Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Mosby Monroe Parsons (May 21, 1822 – August 15, 1865) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. Parsons was murdered by Captain Dario Garza, at the head of a body of Mexican soldiers, on or about August 15, 1865, near China, Nuevo León, Mexico.

Early life and career

The eldest child of Gustavus Adolphus Parsons and his wife Patience Monroe Bishop, Mosby Monroe Parsons was born in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

. When he was 13, his parents moved to Cole County, Missouri. Two years later, they moved again to Jefferson City, which Parsons would thereafter make his home. As a young man, Mosby

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1846. He served as a volunteer in the Mexican–American War with the rank of captain in Colonel

Alexander W. Doniphan Alexander William Doniphan (July 9, 1808 – August 8, 1887) was a 19th-century American attorney, soldier and politician from Missouri who is best known today as the man who prevented the summary execution of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church ...

's regiment and was cited for gallantry at the

Battle of Sacramento The Battle of the Sacramento River was a battle that took place on February 28, 1847 during the Mexican–American War. About fifteen miles north of Chihuahua, Mexico at the crossing of the river Sacramento, American forces numbering less th ...

on February 28, 1847. Returning to Missouri after the war, Parsons married Mary Wells on September 18, 1850. However, his wife died just three years later, leaving him with an infant son, Stephen Kearney Parsons. Parsons served as the United States

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

for western Missouri. In 1856, he was elected to the state legislature. He became a Missouri state senator in 1858, serving until the American Civil War.

American Civil War

Parsons was appointed brigadier general in command of the Sixth Division of the Missouri State Guard. He arrived too late to participate in the skirmish at Boonville, but he went on to lead his division at Carthage and the Battle of Wilson's Creek in Missouri. Although his Missouri State Guardsmen participated in the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas, Parsons was absent from this action seeking an appointment in the Confederate States Army in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, Virginia. Parsons was commissioned a brigadier general of the

Confederacy Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

on November 5, 1862, and led his infantry brigade in the Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, one month later. His force would participate in the attack at

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

, Arkansas on July 4, 1863, and assisted Richard Taylor in thwarting Union Major General Nathaniel Banks' Red River Campaign of 1864 in Louisiana (

Battle of Pleasant Hill The Battle of Pleasant Hill occurred on April 9, 1864 and formed part of the Red River Campaign during the American Civil War when Union forces aimed to occupy the Louisiana state capital, Shreveport. The battle was essentially a continuation ...

), as well as opposing Union Major General Frederick Steele's Camden Expedition in Arkansas, including participation at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry. Parsons was appointed a major general by Trans-Mississippi Departmental Commander Kirby Smith on April 30, 1864, although his promotion was never confirmed by

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

Murder in Mexico

After the war's end, Parsons, like many other Missouri Confederates, chose to go to Mexico rather than return to Missouri. Parsons and three companions, including his brother-in-law, Capt. Austin M. Standish, Standish's orderly William "Dutch Bill" Wenderling and former Confederate Congressman

Aaron H. Conrow Aaron Hackett Conrow (June 19, 1824 – August 15, 1865) was a Congress of the Confederate States, Confederate Congressman and soldier during the American Civil War. He was murdered by bandits after moving to Mexico after the war's end. Early ...

were murdered by Captain Dario Garza, at the head of a body of Mexican soldiers, on or about August 15, 1865, near

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

, as they were headed for Camargo Municipality, Tamaulipas. The bodies of Parsons and his comrades were buried in unmarked graves where they were killed. In 1868, Parsons' son (Kearny Parsons) and sister (Mildred Standish), along with the family of Aaron Conrow, sued the Mexican government via the U.S. and Mexico Claims Commission Convention. In 1875, a judgment in the amount of almost US$50,000.00 in gold was awarded to each of the plaintiffs.

Honors

Camp No. 718 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Jefferson City, Missouri, is named after him.

References

External links

Official
Mosby Monroe Parsons Papers
at the Missouri Historical Society Other
Brig. Gen. Mosby Monroe Parsons Camp No. 718
of the Sons of Confederate Veterans * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, M. M. 1822 births 1860s missing person cases 1865 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law American exiles American expatriates in Mexico American military personnel of the Mexican–American War American refugees Burials in Nuevo León Confederate expatriates Confederate States Army brigadier generals Deaths by firearm in Mexico Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Missouri lawyers Missouri State Guard Democratic Party Missouri state senators People declared dead in absentia People from Charlottesville, Virginia People of Missouri in the American Civil War People murdered in Mexico Refugees in Mexico Stateless people United States Attorneys for the Western District of Missouri