Missouri State Genealogy Trails
[Transcribed by Donna Walton - 2008]

SECOND MISSOURI INFANTRY

This regiment was organized October 25, 1890. It comprised Company A (Carthage), Captain William K. Caffee; Company B (Butler), Captain Harvey C. Clark; Company C (Eldorado Springs), First Lieutenant Morgan Ryan; Company D (Sedalia), Captain Harry C. DeMuth; Company E (Peirce City), Captain F. C. Stellhorn; Company F (Springfield), Captain A. E. Finley; Company G (Joplin), Captain F. C. Florrance, and Company H (Nevada), Captain Harry Mitchell

A meeting to elect field officers was held at Nevada on November 12, 1890, and the following were selected: Colonel William K., Caffee, Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald B. Diggins, and Major Harry T. Allen.

The dates of organization of the Companies now in the regiment are as follows:
Company A (Carthage), originally known as the "Carthage Light Guard," is the oldest company in the regiment, having been organized
 October 8, 1888.
Company B (Butler), originally known as "Butler Rifles", was organized October 8, 1888.
Company C (Lamar), was organized December 14, 1892
Company D (West Plains), was originally organized November 20, 1905, as Company K, Second Missouri Infantry. On January 23 1908, it was transferred to the Sixth Missouri Infantry and designated as Company A. On July 9, 1914, it was transferred back to the Second Missouri Infantry and designated Company D.
Company E (Sarcoxie) was the successor of the Peirce City company of the same letter and was organized April 29, 1916.
Company F (Clinton), was the successor of the company of the same letter at Springfield and was organized May 14, 1895, and mustered out of the service September 18, 1909. This company was reorganized as Company G on December 2, 1913, and given its old designation March 2, 1915.
Company G (Joplin), was organized December 17, 1890, and mustered out on December 2, 1902.
It was reorganized February 24, 1910, as Company F, and on March 2, 1915, given its old letter.
Company H (Lebanon) was organized December 20, 1915.
Company I (Webb City), was organized January 24, 1909
Company K (Springfield) was organized March 2, 1896, and mustered out September 14, 1899. It was reorganized January 16, 1908. This company is the successor of old Company F, one of the original companies of the regiment
Company L (Jefferson City) was organized June 21, 1897, as Company A, First Separate Battalion, and was attached to the Second Infantry as Company L May 4, 1898. It was mustered out March 7, 1900. This company was reorganized June 9, 1909.
Company M (Aurora) was organized September 4, 1915.
The Machine Gun Company (Nevada) was organized November 12, 1915. This organization succeeds Company H, one of the original companies of the regiment.

The following companies have, during the period of their existence, been attached to the regiment:
Company C (Eldorado Springs), one of the original companies of the regiment, was organized February 1, 1890 as the "Eldorado Guard" and was mustered out May 28, 1891.
Company D (Sedalia), originally known as the "Sedalia Rifles," was organized March 25, 1890. It was mustered out of the service on May 4, 1910.
Company E (Peirce City) was organized as the "Peirce City Light Guard" May 3, 1890, and was mustered out of the service on March 11, 1916.
Company F (Springfield) was organized September 16, 1890, as the "Springfield Rifles" and mustered out of the service December 18, 1894.
Company G (Aurora) was organized April 24, 1905, following the disbandment of the Joplin Company of that letter and was mustered out May 24, 1913.
Company H (Nevada) was organized December 17, 1890, and mustered out of the service April 24, 1915, its successor being the Nevada Machine Gun Company.
Company H (Harrisonville) was organized October 14, 1915, and mustered out January 7, 1916.
Company I (Sedalia) was organized April 27, 1898, and mustered out September 14, 1899.
Company I (Greenfield) was organized February 18, 1902, as Company M, Sixth Separate Battalion, and was attached to the Second Regiment and designated Company I March 4, 1902; It was mustered out December 16, 1908.
Company L (Harrisonville) was organized April 24, 1905, and mustered out of the service July 1, 1901.
Company M (Springfield) was organized April 27, 1898, and was mustered out September 14, 1899. This company was reorganized April 2, 1903, and mustered out September 3, 1909.
Company M (Neosho) was organized April 17, 1906, and mustered out April 16, 1915.

