Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Absalom Stonecipher Humbard
There seems to be a common misconception that the Missouri guerrillas during the Civil War were little more than outlaws. Of course, that's how Union authorities tried to brand them, but the truth is that many, if not most, of the guerrillas were respected citizens before the war (or, in the case of the younger guerrillas, came from respected families). An example is Absalom S. Humbard of Jasper County. Humbard got married in Jasper County in 1856 and was an established farmer when the war came on. In the years immediately preceding the war, he was a member a group calling themselves the Minutemen who formed in Jasper County for protection against Kansas jayhawkers. Leader of the group was county judge John R. Chenault. At the outset of the war, Humbard joined the Missouri State Guard but declined to re-enlist when his initial six-month term was over. Many of the men who initially joined the State Guard did so with the limited goal of protecting their own soil, and this was true of Humbard. By the end of the six-month enlistment, though, most of them were being asked to join the Confederacy or were being otherwise expected to fight outside Missouri. Like a lot of his fellow State Guardsmen, Humbard balked at this idea and instead returned to Jasper County, where he began recruiting his own small squad. Not long afterwards he fell in with Tom Livingston and became an officer in Livingston's command. Although officially affiliated with Standwatie's Cherokee Indian regiment as part of the Confederate army, Livingston's men were usually referred to as a guerillas. At one point during the war, Humbard was taken prisoner and held at Springfield for six weeks. At the end of the war, he moved to Texas and became a prominent farmer. Humbard's story is probably more typical of the Missouri guerrillas than that of the men we tend to hear about--men like Frank and Jesse James, who became post-war outlaws.
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5 comments:
Thanks for your comments about my great-great grandfather, Absalom Humbard. As you say, most folks class the "bushwhackers" as little more than murderers and thieves, but Absalom was obviously very proud of his service; his headstone designates him as "Captain, C.S.A."
My grandfather's great grandfather (who was an old man at the time) was shot dead by Mr Humbard on the front steps of his house in front of his family. (see pg184 of Jasper county, Missouri, In the Civil War, by Ward L. Schrantz) Some of my family historians report that Mr. Humbard was almost raised by my relative. Proud of his service? hmmm...that depends on who killed who....a long time ago.
Anonymous , My 2X great Grandfathers sister was married to Ab Humbard's brother. Our family story has it that he shot his own nephew in the forehead in front of his Mother. His name was James Humbard and he is buried at Dudman Cemetary Cave Springs . James was only about 17 . I am not sure as to the nature of the dispute, but it was war related. James is listed on the Civil War Monument at Cave Springs. I also regard him as an cruel entity. My Grandfather was listed as 6th Mo. Cav CSA, but shows to be one of the local Sarcoxie Soldiers that refused to go back East. It is my opinion that my Grandfather may have been one of the scoundrels that rode with Livingston and Humbard. Gabriel Stanford was his name. His sister was Anna Perry ( Stanford ) Humbard. Anna's son in law ( Sparks ) was also killed on or about the same day. I believe this was also by Ab Humbard or his crew. All partly our family narrative, and partly my opinions.
Yes, I think opinions about Humbard probably depend on which side of the war you were on. If you were on the Union side, he was definitely not a person you would have liked, and he apparently even committed or participated in some atrocities. Both sides did that, although the Confederate side probably more so than the Union, simply because of the desperate situation they found themselves in, especially late in the war. I would still not characterize Ab Humbard, though, as a common outlaw, in the sense that the Union routinely tried to characterize all guerrillas--someone who habitually went about the countryside robbing and preying on innocent citizens for no reason other than personal gain or pure meanness.
August 12, 2025 at 3:20 PM
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