the very time some of his soldiers were running amuck in Jefferson County.

A great number of the men of the Union 47th Missouri Infantry were recruited from Jefferson and surrounding counties, which makes the tragedy even worse, in my opinion. In the 1865 Annual Report of the Missouri Adjutant General, on page 283 gives us strong clues as to what those infantrymen were thinking. The history of the 47th states "Captain [William J.]Buxton, with his company (B)" were in the Franklin County area "did good service as scouts," then "after the enemy had passed beyond the reach of infantry, the companies were again sent to their respective counties to protect the loyal people and punish the small bands of the enemy left by him everywhere to plunder and murder the defenseless people." You probably noticed one of the men they shot was active in the local 80th Enrolled Missouri Militia at Desoto just a few days before. The 80th Enrolled Missouri Militia was a Union unit! I think these foot soldiers were so fearful that southern guerrillas remained in Jefferson County where they could victimize these soldiers' own families, that they went beserk! I am sorry to have to tell you that this sort of thing happened a lot during the terrible war in Missouri.

I wish you good hunting!

Bruce Nichols