The first regimental band, stationed at Sedalia, was organized April 28, 1891, and mustered out December 18, 1894. A band was then organized at Clinton May 28, 1895, and mustered out June 16, 1897. A new band was organized at Joplin July 7, 1897, and mustered out November 16, 1897. It was reorganized at Sedalia November 16, 1897, and mustered out May 14, 1900. Its successor was organized at Butler May 17, 1900, and mustered out July 10, 1903. The band was then reorganized at Nevada July 10, 1903, and mustered out August 1, 1906. It was next enlisted at Aurora August 20, 1906, and mustered out May 15, 1912. It was reorganized at Nevada May 18, 1912, and mustered out February 20, 1914. The present band was organized at Bolivar on March 3, 1914.

The regiment attended the following camps of instruction: Brigade camp at Lake Contrary (near St. Joseph) August 10-16, 1891; regimental camp at Carthage, July 17-23, 1892; battalion camp at Nevada, July 17-24, 1893; regimental amp at Springfield, July 15-22, 1894; regimental camp at Sedalia, August 4-11, 1895; regimental camp at Lamar, August 16-23, 1896; regimental camp at Joplin, August 15, 22, 1897; brigade camp (Camp Bell) at Springfield, July 15-22, 1900; brigade camp at Nevada, July 23-30, 1901; regimental camp at Butler, July 21-28, 1902; brigade camp at Lake Contrary (near St. Joseph), (Camp Dameron), July 19-26, 1903; brigade camp (Camp Bates) at Nevada, July 17-26, 1904; brigade camp at Lake Contrary (near St. Joseph), (Camp Folk), July 9-16, 1905; maneuvers at Fort Riley, Kansas, August 26-September 2, 1906; brigade camp Lake Contrary (near St. Joseph), August
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Nevada), August 24-31, 1913; brigade camp, State Rifle Range (Near Nevada), July 12-19, 1914; practice march from Carthage to Aurora
 July 11-18, 1915

The regiment attended the funeral of General Sherman at St. Louis on February 21, 1891.

Two provisional companies, one composed of selected men from companies B, E, and F, under the command of Captain H. C. Clark, and the other of selected men from companies A, C, D, G, and H, commanded by Captain H. C. DeMuth, attended the World's Fair in Chicago, October 20-22, 1892, as part of the provisional Missouri regiment.

The regiment participated in the ceremonies incident to the dedication of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis on April 30, 1903, and camped in the exposition grounds during the ceremonies attending Missouri week, October 5-15, 1904.

The regiment was called out for riot duty at Springfield on April 15, 1905, and remained on duty there until April 26, 1905. On Saturday night, April 14, 1905, three negroes were burned on the public square of Springfield by a mob. Following the burning of these suspects, the mob visited the county jail, demolished the same and liberated all the prisoners. The following day, Sunday, the excitement continued and a second mob began to form with the avowed purpose of driving the negroes out of town and burning their houses. In the afternoon the sheriff, feeling that he was unable to control the situation, made a formal call on the Governor for troops. At 5 o'clock Governor Folk telephoned the commanding general at Butler, which was then the headquarters of the brigade, directing him to send such force as in his judgment might be necessary to Springfield and to go there in person and take command of the situation. General Clark at once ordered out the Second Missouri Infantry and arranged for special trains to move the regiment. At 7 o'clock General Clark left his headquarters with a hastily made up special train, consisting of a switch engine and freight cars and carrying Company B. At Nevada Company H and regimental headquarters were picked up and at Lamar these troops, with the Lamar company, were transferred to the Frisco and the special reached Springfield shortly before midnight. In the meantime the companies at Carthage, Joplin, Peirce City and Aurora had moved over another line and reached Springfield, about 10 o'clock. A crowd had gathered in large numbers on the square and just about the time it was ready to start for the negro quarter the first detachment of troops arrived and cleared the square. Before it had reformed the remainder of the regiment arrived and the situation was quickly under control. The regiment had carried its tentage, rations, etc., with it and in the morning, following their arrival at midnight, the men were comfortably in camp at the county jail campus. On the day following their arrival the troops arrested eleven of the ring-leaders and turned them over to the civil authorities for trial. The city was patrolled for ten days and, notwithstanding the seriousness of the situation, order was restored and all those concerned in the disorders arrested and brought to trial without firing a single gun.

