| Date |
Excerpt |
| Forward: Mosby Parsons was widely known in Missouri as an unreserved, radical,
pro-slavery Secessionist who was part of the small proportion of
Missourians who wanted the State to side with the South; he also
bitterly opposed Federal interference in State affairs; and he would not
accept the Confederacy's loss to the Union in 1865. |
|
| M.M. Parsons - Life Story - as this does not concern us, I have properly omitted it from our record, concentrating entirely on his movements during the 1861-1865 Civil War period. | |
| May 21, 1822 |
Mosby Parson's birth in Charlottesville, Virginia. |
| 1835 |
Relocation of the Parsons family to Cooper County, Missouri. |
| 1840 |
The Parsons family settled in Jefferson City, Missouri. |
| 1846 |
Mosby Parsons studied at St.
Charles College in St. Charles, Missouri; he learned the practice of
Law at the firm of James W. Morrow and in 1846 became a member of the
Missouri Bar. |
| May, 1846 |
When Gov. John C. Edwards called for volunteers, Mosby Parsons responded by recruiting enough men from Cole County, Missouri to form Company F, 1st Regiment of Missouri Volunteers. |
| June, 1846 |
Mosby Parsons was quickly given the rank of Senior Captain. |
| February 1847 |
Capt. Parsons' Company of Dragoons "rode shotgun" during Col. Alexander W. Doniphan's expedition to Chihuahua, Mexico. Along the way, Mosby's forces encountered Ute and Navajo Indians near Albuquerque and took part in the battles of Brazito and Sacramento. Afterwards, Col. Doniphan cited Captain Mosby for his brave conduct in the Sacramento battle. |
| March 2, 1847 |
After Col. Doniphan captured Chihuahua, the Missouri Volunteers were mustered out of service at New Orleans, Louisiana by order of Gen. Zachary Taylor. |
| June 30, 1847 |
By this date, Mosby Parsons was back at St. Louis, Missouri. |
| September 18, 1850 |
Again
practicing Law, Mosby Parsons took Mary Wells as his new wife.
Mary was a daughter of the strongly partisan Union supporter, Judge
Robert W. Wells, who stood behind Thomas Hart Benton. By this
time, Mosby Parsons was active in the politics of the "Boonslick
Democracy," the Southern faction of the Missouri Democratic Party, a
number of wealthy planters and merchants who dominated Missouri politics
in the 1830's and 1840's. |
| 1856 |
Mosby Parsons became the Representative of Cole
County, Missouri in the Lower House of the State
Assemblage, twice voting against seating Thomas H. Benton in the U.S.
Senate and voting instead for Jerome S. Green and Trusten Polk. |
| 1858 |
Mosby Parsons was elected to the State Senate after just one term in the House. To Benjamin F. Massey, Senator Parsons was "as
useful as any in that body." Senator Parsons fiercely led
Southern causes in the Missouri Legislature; but he was suspicious of
Thomas H. Benton's promotion of railroad subsidies to benefit the City
and County of St. Louis, who held a controlling interest in the shares
of those railroads. |
| March 5, 1860 |
Senator
Parsons did not vote for assistance to the State's struggling
railroads; and the Democratic Party formed factions for and against the
issue of Slavery in the Territories in this election year. |
| April, 1860 |
The
Democratic Party split at the nominating convention in Jefferson City;
one group, known as the regular Democrats, was led by Stephen A.
Douglas; the Southern rightists were led by John E. Breckenridge.
This split paralleled the national party's alignments. Benjamin F. Massey thought that Senator Parsons had premature ambitions to be Governor, and said as much in a letter to his friend and confidant, Dr. John F. Snyder. Subsequently, Senator Parsons withdrew his nomination along with all the other candidates in deference to Claiborne F. Jackson after he got only 959 votes. |
| August, 1860 |
Claiborne F. Jackson was elected Governor of Missouri. |
| September 20, 1860 |
The Missouri Democrats tried in a meeting at Jefferson City to find ways of gaining a unified stand, but then Senator Parsons repudiated the nomination of Stephen Douglas in a speech which caused the Democrats to abandon efforts to unify their party. |
| December 21, 1860 |
Federal troops took control of the St. Louis arsenal, as South Carolina seceded from the Union. |
| January 5, 1861 |
Senator
Parsons initiated legislation to outfit the Militia, but he was opposed
by a group of Unionist Germans from St. Louis who asserted that he
would deplete State education funds to do so. |
| January 11, 1861 |
Senator
Parsons asked the Assembly to issue a resolution requiring the Governor
of Missouri to ask President Lincoln what circumstances had caused him
to use armed Federal forces to seize U.S. property in the State of
Missouri. |
| January 12, 1861 |
Senator Parsons tried to persuade Missourians to secede, but later, during the February 28 convention, the Federal Relations Committee held that no adequate reason existed for Missouri to dissolve its connection with the Union. |
| April 12, 1861 |
Fort Sumter fell. |
| April 17, 1861 |
President Lincoln called for troops for the Union Army, but Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson sharply refused. |
| May 10, 1861 |
The
Military Bill initiated by Senator Parsons was enacted by the Missouri
Legislature so as to organize the State Militia "to resist invasion." |
| May 21, 1861 |
The
Missouri State Guard was activated by Gov. Jackson, with Mosby Parsons
receiving the command of the Sixth Division, consisting of 500
men. Sterling Price was selected the commanding officer of the
Guard as a stabilizing influence. Mosby Parsons and Colton Greene were taking charge
of the Volunteers as the vocal Southern opposition, raising the ire of Parsons' father-in-law, Judge Robert W. Wells. |
| June, 1861 |
Mosby
Parsons, now a General, defended Jefferson City in charge of his
Secessionist forces, but abandoned the city when Gen. Nathaniel Lyon
came near with a superior Federal force, |
| June 13, 1861 |
Gen.
