Captain Hiram A. Rice, "Red Rovers"

While I was researching the Hospital ship Red Rover, I noticed another “Red Rovers”, I couldn’t figure what the difference was. After a little more research I found the “Red Rovers”, was a company of the 10th., Cavalry Missouri State Militia. The company was command by Captain Hiram A. Rice, the company was Co. I., with a roster of about a 115, men. This company was known as the “Louisiana Red Rovers”, this being that many of the men came from Louisiana Missouri although some men came from other counties. This company was known as the Louisiana Red Rovers, Missouri Red Rovers and just Red Rovers. The company worked independently from the main regiment.

The 10th., was reorganized to the 3rd Regiment State Militia Cavalry February 2, 1863.
Captain Hiram A. Rice, enlisted in the 10th., on March 17, 1862, at the age of 45, at Louisiana Missouri and was mustered in on June 6, 1862, at St. Louis Missouri, was elected First Lieutenant on April 17, 1862, then elected Captain on June 6, 1862, he would mustered out in June of 1865.

Little is known about this independent company only bits and piece can be found, for this reason the following information will jump around a lot. They are mention in a few reports but I will not state the full report as they are only given a short note in them.

Note. At the end of the information you will find the roster for company I., you will find them to be in alphabetical order along with his age. The information come off their enrollment cards, there is add information on these cards, if you wish this information just let me know and I will be glad to send it to you.

Important note. I have thousands of names at this site, when asking about a name from this page or any other pages at this site, please give the ( Title of the page ), for without it I may not be able to help you. My address can be found in my profile.
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September 1862.

In a report given by Lieutenant-Colonel Shaffer, commanding Merrill's Horse, and of Major Caldwell,* commanding detachment of Third Iowa Cavalry, and of Major Benjamin, commanding detachment of the Eleventh Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, of their operations in the action of August 6, 1862, between the force under my command and the army under the guerrilla chief Joseph C. Porter.

Joseph C. Porter had 2,000, men in his command and took over the town of Kirksville Missouri to make his stand. Kirksville is situated on a prairie ridge, surrounded completely by timber and corn fields, with open ground on the northeast, from which direction we approached. The advanced guard, comprising detachments of the Second and Eleventh Missouri State Militia, under Major Benjamin, had been gallantly pushed forward, and held the northeastern approach of the town long in advance of the arrival of the main column and artillery.

The artillery opened, throwing shot and shell into the corn fields, gardens, and houses where the enemy were ensconced. The dismounted men were thrown forward to seize the outer line of sheds and houses on the northern and eastern sides of the town. This was gallantly done by the commands of Major Benjamin and Lieutenant Piper, of Merrill's Horse; the detachment of the Ninth Missouri State Militia, under Captain Leonard; the Red Rovers, under Captain Rice, and the detachment of the Third Iowa. Major Cox with his detachment occupied and skirmished through a corn field on the northeast of the town, driving a large body of the enemy out and pursuing them with effect. The advance was steadily made, house after house being taken, the occupants killed or surrendering. In this work we lost the most of our men that were killed or wounded--including Captain Mayne, of the Third Iowa, who fell at the head of his command, leading them up as only a brave soldier can.

Captain Rice, commanding that gallant little company the Red Rovers, demeaned himself like a true soldier, remaining on the field during the entire action after having received a severe wound in the face.

Side note. The Battle of Kirksville was fought August 6-9, 1862 during the American Civil War. Union troops led by John McNeil forced Confederate volunteers under Joseph Porter to vacate the city. Casualty estimates (almost entirely Confederate) range from 150-200 dead and up to 400 wounded. According to the August 12, 1862, Quincy Herald there were 8 Federal dead and 25 wounded. The victorious Union commander, Colonel McNeil, gained brief national attention for his post-battle execution of a small number of Confederate prisoners. These prisoners had been previously captured in battle and then paroled with the understanding they would no longer take up arms against the Union, upon penalty of death if recaptured. Nonetheless, Confederate government officials were outraged, and it is said that Confederate president Jefferson Davis even called for the execution of Colonel (later Brigadier General) McNeil if he were to be captured.
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A report given by Colonel Odon Guitar, Ninth Missouri Cavalry Militia, on the Skirmish at Brown's Spring and action at Moore's Mill, near Fulton Missouri, on July 27-28, 1862.