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American war the National Guard was not called as such, but the President called for 200,000 volunteers and the National Guard entered the service in this way, every officer and man in the Missouri National Guard volunteering for service. Governor Stephens announced that the Missouri National Guard would be permitted to volunteer by organizations and that he would commission their officers with the rank they held in the National Guard (thus permitting each organization to be taken intact.) The entire Second Missouri Infantry regiment, officers and men, volunteered and were mobilized at Jefferson Barracks on May 6, 1898, and duly mustered into federal service on May 12, 1898. On May 20, 1898, the regiment arrived at Chickamauga where it was assigned to the Third Brigade, Third Division, and First Army Corps and remained in the concentration camp there until August 27, 1898, when it was moved to Lexington, Ky. On November 8, 1898, it moved to Albany, Ga., and remained there until its muster out of federal service on March 3, 1899.

The following companies constituted the regiment when mustered into federal service in May, 1898:
Company A (Carthage), Captain John A. McMillan
Company B (Butler), Captain Vernon L. Johnson
Company C (Lamar), Captain Frank M. Thorpe.
Company D (Sedalia), Captain George S. Edmonson
Company E (Peirce City), Captain William A. Raupp
Company F (Clinton), Captain Asa C. Landon
Company G (Joplin), Captain Robert A. Spears

The held officers were Colonel William K. Caffee, Lieutenant-Colonel Harry C. DeMuth, Major Harrison Mitchell, Major Franklin E. Williams, and Major Ralph Harrison.

On the return of the regiment from the Spanish-American war, Colonel Caffee resigned and Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Mitchell, who had commanded Company H when the regiment was organized and had served with it during the Spanish-American war as major and lieutenant-colonel, was made colonel. He retired on July 31, 1906, and Lieutenant-Colonel William A. Raupp was elected Colonel. Colonel Raupp was an enlisted man in Company E when the regiment was organized and had served through all of the grades. He was one of its captains during the Spanish-American war and in the absence of one of the majors commanded a battalion during the entire period of that service. The regiment has had only three colonels since its organization.

Under the order of the President dated June 18, 1916, the regiment was mobilized at its home stations on June 19, 1916, and arrived at the State mobilization camp on June 24, 1916. It was mustered into federal service on June 28, 1916, and departed for the border on July 6, arriving at Laredo, Texas, on July 8, 1916. It remained on duty there until December 28, 1916, when it moved to Fort Riley, Kansas, and was finally mustered out of federal service on January 17, 1917.

On September 6, 1916, the regiment took over the patrol duty of the Laredo District, comprising 145 miles of the Border, and remained on river duty until October 17, 1916. While on such duty it was stationed as follows:
At Zapata, First Battalion Headquarters, Major Halliburton;
Company B (Butler) Captain Clark;
Company D (West Plains) Captain Springer.
Ramerino, Company A (Carthage), Captain Trowbridge
Urebino, Company C (Lamar), Captain Hall
San Ygnacio, Third Battalion Headquarters, Major Smith
Company I (Webb City), Captain Nesbitt
Company L (Jefferson City), Captain Moore
Dolores Ranch, Company K (Springfield), Captain Frye, less one platoon
La Perla Ranch, one platoon of Company K (Springfield)
Santa Rosa Ranch, Company M (Aurora), Captain Oglesby
Dolores, Second Battalion Headquarters, Major Loy
Company E (Sarcoxie), Captain Tydings
Company G (Joplin), Captain Fillingham
Machine Gun Company (Nevada), Captain Williams
Perone's Ranch, Company F (Clinton), Captain Hibler
Company H (Lebanon), Captain Martin

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