Parsons fell back to the Pacific Railroad at Tipton, Missouri,
erstwhile burning the bridges at the Gasconade and Osage rivers.
He then failed to bring his State troops into the battle for Boonville,
consequently lost to Gen. Lyon. The State Guard was then taken
over by Gov. Jackson, who led them hurriedly through Lamar toward
Coonskin Prairie. Gen. Parsons was left the task of bringing along
the Guard's ammunition, using only the available farm wagons. |
| July 4, 1861 |
Col.
Franz Sigel, marching north with Union troops from Neosho, threatened
the Union retreat at Carthage, Missouri, was met by an attack, led by
Gen. Parsons, which caused Sigel to break off the fight and retreat to
Springfield, Missouri. Gov. Jackson, although present, let Gen.
Parsons manage this battle himself. |
| Late July, 1861 |
Gen.
Sterling Price marched the State Guard north to Arkansas in order to
bolster Gen. Ben McCullough, who was doubtful of the abilities of the
Missouri troops. Gen. McCullough was also angered by Gen. Parsons'
appropriation of materiel stored at Cassville that had been intended
for the 3rd Louisiana Regiment. |
| August 6, 1861 |
The Federal Army, led by Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, unexpectedly fell upon Gen. James S.
Rain's State Guard Division, part of Gen.
McCullough's Confederate Army camped in the Oak Hills along Wilson's
Creek, ten miles northwest of Springfield, and so Gen. Parsons was
ordered to assist. |
| August 10, 1861 |
General Lyon was killed in the ensuing battle and was replaced
by Major Samuel D. Sturgis, who withdrew the Federal troops under Gen.
Parsons' attack. Gen. Parsons and other Missouri Generals were
cited for "gallant conduct" in this battle, after which Gen. Lyons's
body was honored with a proper military burial ordered by Gen. Parsons. |
| August 14, 1861 |
The State Guard moved north to Lexington, Missouri under the command of Gen. Sterling Price. |
| September 2, 1861 |
Gen. Parsons briefly encountered Jawhawkers led by Senator James H. Lane at Dry Wood Creek, near Nevada, Missouri. |
| September 18, 1861 |
Lexington, Missouri was surrounded by Confederate forces. |
| September 19, 1861 |
Gen. Parsons, by crossing the Missouri River, used his command to block and turn back a column of Federal forces brought up by Gen. Sturgis to relieve the city. |
| September 20, 1861 |
Gen. Parsons' troops besieged the city of Lexington, and Gen. Price ordered Gen. Parsons to receive the Union surrender. |
| October 28, 1861 |
Remnants of the General Assembly that remained loyal to Gov. Jackson met at Neosho, Missouri but adjourned at once. |
| October 31, 1861 |
The General Assembly re-convened at Cassville, where Parsons introduced a Bill encouraging re-enlistment in the State Guard "to rally to the call of your gallant old leader, general-in-chief, Sterling Price." |
| January 10, 1862 |
President Jefferson Davis assigned Gen. Carl Van Dorn to weld into one army the Confederate soldiers in the new Trans-Mississippi District. |
| March 4, 1862 |
During the ensuing Battle of Pea Ridge, Gen. Parsons was in Richmond. |
| Late March, 1862 |
As a
result of the loss of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and a substantial
portion of his army, General Albert
Sydney Johnston, overall Commander of Confederate troops in the War,
took action to prevent a complete Confederate collapse East of the
Mississippi by ordering Gen. Van Dorn to move his army across the
Mississippi to its eastern side. |
| April 8, 1862 |
Starting
from Des Arc, Arkansas, the Army of the West began it move across the
river into Tennessee. By this time, Gen. Parson had been put in
charge of the Guard by Gov. Jackson, but logistics prevented Parsons
from getting to Tennessee in time to take part in the Battle of Shiloh. |
| April 11, 1862 |
Gen. Parsons' troops arrived in Corinth, Mississippi and saw limited action at Farmington and Rienzi between May 8th and 20th. |
| May 29, 1862 |
Gen. Parsons halted his infantry at Tupelo, Mississippi after moving south through Baldwyn, Mississippi. |
| June 6, 1862 |
Gen.
