I recently made a trip to Douglas County to take a picture of the monument dedicated to the early Alsups of the county and their race horses. (I have occasionally heard Douglas County referred to as Booger County, and now I can see why. To reach the monument, I had to take narrow and rocky gravel road about four or five miles off the paved highway, and I felt as if I was getting back into the boonies. Not that I have anything against those types of isolated areas. In fact, I feel pretty much at home in the sticks. But I can see why some people might think the place is "boogery.")
The Alsups were among the early settlers of Douglas County prior to the Civil War. During the war they were strong Union supporters, and most or all of the Alsup men served in the Federal army. For many years after the war, the Alsups dominated Douglas County politics, and they made many enemies because of their firm rule.
Like many disputes during the late 1860s and the 1870s, especially in the border state of Missouri, the animosity had its roots in the Civil War, because most of the people who opposed the Alsups were former Confederate soldiers or sympathizers (or else lukewarm Union supporters) while the Alsups were Radical Republicans. It wasn't as if the family was universally hated, because the Alsup clan also had many supporters.
In addition to being involved in county politics, the Alsups were also noted for their avid interest in raising and riding fine race horses, and the monument in northeast Douglas County (not far from the Denlow community) is dedicated to the Alsup legacy of raising outstanding race horses. The monument specifically mentions the three Alsup brothers who originally settled in the Douglas County area, Ben, Moses Lock, and William, and it also mentions Lock's sons, one of whom, Shelt Alsup, was a two-term sheriff of Douglas County during the mid 1870s and was involved in a gunfight with his successor in 1879 that left both men dead.
For more information on the Alsups, watch for my book entitled Desperadoes of the Ozarks (which is due out from Pelican next spring and is more or less a sequel to my Ozarks Gunfights book). It contains a chapter on the Alsups.
7 comments:
I had a few acres in Douglas County for several years. I love the "boogery" aspect of the county. I enjoy your historical posts on the Ozarks. I keep an Ozarks blog too.
How about an article about them for "The Ozarks Mountaineer?"--about the time the book comes out. Faye is from Douglas County, not too far from Denlow, and I've heard some stories about them from her!
Do you have the names of the men in the posse that were at the Shelt Alsup house in 1879? I'm a n Upshaw family researcher and there is an undocumented comment that an Upshaw was a member of the posse & I need some documentation, if there is any - possibly a newspaper account? Will appreciate.
Which upshaw had a scar across his neck?
Moses Locke Alsup commanded H company of the 46th mounted infantry in Douglas and Ozark Counties during the latter years of the war. Capt William Monks wrote in considerable detail of actions that involved Capt. Alsup and members of Company H. It has been said that Moses Alsup was the "Bloody Bill of the North" due to the nature of the companies work chasing Bushwhackers through South Missouri and the violence they directed toward their adversaries. Their brazen escape from Vera Cruz after being surrounded by Shelby's confederate forces. Done, after ignoring a direct order from a superior Union officer to surrender. The rescue by one of Moses' Corporals from being hung by Bushwhackers after his son in law Riley Brown and Mill owner Jesse Ballard James were successfully hung. The races at the triangular shaped field known as "The Racetrack" in Denlow MO that drew larger crowds than the Missouri State Fair. The incident in court when Moses fired his revolver into the ceiling to quell dissension.
I have been very surprised that a book has not previously been written specifically about Capt Alsup and Company H. There is sufficient material not just for a book...but a movie as well.
For those who have interest...I have a copy of the unpublished book written by Catherine Alsup Reilly, a GGG Granddaughter of Moses Locke Alsup, entitled "The Book of Moses Locke Alsup, 1813-1896"
I am also the 3rd and 4th generation grandson of two members of Company H who served under Capt. Alsup. One of whom was Corporal Uriah Russell...the Corporal who was rescued from hanging. The other was Pvt. Alvin Owen
K. Owen, thanks for the additional info on the Alsups. They were quite a family. I didn't realize there was as much material on Cpt. Alsup and family as you say there is, but I still probably won't try to write a book about them. Maybe someone else will, though.
Please think about it, the more you learn about Moses the more fascinated one becomes!
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