William G. Bulgin and his wife Elmina lived with her sister Mary and her husband David Holsman in Carthage, Missouri in 1860.1 Jasper County was a dangerous place to live during the War. Guerrilla warfare was rampant throughout the region, as Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers stole and burned property and livestock. William Bulgin claimed John F Vestal, John Shirley, and John L Fuller stole and destroyed his property several times during the war. He stated the men, “banded together with other persons for the purpose of over throwing the laws of the County & for the purpose of robbing peaceable citizens of their property.”2 Bulgin filed a lawsuit after the war suing the men for $415 in damages. He cited, two full suits of clothes, a silk dress and other clothing were stolen between the fall of 1861 and spring of 1862. The men came back in the fall of 1864 and burned his books, bed clothing, towels and other property.3

Due to the vicious nature and predominance of the guerrilla warfare in Missouri, many county court rooms were filled with civilian claims of restitution in the post-war years. The final verdict of Bulgin’s lawsuit is unknown, but the case represents types of depredation committed throughout the region and how civilians were left to recover their losses.

Contributed by the Jasper County Records Center

View this collection

1. Malcolm G. McGregor, The Biographical Record of Jasper County, Missouri (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1901), pg 64.
2. William Bulgin, Petition. 31 July 1865, William G. Bulgin vs. John F. Vestal et al. Box 47 File 13, Jasper County Records Center, Carthage, Missouri.
3. William Bulgin, Petition. 31 July 1865, William G. Bulgin vs. John F. Vestal et al. Box 47 File 13, Jasper County Records Center, Carthage, Missouri.