Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy
Encyclopedia
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. The bridge crosses the river in Buchanan County
, between Marion Township
on the east, and Washington Township
on the west.
Confederate
partisan
s planned to burn the lower timbers of the 160-foot bridge across the river, leaving the top looking intact. At 11:15 p.m. on a moonless night, the westbound passenger train from Hannibal, Missouri
, to St. Joseph started to cross the bridge. The supports cracked and gave way. The locomotive
flipped, falling 30 feet into the shallow river and bringing with it the freight cars, baggage car
, mail car and two passenger cars with 100 men, women and children. Bodies and the injured were taken to the Patee House
near the St. Joseph depot. Union
soldiers were ordered to track down and execute bushwhackers for their part in the incident.
Confederate Major General
Sterling Price
, who had been invading northern Missouri at the time, wrote Union commanding general Henry Wager Halleck
to protest, stating the sabotage was "lawful and proper" according to the rules of warfare and that the captured men should be treated as prisoners of war. Halleck replied that the bushwhackers were "spies, marauders, robbers, incendiaries, guerrilla bands...in the garb of peaceful citizens" The bushwhackers were to also say that it was a military target because there were soldiers on it bound for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. One of the soldiers killed was Barclay Coppock
, a member of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. The bushwackers were also to claim that it was an attempt to assassinate former Missouri Governor Robert Marcellus Stewart
.
The most prominent of the bushwhackers sought by the Federal troops was Silas M. Gordon
. Union troops were to burn Platte City, Missouri
twice (in December 1861 and July 1864) in unsuccessful attempts to force the townspeople to surrender him (see the Burning of Platte City
).
The railroad at the time was the first to cross the state of Missouri and it was used to deliver mail to and from the Pony Express
terminus in St. Joseph, Missouri. Col. Ulysses S. Grant
's first commission in the Civil War had been guarding the trains. In August he was promoted to brigadier general
on a new assignment.
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...
attack on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad
Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad
The Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was the first railroad to cross Missouri starting in Hannibal in the northeast and going to St. Joseph, Missouri, in the northwest...
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 September 3, 1861, in which the train derailed on a bridge over the Platte River
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...
east of St. Joseph, Missouri, killing between 17 and 20 and injuring 100. The bridge crosses the river in Buchanan County
Buchanan County, Missouri
Buchanan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 89,201. Its county seat is Saint Joseph. When originally formed in 1838, the county was named Roberts County, after settler Hiram Roberts; it was renamed in 1839 for James Buchanan, then a U.S....
, between Marion Township
Marion Township, Buchanan County, Missouri
Marion Township is one of twelve townships in Buchanan County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,226.-Geography:Marion Township covers an area of and contains one incorporated settlement, Easton...
on the east, and Washington Township
Washington Township, Buchanan County, Missouri
Washington Township is one of twelve townships in Buchanan County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 75,694.-Geography:Washington Township covers an area of and contains one incorporated settlement, St. Joseph...
on the west.
Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
s planned to burn the lower timbers of the 160-foot bridge across the river, leaving the top looking intact. At 11:15 p.m. on a moonless night, the westbound passenger train from Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal is a city in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Hannibal is located at the intersection of Interstate 72 and U.S. Routes 24, 36 and 61, approximately northwest of St. Louis. According to the 2010 U.S. Census the population was 17,606...
, to St. Joseph started to cross the bridge. The supports cracked and gave way. The locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
flipped, falling 30 feet into the shallow river and bringing with it the freight cars, baggage car
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
, mail car and two passenger cars with 100 men, women and children. Bodies and the injured were taken to the Patee House
Patee House
The Patee House, also known as Patee House Museum, was completed in 1858 as a 140-room luxury hotel at 12th Street and Penn in St. Joseph, Missouri. It was one of the best-known hotels west of the Mississippi River....
near the St. Joseph depot. 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...
soldiers were ordered to track down and execute bushwhackers for their part in the incident.
Confederate Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Sterling Price
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
, who had been invading northern Missouri at the time, wrote Union commanding general Henry Wager Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck was a United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory, "Old Brains." He was an important participant in the admission of California as a state and became a successful lawyer and land developer...
to protest, stating the sabotage was "lawful and proper" according to the rules of warfare and that the captured men should be treated as prisoners of war. Halleck replied that the bushwhackers were "spies, marauders, robbers, incendiaries, guerrilla bands...in the garb of peaceful citizens" The bushwhackers were to also say that it was a military target because there were soldiers on it bound for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. One of the soldiers killed was Barclay Coppock
Barclay Coppock
Edwin Coppock, Barclay's brother, redirects here.Barclay Coppock was a follower of John Brown and a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War. Along with his brother Edwin Coppock , he participated in Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry...
, a member of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. The bushwackers were also to claim that it was an attempt to assassinate former Missouri Governor Robert Marcellus Stewart
Robert Marcellus Stewart
Robert Marcellus Stewart was the 14th Governor of Missouri from 1857 to 1861, during the critical years just prior to the American Civil War.-Early years:...
.
The most prominent of the bushwhackers sought by the Federal troops was 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...
. Union troops were to burn Platte City, Missouri
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...
twice (in December 1861 and July 1864) in unsuccessful attempts to force the townspeople to surrender him (see the Burning of Platte City
Burning of Platte City
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....
).
The railroad at the time was the first to cross the state of Missouri and it was used to deliver mail to and from the Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
terminus in St. Joseph, Missouri. Col. Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
's first commission in the Civil War had been guarding the trains. In August he was promoted to brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
on a new assignment.