Moore's Mill Battlefield closer to being listed as historic

The Moore's Mill Battlefield in Calwood is one step closer to being listed on the National Register of Historic Places after the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation unanimously voted for nomination Friday.

Joseph Brent, a Kentucky-based historian, gave a presentation to the 12-member board inside the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Lewis and Clark Building. He reported a synopsis of the events that unfolded in late July 1862 during the Civil War.

Confederate Col. Joseph C. Porter led a campaign throughout Missouri, attempting to enlist men to bring into Arkansas. He planned to travel through Callaway County to go across the Missouri River, but his efforts were thwarted by Col. Odon Guitar and his Union forces.

"It was basically the Confederate efforts to recruit men in Missouri and the Union's efforts to stop them," Brent said.

A March 2013 archeological dig - led by Doug Scott with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln - proved the Union forces were supplied with more powerful weaponry. They used rifle muskets, which Brent said could shoot up to 400 yards, and artillery. Brent said mathematics pinpointed where the Union's canons were set during battle, and the terrain today is sunken in those spots. The artillery fire caused the Confederacy to leave Moore's Mill and head north, but they killed 13 Union troops and wounded 55 before leaving.

What is now an open field was once covered with trees. Other than that, Brent said the Moore's Mill Battlefield is undisturbed.

"When you go out there, you can really get the feel for the battle," Brent said.

That aspect of the report impressed Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation member Tom Kuypers.

"The thing that amazed me - and by seeing the pictures - is that area hadn't changed," he said. "Like (Brent) said, you can actually picture what happened on that field."

Tony Holland, council member, said the archeological discoveries were key in telling the story of Moore's Mill and the tactics of Confederates who were at a disadvantage with their weapons. They used shot guns, which Brent said were close-range firearms. He said they hid and shot at Union soldiers as they traveled on the road - a strategy Porter used throughout his Missouri recruitment campaign.

"(The artifacts) give you a greater perspective," Holland said. "And, it really shows you how close the contact had to be ... That really gives you information that you would not receive (without archeological research)."

According to the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office website, the National Register of Historic Places considers nominations that have "made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history," and that "have yielded or may be likely to yield information important in history," among other criteria.

Gregory Wolk, executive director of Missouri's Civil War Heritage Foundation, said Moore's Mill is a "pristine" battlefield worthy of the federally-recognized honor.

"It is one way of us remembering for generations what - in part - happened there," he said.

Wolk added that recognition as a historic place would honor the efforts of husband and wife Bryant and Kathy Richey Liddle, the property owners.

Bryant Liddle said he's "very happy" Moore's Mill Battlefield is moving forward in what has become a five-year process, including grant writing and the archeological survey.

"We've had a lot of good help from Joe (Brent) and Greg (Wolk) and all the different organizations," Bryant Liddle said, giving credit to Missouri's Civil War Heritage Foundation, the Kingdom of Callaway Civil War Heritage and Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society. "It's been a concerted effort from everyone."