General Notes

Information for GRANDMA GALLOWAY SAID IT WAS SO, 1984
Copy of Obt in the book.
Galloway MO named in his honor.
Private in Company G Third Reg of MO Mounted Volunteers May 8, 1847 untilOctober 17, 1848 wounded in foot.
Union Army during Civil War. Captain and Major

Barry County Missouri Obituary
Major Charles Galloway
Submitted by: Carol Hattrup
(This obituary appeared in the Cassville Democrat newspaper in 1905.)



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Major C. Galloway Dead
A Noted Character of this Section
He Took a Prominent Part in the War
In Southwest Missouri.
A Brave Soldier.

Major Charles Galloway died at his home, near Galloway, a village namedin his honor, last night.  He had been in bad health for a long time andrecently took pneumonia.  He leaves a large number of relativesthroughout this section.  He was one of the characters of the early daysof this country and a noted scout.  For years he was a striking figurearound the streets with his long hair and military beard.  He was 80years old.

Leaving Indiana in 1834 Jesse Galloway, father of the deceased, settledupon Flat Creek, in what was then Barry County.  The country was wild inthe extreme.  Deer were abundant on the hills and in the valleys; game ofall kinds abounded; the forests were rich in the dainty sweets of the beetrees; grapes hung purpling in the woods ungathered and unsought; the airwas vocal with the melody of a thousand songsters, and the climate itselfknew neither rigor nor disease.  Here Charles Galloway received theimpressions that molded his character.  The boy of a frontiersman, hesoon became bold, daring, venturesome.  The ever faithful rifle was hisconstant companion, and the lonely ramblings of his early manhood becamea fitting pupilage for the stirring scenes of his latter life.

The Mexican War breaking out he enlisted as a private in Company G, ThirdRegiment of Missouri mounted volunteers, Col. Rowles was commanding.  Thecompany raised in the vicinity of Springfield, Missouri was commanded bySamuel A. Boake then a well known citizen of the Southwest.Rendezvousing for the purpose of Organization at Independence, of theMissouri River, the regiment was ordered thence to Leavenworth.  Thereits commissary stores were supplied and preparations made for war withthe Indians.  At this time the Apaches, Navajos and other tribes wereespecially troublesome, and while heavier military operations were goingon below, it was necessary that the frontier should be safeguarded.  Tothat end the regiment to which young Galloway belonged was ordered firstto Santa Fe.  There a post was established and Col. Rawles placed incommand.  From this point a potion of the regiment moved northward.Boake's company included establishing a post 75 miles higher up theGrande River, and from that time until the close of the war activelyemployed in operations against the Indians.  Young Galloway wasfrequently detailed for this service and distinguished himself for hisintrepidity.  In an engagement with the Apaches he was painfully woundedin the foot, an injury from which he never recovered.

Alternating thus between extreme peril and the leisure that a soldieroften enjoys, when not in action or preparing for it, at one time boldlyfollowing the wily sons of the forest, reckless of ambuscade and anotherdown at Santa Fe living in an adobe house and dancing with the Mexicanwomen, he at length returned with his regiment to Independence and wasthere mustered out.  Starting immediately for Springfield he arrived onelection day and voted for Cass and Butler.

At the start of the Civil War he raised a company from Stone County andtendered his services to General Lyon, then commanding at Springfield.The company was ordered to the duty of home protection and from that timeuntil the battle of Wilson Creek remained in and near Stone County, aportion of the time held together and again separating into smalldetachments for better protection of families threatened by Bledsoe andhis men.  Capt. Galloway now bold and defiant, had become especiallyobnoxious to the confederates and a party of 63 were sent by Gen.Mackintosh commanding.  A Texas regiment (was) in the vicinity, to entraphim.  Capt. Galloway had been advised of the attack, called to his aid afew home guards thus feebly reinforced took position in the vicinity ofClark's Mills on Flat Creek.  About this time he had personally (been)threatened by Wm. McKenny living on Rock House Creek nine miles northeastof Cassville, and he knew a determined effort would be made to take him.The imminence of his danger had only permitted him to gather 45 men andwith these he prepared to put up a fight in the most approvedbushwhacking method.  A man named Peevie accompanied by 'Wild Bill' Pricewell known in the Southwest was cautious yet he attacked with a spiritand Capt. Galloway's reinforcement fled.  His men now reduced to thirtybut animated by their intrepid leader fought bravely.  For half an hourthe woods resounded with musketry.  Galloway's men taking every advantageof trees, logs and thickets and only firing when they could draw a'bead'.  The deadliness of their aim soon had its effect; 'Wild Bill'Price vindicated his sobriquet and the recoutable Peevie turned his backon Clark's Mills.  A horse had been shot from under him, fifteen of hismen killed and a number wounded.  Not knowing but that this attack camefrom the advance of the confederate army ascertained to be near, fellback and moved hastily to Springfield.

