| MEMORIAL SERVICE AND HEADSTONE DEDICATION FOR ASA CHILCUTT By: Jack Fly |
| On October 10, 2015, a funeral service was held at the Packwood Cemetery, located near Exeter in Barry County, Missouri. The deceased was Capt. Asa Chilcutt, of the 6th Cavalry Regiment, 8th Division, Missouri State Guards, CSA. The Sons of Confederate Veterans, Campbell’s Camp #2252 took it upon themselves to honor one of their fallen comrades. A military funeral complete with color guard and the dedication of a headstone for the fallen solider came 152 years after Capt. Chilcutt and three others had been brutally murdered and buried in a common grave.
Honored guests for the occasion were James Chilcutt and wife Barbara of Jefferson City, Missouri. James is the great great nephew of Asa Chilcutt. Speeches were given by Darrell Maples, Missouri Division Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and James Chilcutt. Travis Archie, Commander of Campbell’s Company Camp #2252 delivered the eulogy. The following is Mr. Archie’s eulogy in its entirety. “When thinking of what to say here today I began to think deeply, even philosophically, on thoughts that had come across my mind in my past research of the War Between the States and American history in general. An unfortunate flaw of historical study is that we tend to see these once vibrant human beings as 2-D characters on paper. The terrible amount of casualties suffered during the War Between the States unfortunately regulates these complex people, with their feelings, dreams and traits that made up their lives as well as loved ones and friends, to the status of a statistic… Whether it’s a Tennessean killed in the Hornet’s Nest fighting at Shiloh or a Missourian mortally wounded in front of the Carter Cotton Gin at Franklin, too often these boys are seen as one of many footnotes in history…Moreover, a vast majority of them are buried in unmarked graves that will never be identified. I’m a firm believer in the idea that a gravestone is, more often than not, the only earthly monument dedicated to the individual. This is a basic human dignity that so many, including most of our beloved Confederate dead have been denied. But today is different…Today we have a chance to right a wrong. Today, we have the tremendous blessing to give a funeral to a hero that’s 152 years overdue. Asa Chilcutt was born in 1815 or 1816 in Guilford County, North Carolina. He was presumably survived by his wife Dinah, daughters Elizabeth and Isabelle a son William James and a brother William Lee. Shortly before the War Between The States, the Chilcutts found their way to Barry County, Missouri and on March 1st, 1860 Asa received a U.S. Government Land Grant amounting to forty acres. With Lincoln and Lyon’s invasion of his adopted state, Asa joined the Missouri State Guard and as early as August 14th of 1861 was commissioned Adjutant of first the 10th then the 6th Cavalry Regiment of the 8th Division under Colonel John T. Coffee with the rank of Captain. When the Legislature met briefly in Cassville, there was a “Mr. Chilcutt” who was remembered to have been the doorkeeper. When the Missouri State Guard began transferring to Confederate service at Springfield in the winter of 1861-1862, Captain Chilcutt did so as well. On January 3rd, 1862 he resigned his State Guard commission and accepted a Captain’s commission in the regular Confederate service as a recruiting officer. It is not known but is likely that he stayed behind in Missouri when Price’s army was driven from the state. Early 1863 found Captain Chilcutt still on recruiting duty in Southwestern Missouri. On March 20th, 1863 the Captain and three companions, including his brother William, were hiding out in this area, fearful of roving bands of Federal militia that were “murdering every Southern man” along the Missouri / Arkansas border. Captain Chilcutt had taken sick and had a nearby doctor summoned. When the doctor returned and without warning 17 Federal militiamen under the command of a psychopathic, murderous fiend…Lieutenant Robert H. Christian…ambushed the men and summarily executed them. Christian personally shot the immobile Asa 6 or 7 times. The other men were taken away and shot to death as well. A small group of locals gathered the bodies and hastily buried them in the spot you see before you in a common unmarked grave. Two of the other gentlemen were later marked but Asa and the doctor were not. As of July, that injustice was remedied. But hopefully this is just the beginning. Hopefully, in the next couple of years, there will be a monument dedicated to these men and telling their story. In a politically correct age where Confederate guerillas are depicted as cold blooded, sociopathic killers and their opponents who were just as mean and, in many cases, worse are portrayed as saints, stories like this must come to the forefront and be told and remembered. These men are long overdue some justice and remembrance and hopefully this is the first of many steps in the right direction. Thank you!” On behalf of all Barry County residents I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Sons of Confederate Veterans for honoring one of our own in such a manner. Jack Fly |
 James Chilcutt, great great nephew of Asa Chilcutt.  Travis Archie delivers the eulogy for Asa Chilcutt.  Missouri Division Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Darrell Maples speaking. Color Guard from Left to right: Laurence Bryan, Steve Cottrell, Randy Johnston and Paul Lewis.  James Chilcutt, great great nephew of Asa Chilcutt.   Laurence Bryan paying homage at the Chilcutt grave.   Common grave of the four men slain by Federal militia October 30, 1863. |
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