BATES COUNTY MISSOURI'S CIVIL WAR
Butler, Bates County, Missouri, is a small town in a real small county lying south of Kansas City 60 miles or so, down I-49 (old 71 HWY)
I used to pastor the modest Brooks Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church there from 1995-2004. It is quite remarkable: the county, town and the church . The church's story and spirit are significant symbols of America's past history and future.
The population of Bates county is 7,000 souls, or was, when I was there. The town of Butler had 4,000 souls, of whom about 50 were black. Historically, Bates County was unofficially allied with slaveholders. It was sympathetic to the Confederacy. Willam Quantrill and his murderous guerrilla rebels were succored by Bates' residents.
I mention this renowned, infamous Confederate bushwhacker William Quantrill, because the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, in the "Battle of Island Mound," kicked his irregular buttocks and 400 of his men, straight out of Bates County on October 28-29, 1862, months before Colored troops were eligible to enlist in the U. S. Army by the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863.
I did not know this fact of the existence of black troops fighting in Civil War-Era Missouri, when I first came down to Butler in 1995, as a licentiate (licensed but not ordained). I was driven down to Butler by then-Presiding Elder W. Bartalette Finney , who , like me, is native to St. Louis, Missouri. The Elder could not find the church when we reached Butler! He kept circling the same general street locality, while he was muttering something under his breath. I sensed we were lost. At least he was lost and I was enjoying the ride in the "Dick Sally and Jane"-looking town. Finally, as beads of perspiration appeared on the Elder's forehead , I decided to become proactive in the search for this modest outpost of our Zion.
Down the street, I saw an old white man in overalls walking down the street, carrying two mason jars of tomatoes. I said, "Pull over PE. Let me talk to this man. I bet he knows where our church is!" He pulled over and rolled down the window. I said "'Scuse me, sir. Can you tell me where the colored folks church is around here?" mimicking my best Mississippi accent. He said "Sure! Can't miss it! Turn left at the corner. Go two blocks. It's on the right! Can't miss it!" Grateful, I said "Thank you, Sir!" And PE drove off.
When we got to the church, there were 5-6 people sitting there, who had been patiently waiting on us. Black people are punctual in Butler, unlike certain over big-city venues. I had not expected an overflow crowd, but neither did I expect so few! When the Elder introduced me as the new Pastor and asked for the members to please stand, only one person stood up, Mother Helen Cooper. Lord have mercy. I sighed! Driving 60 miles one-way , twice a month, for one member, one soul!
Fortunately, I had been raised in a very small church rather like it! It was St. Matthews CME Church in Meacham Park, Kirkwood, Missouri.
Actually, Brooks Chapel had three "members", but only one was in the church that Sunday. The others there were not "members," but they showed up every Sunday. Who is a member ceased to matter to me in time. Even so, non-members went to the Zion United Methodist Church across the street. It was open on alternative Sundays (twice a month), when we were closed. That church across the street had the bathroom too! Brooks Chapel, though founded in 1870, from a feedlot store front frame and moved to our lot, had not acquired a restroom in over 100 years!
Fortunately, one of our most helpful non-members was a member of the church across the street. Each Sunday as certain as Bible text, my wife would insist on going to the bathroom across the street after church. It was like a form of Chinese water torture!
Her bathroom promenades and the status of our church's physical plant prompted me, soon, one Sunday to suggest that rather than pay me the $35.00 per visit as salary, why not just pay it into a building fund? That way, we could fix our roof which was in disrepair, paint, and get us a bathroom for the convenience of all! The church agreed: Ended up with them giving me the check which I put into the collection plate, which Kemet, our youngest son would carry around, which offering I would later bless.
During this process, I came to know Mr. Walter Wright, extremely technically-gifted husband of our church treasurer, Mildred Wright, now deceased . "Millie" was a jewel and Walter was her setting. Mr. Wright, who may or may not have been a "member," came to church every Sunday that I was there. He had built their home across the street with his own hands from drawings. He later also put in our bathroom from drawings, even affixing it to the line running down the street. He was in on the roof rehabilitation also. I believe he was the one telling me that there had been a snake on the roof, living inside of the roof. Wasps I knew about and combatted, but a snake? Surely the Lord was with us.
Long story shortened: at Ft. Scott, Kansas, bookstore 4 years later , my eyes alighted on a book from across the room. It was LIKE MEN OF WAR BLACK TROOPS IN THE CIVIL WAR, 1862-1865, by Noah Trudeau (1998). I opened it up and the first thing that I saw was a map naming Butler, Missouri! What was Butler doing in a Civil War history book about black troops?! That was how I learned about the "Battle of Island Mound" in October 1862. Astounding! I knew nothing of this battle at all, and had never heard of it being mentioned at church! Turns out that no one there had ever heard of it either; knew nothing about that battle, and they had been in Butler all of their lives!
We decided to honor those brave, fallen black Civil War soldiers, whose remains were still doubtless unconsecrated , lying in some field!
So we set about the business of putting together a celebration in the Butler City Hall, free and open to the public, in honor of the lives, the memories of these heroic men, who fought for freedom: ex-slaves, freed men, white officers and a Cherokee Indian and his six men, his former slaves, from Oklahoma . It was a great big success! Well attended by hundreds of people we were able to collect over $300.00 to build a statue to these troops in tribute to them, for black history.
Around this time, a white ex-Marine who lived in Butler, who was also a cartographer (map-maker), Chris Tabor, was researching and writing articles for the local newspaper, THE XPRESS, about the 1st Kansas Colored's valorous exploits. His multiple articles appeared in print the same weekend that our City Hall celebrated these troops in our church-sponsored event. He did not know me nor of me; I did not know him, nor of him ! God is real!
We were finally able to raise by various means enough money, some $30,000 by 2008, with which to pay our sculptor, Joel Randall, (whose daddy is a preacher) from Edmond, Oklahoma, and to have it placed on the Bates County Court House grounds in the town square, beside other such historical statuary . This placement was also greatly expedited by Walter Wright and Troy Burton, Brooks Chapel AME regular attendees, who are also some elected county officials.
A big ceremony attended the Amen Society's October 2008 dedication with a parade, 1st Kansas Colored reenactors from Oklahoma and two happy United States Congressmen, Emmanuel Cleaver and Ike Skelton, speeches, songs, salutes, poems.
Our beautiful statue was dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Elnora Burton, our first Amen Society president, who had predeceased this historic dedication. She was also our church pianist; Mother Cooper's daughter; and whose own daughters, Rene and Nikki, were our church and Amen Society's gospel choir! I had organized the Amen Society as a benevolent corporation in 1999, to separate it from the church financially.
In 2012, the State of Missouri dedicated a memorial 40-acre park in Bates County, in homage to the "Battle of Island Mound," thanks to many folks, near the battle scene.
I am hopeful that Bates County, in capsule, will augur a like outcome for the rest of the country around the Civil War and a valorous spirit! That is largely why I wrote about it.
