Preservationists Fight Development in Lone
Jack, Missouri
By Kelly Garbus
October 2002
LONE JACK, Mo. - Confederates armed
with
muzzle-loading shotguns and squirrel rifles crept through an
overgrown farm field on the morning of Aug. 16, 1862. They
hoped to
ambush Union troops who were just getting their breakfast.
But the
element of surprise was lost when a rebel tripped on some grass
and
accidentally discharged his weapon.
Bugles blared. Union troops rushed to their
posts and one of
Missouri's fiercest Civil War battles was underway. It would
rage for
the next five hours in and around Lone Jack.
Now, 140 years later, the Friends of Historic
Lone Jack, are fighting
a different battle, hoping to stave off continued development
that
over the years has slowly eaten away most of the Civil War
battlefield. The Friends hope to preserve what's left of this
decisive Southern victory in what had been a staunchly Confederate
town.
"
We have forgotten what a vital role Missourians played in the
Civil
War," said Charlotta Remington, vice president of the
Friends. "I
think here in Missouri more than anywhere else it truly was
brother
against brother."
The Friends group on Aug. 17 and 18 sponsored
a Civil War
reenactment to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the battle
of
Lone Jack. The battle included re-creations of actual battle
scenarios including cannons changing hands several times, and
the
death of a woman who was killed as she hid in a field with
her three
children.
The event also included a 13-mile benefit ride
from Cole Younger's
grave in Lee's Summit to the Lone Jack battlefield. Younger
was a
member of William Clarke Quantrill's guerrillas and during
the battle
of Lone Jack passed out ammunition to Confederate troops.
Remington, whose ancestors fought on both sides
of the Civil War,
said she doesn't know the exact acreage of the original battlefield.
She estimated it would extend about a mile in circumference
around
the 3-acre Lone Jack Battlefield and Cemetery Park at 301 S.
Bynum
Road.
"
Between highway encroachment and development, there is about 30
acres of the battlefield left," she said.
It was the constant comments from visitors about
the encroaching
development that finally led to the birth of the Friends group,
which
incorporated as a non-profit in 2,000.
"
People would say 'I can't believe there are houses there,'" Remington
said of their reaction to a new residential development that went in on the
east side of the battlefield. "When you're trying to step back in time
it's hard to transport yourself when there is an
ice cream truck going by."
Since its incorporation the Friends group has
drawn national
support from the reenactment community, the Civil War Preservation
Trust and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Remington
said the Lone Jack Battlefield was recently added to the Civil
War
Discovery Trail. The trail, which promotes some 500 battlefields
across the country, is put out by the Civil War Preservation
Trust
and is designed to promote awareness and appreciation of the
nation's
historic Civil War sites.
The National Park Service has also noted the
importance of the
county-owned Lone Jack Battlefield Park.
Connie Langum, a National Park Service historian
at Wilson's Creek
National Battlefield in southwest Missouri, is the Midwest
Coordinator for the American Battlefield Protection Program.
Its preservation priority survey of some 300
Civil War battlefields
nationwide ranked the Lone Jack battlefield as a Priority Two
because
its preservation is facing a moderate to high threat.
The ranking
qualifies Lone Jack for matching federal funds through The
Land and
Water Conservation Fund administered by the U.S. Department
of the
Interior.
Langum said few people know that Missouri ranks
number three after
Virginia and Tennessee for the highest number of battles fought
within its borders. She said the Lone Jack site is especially
important because of its potential to provide historic interpretation
of guerrilla fighters during the Civil War.
That is an aspect of Civil War history that
has not seen significant
focus, at least within the National Park Service, according
to
Langum. "Lone Jack has that over us."
A museum that interprets Lone Jack history opened
to the public in
Battlefield Park in 1963. A look at its register for the past
year
shows visitors from 11 states, and three foreign countries.
The
museum and small park owes its existence in part to former
President
Harry S. Truman who was quoted in a newspaper article as having
worked 40 years to see the battlefield preserved. Truman, as
a young
boy, had fond memories of attending reunions and picnics held
on the
grounds to commemorate the battle fought there.
The Friends are in negotiations with landowners
and hope to raise
money to acquire property, fund an archeological survey and
interpret
the history of the battle with signage and walking trails.
Remington
said she is unaware of any opposition to their preservation
efforts.
Friends President Alinda Miller, whose great-great-grandfather
fought
for the 6th Regiment State Militia Cavalry on the Union side
at Lone
Jack, described the preservation quest as a "worthwhile cause."
"
We feel strongly that we will succeed because we are generating a
lot of national and local interest with the historic community and
with various other organizations," she said.
Donations may be mailed to Friends of Historic
Lone Jack, P.O. Box 34, Lone Jack, MO 64070. For more information
see http://www.historiclonejack.org/
