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Belgian Civil War soldiers in missouri |
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Nicholas OURTH |
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2d Missouri Cavalry Volunteers |
 Courtesy Remo at Find a grave |
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Morris William DuTour 2nd Missouri Cavalry; enlisted November 1861, St Louis, MO; reenlisted Fall 1864 Brownsville, Arkansas, as Sergeant Major; discharged September 19, 1865, Nashville, Tennessee. If he only stated having served in that Unit when admitted at the Soldiers' home, the story of Morris W. DuTour is rather more complicated, and I can add: the story of the brothers DuTour is more complicated. I have been unable to find a date for their emigration but in 1860, I find a Wm Deture, a clerk 30 y.o. working for a moulder factory at St Louis, Mo. No trace of his brother Adolph G. Du Tour. In the 1900 census he stated having emigrated in 1851. In enlisting in Missouri, M. W. DuTour stated being born Antwerp, Belgium. His brother at Bois le Duc, Belgium but Bois le Duc is in Holland.
At the beginning of the war, they enlisted separately. Morris William DuTour on April 29, 1861 at Saint Louis Arsenal, for three months in the Company D, 1st Missouri and changed in June in a three years enlistment. That Unit was involved in the arrest of the pro-southern militia gathered at Camp Jackson in St. Louis. They were in the first campaign in Missouri, ending at Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861 with the death of General Lyon and arrival of John C. Fremont as commander of the forces west of the Mississippi. There they suffered 17% casualties.
The regiment was back in St Louis in the
early part of September and reorganized from an Infantry regiment to one of
Light Artillery. Morris W. Du Tour was then promoted to the Lieutenancy but was
revoked the same day by “Special Order no 256: (St Louis, Sept. 25, 1861):
Satisfactory evidence having been presented to the Major General Commanding that
Lieutenants Du Tour and Montgomery of the 1st Mo Light
Artillery, are unworthy the trust reposed in them, they are hereby discharged
from the service of the United States, without pay or allowances.
By order of Major General Frémont“
Almost as soon, Morris W. Du Tour enlisted anew. This time in the 2nd Missouri cavalry, a bookkeeper born Antwerp, Belgium, on November 29, 1861. He enlisted with his brother Adolph G. Du Tour. They enlisted in Company ‘A’ on November 27 at St Louis for three years. On August 19, 1862, Adolph G. Du Tour was examined by a surgeon at Glasgow, Mo. Following that examination, he was discharged On October 4, the reason being : “varicose veins of the legs. Like his brother, this man has this affection in such an aggravated form as to render him entirely unfit for the duties of a private soldier, or even any duties requiring active exercise either on foot or in the saddle” he was only 34 y.o.
The reason for his discharge was maybe elsewhere as in those papers there is copy of a letter sent by the two brothers to their Colonel and dated Glasgow, July 30, 1862: “Colonel L. Merrill, .. the undersigned take the liberty to address you these few line in regard to our arrest, to which we have been subject for part of the last three months. The charge preferred against us are “attempt to desert”. We have been once sent from Fayette to Columbia to await the decision of the then sitting Court Martial June 15, and not finding such charges against us we were ordered by Capt. Barr Co B to return to Glasgow to report ourselves for duty. On arriving at Glasgow we reported ourselves to Capt Hall who not being satisfied with this course ordered us again to the guardhouse where we still remain. We now address ourselves to you in person being too well aware that you will surely decide either one way or another either to grand us a discharge from the guardhouse or make us subject to another court martial. It is the first time during several years of service that we both have been under arrest and for reference to former duties performed by us and good military conduct we can refer you for M. W. du Tour to Major Genl Schofield late Major of the 1st Mo Light Artillery also to Colonel Cavendis late Captain in the above mentioned Regiment who surely will remember me to the time I was the orderly sergeant of ‘D’ Co. Captain Richardson in what Co. I was present in the battle of Boonville and Wilson’s Creek. As to A. G. du Tour he refere to the Colonel of the 5th Ohio Colonel Dunning, Colonel Piatt 34th Ohio, Colonel Syttle 10th Ohio, Lieutenant Colonel Korff 10th Ohio and to Colonel Jones presently Commandant of the Cincinnati forces stationed at the asylum and we have no doubt that those officers speak very highly of us.
Colonel Merrill if we never had enlisted in a Company which was at the time of our enlistment commanded by a man who knew very well that he had privates in rank who could outlay him in military tactics and experience and was and is therefore anxious to run such persons down and being in charges of which we never were guilty. We say if we were allowed at the time of our application to you for our transfer in Co ‘G’ under Lieutenant Robinson you never would have seen our names on a guard report as arrestants for misconduct but instead hereof we would have exert ourselves for promotion under him, a man and a perfect soldier esteemed in every company. It is in reason thereof Colonel Merrill that we apply once more for our transfer in another Company either in ‘B’ Co under Captain Bair or Co ‘I’ under Captain Mason….
In response, Merrill transferred A. G. Du Tour to Co ‘H’ and W. M. Du Tour to Co ‘G’. M. W. du Tour was almost immediately detached of the service in that Company and sent as clerk at Regiment Headquarters. He spent the remaining of the war in that position, reenlisting at the end of 1863 and was promoted Sergeant Major in December 1864. His brother A. G. du Tour, enlisted anew in August 1864 in the Army, for one year, in the 41th Mo Infantry and, like his brother, was detached as clerk at the Headquarter’s department.
After the war, Morris William Dutour spent the remaining of his life in St Louis. In the 1870 census, he is listed as a book keeper 29 (39?) y.o. married or living with “Francis”(sic), born New York, a woman 25 y.o. In 1880, married to “Susan” McDonald a dress maker born Kentucky. Himself being a clerk in Rail Road office. They never had children. He was admitted at the Soldiers' Home, Western Branch, in July 1887 suffering of varicose veins contracted during the “Red River expedition” fall of 1863. He spent some time at the Western and North-Western branches in 1888, 1889 and 1894. His last entry was at the Marion Branch from May 1896 till January 1897. He spent the remaining of his time at home in St Louis. Susan DuTour death occurred on August 25, 1905, she was born on September 2, 1833. Morris W DuTour death occurred on march 24, 1907 at the Alexian Brothers Hospital. He is buried in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis plot 29 0 12081.
His brother, Adolph G. DuTour went to Texas. I find him, a patenting clerk, Land office at Austin, Texas in the 1870 census and 1872 city directory. His name appears in two intriguing articles in the Austin newspaper. The first on August 5, 1873:
Mr Du Tour , late a clerck in the Land Office, was drowned a few miles below the city, in the Colorado, on Sunday. He was boating with another gentleman when the boat capsized, and being unable to swing he was immediately drowned. His body has not been recovered.
The second, more ironical in tone, was published on September 30:
It turn out that Mr Du Tour, the man
who was so badly drowned in the Colorado some time since and whose body was
washed far away to the briny deep, food for fishes and all this sort of
sympathetic stuff, was only a first rate diver, and after making his passage
around through the watery depths, has turned up in St Louis as live as a
flounder. Mr. Du Tour, it seems, had a life policy paid up, and some of his good
dear friends were undoubtedly to draw it for him. There are some such among us
who saw him go down to a watery grave and couldn't find his body with all
efforts to do so afterwards. Poor souls.
His wife Mary asked for a widow pension
under the law of 1890. The papers were filled in Kentucky. A son, Chas,
was buried in Dayton, Ky, he was born about 1854 in New York.
Sources :
Marion Branch of the National Home for
Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Marion, Indiana
