Thomas H Benton Pitts (1842 - 1863)

Born 1842 in Missouri, United States

Ancestors

Died 3 May 1863 at about age 21 in Missouri, United States

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Biography

Birth

1842 MO ^[1]

Death

3 MAY 1863 MO ^[2]

Following extracted from Rootsweb Comment and added here by Richard Kee, 31 Jan 2018.

Surnames:  PITTS BRADSHAW ROLSTON BRANNON  Submitter:  Lucille (ALL@todays-tech.com) - Inoperable Date:  13 Sep 1999 

Pitts Rolston, Brannon Bradshaw Thomas H. "Benton"Pitts born 1842, William B. "Bee" Pitts born in 1844 both were sons of Young Mimms & Anna Colston Pitts, were both killed in the Civil War at Vaughn's Stand, in Hickory Co. Mo. later known as Sentinel, Mo. They were killed May 3, 1863. I don't know what Company they were with. I have been told that Samuel Rolston was also killed in Civil War, there and don't know what Co. he was with. Thomas Brannon was born in Mo. in 1847. He was also killed at Vaughn's Stand in the Civil War. I don't know what Co. he was with. He was killed May 3, 1861 The two Pitts boys, Samuel Rolston, & Brannon boy are all buried in the Young Mimms Pitts Family Cem. on the Dee Lightfoot farm located at intersection of Hiway 64 & T. Anyone with any info concerning these men or what Co.'s they were with, would be very much appreciated. John R. Bradshaw was born in 1832 and He was in Co. g. 8th MSM Cav. in the Civil War. I can be contacted at email address: ALL@todays-tech.com Thank You, Lucille 

Following extracted from https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KHYH-8RF and added by Richard Kee, 31 Jan 2018.

Both William “Bee” and Thomas H Benton Pitts died at Vaughn's Stand in Sentinel, Polk county, on May 3rd, 1863. Benton was formerly a Private in Co. C, 8th Missouri Cav, Union.

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His sister Tempa Pitts' obituary stated that she had two brothers killed during the Civil War at Sentinel, MO on the farm where Mr. Bigler now lives.

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The death of Benton & Bee Pitts

The story of Benton and Bee Pitts was told to me by Nancy Pitts Richards, the daughter of their sister Temperance.

May 3, 1863, was a Sunday and Benton and Bee had taken their girlfriends to church. Mr. Sherman Vaughn came to the house and told Anna Pitts that he had heard the Rebels were coming and intended to burn everything from Bolivar to Lindley River. He wanted the boys to come and help him guard his store that night. Young Mimms, their father was already in the hands of the rebels. Benton came home first and after being told about the rebels left to see what was happening. Soon afterwards "Bee" came home and was told the same story. He said that he would go and see but that he would be back and sleep in the barn loft that night to guard his home and family. He left and had almost enough time to get to the store when a great deal of shooting and yelling was heard. Anna and the two oldest girls, Temperance and Martha, ran all the way to the store and Benton was mortally wounded lying on the hearth inside the building. The father never got to see them as he returned home much later in the year. To the local people the battle or skirmish was known as Vaughn's Stand. Eleven months later Anna, herself, died leaving a family of girls ages, 19, 15, 13, 12, 3 and 1 and two boys 6 and 9. Young Mimms married again in 1865, Ellenor Payne, who was born Feb 11, 1837 and died July 23, 1911. She is buried in the Payne Cemetery. Anna and Young Mimms are buried in the Lightfoot Cemetery. After Young Mimms was killed Ellenor married ___________ Britton.

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Thomas B. H. Pitts, Company C, 8 Missouri S. M. Cav., Private, Union, Civil War

Sentinel Prairie (earlier Vaughn's Stand, q. v.; then South Prairie, q. v.)

Sentinel Prairie is the name of a post-office and store which had been known earlier as Vaughn's Stand. It probably takes its name from the fact that, like a sentinel, it stands out over the surrounding country. (--Place Names.)

It was in the northeast part of the county, near the Hickory County line, and three miles from Pittsburg. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 483.)

It is a post-office fourteen miles northeast of Bolivar, (1874). (--Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, p. 453.)

It was located at Section 16, Township 35 N, Range 21 W, and approximately one mile east of Highway 64.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth source; Pitts Family History by Josephine (Pitts) Gambill, Vol. 1
2. ↑ Death source; Pitts Family History by Josephine (Pitts) Gambill, Vol. 1

Acknowledgements

This person was created through the import of PittsPenn_2010-09-21.ged on 22 September 2010 by MG Pitts