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Subject: [MO-CW] Re:Teamster Buried at Fort Scott, KS Early 1863
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 13:22:47 EST

Katie,
Of course, a teamster could be killed in a number of ways not related to
hostile acts by an enemy. You only said he was killed, and you didn't say how.
Assuming King Herod MOSELY was killed as a result of hostilities I came
up with at least six actions that took place in southwest Missouri between
late December 1862 and the end of March 1863 in which wagons and/or teamsters
could have been or were definitely involved. Knowing the date of Mosely's
death would help.
Looking over the list, my best guess would be that your teamster was
killed in actions against guerrilla chief Thomas R. Livingston and his band,
for they were involved in such actions on 1 February, 10 February, and 2
March 1863 all in the Newton County area. I think it is logical to assume
that a teamster killed in Newton County could have been taken back to the
major Union base at Fort Scott for burial. Given all this supposition I would
hazard a guess further that King Mosely was killed 10 Feb 63 at Sarcoxie
Prairie, northeast Newton County when Livingston's band attacked and captured
a forage wagon train of the 8th Cavalry Missouri State Militia then stationed
in Newton County. Livingston was not always prone to take prisoners and the
report of this action in the 1883 history of Greene County, MO on page 458
states some were killed in this one on the Union side. This action is
mentioned in three other sources, but little other detail is given and not
near as much as the one I cited. The Greene County account attributes the
capture of the wagon train to notorious Colonel Stand Watie and/or Colonel
Sidney Drake Jackman and men, but I have serious doubt about that since other
accounts credit this to Livingston, the other two don't seem to have been in
the area then, and this kind of work was more the style of Livingston and
doesn't seem the way Jackman would have handled it.
There! I've stuck my neck out about as far as I can on this one. Do you
happen to have a date of death for Mosely? I'd like to know how close I came
to the truth.
Bruce Nichols

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