Quote Originally Posted by JRB
Benjamin Franklin Howard, a store clerk from Ozark County, MO: Served in the Confederate army. In his first and only engagement his left arm was shattered by a minie ball and had to be amputated. I have no other details of his service.
Given the Ozark County residence, I would daresay that this gentleman might have served in the Missouri State Guard, a pro-Southern militia that was not in the Confederate Army. Missouri did not seceed from the Union until October of 1861, and even then Missouri raised more men for Federal Service than it did for the Confederacy.

I just ran the name in the National Park Service's Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, and two Benjamin F. Howards are listed; one serving with the 3rd MO Cavalry (CS) and the other with the 4th MO Cavalry (CS); both units had a number of men who had prior service in the State Guard.

It would be interesting to see if he is listed in the MSG rolls; I can check them the next time I talk to the librarian at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.

Regards,

Todd