Civil War Tales by Silas C. Turnbo.

"Death in a cruel manner." 

These are the words that often came to my mind as I assembled and narrated 100 Ozark Civil War stories by Silas C. Turnbo. This project has become one of my most treasured endeavors thus far, and it has only increased my appreciation of the struggled endured by the pioneers of the Ozarks.

This project took longer than I estimated, but it is an experience I will not long forget. Before this project began, I went to look at the documents & stories that were donated from the College of the Ozarks and given to the Arkansas History Commission in Little Rock. Additionally, I went through numerous rolls of microfilm which retold many of these stories. Furthermore, I compared these stories to the Springfield Greene County Library's Turnbo Manuscripts.

Editing was slow and meticulous due to Mr. Turnbo's sentence structure was sometimes a little tough and long. Some sentences were enormous and were up to 9 -11 lines long. In order for me to read aloud and breathe (and not pass out), I had to add a few commas and brake up some of his sentences in order for them to sound correct. As I assembled these stories, I endeavored to maintain the integrity of the names, phrasing, and pronunciation true to its Ozark heritage. I even pronounced "Missouree" as "Missouruh."

Once I began this project, I thought I could complete it in just a few months. Unfortunately, that was not the case. As time progressed, it seemed like I became acquainted with the subjects of the stories. Many times before I began to narrate a particular story, I endeavored to do some genealogical research on the people and families mentioned in order to get to know them. Sometimes after narrating their ordeal of trials and tribulations, I would turn off the recording equipment and simply walk away in awe of what was endured. At other times, I just had to walk away due to, "Death in a cruel manner."  On most of the stories that detailed torture, I recorded alone...not wanting anyone in the house to overhear the encounters of agony explained. As a solace, I would take walks on the White River where some of these incidents occurred. Sometimes, I would go visit the graves of those the stories detailed. Though I knew my visit could not help them, it was always encouraging to see the old memorial stones that loved ones left behind. As I left each area or gravesite, many times I would sing the refrain of old penned after the Civil War by Joseph P. Webster and S. Fillmore Bennett.1

  "In the Sweet By and By."

There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there.

Refrain

In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.

I believe the second verse holds a wealth of meaning for those in that era of war.

We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blessed;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.


For those who would like to hear these Ozark Civil War stories, they are now available on Google Play. In all, this project contains 7 hours & 10 minutes of narration. Each album contains at least 33 stories, and they are priced at $4.99 each.  If you would like to listen to a portion of each story, simply click on the Google Play icon or the albums below.

 Below are the Titles & Times of the 1^st Volume.

1.

Viewing the Steamboat Going up the Missouri River

. 4:31

2.	The Alph Cook Cave.			5:44

3.	A Cold Swim Across White River			. 11:19

4.	A Little Scare in the Big War.			2:20

5	. Picked Up Her Husband's Brains.			5:47

6	. The Last Hours of Mike Yocum.			4:55

7	. Stirring Scenes in the Early Days of Yellville, Arkansas			. 4:53

8.	Riding into the Federal Lines for Salt			. 3:11

9	. The Commander of the Company Refused to Prefer Charges Against Them.			4:31

10.	Dragged a Dead Man from the Road.			2:01

11	. A Terrible Experience in the Civil War			. 1:37

12	. A Little Incident of War Times.			2:42

13	. Oh, Boys, Shoot Me Again			. 4:17

14	. War and its Victims.			2:44

15	. Hot Words Pass Between Two Officers Unequal in Rank.			2:02

16	. Reading the Bible by the Reflection of Light from a Burning Town			. 1:59

17	. Captured in the Night Time			. 2:14

18	. A Man Escapes Death by Leaping Up and Running			. 2:33

19	. How a Soldier Exchanged Hats with a Small Boy.			2:12

20	. A Party of Southern Soldiers Refuse to Appropriate a Pair of Federal Gloves			. 3:27

21	. The Killing of Wilse Brown			. 4:59

22	. Substituting Pieces of Plank and a Door Shutter for a Coffin			. 2:27

23	. How I Was Befriended Once in War Times.			6:27

24	. Ex governor Elias N. Conway			. 1:10

25	. Sacrificed His Life Foolishly			. 3:57

26	. Opposed to Civil War.			4:02

27	. Joyful Meeting Between Father and Son.			3:36

28	. A Solemn Scene.			2:34

29	. A War Time Incident in Douglas County, Missouri.			2:04

30	. Love and War.			5:45

31	. A Pathetic Scene on the Battlefield.			3:39

32	. Sad and Serious Recollections of Wardays.			6:23

33	. Wounding an Inoffensive Man. 0:57

Enjoy your Ozarks' History.

