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| Notes for John Hanson McNEILL | ||||||||||
| The following is excerpted from "The McNeill Rangers: A Study in Confederate Giuerrilla Warfare" by Simeon Miller Bright John Hanson McNeill and his McNeill Rangers, a group of just over 100 Confederate sympathizers, primarily men from Hardy County, WVA, waged effective guerrilla warfare against the regular Union forces in that area during the Civil War. The name of Captain John Hanson McNeill and the McNeill Rangers is to this day often a subject for discussion in the South Branch Valley of West Virginia. The leader of this daring company of fighters was a brave, sharp-witted, kindhearted man in his late forties when he assumed command. His education consisted of the limited schooling given to the average Valley youngster. John Hanson McNeill was born June 12, 1815, a short distance from the present day Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia. John Hanson McNeill, mild-tempered and industrious, grew up in the proslavery Valley and early became interested in cattle raising. Possessing a few slaves and a small farm, John Hanson succeeded in his chosen field from the start. Shorthorn cattle were his pride and joy, but he continually longed for more and cheaper land. In 1837, he married Jemima Cunningham and within a year the ambitious McNeill had moved to Kentucky. Not satisfied there, the McNeills returned to western Virginia in five or six years. Back in familiar surroundings, John Hanson spent several years consolidating his holdings and raising a family. In 1848, the desire for more land caused him to move, with his wife, four children, and a large family of Negro slaves, to Boone County, Missouri. Here they settled three miles south of Columbia, living in an old brick house known as the Johnson Place. Before long John Hanson McNeill, through his hard work and good fortune, had achieved a prominent position in the agricultural life of Boone County. "Here he became one of the best farmers of the county, a breeder and successful exhibitor of Shorthorn cattle, winning many premiums in the old Boone County Fair every year. He replenished his herd with the finest stock that he could find in Kentucky and Ohio, and continued to win blue ribbons and silver cups in the various county and state fairs."13 However, by the year 1855, for reasons unknown, this prosperous farmer moved his family to Daviess County, Missouri, where he bought a 300-acre farm and continued to be a practical farmer and exhibitor of Shorthorn cattle.1 Fighting the Civil War in Missouri In April 1861, with the firing on Fort Sumter, the War between the States erupted and spread with great rapidity. Missouri soon felt the split, and also became divided. Governor Jackson, pro-Confederate governor of Missouri, commissioned John Hanson McNeill to raise a company of militia and join General Price. Taking three sons with him, the elder McNeill gathered a group of Southern sympathizers together and joined Price. A slaveholder and staunch Democrat, it was almost inevitable that John Hanson McNeill should offer his sword to the Confederate cause. Then, too, the offer to form a company and be an officer in the potentially successful army of the new nation must have also influenced his decision. Whatever the reason, or reasons, John Hanson McNeill decided to cast his lot with the South. He was destined to become one of its foremost guerrilla leaders. With Price's army, Captain McNeill fought at the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek, and then at Lexington. At the latter battle, Captain McNeill was badly wounded and carried off the field in the same carriage that conveyed Colonel Nulligan, the Federal commander, who had surrendered to General Price. This battle was a costly one for the Captain in another way. His second son, George, was shot and killed and left on the battlefield. Following this battle the oldest son, William, returned home to his family to aid in the menial chores of the farm. The third son, Jesse McNeill and his wounded father started south with Price's army, but had to fall behind and stop at Noocho for the wounds to heal. Recuperation and a furlough followed for the two McNeills. They spent some time with relatives near Arrow Rock in Saline County. Then they went to Boone County, Missouri to visit old friends. Jesse and his father were expecting to rejoin Price's army in southern Missouri. However, while visiting Mrs. McNeill's brother, David B. Cunningham, in the lower part of Boone County, they were surprised one morning about daybreak to find the house surrounded and teeming with Federal soldiers. A large squad of General Merrill's Horse Guard had descended upon the area. The Confederate Captain and his son, Jesse, were captured without a struggle, sent to Columbia, Missouri, and imprisoned in the old university, then being used as a Federal prison. Fortunately for them some of their old friends in Columbia were strong Union men, Col. Wm. F. Switzler among them, and through his influence they were treated with great leniency and paroled so that they could visit friends in town, but return to prison at night. They observed their parole with scrupulous honor and the limits were soon extended to ten miles in the country . . . and on one occasion Jesse was allowed to go back down to the south end of the county to visit his aunt and Uncle David Cunningham; and on his return traded General Merrill a mule for the horse that had been taken with him when first captured; and he became quite a friend of the Federal officer. An amusing incident transpired when a group of Confederate ladies obtained consent from General Merrill to make Captain McNeill a new suit of clothes. Soon the Captain was traversing the streets of Columbia in a handsome new Confederate uniform, unmolested by the hundreds of Federal soldiers in the town. So great was the confidence reposed in the Captain that Colonel Switzler told General Merrill: "Let him go anywhere in the county and I guarantee he will return when he promises to do so." Captain John Hanson McNeill never broke the trust of these officers. In fact, as Jesse declared after the war, their imprisonment "was more like an extended visit among friends than an enforced confinement." After some two months of this tranquil life, the order came for them to be transferred to the Federal prison in St. Louis. Upon their arrival there, they were confined in