Public Unveiling of Callaway County Civil War Artifacts at Westminster College

Those wanting to know what Civil War artifacts were unearthed at the Moore’s Mill battlefield in Calwood, MO by Westminster College students and other volunteers can find out Friday, May 2, when the National Park Service will release the official report at 4 p.m. in the Lecture Hall of the Coulter Science Center on the Westminster College campus.

Battlefield archeologist Dr. Douglas Scott and Dr. Steve Dasovich, Professor and Director of the Archeological Research Program at Lindenwood University will unveil findings from last year’s archeological survey of the battlefield.  The event will include a talk by the battlefield expert on how the artifacts shape present day interpretation of the Battle of Moore’s Mill.

After the presentation a small reception will be held in the Coulter Science Center Atrium.

On March 22-23, 2013, volunteers from Westminster College, Lindenwood University and Missouri Valley College in Marshall, MO participated in a field survey of the Moore’s Mill battlefield.   Westminster students participating were Mercedez Clewis, a senior from Mesquite, TX; Jeannae Eckelkamp, a senior from Washington, MO;  Natasha Ives, ’13, from Brandon, MO; Spencer O’Gara, a sophomore from Peoria, AZ;  and John York, a junior from Lee’s Summit, MO

The survey was supervised by Scott and Desovich, assisted by Dr. Cinnamon Brown, Westminster College Assistant Professor of history, Westminster Professor Dr. Mark Boulton and Dr. Peter Warnock of Missouri Valley College.  The project was funded by a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program.

Missouri’s Civil War Heritage Foundation of St. Louis organized the field survey with the help of the local affiliate Kingdom of Callaway Civil War Heritage.

The Battle of Moore’s Mill, the largest Civil War battle in Callaway County, took place July 28, 1862, when Union Commander Colonel Odon Guitar tried to break the Confederate line established by Colonel Joseph Porter and his recruits near Auxvasse Creek, seven miles east of Fulton, MO.  After four hours of fighting, the Confederate forces retreated under severe shelling from Union artillery.

More detailed information about the Battle of Moore’s Mill can be found here.  Missouri was the scene of unparalleled guerrilla warfare during the Civil War and the Southern Partisans, called the Gray Ghosts, were very active in the Central Missouri area.  Missouri’s Civil War Heritage Foundation in partnership with local Civil War organizations has established historic markers at each important landmark and tourists can visit all the sites, which have become known as “The Gray Ghosts Trail.”