Burning of Platte City
Encyclopedia
The first Burning of Platte City, Missouri
occurred during the American Civil War
on December 16, 1861, after Union
troops attempted to capture the bushwhacker
Silas M. Gordon
.
Gordon, who lived in Platte County, Missouri
, had been conducting numerous raids and was suspected of masterminding the September 3, 1861, Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy
in which a Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad train was derailed on a sabotaged bridge across the Platte River (Missouri)
by St. Joseph, Missouri, killing 17 to 20 and injuring 100.
Union troops went to capture Gordon in November 1861 but were stopped in a brief skirmish at Bee Creek, in which two Federals were killed and Gordon and his men left after running out of ammunition.
Gordon with 30 to 40 men captured Weston, Missouri
, in early December and carried off two Federal soldiers as captives. They camped on the lawn of the Platte County Courthouse in Platte City and Gordon was said to swagger around the square with a large sword at his side.
Gordon stole county records from the courthouse and threatened to kill the district judge if he came to Platte City. Union General David Hunter
issued an order from neighboring Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for Platte County to either deliver Gordon or have the city burned. In early December, Colonel W. James Morgan
of the 18th Missouri Infantry USA
marched from St. Joseph to Platte City and set fire to the city and courthouse and captured three Confederate soldiers either home on furlough or returned home following the expiration of the terms of their enlistment.
On December 17 Morgan ignored the pleas for leniency from the father of one the prisoners named Black Triplett. Instead, Morgan took Triplett and prisoner Gabriel Case to the Bee Creek site where the Federals had been killed. Triplett was executed outright and Case was bayonetted as he fled. The letters "U.S." were scrawled in Triplett's blood on the Bee Creek bridge.
Gordon was to engage in further guerrilla activities elsewhere in Missouri and Texas. In 1864 he returned to Platte City and Union troops once again burned the city.
Platte City, Missouri
Platte City is a city in Platte County, Missouri, along the Little Platte River. The population was 3,866 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Platte County.-Geography:Platte City is located at...
occurred during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
on December 16, 1861, after Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
troops attempted to capture the bushwhacker
Bushwhacker
Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there are large areas of contested land and few Governmental Resources to control these tracts...
Silas M. Gordon
Silas M. Gordon
Silas M. Gordon was an anti-union bushwhacker who indirectly caused Platte City, Missouri, to be burned twice by forces during the American Civil War...
.
Gordon, who lived in Platte County, Missouri
Platte County, Missouri
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,781 people, 29,278 households, and 20,231 families residing in the county. The population density was 176 people per square mile . There were 30,902 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile...
, had been conducting numerous raids and was suspected of masterminding the September 3, 1861, Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy
Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy
The Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy was a bushwhacker attack on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad during the American Civil War on September 3, 1861, in which the train derailed on a bridge over the Platte River east of St. Joseph, Missouri, killing between 17 and 20 and injuring 100...
in which a Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad train was derailed on a sabotaged bridge across the Platte River (Missouri)
Platte River (Missouri)
The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, about long, in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri in the United States. It is sometimes known as the Little Platte River to distinguish it from the larger Platte River, also a tributary of the Missouri, in nearby Nebraska; the Platte...
by St. Joseph, Missouri, killing 17 to 20 and injuring 100.
Union troops went to capture Gordon in November 1861 but were stopped in a brief skirmish at Bee Creek, in which two Federals were killed and Gordon and his men left after running out of ammunition.
Gordon with 30 to 40 men captured Weston, Missouri
Weston, Missouri
Weston is a city in Platte County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,631 at the 2000 census.-History:Lewis and Clark Expedition camped out near the location of today's city hall...
, in early December and carried off two Federal soldiers as captives. They camped on the lawn of the Platte County Courthouse in Platte City and Gordon was said to swagger around the square with a large sword at his side.
Gordon stole county records from the courthouse and threatened to kill the district judge if he came to Platte City. Union General David Hunter
David Hunter
David Hunter was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.-Early...
issued an order from neighboring Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for Platte County to either deliver Gordon or have the city burned. In early December, Colonel W. James Morgan
W. James Morgan
W. James Morgan was a Union Army recruiter and officer in the American Civil War.-Biography:Born in New York, Morgan had experience as a member of militia units in both Ohio and Indiana...
of the 18th Missouri Infantry USA
18th Missouri Infantry USA
The 18th Missouri Infantry was a United States Army unit organized during the American Civil War.-History:Organized at Laclede, Missouri, July to November, 1861. Attached to:*District of St...
marched from St. Joseph to Platte City and set fire to the city and courthouse and captured three Confederate soldiers either home on furlough or returned home following the expiration of the terms of their enlistment.
On December 17 Morgan ignored the pleas for leniency from the father of one the prisoners named Black Triplett. Instead, Morgan took Triplett and prisoner Gabriel Case to the Bee Creek site where the Federals had been killed. Triplett was executed outright and Case was bayonetted as he fled. The letters "U.S." were scrawled in Triplett's blood on the Bee Creek bridge.
Gordon was to engage in further guerrilla activities elsewhere in Missouri and Texas. In 1864 he returned to Platte City and Union troops once again burned the city.