Reporting in person to Gen. Lyon he was at once employed as a scout anddirected to find out accurately the position of Gen. Price and his army,then supposed to be marching towards Wilson's Creek.   Starting southwardin company with Dr. Phillip Slaughter of Stone County, and avoiding thehighways and enemy troops of John J. Smith on the Cassville road 35 milesbelow Springfield, they advanced under Gen. Kains.  Hastily dispatchingDr. Slaughter to Gen. Lyon, Galloway struck again into the woods in thatdirection.  Stealthily moving about here and there now on the flank ofthe enemy and now in the rear he soon acquired very valuable informationas to their disposition and number and made all haste to Gen. Lyon.  Hemet him two miles west of Springfield advancing upon the enemy.  Duringthe eventful 10th day of august he was 8 miles south of Wilson Creek,having been sent in that direction after the Dug Spring Skirmish and wasmaking his way back to Gen. Lyon when the battle began.  As soon as helearned the day was irretrievably lost and of the death of Gen. Lyon fromwhom the Southwest expected so much, he sorrowfully turned his stepstoward Stone County.  There again he gathered a company and when Fremontcame to Springfield he tendered its services to him and was frequentlyemployed on scouting expeditions under the superintendence of Col. JohnM. Richardson.

The men who had repeatedly rallied under Galloway became disheartened.The company disbanded and Capt. Galloway was shortly afterwards arrestedby a party of men.  With twenty others he was taken to Keetsville, placedin a corncrib and held there two days and a night.  Some of his oldfriends, however, men who were under obligation to him for favors shownbefore the war, interceded in his behalf and he was permitted to go home.

Fourteen days before the battle of Pea Ridge, when he was again employedas a scout, and a few days later was mainly instrumental in saving alarge train, then in danger of being cut off before it could reach thearmy.  After the battle of Pea Ridge he returned home and remained,endeavoring to restore his shattered possessions, until the summer of1862, when he was tendered a captaincy in the First Arkansas Cavalry.Accepting the proffered appointment he speedily raised a full company andon the 7th day of August was mustered into service.  In the latter partof the month he signalized himself by daring forage with 100 men intoCarroll County, Ark., dealing a severe blow to the opposition in thatsection and relieving many Union families.

Not long afterward the daring Coffee appeared near the Arkansas linemoving northward.  His destination or number of his men no one seemed toknow.  Strange stories were told of his movements and wild conjecturesindulged in, and shortly came the news that Cassville had been evacuatedby order of the general of the district.  Coffee, however, kept on untilhis discomfiture at long Jack compelled him to retreat.

The occupation of Cassville by confederate forces shortly after thefederal troops retired, was an eyesore to the Union Forces of the worstdescription.  On the other hand, military forces were not long disturbedand a force was sent to Crane Creek with directions to keep out scoutsbelow.  Their intelligence was reliable, that Cassville was held by anenemy attachment only, and it was therefore determined to make a descentupon the town.  Leaving Springfield on the 19th of Sept. with 100 men ofthe First Arkansas Cavalry and obtaining at Crane Creek a reinforcementof 75 under Capt. Jesse M. Gilstrap of the same regiment, CaptainGalloway passed the federal pickets and struck over the hills forCassville.  All regularity of movement was now disregarded, and dividinghis men into two parties he approached the town from oppositedirections.  Laying in the adjacent woods during the latter part of thenight of the 20th, early in the morning of the 21st he dashed into townfrom a southern direction, Capt. Worthington accompanying him and leadinga portion of men, while Capt. Gilstrap hurriedly went forward from thenorth.  Between 150 and 200 confederates reposing in confident security,were holding the town.  They were the advance of a much larger force afew miles away to the southwest and having their pickets out on the usualapproaches, were unprepared for sudden attack.  Had a meteor fallen intotheir midst, it could not have more thoroughly startled them.

