In the heat of battle each man views the chaos that surrounds him in a
different light. Who's to say who is right and who is wrong?

The following accounts of the events leading up to and the events of
August 16, 1862 give us a very different perspective of a fight that both
sides agreed was the bloodiest battle fought on Missouri soil.

Also included are accounts of events related to the battle or concerning the
men who fought here. In 1885 & 1886 the Missouri Republican, out of St.
Louis, ran a series of letters written by participants of the battle. As you will
see, each man remembered the battle in a different way.
1st Hand Accounts
Of the Battle
CONFEDERATE
UNION
Major Emory S. Foster
Tales of the War; A Graphic Account
of the Battle of Lone Jack.
Cpl. William L. Roney
Cpl. Roney's account of the
movements of Co. F, 8th MSM
during the battle
William Plumb
William Plumb sends his version, to
the Missouri Republican, of the
events of August 16, 1862
A. F. McCray
A.F. McCray tells of the battle and
the loss of his leg.
Rueben Smith
Rueben Smith was sent after Foster
to bring him back to Lexingtion, but
he was too late.
Harrison B. Talbert
Letters written by Harrison B.
Talbert, of the 3rd Indiana Battery to
his parents and aunt giving details
of the Battle of Lone Jack.
Missouri Republican
The Missouri Republican published
this piece in response to a letter
written by Cole Younger.
Cpl. William L. Roney
Letters written by William L. Roney
in his attempt to place a Union
marker on the grave of his fallen
comrades.
 
 
 
 
Major Harvey J. Vivian
Reminiscences of the Battle of Lone
Jack.
Sidney Drake Jackman
Behind Enemy Lines.
Peter D. Lane
Peter D. Lane's memoir tells of the
aftermath of the battle.
Thomas Coleman Younger
Cole Younger's account of the
Battle of Lone Jack and the part he
played.
John S. Kritzer
John Kritzer, of Col. Upton Hays'
regiment, recalls what he
remembers of the battle.
Henry C. Luttrell
Henry Luttrell of Tracy's regiment,
gives his version of the battle.
Col. Dewitt C. Hunter
Colonel D. C. Hunter - "The Right
Wing Heard From" Col. D. C. Hunter
tells his side of the story.
Jesse M. Cave
Jesse M. Cave, son of Lucinda
Cave, recounts how his mother was
wounded during the Battle of Lone
Jack.
Kit Dalton
Kit Dalton wrote Under the Black Flag
in which he describes "the
indiscriminate slaughter of the blue
and gray".
Peter J. Lane
Peter J. Lane's account of the
movements of the men of Cass
County