Excerpts taken from Ray County History, pages 448-449:

    "Knoxville is fourteen miles north and inland from Richmond, situated in Knoxville township, in center of section thirty-five, congressional township fifty-four, range twenty-eight..." An alternate location is given as: Sec. 35, Twp. 54 N, R. 28 W on 13 Highway, south of D.
    [Knoxville was laid out in 1837 by John Graves from Tennessee. It was established as Buncombe on January 24, 1838, and the name was changed to Knoxville, (for Knoxville, Tennessee) on October 26, 1838... The first postmaster of Buncombe (Knoxville) was Moses F. Rainwater who was appointed January 24, 1838....]
    "In the spring of 1834, a Mr. Hatfield occupied a small house, near the present site of Knoxville, which took the name of "Bumcombe." The first store-house was erected in the summer of 1834, by one Jacob Stollins. He carried a small stock of general merchandise. At that time there were only two or three houses in the place."
    In the context of documents recently acquired by the Far West Cultural Center, this Stollins reference could be a significant clue. Stallings also operated a store in Millport, Daviess County. His business dealing with the Mormons may have contributed in some degree to certain events of the Mormon War.

William H. Whitsitt, Sidney Rigdon, The Real Founder of Mormonism

Chapter IV. Disaster in Ray County.

.... Being now reinforced by this new branch of the military service, the policy was pursued of massing all the available forces at Far West, for the purpose of striking a blow at any point that it might be considered important to touch. In keeping with this warlike policy, Lyman Wight reached Far West on the evening of October the 24th with 300 soldiers from Daviess county (Lee, p. 73; Fragments of Experience, p. 50). Before this date the entire militia of Caldwell county had also been ordered to duty by the command of Higbee, the County Judge (Lucy Smith, p. 244; Stenhouse, p. 94). This hostile array was intended for nothing but speedy conquest.
    The only hostile force within sight was encamped at a place called Buncombe in Ray county, about twelve miles north of Richmond the county seat (Juv. Inst., 12, p. 200). It was composed of 30 or 40 men (Juv. Inst., 12, p. 200), under the command of Bogart, who is well known as one

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of the two captains that were doing duty under the command of Brigadier General Parkes. Having retired before the superior force of the Mormons in Daviess on Thrusday the 18th of October these gentlemen had resorted to their own county of Ray for the purpose of affording what protection they might to their alarmed fellow citizens until such time as the Governor should find occasion to summon the militia of the entire state.
    Captain Bogart was a Methodist preacher who had figured as a Major of Cavalry in the Black Hawk war of the year 1832 in Illinois, having commanded there a battallion of rangers which accomplished satisfactory service (Ford's History of Illinois, p. 125). Though he had subsequently quitted that state in ill odor (Ford, p. 260), he was yet a good soldier, and at the present instant was acting in the line of duty.
    To all appearance, Apostle Patten as a rising military genius, had become a trifle jealous of Colonel Wight, and was solicitous to strike a decisive blow in which the latter should have no sort of share. In pursuance of this purpose he is believed to have kept his spies actively employed throughout the day of October the 24th in observing the movements of Captain Bogart. Two of them came to Far West as late as 11 o'clock in the evening in order to inform him where the enemy had established his camp at nightfall (Juv. Inst., 12, p. 200). The plan for a complete surprise of Bogart and his comrades was believed to be securely laid.
    At the hour just now indicated Patten summoned his force consisting of about sixty or seventy men (Kimball, p. 54), under the pretext that eight of Bogart's

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people had taken three of the Mormons, and carried off a number of horses and other property (Juv. Inst., 12, p. 200). The followers of Patten in this ride were nearly all, if not every one of them, Danites (Lee, p. 73). Their project was a lawless invasion of the county of Ray, for while it might have been within the province of County Judge Higbee, to command the lawful militia to defend the citizens of Caldwell, he yet had no authority to send anybody across the border.
    The distance of twenty miles to a ford of Crooked River that lay just miles inside of Ray county was accomplished by daylight of the 25th of October (Fragments, pp. 50-1). By the instructions he had obtained from his spies it appears that Patten expected to find Bogart encamped at the house of one Fields (Kidder, p. 139), but he was disappointed. Possibly Bogart was aware that spies were on his track; to deceive them his camp might have been altered after nightfall to avoid a surprise. The combat is believed to have befallen on the farm of a certain Mr. McDaniel (Bennett, p. 329).
    It chanced in the end that instead of Patten surprising Bogart, the triumph was on the other side; Bogart was fortunate enough to surprise Patten. The Mormons have never forgiven Captain Bogart, the skill and courage he displayed on this trying occasion; it would not be amiss if the people of Missouri should take some kind of care to honor his memory for the distinguised feat he accomplished on their behalf.
    The Danites were severly punished in the encounter at Crooked River. Gideon Carter fell dead at the first fire; he was so much disfigured

