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Quantrill's Best Recruiting Office The bedrock of Missouri communities during the Civil War were the churches that were established as soon as the settlers moved into the new unchartered territories. The most notable being the West Fork of the Little Blue Baptist Church, which was established in 1842 in the Brooking Township of Jackson County, Missouri. The fabric of Missouri society at the time of the Civil War was comprised of hard-working, God-fearing men and women who came to the state as pioneers and developed the land into prosperous farms. They built fine homes and started businesses. Their Bibles represented their moral code, a standard with which to judge themselves and their neighbors. As soon as they raised a roof over their heads their thoughts quickly turned to building a church for worship. They looked forward to expressing their freedom of religion established by the Founding Fathers and guaranteed in the Constitution that they loved so dear. During this time of strife and unrest, churches provided foundations for their communities. They were the safe harbors during troubled times. They assured their members that, despite the uncertainty and upheaval around them, there was still a God who comforted and cared for them. In 1799 Daniel Boone, the famous pioneer, had followed his son Daniel Morgan Boone to Missouri. Boone’s grandsons, Daniel and Morgan, built the first church building in 1846 for the West Fork Church from native stone on two acres of land. The membership roll was kept segregated, not by race, but by sex. Those who joined afterwards formed the backbone of Colonel William Clarke Quantrill’s partisan ranger company. Shortly after forming, the church approved John and Rebecca J. Flanery for membership in 1844. During the Civil War Kansas Jayhawkers burned down the Flanery home along with 25 others on October 27, 1861. Because of this injustice his son and other relatives joined Quantrill. Jayhawkers murdered church member Zion Flanery the father of Isaac, Silas and Martin Flanery causing them to join Quantrill also. Martin's wife instructed him to join Quantrill and to "sell his life as dearly as possible." In 1859 Richard Marshall Fristoe served on the church building committee when a new larger building was needed. He was one of the first Jackson County Court judges and served in the Missouri House of Representatives. Fristoe was the maternal grandfather of Cole and Jim Younger who both served faithfully in Quantrill's guerrilla company. Fristoe's nephews, John and Jabez McCorkle both served in Quantrill's company as scouts. After Jabez's death during the Civil War his wife Charity, married Nathan Kerr, another guerrilla under Quantrill. An additional church member and relation of the Youngers was Reuben M. Harris. His son, Thomas B. Harris enlisted under Quantrill and their home often served as a rendezvous for Quantrill's men. Thomas rode at Quantrill's side for the entire war. His cousins, George Wigginton, James Simeon Whitsitt and Riley Crawford rode with him in Quantrill's company as well. Riley's three brothers rode with Quantrill for a short while before joining the regular Confederate army. A member of the West Fork Church who served in Quantrill’s company was John T. House, whose father, Eli, had been murdered by the chief of all Jayhawkers, Charles Jennison. Another member who rode with Quantrill was Randolph Venable. Descendants of Daniel Boone whose grandsons built the first church building were church members consisting of the William Muir and Septimus Scholl families. William Muir's sons, Boone T., James and Samuel and their cousin's George Thomas and Daniel Boone Scholl all joined Quantrill. Benjamin Muir also joined with them. An early recruit of Quantrill's was Benjamin Rice. Rice was a church member and later a deacon, who served Quantrill as a local guard for the area against Jayhawker raids. Rice lost his slaves and much of his property during the war. Another church member of the West Fork Church was Solomon Akers whose sons Henry, Mark and Sylvester were all found in Quantrill's company. The Freeman Hulse family were also members of the early church. When Jayhawkers murdered their father for feeding some of Quantrill's men, James, Louis and William Hulse all sought out Quantrill and enlisted in his company. The area surrounding the West Fork Church also entertained numerous battles and skirmishes during the war. A skirmish at the John Flanery house at the beginning of the war on January 3, 1862, where Quantrill's men were surrounded but managed to escape was a harrowing adventure. The Lowe house fight that occurred on April 16, 1862 was just a mile south of the West Fork Church and the Battle of White Oak Creek on August 18, 1862 was fought just a few short miles beyond. The Wagner fight that took place on July 6, 1864 between Quantrill's men and the 2nd Colorado Cavalry was just a mile to the east. Southern churches had many problems to contend with during the war. Most tried to remain neutral, but when Abraham Lincoln called for a day of fasting and prayer on behalf of the Union cause, the request was considered a coercion by many in Missouri. The animosity aroused by the presidential proclamation caused many congregations to split or disband. The West Fork Church closed its doors from 1862 to 1866. It was on Saturday, March 22, 1862 that Quantrill bivouacked his 60 men in the vacant West Fork Church. He had just read Union General Halleck's order outlawing all guerrilla activity. It was in the church yard that Quantrill drew a line on the ground and read aloud the order stating, "Now boys, those of you who wish can quit and go home. Those who stay will know what to expect. I’ll accept the challenge. All of you who wish to remain and fight with me ride over on this side of the line. All of you who wish to leave the outfit go ahead and nothing will be held against you. Every man will now make his choice.” It was here that the Federal government issued the "Black Flag" of "no quarter" towards the guerrillas. Quantrill rode away from the church to his next skirmish at the Tate House fight on March 23. Here he was again surrounded by a superior force of Federals but managed to escape, propelling his reputation and fame throughout the region. The West Fork Church was not the only church where Quantrill derived much of his support and strength. Jeremiah Farmer the pastor of the West Fork Church had a daughter, Sarah, who married Nathan George who along with his brothers, Gabriel, Hiram, Isaac, and John Hicks George all rode with Quantrill. The Georges belonged to the Oak Grove Baptist Church where Quantrill was a regular attendee. Their brother-in-law, Ezra Moore, rode with Quantrill as well as his neighbor, Jose White. The church’s pastor, Hiram Bowman, was the father-in-law of John Koger, one of Quantrill’s bravest soldiers. John's brother Ed joined him in riding with Quantrill. When the war was over and the guerrillas were allowed to return and take up peaceful pursuits these churches once again regained their former glory. The West Fork of the Little Blue Baptist Church whose name changed to the West Fork Baptist Church and again to the Raytown Baptist Church before settling on its present name, the First Baptist Church of Raytown, now has over 3,000 members in a vibrant community with the descendants of Quantrill's men still serving as active members. Article by Paul R. Petersen. Photo of West Fork Church in author's collection. Ref: Quantrill of Missouri, Paul R. Petersen, Cumberland House Publishing Co. 2003.
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