He stated he has at his command a independent company of cavalry, lead by Captain Rice, with 38 men.
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The following came from the records of the Missouri State Historical Society.

Dr. Joseph A. Mudd, in his history of Porter's Campaign in North Missouri, during the summer of 1862, has this to say of the battle of Moore's Mill, as related to him by myself, as the things and doings occurred under my observation. Comrade Hance says: "Our boys were with me, fighting bravely after the action begun. It seems to me that our company was directly in front of the enemy's artillery. I have always thought it was our fire that disabled the battery and killed nearly all of the horses and a number of those in charge." It was just before our charge that Perry Brown fell, on my immediate left, with part of his skull torn away by a grape shot.

George Free- man, William Furnish, Uriah Williams and myself, were wounded. My right arm was fearfully shattered almost from the shoulder to the elbow. Another bullet, which I still carry, buried itself in my thigh, and a third grazed the skin under my left arm, tearing a hole in my clothing and haversack, through which you could pass your hand. I stepped back to a gully in our rear, and the next thing I remember was a Dutchman peeping around a tree at me with a shout of glee to see the damned secesh hors de combat. Presently several of Merrill's and Rice's Red Rovers came up; one of Merrill's orderlies carried water and poured some of it and some brandy down my throat, and asked me if I wished to be taken up the road where they had taken their dead and wounded. I said I would like to be taken there, but first I should like to speak to an officer if there were any near. He called Captain Rice. When he came I took my pocketbook from under a root of a tree where I had hidden it and said, "Captain, I have a request to make of you. Will you kindly send this book and money to my mother." I then gave him her address. He promised to send it immediately and then said, "Now I have a request to make of you." (When I think of it now I can but laugh at the ridiculousness of it.) "And it is, when you get back to your command, that you recover and return to me two or three of the guns, captured by your men from my company, as they are of a new kind and limited to my company and I cannot get others like them."
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10th, Missouri State Militia Cavalry Company I., Known as the 3rd.
Under the command of Hiram A. Rice.

There are 115, known men in this company.