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that the brethren at first did not recognize him (Kimball's Journal, p. 57). Eleven others were wounded, among the number Apostle Patten and Mr. Patrick O'Banion, both fatally (Handbook of Reference, p. 48). James Holbrook and another Danite fell to fighting in the dark and did not perceive that they were fellow soldiers until they had done important injury each to the other (Lee, p. 73).
    A wagon was procured in which six of those most seriously wounded were carried from the field (Fragments, p. 52). Of these Apostle Patten being in desperate straits was left at the house of a Saint named Winchester, who resided four miles from the scene of the action and perhaps within the limits of Caldwell county. He desired the friends who bore him away to stop earlier but they were apparently afraid to risk either the patient or themselves within the precincts of Ray county (Kimball's Journal, p. 54). Under the roof of the said Winchester, Patten made a pious end surrounded by the chief names of the hierarchy (Kimball's Journal, pp. 54-5).
    O'Banion, who was carried to the house of President Rigdon in Far West, passed away shortly after the departure of his commander (Kimball, p. 57). By the representations of H. C. Kimball both of these brethren enjoyed the advantages of medical assistance, which was contrary to the requirements of strict Mormon orthodoxy.
    Though Patten and his Danites were so severely punished they were yet sufficiently resolute to drive Captain Bogart and his men from the field (Kimball, p. 54); they also took plunder and about thirty horses belonging to the enemy (Kidder, p. 139). On the contrary it cannot

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be called in question that the victory remained with the men of Ray county. They were fighting on their own soil; the Mormons were fighting in the character of invaders. It was confidently believed that one Danite could chase a thousand and two could put ten thousand to flight; that no Danite could be hurt by Gentile hands (Lee, p. 75). But the Danite prestige and faith were now destroyed; their confidence in the Lord, for the moment, was quite upset. John D. Lee declares, "I was thunderstruck to hear Joseph Smith, the apostle, say at the funeral of Capt. Patten, that the Mormons fell by the missiles of death the same as other men" (p. 75). With the leader of the Danites in his grave the corps had no more spirit; it is believed to have been immediately dissolved. A vivid impression of the gloom that rested over the camp of Israel is conveyed by the narrative of Mr. Heber C. Kimball, who with important significance remarks, "This was a gloomy time!" (Journal, p. 57).
    On the other hand the people of Ray were not aware how fortunate was their situation. They perceived that Bogart their only defender and hope had been driven away with the loss of one man by death and several others by wounding (Kidder, p. 139); but they were not informed relating to the severe and final check he had imposed upon the scheme of the Theocracy. Their consternation was very painful; it was given out that Richmond would be burned without delay (Stenhouse, p. 95), perhaps by the agency of the corps of Destruction under command of the Destroying Angel of whom Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde, two of the apostles who recently escaped from Far West had brought

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particular information (Bennett, pp. 319-20). Captain Bogart appears to have had self-command enough to dispatch one of his troopers to Lexington for the purpose of conveying official information to the Governor; the courier reported, possibly by authority, that ten of his comrades were killed and the balance were captured (Stenhouse, p. 95).
    There was no longer any real occasion to fear the Mormons. Under the most favorable conditions it would require several days for them to recover from their depression; if these were employed with discretion and vigor the Governor and his people might hope to be ready when the insolent Theocracy once more should venture forth to battle. Apostle Patten and the chief strength of the Danites were alike interred at Far West on the 27th of October, with great lamentation. The brethren had obtained a lesson which showed them how perilous a thing it may be to tinker with secret organizations and with firearms.
    The excuse which the Mormons invented to cover up their blame in this transaction was that they were not aware that they were attacking the militia of the state when they fell upon Bogart and his company (Kidder, p. 139). It is perfectly useless to set forward this pretense. Captain Bogart had been in service since the beginning of September 1838; he had been well known in the character of a Captain of militia under Brigadier General Parkes, first in Daviess county, then in Carroll county, and again in Daviess; the Mormons had kept spies on his track throughout the entire day of October the 24th, and taken accurate notice of his encampment at nightfall and there can be no question

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that they understood exactly the nature of the party with whom they were dealing. The spies who reported his movements are conceded to have had no kind of doubt that it was Captain Bogart whom they were following (Juv. Inst., 12, p. 200). Consequently it is clear that the very reason why the Theocracy elected to assault Bogart must be sought in the circumstance that he was in command of a body of troops that stood in the service of the state of Missouri. It is a custom of the Theocracy that has been previously mentioned, to designate all those who do not belong to themselves by the title of mobs and mobocrats. They appear to conceive that no other government than the Theocracy has any lawful right to existence.
http://sidneyrigdon.com/wht/1891WhF4.htm

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