an old slave market, commonly known as "Lynch's Nigger Yard." Having no friends to aid them, the McNeill's found conditions hard from the beginning, and accommodations very poor. Jesse, of hot temper and astute mind, soon made his escape and went directly to his old home in Virginia. The Captain, hating to leave Missouri, soon afterwards escaped and made his way to friends in Ohio. He stayed there only a short time, after which he made his way back to the old homestead in Hardy County, western Virginia. Organizing McNeills Rangers The McNeills, father and son, spent almost a month in Hardy County living with relatives before they once again took up the cause of the Confederacy. Then the elder McNeill organized a company of cavalry to which he gave the designation, "McNeill Rangers." He took the rank of captain for himself and bestowed a lieutenancy rating on his son Jesse. The question of the legal status of the McNeill Partisan Rangers has often been discussed. Many Union generals considered McNeill and his men "bushwhackers," and not entitled to protection when captured, as was the case with other prisoners of war. They were clearly in error, because the McNeill Rangers were organized by John Hanson McNeill under the authority of an act passed by the Confederate Congress at Richmond. This act allowed companies to be organized as Partisan Rangers which were to cooperate with the armies of the Confederacy, but would be independent in command. Few Partisan groups in either army rendered more effective service than the some 210 men on McNeill's roster. Of this entire complement not more than two-thirds were ever gathered together at any one time. Authorities on the Civil War concur in their high estimates of the military achievements of the McNeill Rangers. What the records do not show is that it cost each and every Ranger to accomplish what he did. Their field of operations was well over a hundred miles from any Confederate controlled territory; thus no support from an army could be expected in a crisis. Also, there were many informants always ready to divulge their hiding place or set an ambush for them to fall into. Tents or shelters were mostly unknown to the Rangers, for they rarely encamped two nights at the same place. To bivouac the ravines of the ridges and gorges of the mountains were mostly used, although at times the banks of the South Branch River afforded some comfort. Fires were seldom lit in order not to reveal their positions. Rain and snow allowed them no respite. Their arms were always at their side and ever-ready for action. Each man furnished his own outfit and arms. Most clothes were captured from the enemy, and many of the Rangers throughout their service wore blue Union trousers, of necessity. The question of obtaining food was always present, and each man had to secure almost everything for himself. "Mammy" Little was the self-styled commissary, but the supplies for the entire company were contained in his two saddle bags, and usually these were almost empty. A daylight raid on the enemy as they were preparing a meal was just about the only way for the Rangers to secure a full square meal, and, as many Federal Commanders were to discover, this happened too often. "Old Rangers told many tales on the tastiness of Yankee hard tack, corned beef, pickled pork, and even coffee with the luxury of sugar in it." It must not be assumed that all the McNeill Rangers fought solely or mainly out of loyalty to the Confederate cause. It is true that most of them were attracted to the principles of the Confederacy, and to the way of life in the slaveholding South, and that many felt a personal devotion to Captain McNeill. But love for adventure and loot, and the desire for a good fight lured many Valley men into the ranks of the McNeill Rangers. It might be said in passing, that the opportunity to drink freely any amount of hard mountain liquor they could attain attracted some men to the Partisan Rangers. Captain McNeill himself indulged in this mode of enjoyment. John Hanson McNeill was the worshipped Captain of this group and his son, Jesse, a raw and rather unmanageable youth, was one of several lieutenants. Hardy County was to be the main base of operations for the guerrillas as well as the adjacent Hampshire County and nearby Maryland. Throughout the brief history of the McNeill Rangers, three main objectives were pursued: (1) to create general havoc among the Federal troops in the area; (2) disrupt traffic and communications on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; and (3) be a main source of supply in the foraging of beef cattle for the Confederate armies in the Shenandoah Valley. The McNeill Rangers achieved these objectives and gave aid to other Confederate forces in scouting duty. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was constantly under attack and in need of repair. Damages of many hundreds of thousands of dollars occurred on the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio. Finally, untold scores of beef cattle found their way into the Shenandoah Valley through the efforts of the Partisans. Fortune, it may be said with truth, constantly smiled upon the McNeill Rangers. Their brilliant operations reaped praise from friends and foes; General Robert E. Lee himself giving recognition to their valuable services numerous times. It is estimated that from the first to last over 25,000 troops were diverted by the Federal commanders to guard the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad against the McNeill menace. Furthermore, the captures made under the leadership of Captain John Hanson McNeill averaged forty prisoners for every man on the Ranger roster, besides the many horses, cattle, munitions and wagon trains seized. To that must be added the fact that the Rangers under his command never failed to capture the objective they started out for, or lost a battle. Captain John Hanson McNeill was mortally wounded on October 3, 1864 during one of the Rangers forays near Mt. Jackson, Virginia. Ironically, he was shot accidentally by one of his own men. He lingered near death until November 10 of that year, when he died. With the Civil War still underway, his 23 year old son, Jesse, took command of the Rangers, and their greatest exploits were yet to come. (See more on McNeill's Rangers under Jesse McNeil's command under Jesse McNeil) | ||||||||||
| Last Modified 11 Aug 2004 | Created 12 Feb 2005 by Reunion for Macintosh |