The "Surprise at Greenville," July 20, 1862

The "Surprise at Greenville," July 20, 1862. Greenville Recreation Area. In July of 1862, more than 100 members of the local State Militia (12th M.S.M. Cavalry - USA), commanded by Capt. William T. Leeper, were camped here, northwest of Greenville, guarding the Fredericktown Road. Ignoring "grapevine telegraph" rumors of an impending attack, the often overconfident Capt. Leeper posted only a few pickets to guard his camp at night, and during the stormy night of July 19 he allowed some of his subordinate officers to sleep in comfort in town. Several of his men had also been drinking that night., Early on the morning of July 20, the Union camp was attacked from the woods to the east by 200+ members of the 15th Missouri Cavalry (CSA), led by Maj. Miles Ponder and Capt. Timothy Reeves. Leeper and his men were caught by surprise and forced to abandon their camp and make a headlong retreat across the St. Francis River, at a place derisively known thereafter as "Leeper's Ford.", While Ponder and Reeves looted the Union camp, taking weapons (16 Savage revolvers, 40 Enfield rifles, 19 sabers, 50 pairs of holster pistols) personal possessions and 73 horses; Leeper regrouped on the southwest side of the river. Although his men were widely scattered, poorly armed, outnumbered, and only partly dressed, Leeper attempted a counterattack. While unsuccessful, the effort provided a diversion allowing Lt. Charles W. Purcell, who had been wounded and captured, to escape., The attackers soon departed and Leeper and his men reclaimed their sacked camp. The "Surprise at Greenville" resulted in few casualties and no long-term strategic consequences, yet it was a pivotal event for the combatants. By making Leeper and the men of the local Union Militia appear foolish and inept, Ponder and Reeves scored an important and lasting recruiting victory., As the war continued, the men who skirmished at Greenville met again and again, in an escalating series of harsher and more brutal encounters. Leeper struggled to rid southeastern Missouri of rebel guerrillas and to heal wounds to his pride inflicted by Ponder and Reeves in the July 20, 1862 "Surprise at Greenville." Leeper came to demonize his opponents, often referring to Reeves and his followers as thieves, bushwhackers, murderers, oath breakers or simply "bad men." W.T. Leeper's efforts at redemption and payback resulted in a steady escalation in violence, leading to excess bloodshed during the clashes with Reeves and his men on February 4, 1863 at Mingo Swamp/Cato's Farm and on December 25, 1863, at Pulliam's Farm., On September 27, 1864. Maj. James Wilson, Leeper's commanding officer, was captured at the battle of Pilot Knob. Wilson and five of his men were then turned over to Timothy Reeves who executed them. That prompted the retaliatory execution of six Confederate prisoners at the Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis on October 29, 1864., The cycles of retaliation continued through the final months of the war. On May 28, 1865, a band of Confederate guerrillas were tracked from Southeastern Missouri to Peach Orchard, Arkansas, where they were captured by a detachment of the 7th Kansas Cavalry guided by one of Leeper's scouts. Although Confederate combatants in the region had agreed to surrender, and were set to be paroled just eight days later at Jacksonport, Arkansas, 10 of the 11 captured soldiers were executed, including seven Wayne County men who were later memorialized at the Cowan Cemetery., For Leeper and Reeves, the war ended in 1865. Timothy Reeves returned to Butler County and resumed his pre-war occupation as a Baptist minister. W.T. Leeper returned home to Wayne County where he lived peaceably among his neighbors for the next 47 years. For others, the post-war transition has been more difficult and some wounds inflicted generations ago have not yet fully healed.