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DENLOW:  MISSOURI CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL
 

        On August 31, 2008, a warm Sunday afternoon, 150 people gathered in the Denlow Cemetery in central Douglas County to dedicate the new Civil War Memorial that has been in the works for some time.  The rural cemetery sits on a hillside overlooking Fox Creek and some rich farmland that is also rich with history.  The designer and builder of the monument, Rick Alsup, said in his remarks that he has always liked history and he expressed concern:  “If we don’t tell it, it may not get told the way we would want it to be remembered in the future.”

        The memorial is a stone column with two plates of text on the upper surface and the list of the 32 Civil War Soldiers buried at the Denlow Cemetery engraved on the face of the monument.  The text outlines the roll of Lieutenant William N. Alsup and that of Captain James S. Upshaw and continues:  “U.S. Civil War 1861 to 1865 Veterans of this war buried here at Denlow Cemetery.  On April 12, 1861 the Civil War of the United States officially began.  The State of Missouri was bitterly divided between Union and Confederate support.  This meant close neighbors became instant enemies and obviously caused huge close conflicts, especially in the Ozarks of Southern Missouri being close to the Mason Dixon line.  The very area in which this monument stands and the surrounding area, became a brutal battlefield for livelihood of families, farms and their personal possessions.  For the constant support of the Confederacy forces some people and families in this area and others, the Federal Union forces administered Martial Law on August 30, 1861.  Under Martial Law, the Union forces were to be the law and to do whatever it took to keep the Confederate armies from advancing through southern Missouri.  The very men in this cemetery were commissioned to be the Law of this area.  This included and was not limited to executions, confiscation of land and homes of those who supported and gave aid to the Confederate Forces.  The Confederate Army did the same.”

        The unveiling ceremony was directed by author Catherine Alsup Reilly of Fulton, Kentucky, a Member of the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.  Her husband Mickey Reilly opened the program with a prayer and there followed a number of speakers.  Herb Woods, whose ancestor donated the land for the cemetery, spoke eloquently of the sacrifice and history of the people of the area.  Additional speakers were Kristi Towe, County Coordinator for the Douglas County rootsweb site, Robert Upshaw, Sally Prock and Cenita Brown.  Each emphasized the importance of preserving local history.  Special acknowledgment and recognition for providing historical information and support for the building of the monument were made to Cletis Upshaw, Nobel Barker, Jane Alsup Hegle, Lyle Dickison, Cinita Brown, Marion Conradi.

        To the strains of “Ashokan Farwell” flags were placed flanking the memorial by Randy Parham and David Beasley.  Designer/builder, Rick Alsup unveiled the memorial.  Tom Alsup played “To the Color” as the flag was raised from half staff by Pete Proctor.  Robert Upshaw held a Roll Call of all 32 Veterans with a response of “here” from descendants of the veterans. David Coffman, Mike Metcalf and Gary Lee Riley, Civil War Re-enactors gave a very informative introduction and later a 21 gun salute.  Jared Moore closed the ceremony by playing “Taps.”

        The ceremony lasted just over an hour and was the culmination of work that has been in progress for more than a year.  Colonel William Monks wrote in “A History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas,” published in 1907, “History in its darkest hour shall be written and perpetuated by generations not yet born.”  More information and photographs of the event can be seen at http://home.earthlink.net:80/~cmickeys/dcm/.  This information has been made available by Catherine Alsup Reilly, who has written the “Book of Moses Locke Alsup.”

Following are the Veterans to whom the memorial is dedicated:

James S. Alsup Infantry, John B. Alsup Infantry, Moses L Alsup Captain Infantry, Thomas S. Alsup Infantry, William N. Alsup Lieutenant Infantry, Andrew Anderson Infantry, Calvin Barnard, William M. Coffman Infantry, Jesse Cox Calvary, David Farmer, Elijah Farmer, James H. Hammons Private Infantry, James B. Henson, Richard h. “Doc” Hodge Private Calvary, William A Hopper Infantry (Medal of Honor), Enos Lakey, Thomas Livingston, John R. Lord Infantry, Henry C. Malernee Calvary, John L. Martin, Elijah Martin, John W. Mattucks, James Ousley Infantry, Thomas N. Smallwood Private Infantry, John W. Souder, John S. Upshaw Captain Infantry, E.C. (Elias Crocket) Vancil Private Infantry, George W. Williams Private Infantry, James S. Woods, John S. Woods, Moses F. Woods Calvary, Confederate soldier John A. Rambo

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This photograph was taken at the first Champion School Reunion in 1984. In the front row with a smile and a pie is Esther Wrinkles who lived in downtown Champion at that time. The men in the back are from left to right. Herbert Hutchison, Manfred Smith, Tommy Sutherland, Doug Hutchison, Dwayne Henson, and George Tom Proctor. The three remaining ladies will be remembered and identified by Ruby Proctor or some other attendee at the next Champion School Reunion which will be held August 30th. This will be the twenty-fourth of these reunions and it is always pleasant to renew old acquaintances and catch up on the year’s news.

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