Murder in Centralia

William H Rowland, age 22 and a civilian, was murdered in cold blood on the streets of Centralia, Missouri while trying to protect a wagon full of women. This is the story of a hero in the often-overlooked events surrounding the Centralia Massacre. Being far removed from the active military campaigns across the southern states during United States Civil War, the battles and skirmishes of Missouri are often relegated to footnotes and side stories. However, on September 27, 1864, one of the most heinous war crimes of the Civil War took place, an event some would label “the worst of the worst” — the Centralia Massacre of 1864.

Centralia, and all of Boone County, Missouri, was a hotbed of Civil War activities. Many of the local residents took up arms for the Confederacy, which had both legitimately established units, as well as renegade outfits referred to as guerrillas and bushwhackers. The region was also home to many Union soldiers (often referred to as the Federals) and sympathizers. The 39th Missouri Infantry was stationed in Macon, Missouri, just 50 miles to the north of Centralia on the North Missouri Railroad line.

An execution occurred in town when 22 retired Union soldiers (technically now civilians) and a few civilians arrived at the Centralia depot by train from St Louis. They were removed from the train, lined up, and shot execution-style by guerrillas under the command of William “Bloody Bill” Anderson. A few hours later, the 39th Missouri Infantry, under the command of Major Johnston arrived with the intent of seeking revenge on the guerrillas, who were camped just a few miles southeast of town. However, Major Johnston severely underestimated the size and ability of his foe. He, along with 121 of his 125 men, was “slaughtered” in a battle that produced the Highest Percentage of Men Killed in a Single Engagement of the Civil War. The Union soldiers were given “no quarter” and nearly all of the dead were found with a bullet hole in the skull — no prisoners were taken, and the wounded were shown no mercy. Only three of the rebel guerrillas were killed.

Shortly before the morning executions, our hero, William H. Rowland, met his demise, making him the first casualty on that historic bloody day. William was the assistant clerk at the Centralia train depot. He was driving a wagon with some ladies when the guerrillas came into town and began looting and burning the shops. William drove the wagon behind a barn, intent on protecting the women and himself by keeping them away from and out of sight of the ransacking that was taking place. Tom Little, one of Anderson’s guerrillas, spotted the wagon, rode up to it, and struck at Mrs. Redman, one of the ladies, with his revolver. William Rowland grabbed Little’s weapon by the barrel and held it tight with a grip so hard that he was almost dragged out of the wagon. Once Tom Little gained control of his gun, he then used it to shoot Rowland in cold blood. Mr. Rowland was a well-respected young man, a civilian that had never been a soldier, and he died protecting the women.

The guerrillas were probably unaware that William was regarded as a Southern sympathizer, and supported their cause, if not their methods. Although not a soldier himself, many of his Rowland cousins served in the Confederate Army. William was laid to rest in Pleasant Grove Cemetery of Boone County, where his headstone reads “William Rowland, 22 Yrs 6Mos 14Dys, Killed by Guerrilla Thomas Little in Centralia on Sept 27, 1864”

William was the third of ten children born to John C Rowland and Ellen Phillips at Rocky Fork Township, Boone County, Missouri. His Rowland ancestors hailed from Botetourt County, Virginia, spent some time in Mercer County, Kentucky, and eventually settled in Boone County soon after Missouri became the 24th state on August 11, 1821. He and his ancestors are documented in “Descendants of John Rowland, Son of William Rowland (Botetourt Co., VA)”, compiled by Carol (Rowland) Petersen, self-published 1999, 302 pages.

It is presumed the perpetrator, Tom Little, never stood trial or received punishment for this particular act of murder. However, some level of justice was bestowed on him a few years later when Thomas Little was hung by a mob at Warrensburg, Missouri after robbing the Hughes and Wesson Bank at Richmond, Missouri (another account of the Thomas Little lynching).

Additional Sources and Inconsistent Accounts

This story is recounted in poetic form: The Centralia Massacre (a war poem and true story)

There are other accounts regarding the plight of Mr. Rowland that vary slightly from the above, including some that claim it was his father, John C. Rowland, who was shot that day. For completeness, the following excerpts and sources are provided:

(1) “History of Boone County, Missouri: Written and Comp. from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources; Including a History of Its Townships, Towns, and Villages. Together with a Condensed History of Missouri; the City of St. Louis … Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Prominent Citizens …. (1882)”. United States: Western Historical Company, 1,144 pages (download pdf version). The section of the preceding book dealing with the Centralia Massacre was reprinted in “The Centralia Massacre: A complete account” by William F Switzler, on September 27, 2014 (the 150th anniversary), in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

• Page 461: John C. Rowland, a citizen, was in town in a wagon with some ladies, when the guerrillas came into town on the heels of the Federals. Mr. Rowland drove the wagon behind a barn, intending to keep himself and the ladies out of harm’s way. Tom Little, one of Anderson’s guerrillas, rode upon the wagon and struck at Mrs. Redman, one of the ladies, with his revolver. Mr. Rowland caught the weapon by the barrel and held on with such a grip that he was almost dragged from the wagon. Little then killed him. Mr. Rowland was a well-respected young man, who had never been a soldier but was regarded as a Southern sympathizer.

