Secession and War

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso narrates the events that occurred between April and July 1861 as the Civil War broke out. He recalls how his school closed a few weeks earlier than usual following the intense excitement generated by the firing upon Fort Sumpter by the secessionists of South Carolina. He considers his decision to stand by the Union as it prepared to fight the Confederate States to be the most critical step of his life. During a grand meeting called in their town, addressed by Peter Wilkes and other speakers from Springfield, Missouri. Kelso joined with others to form military companies called Home Guards. He was the first man to volunteer into this service. Kelso shares his early experiences as a Union soldier fighting the Confederate rebels.

Scouting, Recruiting, and the Cavalry

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso gives an account of the scouting and recruiting that he had carried out between February and May 1862. Near the close of February 1862, Kelso left the Union Army about four miles south of Bentonville and headed to Missouri. After eluding a party of about fifteen rebel horsemen on his way, Kelso turned to a place called King's Prairie where a number of Union men had organized themselves into a kind of independent military company. At Springfield, Kelso heard the news of the Battle of Pea Ridge. On March 15, he filled his appointment at King's Prairie and enrolled more than thirty recruits for a scouting mission. They were then directed by Lieut. Col. James K. Mills to enter the Fourteenth M. S. M. Cavalry, which was then being formed by Col. John M. Richardson. They were also ordered to Linn Creek and returned to Springfield about May 20.

Big River and Scouting the Southwest Corner

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso shares his experience at Big River and the Southwest Corner between August and September 1861. Kelso's regiment was sent to Big River, on the Iron Mountain Rail Road, to help fend off an attack by the rebels led by Meriweather Jeff Thompson. He was also ordered by Col. Sempronius H. Boyd to go out in disguise and pass along the entire southern border of Missouri to the Southwest corner, and see if it would be possible for his regiment alone to march through on that line. At Iron Mountain, Kelso and John Newton McConnell went to scout about the country and made one trip to the top of the Pilot Knob. When he arrived in Rolla, Kelso found his regiment already there, waiting orders to move on toward Springfield with John C. Frémont's army.

The Battle of Springfield

John Russell Kelso is here giving an account of the Battle of Springfield that occurred on January 8, 1863. On the morning of January 5, Kelso and Capt. Milton A. Burch started in command of 200 men intending to make a more extensive expedition than usual into Arkansas. On that day, they reached Beaver Station. Their fellow Union soldiers captured a small party of rebels who claimed to be the advance look-outs of Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke's army. Brig. Gen. Egbert B. Brown was in command of the Union forces. About the close of January, Kelso and his men marched to Forsythe before proceeding to Linden, 15 miles southeast of Springfield. They then returned to Springfield where they remained until the early part of May. While in Springfield, Kelso's regiment was broken up and incorporated with the 8 Reg. M. S. M. Cavalry. At Springfield, Kelso bought a little house for his family.

Capturing and Destroying

Here, John Russell Kelso describes the events that led to the capture of rebel captain Joseph Hale Mooney and the destruction of the Salt-peter caves in Arkansas, all of which transpired between November and December 1862. At the close of November 1862, Kelso and Capt. Milton A. Burch decided to make another expedition to Arkansas. Their goal was two-fold: to capture Mooney and his band, and to destroy the caves where the rebels were manufacturing salt-peter for the Confederate powder factories. On this expedition, Kelso and company marched into the enemy's country, taking prisoners, horses, and guns and destroying rebel property. All this they had accomplished without firing a gun. Major Gen. Samuel R. Curtis claimed that this was one of the most brilliant achievements of the Civil War.

A Defeat and a Victory

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso gives an account of the events that transpired from May to July 1862, during which he and his regiment suffered defeat at the hands of the enemy before scoring a victory against the rebels. After their return from Linn Creek, Kelso and his group again remained in camp training. They were then ordered to Neosho, a large town about eighty miles distant in a south-westerly direction. In a letter written to his wife on June 6, Kelso described the principal events of this expedition, including their march to Mount Vernon and their return to Springfield. He also narrates what he considers one of the most disgraceful military affairs in which he was ever involved.

The Battle of Wilson’s Creek and the First Spy Mission

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso talks about the Battle of Wilson's Creek and his first mission as a spy, which occurred between August and September 1861. Early in August, Kelso was sent with a wagon and a small escort to Springfield to obtain a supply of ammunition for their regiment. The journey required two days and was attended with a good deal of danger. They arrived safely, but found great excitement and anxiety prevailing among the Federal troops and the loyal people of that place. Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, who was in command, lost to the Confederate rebels at the battle of Wilson Creek. Kelso recalls how he was summoned by Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis to carry out espionage work in South West Missouri.

Fighting Rebels in Arkansas

In this chapter, John Russell Kelso gives an account of his group's battle with the rebels in Arkansas between October and November 1862. After October and until the end of 1862, Capt. Milton A. Burch and Kelso led many expeditions into various portions of Arkansas. On all of these expeditions, they were remarkably successful, killing many enemies and capturing large numbers of prisoners. One of these expeditions was into a portion of Arkansas which had not been visited by Federal troops, and which was held by two companies of rebel militia. Marching into this place, Kelso and company burned enemy barracks and plundered their suttler store and their post-office. Burch and Kelso, together with their men, then returned to Ozark.

A Plundering Expedition

Here, John Russell Kelso provides an account of the plundering expedition that he and his fellow Union soldiers undertook from September to October 1862. On around October 1, Major John C. Wilber decided to make an expedition into Arkansas with a force of over 200 men. At first, it was his intention to have no officers accompany this expedition except Captain Samuel A. Flagg and a few others. This triggered a suspicion that the expedition was meant to be one of disgraceful plunder and not one of honorable warfare. They eventually marched through a comparatively wealthy portion of the country, known as Tolbert Barrens, and looted the area. Kelso received a hero's welcome upon his return to Ozark, whereas Wilber and Flagg were regarded as cowards.

The Battle of Forsyth, and a Raid on Thieves and Cut-Throats

This chapter presents Major Milton A. Burch's account of the Battle of Forsyth, which occurred from July to August 1862. After the fight at Ozark, Burch was ordered by Brig. Gen. Egbert B. Brown to take command of 100 men of the battalion to which John Russell Kelso belonged, and to proceed to Forsythe and, if possible, ascertain what number of the enemy were in that vicinity. During the battle, several of Burch's own men were slightly wounded, and some half dozen rebels were killed. During a scouting expedition, Kelso captured several rebels. On his return to Ozark, he wrote a letter to his wife detailing his experience.