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The Burning of Dayton
Missouri - January 1, 1862 |
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The town of Dayton began in 1857 and by 1860 there were 47 businesses, homes and buildings in the thriving little town. It was a major North/South route for Confederates and Confederate recruiters as well as a major route for Jayhawkers & Union troops into Missouri. The people of the Dayton area saw more than their share of indignities during this period of history, although until recently their story went untold. The worst of these atrocities happened on January 1, 1862 while the Missouri State Guards were recruiting at the mercantile store in Dayton. When word of the recruiting reached the Kansas leader Jennison, he immediately sent his Jayhawkers to check on the matter. With Daniel Anthony in charge, they were to make an expedition from Morristown, Missouri (near present day Freeman, MO in Cass County) to Rose Hill in Johnson County, Missouri, by way of Dayton Crossing. The Jayhawkers burned the town of Dayton and Columbus on their way to Rose Hill and then returned by way of Harrisonville. Anthony, his two hundred men and a twelve-pound howitzer came into the town of Dayton and burned forty-six houses and buildings. There was only one home left standing in the town, a home belonging to a Union man by the name of William Byler. The home is still there! In December 2006, Cass County resident, Jackie Polsgrove-Roberts, published a book on the Burning of Dayton, Missouri. This book includes the history leading up to the Civil War, skirmishes during the war in the area and many first hand accounts of the outrages on the people there. For the first time in nearly 150 years, the reader becomes aware of the suffering of the people here, even before General Order Number 11 was issued! The book is available for $25 postpaid from Cass County Historical Society, PO Box 406 Harrisonville, MO 64701. Review prepared by the author.
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Volumes
have been written about the Civil War but little has been written about
the important little town of Dayton Missouri, located in extreme Southern
Cass County. Dayton sits on the Cass/ Bates County line, bordered by the
Grand River. During the Civil War, the Dayton Crossing was one of the few
places to cross the Grand River, and was the scene of many skirmishes.