Barnett Atkeson, a merchant in Johnson County, Missouri, joined the Missouri State Guard and fought at the battles of Carthage and Wilson’s Creek. On December 2, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, 1st Missouri Infantry Battalion (later the 5th Missouri Infantry) in Springfield, Missouri. In January 1862, he was elected second lieutenant, and was promoted to first lieutenant in the fall of 1862 and to captain in 1863. Atkeson fought in the battles of Pea Ridge and Iuka, and through the Vicksburg campaign. On November 30, 1864, Captain Atkeson was killed during the Missouri Brigade’s assault on the Federal fortifications at Franklin, Tennessee.

Carte-de-Visite by Ben Oppenhermet, Mobile, Ala.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 30364