References:

1.  Webster, Joseph P., and S. Fillmore Bennett. "In the Sweet By and By." In the Sweet By and By. 1868. Accessed October 31, 2015. www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/n/t/intsbab.htm.

White River History, 1888

Sharing Ozarks’ History is something I love to do.

Tuesday, October the 27^th at 6 pm, I will be sharing some of the research I have been doing for the past 2½ years on the White River. This is part of a special series for the library patrons of the Gassville & Cotter area. The event we had last month, with Dianna Roller on the "Ghost Towns of Arkansas," was a full house, and we ran out of chairs. Fortunately, some people brought their lawn-chairs.

 

 In 2013, I had an opportunity to go to Little Rock at the U. S. Corps of Engineer’s Archives and digitally scan these one of a kind maps. These digital scans will be included in this presentation.

 

505 Miles

The 1888 White River Maps are enumerated for 505 miles. The first plate begins in Forsyth, Missouri, and the series runs to the mouth of the river that empties into the Mississippi River. The cartographer labeled the mile markers in red ink. Additionally, the geographic features, landmarks, entities, and landowners are enumerated on these specific set of maps. These may not be the original landowner, but the current owners at the time of the survey from 1885 – 1887. Additionally, some maps have been annotated by hand after original production; these notes and figures were inscribed lightly in pencil.

The following is a list of features detailed on these 42 historical maps/plates:

•Bayous

•Bends

•Bluffs

•Caves

•Cities, Towns & Villages

•Cotton Gins

•Coves

•Creeks

•Dams

•Grist Mills

•Ferries

•Fords

•Hollows

•Lakes

•Landowners

•Prairies

•River Channels

•River Depth Soundings

•Rapids

•Reaches

•Roads

•Saw Mills

•Shoals

•Sloughs

•Swamps

•Steamboat Landings

•Steamboat Wrecks

Repairing Fallen Stones

When visiting Ozark cemeteries, I occasionally come across large old tombstones that have been broken at the base and fractured a few times. These stones are sometimes the only visage of our past. Deterioration of these stones are further compounded by three agents.

1st. Lawnmowers & weed-eaters: Every time a lawnmower runs over the top of  a stone, the stone's integrity is compromised.

2nd. Chemicals: Weedkiller or any substance to clean or whiten the stone, such as: Bleach, Vinegar, Ajax, Comet, Muriatic Acid, Lime Away, Bon Ami or Bar Keeper's Friend. These detergents have salts & chemicals that will breakdown and degenerate the stone prematurely. Keep in mind, it will also erode the engraving etched in the stone. The only recommended cleaner that will not harm a stone is called D2. You can order it by clicking on the D/2 bottle.

3^rd: Wicking: One unseen problem that causes these stones to further fracture is due to the stone being porous. Therefore, the small spaces or holes in the stone adsorbs the rain or draws up moisture form the ground. This process is called "wicking." The problem is in the winter time, as the temperature drops below freezing, and the stones will freeze and crack.

I've had people ask me quite a few times if there is a way to mend these fractured tablet stones back together inexpensively.

Inexpensively?   No.

But, there is a simple & inexpensive method to ensure the stones will endure longer by eliminating the wicking process. I learned this method two years ago from Rusty who owns the Texas Cemetery Restoration.
                                                                                             Check out their Facebook page.

First, gently remove the stone sections.

Next, add a layer of pea gravel of 2 - 3 inches in the imprint of the ground. Also, excess dirt and debris may need to be removed. Level out bed of gravel and replace stone fragments.

Finished stone in 15 minutes.

Another quick fix in 15 minutes.

Enjoy your Ozarks' History.