Charles McAfee was born on March 28, 1829, in Lexington, Kentucky; soon after his birth his family moved to Macon County, Missouri. In his teenage years he worked in manufacturing and studied law, and opened his first law office in 1860 in Harrison County, Missouri. At the start of the Civil War, McAfee raised a company of 100 men for the Federal army; elected to captain, he served first with Neville’s Battalion and later with the 3rd Missouri State Militia Cavalry.

In February 1863 the 3rd was disbanded, and McAfee and his company were attached to the 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry. The 6th campaigned extensively in Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian Territory, and assisted in the capture of Fort Smith in 1863 and the pursuit of General Sterling Price during his Missouri raid in 1864. McAfee was detached from the regiment on several occasions and served as a staff officer in Springfield, Missouri.

After the war McAfee formed a law partnership and entered Democratic politics; he was elected judge of the criminal court in Greene County, Missouri, and served one term. He died in Springfield, Missouri on February 28, 1916.

Carte-de-Visite by Charles W. Scholten, Springfield, Mo.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31730