Sterling Price went to Richmond, Virginia for a meeting with
Confederate President Jefferson Davis, briefly leaving Gen. Parsons in
charge of the Missouri Division. |
| August 11, 1862 |
After further service in the Mississippi sector, the State Guard reported to Gen. Thomas C. Hindman and returned to Des Arc, Arkansas. |
| Fall of 1862 |
Gen. Parsons' brigade became a will-of-the-wisp and bothered the Federal command from August to October along the Arkansas border. |
| October 26, 1862 |
Gen. Parsons marched across the Boston Mountains to Fayetteville, Arkansas, and was preparing for an attack on Rolla, Missouri when he was notified that his troops had been turned over by Gov. Jackson to the Confederate Army. |
| November 5, 1862 |
Mosby Parsons was commissioned a Brigadier General in the Army of the Confederate States of America. |
| Mid-November, 1862 |
Gen. John M. Schofield, the Union Commander in Missouri, initiated the invasion of Confederate Arkansas by sending armies under Gen. Francis J. Herron and Gen. James G. Blunt to defeat the rebels under Gen. Hindman near Cane Hill, Arkansas. Gen. Parsons' infantry instead beat the Federal troops by attacking Gen. Blunt's force, earning praise from Gen. Hindman, along with other Confederate Brigadier Generals, "for doing their duty ably." |
| February 9, 1863 |
The Richmond Government tried to restore their control over Arkansas by appointing Gen. E. Kirby Smith as the new Commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department. Gen. Sterling Price went to the District of Arkansas to re-invigorate that area. |
| June, 1863 |
In spite of reservations, Gen. Theophilus H. Holmes adopted Gen. Sterling Price's strategy of attacking Helena, Arkansas so as to divert Federal attention from Vicksburg. |
| June 22, 1863 |
Gen. Parsons, directed by Gen. Holmes, marched his Brigade for Jacksonport, Arkansas to join with Gen. Price's troops at Cotton Plant. |
| July 4, 1863 |
Gen. Parsons' infantry assaulted Graveyard Hill and then were directed to attack Fort Curtis, but they failed to dislodge the Federal troops and returned to Des Arc, Arkansas. Gen. Sterling Price singled out Gen. Parsons for a special commendation. |
| September 10, 1863 |
When Gen. Sterling Price abandoned Little Rock, Arkansas and fell back to Arkadelphia, several officers considered the evacuation as a mistake, as did Missouri Governor, Thomas C. Reynolds. Gov. Reynolds and Gen. Parsons had a gradual falling-out over the next few months. Reynolds considered appointing Gen. Parsons to the Congress, but sent Waldo P. Johnson instead. |
| December 12, 1863 |
Gen.
Parsons' health had deteriorated, and so he handed the
Brigade over to Col. Simon B. Burns. The Union forces now set
their sights on Shreveport, Louisiana in order to capture the principal
Confederate military and industrial plant. Gen. Nathaniel Banks
marched up the Red River with 27,000 men alongside a naval contingent of
23 boats. Simultaneously, Union General Frederick Steele and his
12,000 troops moved south from Arkadelphia. |
| March 25, 1864 |
Confederate General Smith ordered the divisions of Gen. Parsons (recently assigned command of the Missouri Division of Gen. Thomas C. Churchill) to report to Gen. Richard Taylor. |
| April 8, 1864 |
The Federal Army was defeated at Sabine Crossroads, Gen. Churchill pursued the fleeing Union Army toward Pleasant Hill, but a Union Brigade struck Gen. Parsons' infantry and they had to beat a hasty retreat. |
| April 26, 1864 |
Gen. Steele's command attempted to ford the Sabine River at Jenkins ferry. |
| April 30, 1864 |
Gen.
Churchill alerted Gen. Parsons that unless the Missouri troops came to
his aid at once, he would have to retire perforce. Gen. Parsons sent John
B. Clark's Brigade to help Churchill and Simon B. Burns' Brigade to turn
the Federal left. Burns' attack failed and he moved to the
rear. Gen. Parsons reorganized his Brigade
and then led it back
into action but failed to link up with Gen. Walker; but Gen. Parsons
directed his men forward, turned the tide of battle and the Union Army
fled. Shreveport was never lost to the Union, even though Gen.
Steele's Federal forces did then manage to complete their crossing
of the Sabine River. |
| April, 1864 |
Mosby
Parsons was recommended with six other officers for the rank of Major
General by Gen. Kirby Smith, but Pres. Davis felt that Gen. Parson's
command was too small for such an increase in rank, and refused to
approve. Even though there is no indication in the Confederate
record of any such promotion, by September 1864 official correspondence
identified Mosby Parsons as a Major General. |
| May, 1865 |
Gen. Parsons handed over the 4th Division, C.S.A.
under his command to Union authority at Shreveport and was paroled as
Major General, but remained in command of those men until relieved by
Federal troops. |
| August 17, 1865 |
Mosby Parsons and other Southerners fled to Mexico to start new lives but were ambushed, captured and executed by guerrillas near China, Mexico. |