(2) “This Work of Fiends”: Historical and Archaeological Perspectives on the Confederate Guerrilla Actions at Centralia, Missouri, September 27, 1864. Thomas D. Thiessen,
Douglas D. Scott, and Steven J. Dasovich. Prepared for Friends of Centralia Battlefield And Missouri Civil War Heritage Foundation March 2008, Lincoln, Nebraska. 407 pages

• Page 6: A sergeant, Thomas Goodman, was selected by Anderson to be spared for eventual exchange for one of his men of sergeant rank who was being held by Federal authorities. Goodman’s memoir, published soon after the end of the war (1868), has become one of the standard historical references on the events of that day in Centralia. The remaining 26 soldiers were shot dead with the guerrillas’ revolvers, execution-style, as was a civilian train passenger who was unlucky enough to be wearing a soldier’s blouse that day. A Centralia resident, depot agent John C. Rowland (Note: Columbia resident, Jack Chance, shared his research with the authors on the identification of the civilian killed, identifying him as Tom Roland who was purportedly killed by guerrilla Tom Little.) was also killed by a guerrilla when he objected to their treatment of some of the town’s womenfolk.
• Page 60: W.L. Hulen was a young man of about 14 or 15 years of age on September 27, 1864. His letter to the editor of the Centralia Fireside Guard was published on September 26, 1924. He grew up in the vicinity of Centralia and was in town on the day of Anderson’s visit. He observed the boisterous behavior of the guerrillas in town that morning and saw the train arrive at about 11:00 a.m. He was witness to the slaughter of the soldiers, and he told a story similar to that related by Hicks, about two soldiers fleeing to Eliza Hall’s sickroom and being killed there. He also said that a civilian wearing a soldier’s uniform blouse was killed and that the depot agent, William Rowland, was killed by a guerrilla who was guarding the depot.
• Page 136: The train that left St. Louis Tuesday morning at 4:15 A.M., on the North Missouri Railroad, reached Centralia at 11:30 A.M. Before reaching that point the passengers noticed a number of men in Federal uniform and supposed they were militia. On the arrival of the train at the Centralia depot, it was taken charge of by one hundred and fifty bushwhackers, commanded by Bill Anderson, who had murdered the station agent, Mr. Rowland, before the train reached there.
• Page 278: There were killed in and around the little village of Centralia on the 27th of September, 1864 between 150 and 175 men (authorities differ on the number) including the soldiers killed in battle, those shot down in the village, the passenger on the train and a citizen of this locality, John C. Rowland, who was shot for trying to protect some ladies from the insults of the guerrillas.
• Page 317: The guerrillas then stole a lot of new boots from one of the stores, filled them with whisky stolen at another store, and, after shooting a young man by the name of Rowland, they rode back to camp east of town.
• Page 349: During the excitement and shooting of the Federal soldiers, one of Anderson’s men was guarding the depot. For some cause, William Rowland, the clerk in the depot, got into some trouble with this guard and the guard shot and killed Rowland. The guard said Rowland had attacked him and he had to shoot to save himself.

(3) Centralia Massacre and Battle Brochure produced by Centralia Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 234, Centralia, MO 65240

• Page 3: On the morning of September 27, some 30 to 50 bushwhackers, some dressed in captured Union uniforms, under the leadership of Anderson rode into the village of Centralia, whose population was less than 100 persons. While waiting for the train they terrorized local civilians, robbing and burning stores and killing a civilian who attempted to defend a young woman.

(4) The Missouri Telegraph (Fulton, Missouri), 30 Sep 1864, page 2

• “Particulars of the Rebel Raid on Centralia” …On arrival of the train at the Centralia depot, it was taken charge of by one hundred and fifty bushwhackers, commanded by Bill Anderson, who had murdered the station agent, Mr. Rowland, before the train reached there.

(5) Missouri State Times (Jefferson City, Missouri), 01 Oct 1864, page 2

• “Horrible Massacre on the North Missouri Railroad” …Mr. Roland, Express Agent at Centralia was also killed.

Photo Credits

(1) Railroad Depot, Centralia, Missouri, ca. 1910. [SHS of MO-Columbia Photo Collection #021534]. Note: This photo was taken in 1910 and may not be representative of how the depot looked in 1864.

(2) Headstone of William H Rowland, from Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 26 November 2020), memorial page for William Rowland (13 Mar 1842–27 Sep 1864), Find a Grave Memorial no. 112740340, citing Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Boone County, Missouri, USA; Maintained by Jerry (contributor 47928447) .

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