Marian,

I read some things in your Saturday message that stirred my curiosity.

I first want to assist you regarding your remark about "Alexander Nugent's Raiders." The unit to which you refer was commanded by Reverend Andrew Nugent (from south Cass County), was officially called "Cass County Home Guards," and operated mostly during 1861. Nugent's unit was disbanded or mustered out in early 1862 and many or most of its members entered the 2nd Battalion Cavalry Missouri State Militia (abbreviated to 2nd BN Cav MSM) Based on what I found of John B. Rowland's military service record in online Missouri State Archives (http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers) he did not enter this unit, as you read below.

Private John B. Rowland enlisted 14 October 1861 in Kansas City in Captain Hill's Company I of Cass County Home Guards. His record says he deserted 31 Dec 1861. The final notation on his record for "mustered out" is filled in with the date "Feb. 5 1862". It is my guess that this is the date Cass County Home Guards was disbanded, and has no other bearing for Private Rowland, but I could be wrong on this part.

Cass County Home Guards was a rough unit because they made war on their southern neighbors who were recruiting for the southern forces, and because those southerners remembered and marked many of the Cass County HG members for retribution. That is why many of the members later joined the 2nd BN Cav MSM and when that unit was disbanded later in 1862 joined Kansas units. A number of these men moved over the border to Kansas for their own protection, and perhaps this was the case with John B. Rowland. In other words, there is a strong likelihood that Rowland was compelled to break off his Missouri ties, leave his unit, and move to Kansas to save his own life. I cannot be sure that really happened, and this is just guesswork on my part based on what I have read about this unit and some of its members.

I hope this helps.

Bruce Nichols