On the 18th of Oct. Capt. Galloway was ordered to Elk Horn Tavern.  Whilethe battalion to which he was attached remained there, he was almostconstantly engaged in this perilous duty of scouting.  About the first ofDec. he was sent with 100 men with Lieut. Thomas Wilhite as second incommand, who was thoroughly acquainted with the country, to endeavor tobreak up a company of marauders known as Enyart’s band.  Falling in withthem on the main fork of White River, fifteen miles southeast ofFayetteville, a spirited skirmish ensued in which Capt. Enyart, captainof the band, and one other were killed and a few wounded.  The rest fledtowards the Boston Mountains.

To repulse the marauders of the southwest, Galloway remained at Elk Hornuntil the 14th of Dec. when he was ordered temporarily to Cassville.Remaining there but a few days he returned with his company toFayetteville.  Arriving again in Arkansas he was put upon active duty andtook a prominent part in the forays made during the winter to theArkansas River.  He dashed into Ozark on the morning of Jan. 4, 1863, washalted by the pickets, but gave his characteristic order to charge anddrove a detachment of defenders out of town, captured several prisonersand horses, broke up a score of shot guns and destroyed a quantity ofcommissary stores.  His own force was 22 men.

The latent loyalty of northwestern Arkansas breaking out in the mostcheering manner in the latter part of Jan. but still requiring thesupport of the military arm, Capt. Galloway with sufficient force waspresent at Huntsville on the 31st for which day a public meeting had beencalled.  He left Fayetteville also for another purpose.  It had beendiscovered where Peter Mankin’s band were secreting themselves in thesoutheastern corner of Crawford County and it was determined to break upthe force.  This was a part of Capt. Galloway’s duty in the discharge ofwhich he was to receive the cooperation of Capt. Robt. Travis, of thesame regiment, who had magnanimously offered to go as a spy into thedangerous cane.

The above announcement of the death of Major Charles Galloway, on thenight of Feb. 3, will be sad news to his many old time friends, andespecially those who had known him so long and well.  The Major was a manof highest integrity, honesty, strictly conscientious, brave as a lion,true as steel, and his word was his bond.  He was an Andrew Jackson kindof a man.  His first wife was Miss Susan Carney a sister of the lateAbsolom Calvin and John Carney, former well known citizens of thiscountry, and the mother of his children.  He was married three times, hisfirst two wives died, while his last survives him.  His first residencein this county was where S.A. Peck now resides on Flat Creek.  His fatherJesse Galloway, deceased, first settled the late Bolin G. Eden farm onFlat Creek, 3 miles south of Jenkins near Blankenship Mill.  For manyyears he was a strict member of the Primitive Baptist Church.

He was a brother of Judge Melville A. Galloway of Jenkins and FrankGalloway of near Afton, I.T.  Many of the Major’s soldier comrades residein this and Stone Counties who will be sorely grieved to learn of hispassing away.  Many that have gone before can meet him around thecampfire in the great beyond.  Major Galloway was a good man.  SouthwestMissouri has lost one of her best citizens.

He was an uncle of recorder A.L. and Frank Galloway of this city.  TheMajor was a Democrat of the old school and we firmly believe it was thestand that he and others took for Democracy in Barry County after the warthat caused the party to have the standing in said county that it nowenjoys.  He was nominated by the Democrats of Barry County for thelegislature in 18__, but was defeated.  The election was contested by theMajor, but the courts were against him.