I have two ancestors who fought in the Civil War. One on each side. This is not unusual. There were many families torn apart with this issue. It was a matter of personal conscience. One side claimed victory but both sides lost in my opinion. A whole generation of families was damaged along with two economies. The only winners were the entrepreneurs who sold arms and materials during the war. My great-great-grandfather, John Henry Clinkenbeard, fought for the rebels, was captured, imprisoned in New Orleans, and released there after the war. He walked from New Orleans to Jefferson, Missouri. Following the war, rebels were not treated kindly, especially in border states like Missouri. I was told by a state historian that many C.S.A unit leaders hid their muster records to allow former rebels to deny serving. It was the only way to avoid harassment and violent confrontations. Many simply moved West. It is said that many fights among cowboys started with the North/South resentments. It continues to this day in the destruction of statues. One could argue that the statues were erected to perpetuate Black oppression. To later generations, that is what the statues became, a symbol of today’s inequality. However to the men who served under Confederate officers, the statue represented a memorial to a respected man, brave in battle, who cared deeply for the men who were in their regiment. Politics aside, there were brave, passionate men on both sides.
I have a list of survivors who were associated with Rio Blanco County, gleaned from RBC Historical Society research, old Meeker Herald issues, obituaries, and National Archives military records. If you have a story about them, please contact me through this newspaper, I would love to include it in our files. ALLEN, Ezekiel; ALLEN, Lewis; ARNOLD, Charles Perrine; BILLS, Albert Mortimer; BILLS, David Leach; BLOOMFIELD, Levi Sparks; BOUTWELL, Lewis W.; CHRISSINGER, John O.; COON, Marcus; CURE, Alonzo; FAIRFIELD, Freeman W. ; FOREMAN, Columbus Washington; HAZEN, George Stillman; HAZEN, William Babcock; HERRICK, William Packer; HOLDEN, John Smith; KISINGER, James William; LUTKIEWICZ, Joseph J.; LYNCH, John William; LYON, William McGlaughlin; McDANIEL, John A.; MINER, Henry Justin; MOW, Lyman B.; NICHOLS, Benjamin Lampton; PROCTOR, Edgar A.; PROCTOR, Edward R.; PURDY, Samuel Lewis; RALSTON, Joseph; REDPATH, Jacob; SIMMS, John A.; SMITH, Henry; SMITH, Jasper A.; STONE, George W.; THAYER, John Dana; VEACH, William L.; WATKINS, Robert; WATSON, John Adams; WELCH, John Wilkin; WILLIAMS, John A. or Wesley.
Some of these people have descendants living in RBC, some families disappeared leaving veterans in local cemeteries. I would be very grateful for any information from Rangely or any private cemeteries with Civil War veterans.
