Upton Hays
Encyclopedia
Upton Hays, sometimes spelled Hayes, (March 29, 1832 – September 15, 1862) was a colonel
of the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
.
. His father was Boone Hays, and his great-grandfather was famed explorer Daniel Boone
. Boone Hays settled in Jackson County, Missouri
in 1837, later taking his sons to California
in 1850 during the gold rush
, but he died of pneumonia
during the trip. Upton never received any formal education.
Boone Hay's sons returned to Missouri, where Upton married Margaret Jane Watts on February 4, 1852, in Jackson County
near Westport. There he farmed and served as a wagonmaster and freight hauler. Upton owned one slave of his own, and managed six others for his mother-in-law, Elizabeth Watts. Hays was associated with the Border Ruffians, including the future guerrilla leader William Quantrill
during the Bleeding Kansas
era of cross-border warfare. He voted for John C. Breckenridge for president
and Claiborne Fox Jackson
for governor in the election of 1860.
as the captain of a cavalry
company. He served in the 1861 Battle of Carthage
. He and noted guerrilla Dick Yager conducted a raid against Gardner, Kansas
, on October 2, 1861, as part of the cycle of cross-border raids by Jayhawkers and Border Ruffians. By December, Hays' own home had been burned. He was elected lieutenant colonel
of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, VIII Division, Missouri State Guard, in December 1861.
In June 1862, Hays led a recruiting detail back into Western Missouri. He skirmished with pursuing Federals and dislocated his shoulder, forcing him to disperse his command for a time. On July 30 Hays, with bushwhacker
Dick Yager and several others, went to Westport looking for several Northern informants. In Westport they killed a discharged German-American soldier and took a large United States flag that was in the care of a local resident.
At the First Battle of Independence
in August 1862, Upton assumed command following the death of Brigadier General
John T. Hughes and the wounding of Colonel Gideon W. Thompson. The battle resulted in a Confederate victory, though the Southerners were unable to follow up on their triumph in any significant way.
Colonel Hays led the main attack at the Battle of Lone Jack
. Other Confederate commanders on the scene complained that his attack was unnecessarily delayed, and therefore lost the crucial element of surprise.
Following the victory at Lone Jack, the Confederate forces withdrew closer to Arkansas
for supplies. Near Newtonia, Missouri
, on September 12 or 15, Colonel Hays attempted to personally drive in some Union pickets and was killed instantly by a bullet to the head. According to one participant, he had been elected colonel of his consolidated regiment the day before.
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life, career, and border warfare
Upton Hays was born in Caldwell County, MissouriCaldwell County, Missouri
Caldwell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. , the population was 8,969. Its county seat is Kingston. The county was organized in 1836 as a haven for the Mormons, who had been previously driven from Jackson County, Missouri in November of 1833 and had been refugees in...
. His father was Boone Hays, and his great-grandfather was famed explorer Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
. Boone Hays settled in Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
in 1837, later taking his sons to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1850 during the gold rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, but he died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
during the trip. Upton never received any formal education.
Boone Hay's sons returned to Missouri, where Upton married Margaret Jane Watts on February 4, 1852, in Jackson County
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
near Westport. There he farmed and served as a wagonmaster and freight hauler. Upton owned one slave of his own, and managed six others for his mother-in-law, Elizabeth Watts. Hays was associated with the Border Ruffians, including the future guerrilla leader William Quantrill
William Quantrill
William Clarke Quantrill was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. After leading a Confederate bushwhacker unit along the Missouri-Kansas border in the early 1860s, which included the infamous raid and sacking of Lawrence, Kansas in 1863, Quantrill eventually ended up in...
during the Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
era of cross-border warfare. He voted for John C. Breckenridge for president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and Claiborne Fox Jackson
Claiborne Fox Jackson
Claiborne Fox Jackson was a lawyer, soldier, and Democratic politician from Missouri. He was the 15th Governor of Missouri in 1861, then governor-in-exile for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
for governor in the election of 1860.
Civil War service
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Upton joined the Missouri State GuardMissouri State Guard
The Missouri State Guard was a state militia organized in the state of Missouri during the early days of the American Civil War. While not initially a formal part of the Confederate States Army, the State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at times, under regular Confederate...
as the captain of a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
company. He served in the 1861 Battle of Carthage
Battle of Carthage (1861)
-References:* Lee, Guy Carlton, and Francis Newtun Thorpe, editors. The History of North America. Philadelphia: George Barrie and Sons, 1905.* Monhegan, Jay. Civil War on the Western Border: 1854-1865. Boston: Little, Brown, 1956.*...
. He and noted guerrilla Dick Yager conducted a raid against Gardner, Kansas
Gardner, Kansas
Gardner is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,123.-History:Gardner was founded where the California Trail and Santa Fe Trail divided, sending travelers due west over the mountains and through Colorado and Salt Lake City toward San...
, on October 2, 1861, as part of the cycle of cross-border raids by Jayhawkers and Border Ruffians. By December, Hays' own home had been burned. He was elected lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, VIII Division, Missouri State Guard, in December 1861.
In June 1862, Hays led a recruiting detail back into Western Missouri. He skirmished with pursuing Federals and dislocated his shoulder, forcing him to disperse his command for a time. On July 30 Hays, with bushwhacker
Bushwhacker
Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there are large areas of contested land and few Governmental Resources to control these tracts...
Dick Yager and several others, went to Westport looking for several Northern informants. In Westport they killed a discharged German-American soldier and took a large United States flag that was in the care of a local resident.
At the First Battle of Independence
First Battle of Independence
-External links:** *...
in August 1862, Upton assumed command following the death of Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
John T. Hughes and the wounding of Colonel Gideon W. Thompson. The battle resulted in a Confederate victory, though the Southerners were unable to follow up on their triumph in any significant way.
Colonel Hays led the main attack at the Battle of Lone Jack
Battle of Lone Jack
The Battle of Lone Jack was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on August 15 – August 16, 1862 in Jackson County, Missouri. The battle was part of the Confederate guerrilla and recruiting campaign in Missouri in 1862.-Background:...
. Other Confederate commanders on the scene complained that his attack was unnecessarily delayed, and therefore lost the crucial element of surprise.
Following the victory at Lone Jack, the Confederate forces withdrew closer to Arkansas
Arkansas in the American Civil War
The state of Arkansas was a part of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, and provided a source of troops, supplies, and military and political leaders for the fledgling country. Arkansas had become the 25th state of the United States, on June 15, 1836, entering as a...
for supplies. Near Newtonia, Missouri
Newtonia, Missouri
Newtonia is a village in Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 199 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. Newtonia was the site of the Battles of Newtonia. Newtonia has some Antebellum houses, such as the Ritchey Mansion, as well...
, on September 12 or 15, Colonel Hays attempted to personally drive in some Union pickets and was killed instantly by a bullet to the head. According to one participant, he had been elected colonel of his consolidated regiment the day before.
External links
- http://www.wattshaysletters.com/letters/2-letters-61-65/hist-letters61-65.html Watts-Hays Letters