Lafayette County Courthouse Lexington Missouri

This is the courthouse in Lexington Missouri the county seat of Lafayette County Missouri. A cannon ball is embedded in the column in the foreground of this photo. It is damage from the historic battle of September 18th 1861.

The battle of Lexington began on September 18th 1861 and ended on September 20th. Union Colonel James Mulligan was dug in with 3,000 troops on top of a bluff along the Missouri River, at the site of the old Masonic College. His opponent General Sterling Price former governor of Missouri commanded 12,000 regulars and volunteers. many of them were local boys. Colonel Mulligan's troops were from Chicago Illinois, and many were Irish immigrants.

A house to the west of Mulligan's breastworks was commandeered as a field hospital by the union troops. The house had been owned by "Colonel" William O. Anderson. Colonel Anderson, called Colonel because of his service in the Mexican American War, had recently lost the house due to financial reverses in the financial panic of 1857. The house was owned by one of Colonel Anderson's son-in-laws, and was empty at the time of the battle.

The house sustained much battle damage due to pitched battles for the house. It served as a sniper nest as well as a hospital. If you visit the house today you will see much of the damage still present both inside and outside the house. One of the latter owners a lawyer named Davis, decided to preserve the house as it was after the battle.
It is a rare to find such a well preserved house from a Civil War battle with all of its scars intact.

It is my hope to share my photos of the house and take you on a photo tour with this blog. I hope you visit Anderson House and the surrounding Battlefield. The old trenches can still be seen on the battlefield as well.A close up of the cannon ball embedded in the column, fired in the battle of Lexington Missouri, September 18th, 19th, and 20th, 1861. The cannon was near the Anderson house about 1/2 mile north east of the courthouse.

The Anderson House and the Battle of Lexington Missouri

The ladies will like the period furniture, and the men will like the bullet holes, cannon and grapeshot holes that I have photographed through out the house. The second owner bought the house just after the Civil War ended. He determined to leave the battle damage in the house. If you want to see the battle damage you will have to cycle through the "older posts" tags at the bottom of each page.
This is a view of the garden from the east, you would have seen the house from this view if you were a union soldier. The broad leafed plant to the left in this photo is tobacco.
This is my wife Bridget leaning on the garden gate. She's a cutie isn't she? I think so even after 20 years. Such a kind face, a real "southeron belle".
This is a diorama inside the museum next door. The hemp bales were four times this size, and were wet. It would take several men to roll one. That is exactly what the confederate troops did, they used them as rolling breastworks to attack the union trenches east of the house.

Main Breezeway or Entry Hallway

This is the main hallway that divides the house down the middle, east and west. You are looking east. This is the first thing you see as you enter the house. (To see a larger more detailed image on this site, just click on the photo.)

The Dining Room

The furniture in these rooms is massive. I would hate to have to move it. You wouldn't have to worry about anyone stealing it easily.

More Interior Views

This is the main drawing room where guests were entertained. The piano is original to the house. The house was actually empty at the time of the battle. Mr. Anderson had to sell the house and liquidate everything, he assumed his son in law's debts, and was hit hard by the recession of 1857.
This was the men's study, where they might have a cigar and discuss politics or farm concerns.
This room was used for home schooling the children. There really is nothing new under the sun.

The North Side of the House

My wife and oldest son on the way to a tour of the house. This gives a good view of the "L" or servants quarters. This is not the north side, but the east side of the house.
This is a beautiful view toward the Missouri River, it can be seen through the trees in the background of the photo.
This is the north side of the house. The decorative work above the windows is made of cast iron.
I thought this was interesting.

Where I Lost the "Battle of the Bulge"

I thought maybe I would provide a little comic relief by showing you this old "drive-in," in Lexington.
A view of the battlefield. Serving Lexington since 1946.

Kitchen and Other Items

This is the winter kitchen in the "L". The cast iron stove was cast by a local foundry of the period. The Morris Foundry. The Morris family still has descendants in the area.
This is a view out of one of the house servant bedrooms toward the garden to the east.
This is the servant stair. It allowed servants to go to work without passing through the main part of the house.
This is an alleged house servant night stand. it isnt very likely the servants furniture of this high of quality.

House Servant Bedrooms

This is the main house servant bedroom, upstairs in the "L".
This is a childs bed in the house servant quarters. it is unlikely the furniture was this nice.
Another view in the house servant bedroom.
A view of the pantry.

The Basement

I liked this door knob.
This is the cold cellar storage.
This is a work shop that had miscellaneous tools in it. Notice the Hemp Press on the right. It crushed the hemp stalks so it could be woven into rope.
This is a portion of the basement that still has the dirt floor. The whole basement would have had a dirt floor.

The Bedrooms

This bedroom adjoins the bedroom used as a surgery. It is to the west of the surgery. It had a lot of damage from projectiles passing through the surgery.
This is the northwest bedroom on the second floor. Window screens were unheard of in those days, thus the mosquito netting, mosquitoes were, and still are a problem along the Missouri River.
This is the southwest bedroom.
The southeast bedroom or master bedroom. You couldn't jump up and down on furniture like this, if it ever collapsed on you, you would be killed.

Damage to the East Exterior

This is the "L" or "ell" of the house, it served as the winter kitchen and servants quarters (slaves). The surgery was in the bedroom directly adjoining the "L" on the second floor. Why it was on the second floor is anyone's guess. Most likely because it would be hard for enemy troops to get to the surgeon in a hurry. It also made it hard on friendly troops who had to carry the wounded up the stairs. If you have ever had to carry a wounded person on a stetcher very far, you know what I am talking about. You can see some of the cannon damage to this wall.Damage around the east door.
Damage around an upper east window.
Click on this image to see a larger image.
Click on this image to see a larger image.
My wife and oldest son standing next to some of the damage.
The upper porch east side.
This is what caused most of the damage to the east side of the house. Some of this stuff is mortor rounds, (the larger stuff).

The Landing Looking East Toward the Battlefield

Bullet Holes in the Stairway Ceiling

This is a bullet hole in the stair to the second floor. A gun battle took place on the stairway leading to the second floor. Three men died, (confederates). The confederates took the house from the Union troops, who were using it as a hospital. The confederates began using it as a sniper's nest, firing down into the trenches of the Union troops to the east of the house. There were four Confederate soldiers trying to flee down the stairs, all were killed but one. He jumped down the stairwell, and fled to the drawing room in the northwest side of the house. He then hid in a closet, until he could make good his escape. He then fled the battle altogether, fleeing across the Missouri River to his home in Richmond Missouri, some seven miles north of Lexington. He apparently had gotten his fill of war.These holes were made by union troops shooting at the confederate snipers on the stairs.

Cannon Damage to the Upstairs Breezeway

This is a hole in the ceiling of the western end of the upstairs breezeway. A cannonball entered the roof on the east side, and careened around the attic until it was spent. It then dropped through the ceiling. I was allowed to go into the attic about 10 years ago on a slow day for tours. There is extensive damage in the attic from cannon fire. There is also an old beehive built into the attic to make it easier to collect the honey.This is a view of the western end of the upper breezeway of the house. The damage to the ceiling is in the upper left hand corner in the photo.

More Interior Damage

This ornate night stand mirror, is representative of the heavy ornately carved furniture of the Civil War periodThis is a bullet hole next to the night stand. The house changed hands 3 times, Evidence of the running gun battles are everywhere throughout the house.A bullet hole near a window adjacent to the room used for a surgery upstairs.