1. ALLISON, SAMUEL A., Age 18.
2. ANGELL, MATHIAS, Age 19.
3. AUDREY, ROBERT D., Age 26.
4. BARNES, JAMES H., Age 21.
5. BARRETT, BENJAMIN F., Age unknown.
6. BARRETT, GEORGE W. Age unknown.
7. BARRETT, JOHN M., Age 28.
8. BARRETT, MASON, Age unknown.
9. BARRETT, SIMON J., Age 23.
10. BENNETT, BOMHA, Age 20.
11. BENNETT, JAMES, Age unknown.
12. BLACKSTONE, FRANCIS, Age 18.
13. BRADLEY, HUGH M., Age 23.
14. BRANSTETTER, SIMON W., Age 21.
15. BRUNK, JOSEPH H., Age 26.
16. CASHION, JAMES M., Age unknown.
17. CHAMBERLAIN, JAMES R., Age 21.
18. CHAMBERLAIN, THOMAS F. Age 23.
19. CHEEK, JOHN, Age unknown.
20. CHURCHMAN, JOHN H., Age 18.
21. CODY, WILLIAM, Age 24.
22. COOK, CHARLES, Age 36.
23. CRONICAN, WILLIAM, Age 21.
24. CUMMINS, CHARLES H., 23.
25. DANIELS, WILLIS, Age 24.
26. DODGE, THOMAS R., Age 25.
27. DONELSON, JOHN A., Age 18.
28. DOUGHERTY, JAMES J., Age 18.
29. EDWARDS, JAMES, Age 20.
30. ESTES, JAMES L., Age unknown.
31. EVANS, WILLIAM F., Age 27.
32. FEASEL, JAMES, Age 19.
33. FENTON, SAMUEL, Age 29.
34. FICKLIN, THIMAS J., Age 25.
35. FISHER, SOLOMAN, Age 45.
36. FRAZER, JOHN F., Age unknown.
37. GERLEY, WILLIAM W., Age 20.
38. GILBERT, OSCAR O., Age 19.
39. GOURLEY, WILLIAM W., Age 20.
40. GRIEVER, JAMES A., Age 21.
41. GRIFFITH, NATHANIEL H., Age unknown.
42. GRIFFITH, NICHOLAS H., Age 45.
43. GROTTS, JOHN F., Age 20.
44. GROTTS, WILLIAM C., 19.
45. GROVER, JOHN M., Age 19.
46. GROWLEY, WALKER W., Age unknown.
47. HAWKINS, TIMOTHY B., Age 18.
48. HEBERSON, JOSEPH, Age 26.
49. HEWITT, MASON, Age unknown.
50. HIGDON, JAMES T., Age unkown.
51. HODGES, JOHN A., Age 20.
52. HOLLIDAY, JOSEPH A., Age 20.
53. HOUSTON, JOHN C., Age unknown.
54. HUDSON, L. A., Age 32.
55. JOHNSON, JAMES H., Age unknown.
56. JOHNSON, JOSEPH H., Age 25.
57. JONES, ELISHA D., Age unknown.
58. KENNON, OMER, Age 19.
59. LINN, JOHN R., Age 23.
60. LINVILLE, JOHN, Age 43.
61. LITTLE, WILLIAM, Age 20.
62. LUDWIG, CHARLES D., Age unknown.
63. MACE, DANIEL H., Age 19.
64. MASON, HEWITT, Age 38.
65. MCBRIDE, NEPHIE H., Age 19.
66. MCCANE, ALEX B., Age 44.
67. MCCANN, NELSON, Age 25.
68. MCCANS, WILLIAM P., Age 19.
69. MCDANIEL, WILLIAM, Age unknown.
70. MCRAE, JOHN W., Age 26.
71. MILLER, HENRY, Age unknown.
72. MILLER, IRA, Age 32.
73. MOORE, GEORGE W., Age 22.
74. MOORE, JAMES, Age unknown.
75. MORIE, FRANCIS T., Age 22.
76. NELSON, GEORGE C., Age 26.
77. NOLD, LAWRENCE, Age unknown.
78. NOSKY, WILLIAM M., Age unknown.
79. ORR, SAMUEL F., Age 28.
80. ORR, WILLIAM JOSEPH, Age 44.
81. OUSLEY, WILLIAM, Age 27.
82. PATE, THOMAS, Age 38.
83. PECK, CHARLES H., Age unknown.
84. PETERMAN, HENRY C., Age 21.
85. RECTOR, WILLIAM, Age 43.
86. RETHERFORD, J. SAMUEL, Age unknown.
87. RHODES, EMANUEL, Age unknown.
88. RICE, HIRAM A., Age 45.
89. RICHARDS, C. B., Age 39.
90. SCAGGS, WILLIAM, Age unknown.
91. SELVEY, GEORGE W., Age 35.
92. SHATTUCK, A. L., Age 18.
93. SHATTUCK, WARREN C., Age unknown.
94. SHEPHERD, JOHN J., Age unknown.
95. SHEW, JOHN W., Age 19.
96. SHIN, JOHN W., Age unknown.
97. SHRUM, PETER, Age unknown.
98. SUHOENGER, W. J. W., Age unknown.
99. SWEARINGEN, H. W., Age 23.
100. SWEARINGEN, WILLIAM W., Age 23.
101. TARLTON, GEORGE W., Age unknown.
102. TEASEE, JAMES, Age unknown.
103. TINNIN, CHARLES K., Age unknown.
104. TINNIN, JOHN, Age unknown.
105. TIPPLE, ABRAM D., Age unknown.
106. UNDERWOOD, WASHINGTON, Age unknown.
107. VERMILLION, WILLIAM W., Age unknown.
108. WAGONER, JAMES R., Age unknown.
109. WALLS, ALEX, Age unknown.
110. WELCH, THOMAS, Age unknown.
111. WHEELER, JAMES W., Age unknown.
112. WIBEL, HENRY, Age unknown.
113. WILSON, JAMES, Age unknown.
114. WINEKA, GEORGE, Age unknown.
115. WOOD, WILLIAM C., Age unknown.